Peregrine & Siskin

A male Peregrine passed my office window this morning and a Siskin was in full song in Bluebell Wood at lunchtime.

80 Peregrine
81 Siskin

Bewick's Swan

Took a bike ride out to Flag Fen via the North Bank at lunchtime. Birds had reduced around the sewage works and there were just 2 Redshank and 1 Green Sandpiper. Going a little further on to Willow Hall Lane a large herd of Bewick's Swans were visible on North Fen.

79 Bewick's Swan

Marsh Tit

One near the island in Elton seen on a walk down to Yarwell Junction and back. Seeing far fewer of these away from the best woodlands nowadays.

78 Marsh Tit

Bittern at Bradley Fen

I had a report of a Smew at Bradley Fen Pit at the weekend so decided to bike out there today from work. No Smew but a Pink-footed Goose was with a small flock of Greylags, an injured Whooper Swan was on the lake and then a real stroke of luck as a Bittern flew along the shore giving fantastic views.

75 Pink-footed Goose
76 Whooper Swan
77 Bittern

Coal Tit

Coal Tit is regular in the garden but today was the first I'd noticed this year.

74 Coal Tit

Pheasant

An odd one to still be missing from the list but my first flew across today as we walked along the Nene in Elton. Woodcock, Little Grebe and Kingfisher also showed at the lock.

73 Pheasant

North Bank Sewage Works

Got back to my fave winter patch today and very productive it was too. The effect of a bit of effluent warmth was clear to see although I might have expected more birds present. There were rather fewer Moorhens than expected and only about 10 Redshank, 5 Snipe and 3 Green Sandpipers. A female Sparrowhawk was making frequent visits and that might be keeping numbers lower.

68 Lapwing
69 Green Sandpiper
70 Redshank
71 Chiffchaff
72 Snipe

Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita


Snipe Gallinago gallinago



Redshank Tringa totanus



Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus


Digiscoped with Canon Powershot A640 and Leica APO77x20

Ruddy Duck

A lunchtime cycle to an undisclosed location got me my first tick not seen last year.

66 Ruddy Duck
67 Reed Bunting

First day on the bike

Two ticks from the office window in the morning:
47 Herring Gull
48 Feral Pigeon

Then, at lunchtime, a very icy cycle ride to Ferry Meadows, where there was no sign of yesterday's Scaup:
49 Little Grebe
50 Great Crested Grebe
51 Grey Heron
52 Greylag Goose
53 Canada Goose
54 Eurasian Wigeon
55 Gadwall
56 Teal
57 Northern Shoveler
58 Red-crested Pochard
59 Pochard
60 Tufted Duck
61 Goldeneye
62 Coot
63 Lesser Black-backed Gull
64 Kingfisher
65 Grey Wagtail

Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina, males


Digiscoped with Canon A640 and Leica APO77x20

Back to work tomorrow

A couple of additions in the garden yesterday:
30 Redwing
31 Carrion Crow
32 Great Black-backed Gull

Then two cracking male Bullfinches feeding on grassy seedheads in the garden this morning and a female Blackcap in the birch trees.

33 Bullfinch
34 Mistle Thrush
35 Blackcap

A walk up to the Nene Way between Fotheringhay and Nassington added a few more:
36 Cormorant
37 Moorhen
38 Meadow Pipit
39 Sparrowhawk
40 Yellowhammer
41 Treecreeper
42 Skylark
43 Kestrel
44 Jay
45 Common Gull

Finally late in the day a Great Spotted Woodpecker over the house.

46 Great Spotted Woodpecker

2010 underway

A new year and a new list starting with a few in the garden in the morning.

1 Chaffinch
2 House Sparrow
3 Collared Dove
4 Blackbird
5 Fieldfare
6 Starling
7 Dunnock
8 Black-headed Gull
9 Woodpigeon
10 Song Thrush
11 Jackdaw
12 Robin
13 Greenfinch
14 Red Kite
15 Pied Wagtail
16 Wren
17 Long-tailed Tit
18 Rook
19 Blue Tit

An excellent afternoon walk in beautiful weather along to Yarwell Junction and back produced a few more including a lucky Woodcock no doubt flushed by the hunt that passed us just downstream of The Island.

20 Goldfinch
21 Magpie
22 Stock Dove
23 Mallard
24 Mute Swan
25 Great Tit
26 Red-legged Partridge
27 Woodcock
28 Green Woodpecker
29 Common Buzzard