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!