Kingfisher

A Kingfisher was flying around the Botanic Gardens in Cambridge at lunchtime.

Fowlmere

Went with the family at dusk looking for Otters. No luck, but a group of Fallow Deer were extremely close to the hide (two females with young and a stag.) Three Snipes were also seen.

Leach’s Petrel

Myself and Tom connected with a Leach’s Petrel, a Herts mega that was found at Wilstone late afternoon. It showed at very close range, swimming for most of the time but also in flight on occasion. Three Little Egrets were also present.

Leach’s Storm Petrel by Tom

Fowlmere

After finding very little at Wimpole, I continued in the same vein at Fowlmere (just three Teal and a Snipe.)

Bats at Savernake Forest

Went with Tom to Savernake Forest to go ‘batting’ on a trip led by the Steve Ward. We checked boxes during the day, finding Common Pipistrelle, Brown Long-eared, Noctule, and Natterer’s Bat. In the evening we used mist nets in the evening (until 2am) where we caught mostly Natterer’s, a few Brown Long-eared, and a single Daubenton’s Bat.

Birds in the ancient Oak and Beech woodland included a number of Buzzards, Nuthatches, and Treecreepers. A Red Kite was also seen nearby.

 
Natterer’s and Daubenton’s Bats by Toms

Buzzards

In Cambridge, a Buzzard soared high over the city centre adding to the very dark bird sat seen from the train as it sat in a field just outside Foxton.

Nothing of note at Shepreth L-moor in the evening.

Fowlmere and Lapwings

Fowlmere was fairly depressing this lunchtime: Just five Teal and three Snipe.

In the afternoon, a flock of eight Lapwings flew fairly low over the garden. Amazingly, a new bird!

Fowlmere

Four Warblers: Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, and Reed Warbler as well as five Teal this evening.

Fowlmere

An unproductive walk around Therfield Heath (a large Chaffinch flock in the east ‘corner’ was about it) was followed by a visit to Fowlmere. Two Buzzards and two Teal were seen here but the Red Arrows over Duxford provided some entertainment!

Tree Pipit and Bats

A Tree Pipit went over the garden late afternoon. Picked up on call and also seen briefly.

At Fowlmere a possible Cetti’s Warbler was heard at dusk. Little else was seen apart from a couple of Teal. The children and I then joined the Fowlmere Bullfinches on the Bat and Moth evening.

Moths counts were poor, though a few interesting species were seen including Centre-barred Sallow. Ruby Tiger, Vapourer, Lunar Underwing,  and Lesser Yellow Underwing.

An injured Brown Long-eared Bat was showed by Marcus before, with the aid of detectors, we found a large number of Soprano Pipistrelles. A Tawny Owl was also heard and seen, and a Barn Owl was heard.

Botanic Gardens

A lunchtime walk in the sun produced the following:

Emperor x 2 (including a female ovipositing.)
Common Darter – many, including ovipositing females.
Grey Wagtail
Grass Snake – basking in the limestone rock garden.

Fowlmere

The cycle ride with Sam was the highlight. Four Teals was about it as far as birds. Earlier in the day, a small flock (eleven) of Golden Plovers was seen flying over Trumpington.

Hobby

One juvenile Hobby low over Station Road early morning whilst walking to get the train.

Fowlmere

Very little of interest in a quick afternoon walk to the hide. Four Teal was about it.

Grey Partridges

A family party of Grey Partridges in Trumpington was being harassed by a Crow eying one of the chicks. Tom managed to scare off the Crow by clapping a shouting!

Sea-watching

We had planned to spend the day cycling to the coast but during the night strong (and rather unexpected) winds came in from the north-east making for a rather sleepless night in our tent. We therefore headed to Sherringham where we enjoyed an excellent long sea-watch:

Gannet – constant parties moving east; hundreds of birds.
Kittiwake – hundreds east.
Bonxie x 4 east (new for Tom.)
Arctic Skua x 3 east.
Fulmar – east.
Sandwich Tern – several.
Common Scoter x 7 west.

Unfortunately we had to stop after about an hour and a half to meet with Michelle and Sam, but after lunch we managed another short session at Cley:

Gannet – similar numbers to before, all moving east.
Kittiwake – as above.
Manx Shearwater x c.200 east.
Arctic Skua – east.
Sooty Shearwater x 3 birds lingering then slowly drifting east; new for Tom.
Bonxie x 2 west!
Fulmar – east.

To top it off, on the North Scrape, were the following:

Red-necked Phalarope
Little Stint – juvenile.
Curlew Sandpiper – juvenile.
Spotted Redshank x 2
Greenshank

Pensthorpe

Went to Pensthorpe with the family whilst camping in Norfolk. As well as the various interesting captives, three Buzzards were noted. Tom took quite a few photos; most were captive, but these were obviously wild.

 

Foxton

A very dark Buzzard was sitting on Rowley's Hill near Foxton.

Yellow-legged Gull

A, or presumably “the”, Yellow-legged Gull “following the plough” in fields adjacent to a very quiet Fowlmere.

Alpine Swift

Alpine Swift at Aldenham Reservoir! With hirrundines early evening just inside the Herts border. Two Little Egrets also roosted there.

Earlier in the day, two Buzzards were seen from the train over Rowley's Hill in Foxton.

Fowlmere

A blustery morning with Fowlmere feeling the lingering effects of the tropical depression “David”. Though perhaps not as exciting as seawatching at Pendeen, Fowlmere did produce two Spotted Flycatchers and the forth calendar year Yellow-legged Gull was seen in the fields as they were being ploughed.

Farmoor Black Terns

Note: Managed to resist making the above title “One Good Tern…”

Farmoor Reservoir for the American Black Tern that turned up at the weekend. Great views alongside a niger Black Tern and a White-winged Black Tern. All juveniles. What a combination!

On the way, saw four Red Kites. Whilst there saw a possible first winter Mediterranean Gull (in flight), a sub-adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Yellow Wagtail (heard only), and a Common Sandpiper.