flava variations -25 August 2012

Since the 20 August there have been intermittently good numbers of flava wagtails at Grafham Water. The percentage of juveniles in these groups has been high and the variety of juvenile plumages impressive. 

This morning there were at least 110 at the eastern end of the reservoir alone. 

(none of these birds had the raspier type calls of eastern flava races the calls were typical of flavissima and the buirds were assumed to have been of the races flavissima or quite possibly flava).  





flavissmia at the paler brownish end of the plumage tone range




three birds showing the range of slightly greyer plumage tones
the right hand bird is within typical flavissima plumage range,
the middle bird is intermediate, and left bird is greyer, cleaner
 above with limited yellowish tones on underparts, a
more striking fringing on the coverts and tertials and a more prominent supercilium



a strikingly pale greyish bird, one of two seen on 20 August, the other had a
slight lemon wash on the undertail coverts and more contrasting upperparts 

Grafham Water - 20 August 2012

Thankfully cooler than yesterday with a fresh south-westerly breeze...

Covered the south side from the Dam to Mander car park from 0645 to 1345hrs

A bird showing characters of juvenile Spotted Sandpiper seen for 5 minutes on the shore near the Yacht Club then photographed in flight as it flew with a Common Sandpiper towards the Plummer Car Park. A brief summary of the key features noted...

Structure good for Spotted heavy bellied, short rear end with a short tail extending slightly beyond the wings (short tail visible in the photo)
Square headed look (visible in photo). 

Wing coverts strongly barred buff and black - visible in flight even

Tertials fairly plain

Bill brownish yellow

Legs fleshy buff

Eyering and super more prominent than nearby Common (visible even in the flight photo)

Wingbar much narrower at base and not eaching the body (captured in the photo - note that the outer part of the wing bar is not wholly visible in the photo due to the outer wing angle).

A sighting doubtless to be dismissed by certain 'internet philosophers' but it looked pretty good to me...

Otherwise 6 Green Sandpipers, 4 adult Dunlin on the Dam, c 25 Common Sandpipers, 8 Yellow-legged Gulls, 1 3rd calendar year Little Gull, 1 Black Tern, c 30 Common Terns, c 60 Yellow Wagtails including the strikingly pale greyish individual photographed below with yellow tones limited to a slight lemon wash on the undertail coverts and 4 Spotted Flycatchers.



Bird showing characters of Spotted Sandpiper today with Common Sandpiper





3rd calendar year Little Gull





strkingly pale  juvenile Yellow Wagtail

 

Little Paxton - balcony birding 19 August 2012

More cloud than this morning with a fresher south-easterly breeze intermittent sky watch from the balcony mid afternoon onwards...

The undoubted highlight was a family group of five Hobbies which lingered over Mill Field catching high flying dragonflies, they were present for well over and hour offering lovely views and whilst watching the Hobbies three Black-tailed Godwits appeared in my binocular view as they took precautionary evasive action away from the Hobbies and off south-eastwards. Later several observations of single Hobbies were doubtless the same birds but who knows maybe there was something of a passage of these dashing falcons underway. Otherwise 6 Common Terns flew south along the Ouse, 4 Yellow Wagtails high south and a group of 13 Swifts drifted high south-west. 

Grafham Water 19 August 2012

Another very hot day with a light northerly breeze managed to cover most of the south side of the reservoir before wilting off home late morning...

The most notable event was a marked influx of some migrant passerine species with at least 9 Spotted Flycatchers counted between the south end of the dam and the fishing lodge, Lesser Whitethroats were also in evidence with a count of 14, a juvenile Common Redstart was at the lagoons. Yellow Wagtail numbers were down with just 14 counted 
Gulls were  limited to just 8 Yellow legs and a third calendar year Little Gull seen somewhat distantly from the dam. 25 Common Terns lingered with an additional 16 through high south over the dam, a single juvenile Arctic Tern and 2 Black Terns near the yacht club again. A single male Ruff flying over south, a Ringed Plover over south, 9 Common and 8 Green Sandpipers were the only waders logged. The eclipse male Red-crested Pochard was still loafing with the Tufteds at the west end of the reservoir. 

Balcony Birding 18 August 2012

Birding limited to intermittent skywatching from the paxton balcony in baking hot conditions assisted by increased cloud cover post lunchtime enabling overflying birds to be more easily sighted...

Not surprisingly given the warm weather a few raptors were on the move with a very juvenile and 5 adult Common Buzzards over south-east; an adult Hobby ripped upstream took an Emperor dragonfly which it then dismantled and devoured on the wing; a stratospherically high ringtail Harrier had the jizz of Hen Harrier but could not be identified beyond doubt; large larids were also flying high and mostly due south with c 120 during the afternoon and given their height and direction it was tempting to assume that these are part of the regular influx from the continent rather than more local movements; 6 Yellow-legged Gulls flew towards Grafham in the early evening; 5 adult Common terns flew south along the Ouse; c 80 House Martins which have been lingering locally are becoming more excitable and garrulous by the day swarming up in excitable pre-migratory flights; a returning Spotted Flycatcher was in the weeping willow at the end of the garden. Six species of dragonfly added insect interest to proceedings...

