Red Admiral

Probably won’t win any photographic awards taking pictures of a butterfly on a camera phone, but as it was the year’s first butterfly for me, I thought I’d snap this Red Admiral…

Fowlmere

Cold and quiet. Four  pairs of Gadwall and a Barn Owl were pretty much it.

Fowlmere

Apparently the temperature was 2°C but it felt much colder (and was snowing lightly). Twenty-three Teal was a high count, and two pairs of Gadwall, but otherwise quiet. A poor picture of a Treecreeper too.

Wimpole

Took Michelle to lunch at Wimpole, with the ulterior motive of seeing the Hawfinch that has been visiting the restaurant gardens, and the Mandarins that have been visiting the lake. Lots of thrushes, particularly Fieldfare and quite a few ducks, and also a nice picture of a Robin. But, I missed both targets, it was cold, and I had work to do, so we gave up.

Fowlmere

A beautiful sunny spring-like day, so popped to Fowlmere mid-afternoon for a break from work. Not too bad. Nine Snipe feeding in the open, a female Tufted Duck, 16 Teal, a pair of Gadwall, and a few Siskins.

Best sighting however was a Stoat that I stumbled upon. Looking directly at me, unsure of what to do, it would have been a great photo  if I could have stepped back a bit to take with a clear view. After firing a few shots, through some leaves, I tried it, but the Stoat inevitably scarpered.

Black-bellied Dipper

Popped into Thetford on the way back from my parent’s in Suffolk to take a look at the Black-bellied Dipper that is overwintering there. Nice confiding bird. Sam also amused himself climbing the tree crossing the river. We also managed a pair of Egyptian Geese in Thetford Forest whilst driving through.

 

At dusk I went to Fowlmere where I managed to catch up with a Merlin (female) as well as the female Hen Harrier, a Barn Owl, the male Bearded Tit (heard), a pair of Gadwall and a record 26 Teal.

Minsmere

An extemely quiet afternoon (where the best sighting was a Navy submarine patrolling the coast!), but a gorgeous sunset…

Fowlmere

A quick walk at dusk produced ten Gadwall (five of each sex), the second ever highest site count.

Caspian Gull

Raining, so didn’t fancy Fowlmere, and with a dull football match on, I decided to head to Amwell to see if I could catch up on the Caspian Gull and Bittern that have been there for a while.

By the time I arrived the light rain had turned in to a torrential downpour. It was also very cold! Got the Caspian Gull easily and so walked around to the main hide to see if I could see the Bittern and shelter from the rain.

The rain turned to sleet, and when the sleet started turning to heavy snow a bit before dusk, I decided to head off home. My hands were freezing and I didn’t fancy a slow journey home if the snow settled, so missed out on the Bittern.

Therfield & Fowlmere

Had an hour or so to kill in Royston as Sam was at football training, so went to Therfield. Got the Great Grey Shrike easily, as well as a Red Kite, several Bulfinches, a single Corn Bunting, and a flock of around thirty Blue Tits (one of the largest I’ve ever seen).

 

Went to Fowlmere at dusk. Managed to see the male Bearded Tit and the Barn Owl pair displaying.

Hen Harrier and Jack Snipe

Had to collect Tom from Melbourn Village College so we popped into Fowlmere to see if we could see the roosting Hen Harrier. We did, along with a Jack Snipe, four Common Snipe, four Gadwall, and a couple of Teal.

Jack Snipe, Bearded Tit, and Tawny Owl

A very brief visit to Fowlmere, pretty much just to get the Jack Snipe. Got it amongst seven Common Snipe.

In the evening I gave up all pretence of trying to get some work done and popped in for a late visit. A Beaded Tit (or Tits?) were heard calling and a Tawny Owl seen.

Long-eared Owl and Great Grey Shrike

Went to Fowlmere in the morning for an hour, specifically to look for the two reported Jack Snipe. Failed, though I did see a good count of at least six Common Snipe. There was also a flock of around fifty Siskins and the Cetti’s Warbler was heard.

Late afternoon I went to Therfield to look for the Great Grey Shrike and to see if I could find one of the roosting Long-eared Owls there. Managed both, as well as a Barn Owl.

Kingfisher in Botanic Gardens

A Kingfisher showed well during a lunchtime stroll. Nice to see. First here for a couple of years.