Sunday 31 May 2009

A1 North Pit: Red Kite over, heading SE

Diddington Pit: Belated news of 2 COMMON CRANES, initially on bund before flying off south at c.19:00 (scroll down to see excellent series of shots by Les Beeke)

Northern Pits: 2 summer plumaged Black-necked Grebes, 2 Little Egrets, Wigeon, 10 Shoveler (9 drakes), drake Red-crested Pochard, Buzzard, Hobby, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 9 Ringed Plover (7 Tundrae), 29 Lapwings, 3 Dunlin, Wood Sandpiper, Little Gull, two 3rd cal-yr Yellow-legged Gulls.
Wood Sandpiper at Paxton Pits








Wood Sandpiper, Diddington Pit
© Jamie Wells


Common Cranes



















Common Cranes, Diddington Pit, 31st May 2009
© Les Beeke

Saturday 30 May 2009

Northern Pits: Little Egret, 2 drake Wigeon, 2 Shoveler, 3 drake Pochard, 2 Hobbies, 11 Ringed Plover (8 Tundrae), 3 Dunlin, male & female Cuckoo.

Island Pit: 2 Buzzards, Turtle Dove, Kingfisher, Lesser Whitethroat singing, male House Sparrow.

Heronry South: male & female Cuckoo flew towards visitors' centre.

Washout Pit: Little Egret.

Friday 29 May 2009

Northern Pits: 2 Grey Partridges, Dunlin, 1st summer Little Gull, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls.

Tuesday 26 May 2009

Northern Pits: Little Egret, Red-crested Pochard, Buzzard, Hobby, Arctic Tern, Spotted Flycatcher.

Monday 25 May 2009

Northern Pits: Little Egret, drake and duck Red-crested Pochard, 5 Common Pochard, Sparrowhawk, 1+ Hobby, pair Grey Partridges, 8 Ringed Plover.

Hayling Pit: Adult female Kingfisher feeding 3 young

Sunday 24 May 2009

Northern Pits: Little Egret, 2 drake Red-crested Pochards, Red Kite over (Diddington village), 2+ Hobbies, 2 Dunlin, 2 Wheatears still.
male Wheatear, Paxton Pits








Male Wheatear, Paxton Pits
© Jamie Wells

Saturday 23 May 2009

Northern Pits: Little Egret, 3 Shelduck, drake Red-crested Pochard, pair Grey Partridges, Little Ringed Plover, 6 Ringed Plover, 2 Sanderlings, Dunlin, 5+ Black Terns, 2 (male & female) Wheatear.

Wednesday 20 May 2009

Northern Pits: 1-2 Little Egrets, drake Wigeon, 2 drake Shoverler, pr Pochard, 5+ Hobbies, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 4 Dunlin, 12+ Ringed Plover (inc. some Tundrae).

Washout Pit: Shelduck, 2 Redshank (on flooded field on opp. side of river); 1-2 Kingfishers.

Island Pit: 2 Buzzards heading north.

Tuesday 19 May 2009

Reserve end: Spotted Flycatcher, 2+ Turtle Doves, 3-4 Cuckoo's

Northern Pits: Little Egret, pr Shelduck, 3-4 Pochard, drake Shoveler, Red Kite (drifting south at 12:33), 3 Buzzards, 2-3 Hobbies, 2 Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Turnstones, sub-ad. Yellow-legged Gull.

Sunday 17 May 2009

Northern Pits: Little Egret, 2 Shelduck, 2 Wigeon, drake Red-crested Pochard, 4 Common Pochard (2 pairs), 3 Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Yellow-legged Gull, 85 Common Terns, Black Tern.

Friday 15 May 2009

Northern Pits: 2 Little Egrets, Garganey, 5 Knot, 11 Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper, 7 Turnstone, 9 Black Terns, 18 Ringed Plover (chiefly tundrae).

Thursday 14 May 2009

Northern Pits: Wigeon, 4 Common Pochard, 7 Ringed Plover (inc. 5 tundrae), 2 Knot, 2 Sanderling, Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpiper, Turnstone, Black Tern, Bar-headed Goose

Island Pit: Red-crested Pochard

Wednesday 13 May 2009

Northern Pits: drake Red-crested Pochard, 2 Knot, 2 Grey Plovers, 2 Turnstone, Sanderling, 16 Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper & 4 Black Terns.

Heronry North: 8 Black Terns mid-afternoon.

Tuesday 12 May 2009

Buzzard over Dodder Fen early evening, plus two Turtle Doves flew across the arable fields nearby. Also 1-2 Turtle Doves purring in the sanctury & a Goldcrest singing in the Wray House Garden.

Monday 11 May 2009

Moorings: WRYNECK seen & photographed at 1.45 pm.

Dodder Fen: Grasshopper Warbler still

Visitors Centre: 2 hobbies, 2 turtle doves overhead. Dozens of swifts and a few hirundines.
Nightingale singing well in Anglers Car Park. Lesser whitethroat here too, also near boardwalk on Meadow Trail.

Northern Pits: 4 Sanderlings, 4 Dunlin, 3 Buzzards, 2 Hobbies.

Sunday 10 May 2009

A1 North: Male Wheatear, several Yellowhammers singing, Linnets, Skylarks.

Dodder Fen: Grasshopper Warbler reeling

Northern Pits: 5 Buzzards, 3 Hobbies, 6 Dunlin, 3+ Ringed Plovers, Little Ringed Plover.

Saturday 9 May 2009

Island Pit: drake Red-crested Pochard

Northern Pits: c.10 Ringed Plovers, Sanderling, 10 Dunlin, Whimbrel, Turnstone still, Turtle Dove. Also good numbers of Swifts.

Visitors' Centre: Hobby flew north early pm.

Little Paxton: Hobby over A1 flyover.

Friday 8 May 2009

Little Paxton: female-type Black Redstart early morning (06:55) in garden along Hayling Avenue.

Diddington Pit: male Whinchat west of Diddington Pit, at SE edge of Diddington village; Turnstone, Common Sandpiper.

Also, Little Egret, 9 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover around northern pits.

Thursday 7 May 2009

Northern Pits: Little Egret, 2 drake Wigeon, drake Shoveler, 2 Pochard, 5-6 Ringed Plovers, Sanderling, 22-24 Dunlin, 6+ Redshank, 2 Common Sandpipers, Turnstone, 2 Little Gulls (adult & 1st summer), 1+ Black Tern.
Cuckoo x2, many swifts, singing garden warblers, whitethroats, lesser whitethroats, sedge and reed warblers, turtle dove x 2.
3 hobbies together all day and at Heronry North in evening.

Monday 4 May 2009

Island Pit: pair of Barnacle Geese, Buzzard

North end: Black-necked Grebe, 2-3 Little Egrets, drake Pintail, 2 drake Wigeon, drake Pochard, Buzzard, Common Sandpiper, 7-10 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plovers, Cuckoo.