Little Paxton - Balcony Viz Mig - 20 October 2012

0700 - 0930 visible migration watch from the balcony initially very misty over the Great Ouse and clearing slowly in a very light SE breeze.

Quite a few birds moving this morning including disoriented thrushes but the clear highlight were 3 Bearded Reedlings (all females/first-winters) which flew out of the phragmites bed and along the Ouse southwards. 

Otherwise  4 Snipe W, 18 Golden Plovers over east, 64 Meadow Pipits SW, 223 Redwings S/W in several large flocks including some which dropped in, 24 Song Thrushes SW, 17 Blacbirds mostly W/SW, 330 Starlings mosly west, 96 Goldfinches S, 140 Chaffinches WNW, 2 Bullfinches SW, 182 Lesser Redpolls mostly S, 4 Redpolls sp S (i.e larger than Lesser with lower pitched slower call) and 61 Siskins mostly SW. 

Grafham Water - 19 October 2012

Red-necked Grebe

A calm cloudy mild morning with a very light SE breeze - five hours along the dam and adjacent areas from 07:20

The highlight was a  Red-necked Grebe which flew in from the west of the reservoir landing quite close to the dam until disturbed by fishing boats 15 minutes later when it flew off low back towards the west end. Otherwise an adult Mediterranean Gull, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls, 12 Little Egrets and 4 very flighty Rock Pipits were the only notable sightings on or near the water.

Visible migration was quite good until mid morning with 42 Lapwings S, 7 alba wagtails S, 35 Meadow Pipits mostly S with c. 70 along the dam bank, 2 Fieldfares S, 1 Tree Sparrow S, 27 Goldfinches S, 11 Siskins S, 117 Lesser Redpolls S, 72 Linnets S, 52 Chaffinches W and 5 Reed Buntings SW.

Red-necked Grebe

Grafham Water - 15 October 2012

A five hour session along the dam and lagoons areas in mixed conditions initially cloudy then with rain for an hour or so then becoming a little brighter mid  morning

Visible migration started off well then fizzled out somewhat once the rain set in a Short-Eared Owl was the highlight flying high south otherwise 34 Meadow Pipits S with c 40 on the dam, 7 alba Wagtails S, 71 Chaffinches WNW, 6 Bramblings WNW, 61 Goldfinches S, 61 Linnets S, 18 Lesser Redpolls mostly W/S with c 20 around, 42 Siskins Sand 3 Reed Buntings W. Oddly no  immigrant thrushes were evident either moving or grounded.

Otherwise 1 male Peregrine flashed over the dam, 9 Little Egrets, 1 juvenile Ringed Plover presumed race tundrae appeared during rain, 4 Green Sandpipers and 2 Redshanks at the lagoons, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls (a ad, 1 1cy, 2 3cy), 3 Chiffchaffs and 2 Cetti's Warblers at the lagoons -

juvenile Ringed Plover - presumed race tundrae - the darker and colder
upperpart tones and upper breast patches and with submarginal lines on coverts
narrow white supercilium behind the eye and dull browny yellow legs, all strongly
indicative of race tundrae

Grafham Water - 8 October 2012

A more lively morning with a light ENE breeze and low temperatures overnight combining to encourage migration...covered the dam and adjacent areas from 0645-0945

Jay - a group of 6 flying high and purposefully SW with a further 3 S later, 3 Swallows south,

8 House Martins S, Chiffchaff numbers down to 4, c 18 Goldcrests, 420 Starlings mostly SW, 20 + Blackbirds at the model farm gorging frenetically on berries were obvious migrants, 21 Redwings mostly south with 8 dropping in, c230 Meadow Pipits S with c. 300 grounded, 17 alba Wagtails S with <15 on the ground, c 35 Chaffinches S, 1 Brambling S, 2 Siskin S, Goldfinches moving in numbers with c 170 S, 16 Lesser Redpolls S, 1 Redpoll sp S, c 25 Reed Buntings, and an increase in Yellowhammer numbers to c 14.
9 Little Egrets and 4 Yellow-legged Gulls were the only notable birds on or near the water. 

Redwing heading over south

and a recently arrived Redwing

Grafham Water - 6 October 2012

A lovely bright morning with a north-westerly breeze, spent 4 hours along the dam and immediate area...

16 Litle Egrets in trees west of Plummer, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls, 6 Golden Plovers over west, 2 Snipe south, c.60 Skylarks south, 5 Swallows south, 120 Meadow Pipits mostly south with c 80 in the vicinity of the dam, 2 Rock Pipits on the dam with possibly a third over SW, 14 Alba Wagtails south with greatly reduced numbers on the ground  c.25 and with one almost certainly a White Wagtail, 19 Redpolls over south, c130 Goldfinches and c 90 Linnets.

Rock Pipit

Rock Pipit 

the joy of dots or 6 Golden Plovers (one obscured)

Grafham Water - 01 October 2012

Initially promising with some movement apparent but dissipating in the very mild condistions with temperatures in the high teens. Managed to visit most of the main viewpoints from 0730- 1330

23 Little Egrets including 16 in Dudney Bay, 6 Wigeon, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls, 16 Skylarks south, c70 House Martins and c 50 Swallow lingering, c96 Meadow Pipits though s/sw, 9 Siskins south,  6 Redpolls south. Good numbers of insects on the wing.

male Migrant Hawker 

Grafham Water - 30 September 2012

Three hours on the dam from 07.30  in fresh south-westerlies...

5 + Little Egrets, 4 Wigeon, 1 Dunlin, 5 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 adult Common Terns, 1 first-winter Little Gull off the Marlow car park, 5 Yellow-legged Gulls.
Some visible passerine migration and grounded migrants, with 33 Swallows south and c25 lingering, c350 Houe Martins lingering and 110 south, 8 Sand Martins south, 14 Skylarks south, 4 Grey wagtails south, 1 flava Wagtail south and just one other on Marlow cp, c 70 Meadow Pipits mostly south to south-west, and c140 in the dam area, 1 Rock Pipit south, 70 + Linnets south,  3 Redwings west, 2 Song Thrushes dropped in, 8+ Chiffchaffs, c 15 Goldcrests in the Marlow cp bushes, and 8 Jays high west.