Fowlmere

Sunshine and heavy showers:

Marsh Harrier - female (plus one unidentified sighting.)
Lesser Whitethroat - three.
Yellow Wagtail - one over, plus another two unidentified Wagtails with it.
Common Whitethroat

Amwell

A visit to a sunny Amwell with the whole family:

Ruddy Duck - male.
Swift x c.20
Redshank - pair.
Cetti's Warbler x2 (heard only.)
Ringed Plover x 4
Common Tern x 6
Hobby
Common Sandpiper
Shelduck

Fowlmere

Several Reed Warblers were heard and seen at Fowlmere having presumably arrived over the last few days.

Fowlmere and Shepreth L-moor

The morning drizzle looked promising for migrants, but produced little apart from a small fall of Sedge Warblers. When the drizzle turned to heavy rain I gave up. Brightened up in the evening, so took a walk around Fowlmere with Tom, but with no more luck.

House Martin

No new species migrants at Fowlmere, but plenty more Sedge Warblers in. The first House Martin flew over the garden, and we caught the large (25 gramme) Bank Vole again.

Red Kite, Redstart, and Marsh Harrier

I didn't see the bird of the day: Red Kite over fields behind Foxton school, seen by Tom. We both saw the male Redstart, still at Shepreth L-moor, and on the way home Fowlmere's male Marsh Harrier hunting between Foxton and Fowlmere.

A male Orange Tip was seen in the garden.

Green-winged Teal

Passed near by Eyebrook Reservoir on the way home from Rutland Water (rock climbing and cycling) so called in for a quick look at the male Green-winged Teal.

A different Bank Vole caught: 19 grammes.

Lesser Yellowlegs and Redstart

A Lesser Yellowlegs was at Earith, so I went along for a look with Tom, who made an excellent sketch.


Lesser Yellowlegs by Tom

I then went on my own to a blustery Therfield Heath looking for migrants, but with no luck I gave up when the rain started.

Driving home, the rain stopped and so I had a look around Shepreth L-moor. Here there were eighty-nine Golden Plovers in summer plumage, plus a Treecreeper (first I've seen here), but best of all, a splendid male Redstart.

Another Bank Vole caught, a large one weighing 25 grammes.

Fowlmere

A quick lunchtime stroll produced little in windy conditions. Nothing new, though perhaps a small fall of Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers overnight.

Fowlmere and Merlin

A morning visit produced a Buzzard, the Marsh Harrier pair nest building, over forty Fieldfares, and a heard-only Sedge Warbler.

Early evening, a (or the) female-type Merlin was seen between Newton, Thriplow, and Foxton.

Fowlmere and Shepreth L-moor

A Peregrine at Fowlmere was the obvious highlight of a lunchtime visit. Later in the day, sixteen Golden Plovers (some at least in summer plumage) flew over Shepreth.

Bank Vole, Fowlmere, and Whimbrel

A (or most likely, the) Bank Vole was caught and weighed at 25 grams.

A morning walk around Fowlmere produced a Redpoll, a Grey Heron, and a Cuckoo (heard only.)

Then down to Tyttenhanger, where a Whimbrel had settled.

Bank Vole and Fowlmere

Caught the Bank Vole again. Looked like the same individual, so decided to weigh it: 25 grams.

A reasonable hour or so was spent at Fowlmere with Tom before the rain moved in for the day:
Marsh Harrier - the female seen first, followed by the male.
Green Sandpiper.
Buzzard.
Fox.

Bank Vole, Shepreth L-moor, and Therfield Heath

Put the mammal trap in the outhouse to see what was eating the pet food. Caught a Bank Vole.

Lots of activity at Shepreth Heath, but nothing too exciting. A small flock of Fieldfares was the first for several days. A fox was also seen.

Similar at Therfield Heath. No Wheatears or Ring Ouzels, just a few more Fieldfares passing through.

Fowlmere and around

Another fine morning, though with a chilly westerly wind. A good morning at Fowlmere:

Willow Warbler - same date as last year.
Marsh Harrier - almost certainly the returning male; quartered reed bed and landed in area around last year's nest site. Later mobbed by...
Common Buzzard - an interesting bird. Very pale underneath and pale brown upper parts with sandy-red tail. Also seemed to be large and more robust than most. In south-eastern Europe I would have definitely called it Long-legged.
Sand Martin - three over north-west.
Fox

Then, took a drive around locally, looking for Tree Sparrows. None found but excellent, close views of a female-type Merlin between Foxton and Newton.

Early evening, during a quick walk around Fowlmere, the Marsh Harrier could be seen hunting over the airfield.

Fowlmere

A fine morning, full of expectation but little promise. Just the first butterfly of the year for Fowlmere: A Peacock.

Therfield Heath, Thriplow, and Fowlmere

Sunny but cold. Covered a good part of Therfield Heath looking for migrant Wheatears and Ring Ouzels, but found little apart from a Peacock butterfly and three Willow Warblers.

At dusk, a distant falcon was seen whilst driving between Newton and Foxton; probably a female-type Merlin.

More luck than earlier in the day at Fowlmere where there were superb views of Barn Owl followed by Long-eared Owl and then a heard-only Tawny Owl. A Pipistrelle bat was also seen.

Fowlmere

A sunny but cold evening (light snow during the day) at Fowlmere. Two Grey Partridges were the only birds of note, with the cold northerlies continuing to keep the migrants away.

Redwing and Fieldfare were noticeable by their absence.

Fowlmere

A light sprinkling of snow and cold northerlies meant nothing new at Fowlmere apart from a few extra Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps.

Fowlmere and Garden

A very quick afternoon stroll around a cloudy Fowlmere where the year's first Swallow was seen. Meanwhile in the garden, it seems we have nesting Great Tits, House Sparrows, Starlings, and Robins, with Blue Tits checking out a nestbox as well as Blackbirds and Chaffinches close by (if not somewhere in the garden.)

Fowlmere

A late afternoon stroll produced six fly-over Golden Plovers and two Blackcaps.

Fowlmere

Went to Fowlmere with Tom in the afternoon where he did some photography with very pleasing results:


Greylag Goose by Tom


Little Grebe by Tom