Grafham Water - 15 August 2012

Strong south westerlies with afternoon rain made for an interesting evening session, two hours was just not enough time this evening....

The tern highlights were at least 19 Black Terns (9+ adults) I suspect that there were more, 1 adult Arctic Tern with 2 juveniles appeared over the Dam at 18.20 before heading off high north-east. 
Otherwise 31 Yellow-legged Gulls; a single juvenile Mediterranean Gull over the dam heading in to the roost; 1 juvenile Turnstone arrived from the north at 1815 hrs, 1 Ringed Plover and 3 Common Sandpipers on the dam; a big increase in Yellow Wagtail numbers to 23 along the dam had doubtless dropped in during the rain as they do; c.20 Swifts and c.60 Swallows. 

Grafham Water - 13 August 2012

Spent a couple of hours early morning scanning the dam, lagoons and the western end, rather quiet and with higher water levels in most of the lagoons wader numbers were down to basic levels again...

The male Red-crested Pochard still in Dudney Creek; 4 Little Egrets; 1 Ringed Plover on the dam; 4 Green Sandpipers at the lagoons; 3 Common Sandpipers; c 23 Yellow-legged Gulls; c. 30 Common Gulls; c.40 Common Terns; c 50 Swallows; 5 Yellow Wagtails.

Paxton Pits & Balcony birding 12 August 2012

A late afternoon visit to Paxton Pits delivered the following sightings:

1 Garganey on Pumphouse Pit; 2 Greenshanks; 2 Common Sandpipers; 2 Ringed Plovers; c32 Yellow-legged Gulls; 2 Caspian Gulls (a second calendar year and a third calendar year); c 40 Common Gulls; 2 juvenile Wheatears and a juvenile Whinchat.

Male Dark Bush Cricket in the garden

Later from the balcony an evening of intermittent sky watching; 1 Common Snipe SE; 4 Crossbills low SE and a male Kingfisher feeding a well
grown juvenile...

Grafham Water 10 August 2012

A warm sunny morning in six hours covered the dam, lagoons and Dudney Bay areas, quite a slow start but ended up with a good tally by late morning...

33 Teal at the lagoons; 1 juv/female Common Scoter off the yacht club; 1 juv Garganey in Dudney Bay; 1 pale male RC Pochard; 10+ Little Egrets; 22 Green Sandpipers; 10 + Common Sandpipers; 3 Greenshank at the lagoons; 1 juv. Turnstone on the dam; 2 adult Sanderlings on the dam. An influx of Gulls raised the Yellow-legged Gull total to 23 and included 10 argentatus type Herring Gulls and included the striking fourth calendar year Caspian type bird photographed (see below). 2 Wheatears on the dam; 3 Yellow Wagtails; an influx of Willow Warblers with at least 30 between the Model Farm and the lagoons

A Roesel's Bush Cricket headed the insect sightings....

Wheatear

Roesel's Bush Cricket favouring the toilet block door!

juvenile Turnstone

Presumed sub adult male Caspian Gull or more likely Caspian x argentatus hybrid.
Based on plumage and structure could have been an atypical argentatus,
fortunately it gave the diagnostic long call and associated posture when
perched on the gantry, the general structure, the head and bill shape look
good for a large male Caspian with a parallel sided bill with minimal gonydal bulge.
The neck streaking is atypical for Caspian though quite typical for argentatus
At this age the upperpart grey colour can look paler than is typical for Caspian Gull.

Grafham Water - 8 August 2012

After a few days in North Yorkshire searching for and watching such nesting specialities as Goshawk, Red Grouse, Golden Plover, Dipper and Ring Ouzel  it was back to Grafham this morning in promising murky damp conditions which rather failed to deliver anything to raise the pulse despite spending seven hours covering most of the reservoir....

1 Red-crested Pochard a very pale aberrant male with the aythya rafts in Dudney Creek; 23 Teal on the lagoons;14 Little Egrets; 1 juvenile Marsh Harrier south at 10.20 am; 16 Green Sandpipers; 11 Common Sandpipers; 1 Dunlin on the dam; 11 Yellow-legged Gulls (3 adults, 2 juveniles, 2 first calendar years, 4 second calendar years); an adult Kittiwake with Black-headed Gulls in the middle of the reservoir flew off strongly north-west at 07:15 hrs; 4 Common Gulls (1 ad 3 juveniles); c.25 Common Terns; 3 Swifts; c.30 Barn Swallows; 2 Wheatears on the dam wall; c.80 Pied Wagtails; just 1 Yellow Wagtail a juvenile on the lagoons; a good total count of c. 47 Linnets; 13 Yellowhammers. 

adult Little Egret one of 14 today

Grafham Water - 4 August 2012

Early morning visit to the dam and lagoons areas....

4 Little Egrets; 1 Garganey seen distantly in the reed fringe to the west of the Plummer car park; c 40 Lapwings; 2 Dunlin on the dam; 8 Green Sandpipers (5 Lagoons, 3 Plummer CP); 2 Common Sandpipers; just 5 Yellow-legged Gulls this morning (2 ads, 2 juv's, 1 3rd calendar year); 6 Common Terns including a single juvenile; a single female Wheatear dropped onto the dam wall at 08:15 ish was on time for an early returning migrant.

juvenile Common Tern