A pair of Crested Tits and two Red Squirrel in the garden first thing were a nice find.
With the football tournament over, the long drive back produced very little and ended with a very quiet evening crossing where only a few Gannets and Fulmars were seen.
The usual Buzzards were seen at the football tournament, but best bird by far was a Black Kite.
A Treecreeper pair were grilled for about fifteen minutes whilst we tried to work out whether they were Short-toed. They responded to both Common and Short-toed playback, but called as Common (we were in an overlap zone.) There were two birds plus a recently fledged juvenile.
Several Buzzards were also noted during the day at the football tournament as well as as a good number of Swifts.
A none birding trip with Sam and Cambridge United for a football tournament in Erperheide, Belgium. An early morning crossing from Dover to Calais produced a small flock of Manx Shearwaters as well as the Gannets, Fulmars, Kittiwakes, and Yellow-legged Gulls.
Best sighting of the day by far though was a Honey Buzzards (that drifted low over the recreation park when we arrived.) Apparently there were two (Marcus Kholer who we were sharing with saw the other) suggesting that they could well be a breeding pair in the surrounding forest.
With a strong, wet, north-westerly blowing I wasn’t expecting much. And I didn’t get it during a couple of hours late afternoon. A pair of Lapwings with (at least?) one remaining chick (there were three, the first ever breeding record for the reserve) and a Marsh Harrier was about it.
During a tennis match at Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, two Tawny Owls were heard next to the courts. On the drive home, a very large Badger ran across the road in Trumpington.
Busy week at work, so decided to get away for the day. Spent it at Cley and surrounding area. Very quiet, but Tom took some very good photos…
Birds seen included…
Greenshank
Mediterranean Gull x 2
Marsh Harrier – 10+
Bearded Tit
Shore Lark
Sandwich Tern x c.20
Little Tern
A mid-afternoon visit to Fowlmere produced the year’s first House Martin for me there, as well as a Marsh Harrier (female-type, too distant to age properly, but heavy wing-moult on left.) Best of all however were two Badger cubs play-fighting oblivious to the fact that I was standing next to them.
Picked up a young Starling near to the allotments that was wondering around the foot-path (pointless leaving it as it would soon be taken by one of the many cats.) It’s responded to it’s parents – and no other Starlings – on a couple of occasions when they flew over with food but despite extensive searching I could not find the nest (I lost the adult birds as they flew into the estate.) Fearing it would soon perish I took it home and put it in a cage where it fed and drunk water. Then remarkably, Tom noticed the parents going trying to get to it. We moved away and they began feeding it through the cage. All looked very promising but then after about an hour they stopped coming and the bird refused to feed itself or be given food. I brought it in early evening to keep it warm but it unfortunately died overnight.
A late afternoon visit produced my first Garden Warbler for the year plus the usual suspects (Cetti’s Warbler, Turtle Dove etc.)
An early morning visit didn’t produce an awful lot apart from a new (or moved?) Grasshopper Warbler. Also a Cetti’s Warbler heard, a single Teal, and several Turtle Doves.
Several hours early until mid-afternoon. Sunny but a bit breezy. Snapped an Orange Tit on Garlic Mustard and then spent an hour or so photographing three Hobbys. I also confirmed the damselflies was an Azure, heard four Turtle Doves and a single Cetti’s Warbler, and saw a small Pike hunting.
A very brief visit where most of it was spent trying to see a Garden Warbler that turned out to be a Blackcap! Also, a couple of Turtle Doves heard and the first blue Damselfly, probably Azure.
A quick search in fields for any Dotterel. No joy, just a pair of Grey Partridges. Also noted five singing Corn Buntings on the wires between along Fowlmere Road. The same three Swifts were flying around the village again tonight.
First Swifts around the garden. Three in total. Don’t know if any are “our” birds. Just hoping they return.
A superb morning at Amwell, gaining a Amwell and Hertfordshire bogey bird in the form of summer-plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit! Also saw…
Little Ringed Plover
Oystercatcher
Redshank
Buzzard x 6
Swift x 30?
Shelduck
Gadwall x 4
Common Tern x 12
Then on to King’s Mead for the first time in several years where the mud produced the following…
Greenshank x 2
Wood Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Little Ringed Plover
Fowlmere last thing was an anti-climax in comparison! Apart from a single Swift, there were just a couple of Cetti’s Warblers (one seen) and a heard-only Turtle Dove.
Some proper birding today!
Colwyn Bay:
A visit to the Tern colony first thing after breakfast…
Sandwich Tern x 50
Common Tern x 5
Red-breasted Merganser – pair.
Dunlin x 6 (summer plumage.)
Mediterranean Gull – pair.
South Stack:
A walk with Michelle and the boys. Very blowy. We Searched for Adder (found none) and Common Lizzard (found a few.)
Chough x 10+
Puffin
Guillemot
Razorbill
Gannet
Fulmar
Kittiwake
Rock Pipit
Shag
Coed-y-Brenin: 
This superb woodland was researched by Michelle. We walked an easy trail together for a couple of hours.
Pied Flycatcher – male.
Dipper – pair feeding young.
Crossbill – several heard.
Wood Warbler x 4
Grey Wagtail
Goshawk
