Cam Washes and Iceland Gull

Decided to try somewhere new this afternoon: The Cam Washes. Birded the West bank, accessed from Long Drove beginning at Waterbeach, North to Upware (though the other side of the river). Not too bad. 8 Avocets and a couple of Ruff, plus around 30 Snipe. The Gull

The Starling roost has been pretty spectacular there of late (saw it from the other side of the river at Burwell/Wicken a few weeks back) but I decided not to stay until dusk and instead have maybe a last go of the season at the Gull roost at Fen Drayton. A good decision as I found a 2W (maybe advanced 1W?)* Iceland Gull.

Cam Washes
28 February 2016 13:22 - 16:35
Patchy cloud 6C 9NE
Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Greater Canada Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Pheasant, Cormorant, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Kestrel, Moorhen, Coot, Avocet, Lapwing, Ruff, Redshank, Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Barn Owl, Kingfisher, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Great Tit (heard), Long-tailed Tit, Starling, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting (heard) Fen Drayton

28 February 2016 17:05 - 18:10
Patchy cloud 4C 9NE
Greylag Goose, Mallard, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Iceland Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Great Tit (heard), Starling, Blackbird, Robin (heard), Dunnock (heard), Chaffinch

* Photos taken by others elsewhere on site show the bird having a yellow-eye, making it a 2W (3CY) bird.

Cambridge

The Botanic Gardens at lunchtime held the usual stuff. But a Little Egret flying over the train station on my way home shortly after 5pm was a surprise. I'd noticed one further out of town on my last visit to Cambridge a week before, this one being seen from the train as it passed Addenbrokes. Perhaps the same bird?

Cambridge Botanic Gardens
23 February 2016 13:40 - 13:59
Sunny 7C 9NW
Mallard, Moorhen, Black-headed Gull, Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon, Collared Dove (heard), Magpie, Carrion Crow, Goldcrest (heard), Blue Tit (heard), Great Tit (heard), Long-tailed Tit, Blackbird (heard), Robin

Foxton Woodcock

A walk around towards Rowley's Hill produced a Woodcock when walking back along the hedege from Hoffer Brook. A Foxton first for me. Watched it fly from the direction of the trees around the brook towards Fowlmere Road before it was lost in the darkness.

Norfolk

Went to Norfolk with Michelle for the day, just to get away. Forecast didn't look good but we risked it anyway and the heavy rain that was promised didn't really kick-in properly until the drive home.

Started at Blakeney Harbour, where after a coffee in the Grey Seal, I went out on the sea wall to look for Lapland Buntings whilst Michelle walked around the village. Took a while to pick up the Laps, but eventually got eight birds in flight, before a couple came back and showed reasonably well (though tough to photograph as can be seen!) One of the two (not the photographed one)was a male coming into summer plumage which was good to see. A couple of Twite were seen in flight and then I picked up a Water Pipit. The pool out to the sea wall held a Red-throated Diver. It had been there for a few days apparently and was slightly oiled, though seemed to be fishing reasonably well when I watched it.

 
 

We then went to Holkham Hall, somewhere Michelle had been wanting to go for sometime, and where there just happened to be a Ferruginous Duck on the lake, as well as a couple of male Scaup and a female Red-crested Pochard. After a long, but pleasant, despite some rain, walk around the lake we managed to get all three, and had a nice picnic whilst watching! The female Fudge Duck was rather worryingly associating with a hybrid aythya that seemed to have some Ferruginous genes in it.

EDIT 21/02/2016: After a bit of research it seems it is, as I expected at the time, a Pochard x Ferruginous hybrid. 


After that we went to Burnham Overy where we walked to the beach looking for reported Shorelarks but failed to find any before we gave up to get back to the car at dusk. Then something to eat at the Orange Tree in Thornham.

Blakeney Village
20 February 2016 10:20 - 11:45
Light showers 10C 19SW
Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose, Brent Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Pintail, Shoveler, Red-throated Diver, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Oystercatcher, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, Skylark, Starling, Meadow Pipit, Water Pipit, Twite, Lapland Bunting, Reed Bunting

Holkham Hall
20 February 2016 12:15 - 14:45
Overcast with showers, quite heavy at times 11C 19SW
Greylag Goose, Barnacle Goose, Egyptian Goose, Mallard, Shoveler, Red-crested Pochard, Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Tufted Duck, Scaup, Goldeneye, Cormorant, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Red Kite, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jay, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Starling, Blackbird, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Siskin

Burnham Overy
20 February 2016 15:20 - 17:45
Patchy cloud 10C 19SW
Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose, Greater Canada Goose, Brent Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Grey Partridge, Cormorant, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Buzzard, Kestrel, Moorhen, Avocet, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Ringed Plover, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Skylark, Starling, Blackbird, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Reed Bunting