Great Ouse Valley - Little Paxton - 29 March 2013

Cold again with occasional snow/sleet flurries.

Started the day off with a couple of hours from the balcony from 08.00 which delivered a high flying Short-eared Owl heading north-east at 08:35, 2 Rock Pipits north-east and c 40 Redwings north-east. 

Then did a shortish spell at the northern end of Paxton Pits where there were 3 Smew (1 drake), 1 + Little Ringed Plover, 2 Ringed Plovers, 3 Ruff which flew north at 11.48 and 4 Chiffchaffs along the road to the pumping station. 

Drake Smew loafing 

Grafham Water - 28 March 2013

Yet another cold morning with remnant snow drifts along the dam road and a welcoming biting easterly wind though not feeling quite as raw as it has been during the last few days. 

Spent five hours from 8.00 am working the site along the north and south shores. 

A first-winter drake Velvet Scoter was the highlight but was unfortunately too far away to be photographed and has apparently been present since the  24 March, the drake Smew was off Hill Farm, the Slavonian Grebe initially off the Dam then flew to the west end, c 86 Goldeneye still, 210 Shovelers were massing at the lagoons, just 6 Redshank were counted, 6 Yellow-legged Gulls comprised 2 adults, 3 second calendar year birds and 1 third calendar year, 8 Dunlin together were on the shore west of Marlow. 

Passernes were in short supply, 3 Chiffchaffs, a single flock of c.30 Fieldfares, a scattering of Redwings, 6 Linnets and 2 Siskins were logged. Finally a Sand Martin which flew west over the Dam against an unlikely backdrop of snow looked strikingly out of place 

Grafham Water - 22 March 2013

Fierce conditions this morning, although the air temperature was 3 degrees a bitterly cold easterly wind originating way east of the Baltic made it feel more like -3. Spent five hours from 08:00 hrs covering the  Dam, Marlow, Hill Farm, Lagoons and Fishing Lodge and adjacent areas.

The highlight was an unexpected mini 'fall' of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests with 9 of the former all typical collybita types calling only not singing, and c. 23 of the latter away from their typical spring haunts feeding in low scrub and brambles in locations that made it quite evident that they were migrants e.g 2 in an isolated Hawthorne below the dam. The peak spring period for Goldcrests migrating through the UK back to the continent and points east is mid March to mid April and the fierce easterlies doubtless forced them to drop in to feed and rest...

Other sightings included 2 drake Smew (1 Lagoons, 1 west of Hill Farm), 28 Shelduck on the Lagoons, a total count of 128 Goldeneye, the Slavonian Grebe between the lagoons and the Yacht Club mid morning, 2 Ringed Plovers and 2 Dunlin, along the north shore, 1 Turnstone in Dudney Creek, 10 Redshank (definitely fewer than yesterday), 5 Yellow-legged Gulls, 1 Rock Pipit seen in flight only west over Marlow, 8 Redwings, 8 + Siskins at the lagoons, 4 Redpolls sp at the lagoons and a small flock of 17 Yellowhammers with 4 Reed Buntings in the stubble field north of the Dam. 

Smew

Goldcrest

Grafham 21 March 2013

A light ENE wind and mostly overcast with the sun breaking through occasionally, not quite springlike but getting there.....

At home a little bit of movement along the Ouse valley this morning with 11 Golden Plovers north, 1 Curlew north-west,  and c 20 Meadow PIpits also north-west.

 A lunchtime visit to Grafham covering the dam, lagoons and fishing lodge areas;  

The Slavonian Grebe was again off the Dam, a male Garganey on the Lagoons where there were also 12 Avocets, c.40 Shelduck,  c. 20 Redshank and 3 Snipe, an adult Kittiwake was  distantly off the fishing lodge, 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls,  12 Fieldfares flew north, a male Greenland Wheatear was at the north end of the dam and 16 Siskins flew over north-east.

male Garganey

Slavonian Grebe

Avocet 

17 March 2013

Started the day with a casual couple of hours vis migging from the Little Paxton  balcony, 26 Waxwings which flew over east calling were the highlight otherwise a trickle of Redwings over, 8 Reed Buntings NE and 3 Curlew NW were the best of it then heavy rain set in until very late afternoon.

Spent the last two hours of gloomy daylight at Grafham scanning the gull roost from the Dam and along the north shore. 3 adult Yellow-legged Gulls and at least 2 adult Kittiwakes were in the roost, an adult Mediterranean Gull came in over the Dam with a group of Black-headed Gulls, a Turnstone was on the dam as were 2 Oystercatchers and 8 Common Snipe dropped into the flooded stubble field north of the Dam at dusk. A lone Chiffchaff was at the north end of the Dam as were c.30 Redwings and 8 Fieldfares.

Grafham - 16 March 2013

Covered the Dam and adjacent areas followed by a shortish scan from the Yacht Club until 10.30 ish...

4 windblown adult Kittiwakes were the highlight with 5 Yellow-legged Gulls, the Slavonian Grebe, a Rock Pipit (race littoralis) and a flock of 300+ Fieldfares over being the other notable sightings.

Grafham 14 March 2013

Following a lone Swallow north along the Ouse late morning, a late afternoon visit to Grafham in relatively benign conditions....

The Slavonian Grebe was still off the Dam as was the male Common Scoter, the gull roost was split so rather awkward to sift through; 6 Yellow-Legged Gulls, 2 second calendar year (first-winter) Caspian Gulls and a single juvenile Iceland Gull (a pale one) were  the pick. 

A couple of other sightings locally in the last few days are worthy of mention; a total of 8 Brent Geese flew north along the Ouse Valley on 9 March on a day when they were on the move across south-east England; a female Merlin at Toseland has, I suspect, been in the general area all winter but who really knows(?).