Grafham Water - 27 August 2013

Initially cloudy then clearing to become sunny with a light NW breeze. 

An early morning visit to the dam for a couple of hours with a follow up visit to the lagoons at lunchtime. 

6 Yellow-Legged Gulls (3 adults and 3 juveniles) were on the dam; c.30 Common Terns; 1 juvenile Greenshank at the lagoons; 1 Dunlin on the dam; 4 Common Sandpipers; c. 60 Yellow Wagtails on or near the dam included one variant - a very pale washed out bird with pale grey mantle and pure white supercilium; c. 70 Pied Wagtails feeding along the dam; good numbers of Chiffchaffs at the lagoons with c.20 counted; 3 Whinchats were on or near the dam early morning; 1 Wheatear on the dam; c. 80 Swallows; a juvenile Redsart in scrub at the north end of the dam and 6 Crossbills flew over NW. 

Whinchat - first winter - Grafham Water 27 August 2013 

Grafham Water - 26 August 2013

A couple of hours watch from the lodge and Church Hill cove areas from 1600 hrs. A sunny evening with a brisk WNW breeze.

c. 40 Common Terns still, c.250 GBB Gulls and c.20 Yellow-legged Gulls had assembled in a pre-roost gathering. A single adult Sandwich Terns flew along the north shore. 

Yellow-legged Gull - adult - a slightly atypical variant
Grafham Water - August 2013 

Grafham Water - 24 August 2013

A muggy and warm morning with a fresh northerly wind and rain, good conditions for wader and tern movement.

Spent 06.45 to 10.30 covering the dam and fishing lodge areas.

Whimbrel were on the move - 4 were on the dam early morning until pushed off then eventually flew out SW at about 10.00, 6 flew SW at 07.30, a flock of c.18 SW at 09.55 and finally 3 SW at 10.10; 10 Ringed Plovers flew SW and 1 NW; 2 Greenshanks dropped onto the dam briefly before heading off SW; the juvenile Ruff was still on the dam; 2 Snipe flew over and 6 Common Sandpipers were counted. 

Good numbers of terns were present with 16 Black Terns off Marlow early morning then swirled off high west and later 11 Black Terns perhaps part of the same flock were off the lodge; 4 Arctic Terns (1 ad, 3 juveniles) lingered and 4 adults flew straight through south at 08.15; c. 50 Common Terns; 3 Yellow-legged Gulls (3 adults and 1 juvenile).

Notable passerines were limited to a Whinchat at the Yacht Club, c.60 Swallows at the dam and c.80 House Martins over the Yacht Club. 

Later at home 2 adult Sandwich Terns flew south-west along the Great Ouse and 7 Common Terns flew straight through south. 

Whimbrel over Grafham Water in the murk - 24 August 2013 

Grafham Water - 23 August 2013

A cool morning initially then warmer and sunny with a light easterly breeze. 

Covered the dam and fishing lodge areas 07.45-1100 hrs 

An Osprey flew in over the dam from the east at 08.25, continued to the west end of the reservoir lingered for a while then flew off high west; the easterlies had brought in 2 adult Black Terns which were off the dam at 09.20 and then flew south; c 40 Common Terns; 3 juvenile Arctic Terns were off the lodge; just 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls were noted; the juvenile male Ruff was on the dam still in company with an adult Ringed Plover; c. 25 Yellow Wagtails were all typical flavissima types; c. 30 Swallows were feeding near the north end of the dam and 15 drifted slowly high south; a female White Wagtail had joined the Pied flock on the dam and an early autumn flock of Linnets were also in this area; Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Whitethroats and Blackcaps were also very evident and obviously now passing through. 

Ruff a juvenile male - Grafham Dam 23 August 2013 

Balcony Watch Little Paxton. - 16 August 2013

A cooler morning with rain showers and a fresh SW wind.

A group of c150 mixed Swallows and House Martins moved south-west at 08.10 just prior to a rain shower and encouraged me to keep looking skyward, the movement of mainly Swallows and Martins continued all morning albeit in smaller numbers the total by midday reaching 760 Swallows, 410 House Martins and c35 House Martins. A single Green Sandpiper added a dash of excitement and an influx of Chiffchaffs was evident judging by the number of calling birds. 

Grafham Water - 15 August 2013

After early morning rain had cleared a visit to the dam, Hill Farm, lagoons and fishing lodge areas for a few hours.

The rain had dropped in a few waders mostly on the dam:1 juvenile Ruff; 1 Sanderling; 8 Ringed Plovers (2 ads and 6 juveniles); 1 Little Ringed Plover over south; 8 Common Sandpipers were counted. Common Terns had increased to c.120 including several family groups and 2 juvenile Arctic Terns were at the south end of the dam. 1 Turrtle Dove flew through south; c.30 Swallows and c. 20 House Martins were at the north end of the dam where a nice small group of warblers were gorging on windblown insects included 2 Garden Warblers, 6 Chiffchaffs, 2 Willow Warblers, 3 Whitethroats and a Lesser Whitethroat. c. 25 Yellow Wagtails were on the Marlow cropped grass including the 4 odd looking juveniles noted on 14th; 1 Wheatear in the north fields. Few large gulls were present today but did include 6 Yellow Legs and an odd bird that I couldn't quite work out pictured below. The aberrant Red Crested Pochard was again in Dudney Creek. 

Sanderling - Grafham Dam 15 August 2013 - a presumed first-summer bird judging by the covert and tertial fringing and the extent of moult to non-breeding plumage. 

Sanderling - Grafham Dam 15 August 2013  - note how pale the legs appear in this photo due to the angle and light.

    Larid Sp - Grafham Dam - 15 August 2013 

Grafham Water - 14 August 2013

Cooler overnight with clear skies with a light WNW breeze. 

Covered the dam area and briefly the lagoons and fishing lodge areas. 

c.50 yellow Wagtails were near the north end of the dam and included 4 juveniles with colder greyer tones to the head and mantle with whiter underparts, supercilium and wing bars well within the range of flava, given the variable genetics of this species group they might well have been variant flavissima.

c. 80 Pied Wagtails were on the dam; 4 Common Sandpipers; c 42 Little Egrets; c.40 Common Terns; 6 elegant juvenile Common Gulls on the dam were the first to pass through; 12 Yellow-legged Gulls including 6 juveniles; the Danish colour ringed GBB Gull was present again and from nearer home a colour ringed Black-headed Gull had been ringed at Milton just north of Cambridge; a very pale male Red-crested Pochard was in Dudney Creek; 4 Green Sandpipers were at the lagoons; and c.40 Swallows and c.20 House Martins were near the dam. 

Bullfinch - male ground feeding - Grafham Water  14 August 2013