Took Michelle out for the day to look at a couple of gardens. First to Perch Hill, and the to Great Dixter. Both had nice areas of wild meadow, with Great Dixter having an impressive display of three Orchid species: Common Spotted Orchid, Green-winged Orchid, and Common Twayblade. There were also quite a few Grass Rivulet moths flying around.
Counted up to 30 Starlings on the feeder. Took some video. One young bird hit the conservatory window but fortunately flew away unharmed having hopefully learnt a lesson.
Very quick visit to Fowlmere (just the hide and back). Blustery winds and left when heavy rain started. A pair of Shoveler (going into eclipse plumage) and a single male Tufted Duck (female hidden on a nest?) were birds of note.
Went to Amwell. Very quiet. Not too bad a picture of a Little Egret. Several there. particularly around the difficult to see far side of the Willows; perhaps they are breeding?
Meanwhile the Starlings are destroying my feeders! Though the Swifts have moved in now that they are gone.
Amwell 
Cycled down. 2CY Marsh Harrier again. Hunting all the way from near to Fowlmere village, to Foxton Woods, to Thriplow village. Appeared to catch a young Hare (there were many Hares, one of which continually chased the Harrier!) but lost it when mobbed by a Buzzard.
Fowlmere Road
A walk around the Foxton circuit with Michelle between showers produced a first for Foxton! A superb male Whinchat. A few minutes later, an immature male Marsh Harrier flew around the same field before continuing to Thriplow. I cycled down after completing the walk hoping to get a photo, but both birds were gone (the Whinchat seemed to be moving eastwards across the field as we walked). Usual good birds such as Corn Buntings, Skylarks, Grey Partridge, and a singing Willow Warbler heard in Foxton Woods.
A brief hour after much rain. Just walked to the hide and back. Not too bad at all. A Common Sandpiper, and (a record?) six Tufted Ducks (four male) that I managed to get record shots.
Also great views of a Hobby and some decent shots of a Heron.
Apparently Tom was awoken from his cabin at 5:30am by a cacophony of bird noise. He assumed it was a cat so went out to investigate and saw a male Sparrowhawk eating what he believes to be a young Collared Dove in the tree above him. It stayed long enough for him to get this awful phone picture (it was 5:30am) and it ignored the mobbing birds until Jackdaws chased it off.
Did Fen Drayton for a few hours in the afternoon. Breeding Avocets were a surprise amongst the other waders of Redshank, Oystercatcher, and Little Ringed Plover. Two pairs of Egyptian Geese, one lot with four young. Lots of Common Terns and Swifts. Alos the year’s first odonata in Common Blue Damselfly.
Found these young Long-tailed Tits huddled together on a branch being fed by their parents. Not easy to photograph as they were deep inside the bush and it was rather dim.
Fen Drayton
Woke early and couldn’t sleep so had a couple of hours at Fowlmere before the predicted rain set in. A pair of Tufted Ducks flew over (also seen yesterday). There was also a pair of adult (not 2cy as reported) Marsh Harriers carrying nesting material. The adult is different from the bird seen over the last few weeks, which may be 2cy, but more likely 3cy. Took some distant photos…
Went into town to meet up with some friends. Someone was just about to get another pint in, and I get a call to say there’s a Roseate Tern at Amwell. Just about ok to drive and there’s a train in five minutes! So I make my excuses, promise to meet up next week, and run to the station. Get the train home; run from the station to the car; dash to Amwell and arrive shortly after 8pm; dash up the track and across the tracks before the oncoming train gets there and sprint to the viewpoint. I see people looking high with their bin’s at terns that seem to be miles up. So I scream out: “Anyone on it?” Am told it’s the highest bird among the large number of Common Terns. Fortunately I get it immediately. Phew!!!
As it happened I watched if for the next hour and it stayed came back down and stayed until dusk. Ringed on both legs, and apparently from Coquet Island. I’d last attempted to see Roseate Tern at that exact spot in Northumbria after seeing the Bridled Tern in 1993.
Nesting birds in the Garden: Starlings in the roof (must be ready to leave soon). Swifts roosting in the same space overnight. Blackbirds nesting in the Ivy on the old shed. Great Tits in the Apple tree as usual. Blue Tits and Collared Doves obviously near by, but don’t seem to be in the garden. Male Blackcap still singing all day, but no sign of a female as of yet.
A male Citril Finch at Holkham Pines. Played it cool and waited until after the football (though when QPR went 3-0 down, I gave up and left!) A bit tense to start with as no sign, but otherwise a good twitch for Britain’s second ever and my first anywhere in the world since my only other sighting in the mountains of Puerto de Navafria, Spain on August 31st, 1998!
Went with Daryl and Tony and we took in 17 Dotterel at Choseley on the way back.
No photos of the Citril Finch as I stood near the back on a slope and had excellent scope views rather than fighting through the scrum to get a picture. So shamelessly stole this one from Surfbirds taken in the exact spot I saw it…
The Starlings are still feeding young in our roof, and driving us mad each morning at first light with their constant calling. Last night a Swift was also calling from inside there too, and was again calling this morning. Then, about 8am this morning there was a lot of screaming and it was fairly obvious a fight had broken out. I ran outside in my dressing gown and saw a Swift fall to the floor via the hedge which it tried, but failed, to cling on to. I went to pick it up but after a bit of a struggle where it floor straight into my car, it eventually took off. Swifts were back in there again tonight.
A calm evening after a very blustery couple of days. Got a sonogram of the odd singing (but no longer Chiffchaff like) Willow Warbler on the Shep.
Very strong winds made birding difficult to say the least, but I did manage a Garden Warbler and a site tick Grey Heron.
Shepreth L-Moor
After the jaunts in the last two days to Somerset and the Pennines, I had a day at home. And was joined by five Swifts. The Starlings are still nesting, with young in the nest, so don’t know what will happen.
Nearly twenty years after an untickable view of a calling bird in flight on Tresco, Scilly, I finally added Red-throated Pipit to my British list at the unlikeliest of places, the Pennine Moors.
Great bird. Beautiful countryside. And a nice chat with the finder. Crap record-shots as always…
Went with Michelle to twitch the Hudsonian Godwit, a new bird for me, at Shapwick Heath on the Somerset Levels. Great sight. Bitterns, Great White Egrets (two), Garganey (male), Marsh Harriers, and Cetti’s Warblers also seen, as well as my first two Swifts. Then left to spend the day in Bath with Michelle.
No definite sign. A grey bird came into Marmora’s call, but the view were so brief I couldn’t even rule out Blackcap, of which there were many around.
Two Hobbys over reserve.