A long morning from 07.15 covering the dam and adjacent areas, the lagoons and the fishing lodges area. A nice morning with south-westerly winds after rain and 17 degrees.
A sprinkling of waders were on the move; 14 Oystercatchers flew through mostly south (big numbers were moving south past east coast watch-points in the last couple of days); 2 Ringed Plovers flew south; 4 Snipe, 1 Greenshank, 8 Green Sandpipers, and 2 Dunlin were on the lagoons; 1 Avocet was initially on the dam then re-located to Gaynes Cove; 8 Common Sandpipers. 16 Yellow-legged Gulls were counted including 3 juveniles; a single adult Arctic Tern was among 48 Common Terns including 18 juveniles. c120 Pied wagtails were on the dam and 40 Yellow Wagtails were on the dam and the favoured cropped grass adjacent to the Marlow car park; c60 Swallows and just 6 Swifts were present. 35 Little Egrets were counted and a lone adult Hobby flew south over the dam.
Grafham Water - 7 August 2013
A nice morning with a fresh east-north-easterly breeze and sunny with some cloud.
Nothing as exciting as a flock of 22 Whimbrel which flew down the Ouse valley calling over the house at 20.50 hrs on 3rd of August looking for somewhere to roost but...
23 Little Egrets were counted, Common Sandpipers had increased to 4, a Dunlin and 7 Green Sandpipers, 11 Yellow-legged Gulls and 96 Common Terns; most frustratingly I heard a Spotted Redshank call several times above the dam but never got on to it, presumably it was a high flying bird that came down a little for a look, realised the limitations of the dam wall as feeding habitat and then headed off....
Nothing as exciting as a flock of 22 Whimbrel which flew down the Ouse valley calling over the house at 20.50 hrs on 3rd of August looking for somewhere to roost but...
23 Little Egrets were counted, Common Sandpipers had increased to 4, a Dunlin and 7 Green Sandpipers, 11 Yellow-legged Gulls and 96 Common Terns; most frustratingly I heard a Spotted Redshank call several times above the dam but never got on to it, presumably it was a high flying bird that came down a little for a look, realised the limitations of the dam wall as feeding habitat and then headed off....
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| Juvenile Common Tern - Grafham Water August 2013 |
Grafham Water - 31 July 2013
Following 4 Whimbrel which flew south over the house on evening of the 28th, the trickle of autumn waders continued today at Grafham, a summer plumage Turnstone was on the dam with a schinzii race Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper; a Green Sandpiper was at the south end of the dam and 5 were on the lagoons as was a single Snipe; a Turtle Dove which purred briefly at the lagoons was a pleasant and increasingly rare treat; 14 Sand Martins flew purposefully south; 3 juvenile Yellow Wagtails and c. 40 juvenile Pied Wagtails were on the dam and 3 Crossbills flew south-west over the lagoons.
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| Common Sandpiper - Grafham Water - July 2013 |
Grafham Water - 19 July 2013
A bright sunny warm morning with an easterly breeze.
After several fairly uneventful July visits a little more interest today was provided by a Black-necked Grebe in non breeding plumage off the dam.
Otherwise there were 14 Yellow-legged Gulls, a 4th calendar year colour ringed Great Black Backed Gull that had been ringed as a juvenile at Katholm in Denmark and having previously been seen in Oxfordshire in 2010; a very sickly looking adult Common Gull was on the dam; 43 Common Terns were counted though there were only 2 juveniles; 16 Lapwings flew high west; 5 Green Sandpipers were on the lagoons; 8 Little Egrets were off the Plummer car park; a male Peregrine flew over high eastwards; a juvenile Grey Wagtail was on the dam and the only Yellow Wagtail seen was an adult female also on the dam.
After several fairly uneventful July visits a little more interest today was provided by a Black-necked Grebe in non breeding plumage off the dam.
Otherwise there were 14 Yellow-legged Gulls, a 4th calendar year colour ringed Great Black Backed Gull that had been ringed as a juvenile at Katholm in Denmark and having previously been seen in Oxfordshire in 2010; a very sickly looking adult Common Gull was on the dam; 43 Common Terns were counted though there were only 2 juveniles; 16 Lapwings flew high west; 5 Green Sandpipers were on the lagoons; 8 Little Egrets were off the Plummer car park; a male Peregrine flew over high eastwards; a juvenile Grey Wagtail was on the dam and the only Yellow Wagtail seen was an adult female also on the dam.
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| Black-necked Grebe - Grafham Water - July 2013 |
Grafham - 9 July 2013
Misty early on then clearing and with a cool easterly breeze.
11 Common Terns off the dam were joined briefly by an unexpected adult Arctic Term which then flew off west into the early morning murk: 7 Yellow-legged Gulls; very few juvenile Black-headed Gulls with just 7 on the dam; 6 Green Sandpipers were on the lagoons as was an adult Little Ringed Plover; the first 7 juvenile Yellow Wagtails had appeared on the dam joining 14 juvenile Pied Wagtails, Garden Warblers were still singing at the lagoons with 8 counted.
The only other recent birds of note were 7 Curlew which flew over the house in the early morning of 6 July.
11 Common Terns off the dam were joined briefly by an unexpected adult Arctic Term which then flew off west into the early morning murk: 7 Yellow-legged Gulls; very few juvenile Black-headed Gulls with just 7 on the dam; 6 Green Sandpipers were on the lagoons as was an adult Little Ringed Plover; the first 7 juvenile Yellow Wagtails had appeared on the dam joining 14 juvenile Pied Wagtails, Garden Warblers were still singing at the lagoons with 8 counted.
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| Juvenile Black-headed Gull - Grafham Dam - July 2013 |
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