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 |
Ouse Washes - 3 July 2013
After rain overnight, a cloudy morning with occasional bursts of sunshine and a light south-westerly breeze. Walked from Welches Dam to the railway bridge.
The return passage of waders very evident this morning. 143 Black-tailed Godwits comprised 29 race limosa including 6 juveniles the rest were adult islandica; an adult Spotted Redshank and 2 Wood Sandpipers were in full breeding dress; 31 Ruff and a single Reeve were on the pool nearest the railway bridge; 4 Greenshanks flew north.
Breeding waders were much in evidence including 5 Little Ringed Plovers, 14 Avocets with 9+ young, at least 43 juvenile Redshank were counted a couple of Snipe were still drumming.
Garganey ducklings had increased to 6; c. 30 Teal; 21 Little Egrets; 6 Common Terns and just including 1 juvenile were fishing along the Delph; c. 60 Common Swifts flew through SW.
The return passage of waders very evident this morning. 143 Black-tailed Godwits comprised 29 race limosa including 6 juveniles the rest were adult islandica; an adult Spotted Redshank and 2 Wood Sandpipers were in full breeding dress; 31 Ruff and a single Reeve were on the pool nearest the railway bridge; 4 Greenshanks flew north.
Breeding waders were much in evidence including 5 Little Ringed Plovers, 14 Avocets with 9+ young, at least 43 juvenile Redshank were counted a couple of Snipe were still drumming.
Garganey ducklings had increased to 6; c. 30 Teal; 21 Little Egrets; 6 Common Terns and just including 1 juvenile were fishing along the Delph; c. 60 Common Swifts flew through SW.
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| Black-tailed Godwits - Ouse Washes - July 2013 |
June 2013 summary
2 June 2013 - Lammas Meadow
The first visit of the month was to the doorstep patch of Lammas Meadow an area of seasonally flooded meadow along the Great Ouse. Numerous Southern Marsh Orchid spikes were an impressive sight all across the still very wet meadow. While nine singing Reed Warblers and a singing Lesser Whitethroat were establishing territories 2 Spotted Flycatchers at the south end of the copse were still on the move.
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| Reed Warbler - Lammas Meadow |
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| Southern Marsh Orchid |
5 June 2013 - Ouse Washes
A cool overcast morning with a northerly breeze. A total of 9 adult Garganey (5 males) included a pair with three small ducklings which appeared on open water briefly before being ushered back onto the nesting sedge tussock by the attentive and vocal female.
Garganey family - Ouse Washes
A variety of waders present included migrating birds that had stopped off mingling with those breeding on the Washes with their first chicks now appearing. 6 Little Ringed Plovers were busy displaying; 37 Ringed Plovers included 28 obvious tundrae 6 obvious hiaticula and 3 that were intermediate in appearance; 9 Lapwing chicks; 11 Dunlin included 4 schinzii, 6 alpina and one very small squat short-billed bird with very pale scapular fringes and a small indistinct belly patch that could well have been race arctica; 3 Curlew Sandpipers comprised two in full brick red breeding dress and a third bird with just a few red bands on the underparts presumably a first-summer bird; c.45 adult Redshank were counted with 11 juveniles; 11 Black-tailed Godwits and 16 Snipe some of which were busy drumming.
Two cream crown Marsh Harriers and two Hobbies were the notable raptors. A LIttle Tern flew through north mid morning.
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| Little Tern - Ouse Washes June 2013 |
A flock of c280 House Martins were over Welches Dam were the only noteworthy passerines, Yellow Wagtails were in short supply with just 9 counted.
7 June - Grafham Water
Another day with a fresh northerly wind but brighter than earlier in the week, a good morning for admiring the view being rather quiet on the bird front, two hours at the Dam and Lagoons were enough.
An Oystercatcher and an alpina race Dunlin were on the Dam, 2 Red Kites; c. 200 Swifts; 1 Cetti's Warbler was singing at the lagoons as were 6 Willow Warblers. 2 Spotted Flycatchers were probably the highlight.
8 June - Lammas Meadow
Cloudy and cool with a fresh northerly wind with early mist, two early morning hours
A Nightingale was obliging singing from scrub along the Great Ouse; 3 Lesser Whitethroats were singing and c. 30 Common Terns flew along the river north-eastwards in several groups.
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| NIghtingale singing in early morning mist |
Following a trip away, made several visits to Grafham in the last two weeks of June during a rather quiet period:
On the June 18th 3 Yellow-legged Gulls were present, just 15 juvenile Pied Wagtails on the dam and 71 Gadwall were already gathering on the Lagoons indicative of poor breeding success for both species, meanwhile c 600 Swifts doubtless included migrants.
A pair of Avocets were at the lagoons still on 21st June and were joined by the first returning Green Sandpipers (4), an adult male Little Ringed Plover may have been breeding nearby, just one male Yellow Wagtail was on the dam with no juveniles visible yet and just 8 juvenile Pied Wagtails.
on 26th of June 12 juvenile Black-headed Gulls were on the dam, 10 Yellow-legged Gulls heralded the main summer influx, 3 Curlew flew south, an adult Common Sandpiper was on the dam as were 2 adult Redshank with just 1 Green Sandpiper at the lagoons. C. 700 Common Swifts were counted over the dam in the early morning, 4 adult yellow Wagtails also on the dam and two Meadow Pipits carrying food. Garden Warblers were in full song still as were Willow Warblers with the odd now rather hoarse sounding Chiffchaff also still singing.
An impressive avian spectacle was observed on the fine morning of 29th of June when c. 2700+ Common Swifts were over the dam in a massive swirling vortex then all moved westwards en mass. A passage of Swifts moving south-west continued for most of the morning. 7 Yellow-legged Gulls were counted; c.20 Sand Martins were unexpected and were possibly failed breeders; just one male Yellow Wagtail was seen with a male Cuckoo the only other sighting of note.
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| Willow Warbler - Grafham Water June 2013 |
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