Grafham Water 30 June 2012

Another blowy morning with a couple of light showers spent four hours along the dam and lagoons area prior to midday

Waders are beginning to move through with a Curlew through south, 2 Redshanks on the dam, 2 Avocets and 2 Green Sandpipers on the lagoons otherwise - 3 Little Egrets, 7 Teal on the lagoons, 3 Red Kites, 4 Common Buzzards, 5 juvenile Lapwings on the lagoons, 4 Common Terns,  8 Yellow-legged Gulls (3 adults, 1 4th calendar year, 3 3rd calendar year and 1 2nd calendar year), 31 juvenile Pied Wagtails along the dam indicative of a good level breeding success no sign of any juvenile Yelllow Wagtails yet though, a lone Meadow Pipit along the dam was presumbaly a migrant. Many species of warblers again singing with vigour.
A male Ringlet butterfly was the first that I have seen this year...

Didn't take any photos today so here's a happy June memory from one of my trips to China taken just outside Songpan, Sichuan province in June 2010...

adult male Siberian Rubythroat in song 

Grafham Water 25 June 2012

My early morning balcony coffee was disturbed by the familar though unexpected call of a Kittiwake (an adult) that was being mobbed by the local Black-headed Gulls as it flew north along the River Ouse, presumably blown inland by the recent strong winds....

  Shelduck duckling 

On to the dam at Grafham for 0700: 8 Yellow-legged Gulls (3 ads, 1 4th calendar year, 1 second calendar year and 3 3rd calendar year birds) 8 Common Terns,1 adult Redshank on the dam, 6 early returning adult islandica Black-tailed Godwits flew over SW towards the lagoons though were not seen later,  4 Yellow Wagtails was a low count of breeding birds.
At the lagoons 4 Avocets and a single Turtle Dove were the highlights 3 Gadwall and 12 Shelduck ducklings were signs of at least some successful breeding this season....

Sedge Warbler 

3rd calendar year Yellow-legged Gull

Linnet

Avocet

Grafham Water 23 June 2012

third calendar year Yellow-legged Gull

An afternoon wander around the lagoons and along the windswept dam...
Yellow-legged Gulls again present in numbers with c14 around this afternoon (3 adults,  1 4th calendar year, 2 2nd calendar year and  8 3rd calendar year 6 of which flew off very high SW) along with c 20 LBB's and increasing numbers of juvenile Black-headed Gulls, a lone LRP on the lagoons, c 150 Swifts, a single Hobby and 3 Red Kites

juvenile Long-tailed Tit

Grafham Water & River Ouse at Little Paxton 19 June 2012

An afternoon visit to Grafham where 8 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Little Egrets and 2 Hobbies were the highlights followed by a couple of hours along the River Ouse path as far as Island Pit mainly in search of dragonflies with impressive numbers of Banded Demoiselles, a few of Four Spotted and Scarce Chasers and best of all a single male Norfolk Hawker. Few birds of note 3 Turtle Doves and single Green Sandpiper on Island Pit were the pick.

Common Buzzard 

Grafham Water 17 June 2012

Did three hours early morning along the dam and lagoons area, nice morning, a fresh SW wind and sunny.

A further increase in Yellow-legged Gulls today with certainly 12 present this morning - 4 ads, 1 4th calendar year bird, 2 2nd calendar year birds and at least 5 3rd calendar year birds, one of the latter was colour ringed and based on the coding appears to have been ringed on the Balearics.
Otherwise 2 Little Egrets, 1 Common Sandpiper, c400 Swifts were the best of it. Several Willow Warblers in full voice this morning indicative of failed first broods.

Willow Warbler 

Grafham Water 16 June 2012

A blowy but bright early morning for three hours along the dam..

An influx of Yellow-legged Gulls was evident as follows: 1 adult SW and 2 on the res., 1 2nd calendar year bird on the res; 2 3rd calendar year birds SW and 3 on the res., 1 4th calendar year bird on the res. Adding to the gull interest was a 3rd calendar year GBB that had been colour ringed on NW Scotland.
Otherwise 1 Little Egret, 6 Common Terns, c600 Swifts  and c 20 Swallows and the local raptors were about it.....

Adult Yellow-legged Gull - very large individual

The very minimal white mirror on P9 is indicative of birds from

western populations typically Portugal & Spain 

Grafham Water 10 June 2012

Spent a couple of hours early morning along the dam, very calm sunny and warm...

Rather quiet waders limited to 2 Dunlin different birds to yesterday one probably race schinzii or alpina and the other probably race arctica; otherwise an adult and a 3rd calendar year Yellow-legged Gulls, 8 Common Terns were just about it, due to the calm sunny weather very few hirundines present and not a single Swift....

An afternoon balcony birding session added a Hobby and a cream crown Marsh Harrier high north-east to the days modest tally

Dunlin - probably race alpina and arctica