Paxton Pits 30 April 2012

Migration in full swing this morning with 2 Ospreys going through east (@ 10.25 photo above and 12.10), 3 Hobbies north, 1 later 2 Bar-tailed Godwits one a dowdy first-summer and the second a splendid summer plumaged male, 3 Turnstones, 3 Greenshanks, 2 pairs of Avocets, 3 Arctic Terns among 123 Common terns, small numbers of Swifts moving east, 15 Yellow Wagtails north with the odd one dropping in one of which turned out to be a male Blue-headed, 2 White Wagtails, 3 Whinchats, 4 Wheatears. At least 10 Nightingales counted in song this morning and good numbers of common warblers. (managed to miss a drake Garganey)

Balcony birding 24 April 2012

A session after dawn of balcony birding (overlooking the Great Ouse, Little Paxton) delivered c35 Artic Terns heading north in a single flock followed by a smaller group of 6; part of a large movement of this graceful sterna over southern England this morning delivered by the intense weather systems. A  brief burst of Nightingale song from the copse across the river provided a stark contrast....





Paxton Pits 23 April 2012

Paxton Pits late afternoon in strong easterlies with increasingly heay rain - perfect!
1 male Red-crested Pochard which flew off south, 3 Goldeneye, 1 second-winter Yellow-legged Gull, 66 Common Terns, 2 LRP's, 1 Common Sandpiper,  flock of c130 Black-tailed Godwits swirled over the Pumphouse Pit during the heaviest rain at 5.20 pm then headed off north, 1 Cuckoo, 2 Northern Wheatears, c 50 Swallows, 2 White Wagtails and 4 Yellow Wagtails, a male Redstart near the visitor centre.

Lammas Fields Little Paxton 23 April 2012

A brief walk around the 'local' local patch yielded 4 Common Terns and a single Arctic Tern heading north with a fine male Redstart in the copse