25th February....

Not much change. A quick look this morning produced a 2nd-winter Yellow-legged Gull, a drake Goosander and 11 Ruddy Ducks.

23rd February....

This afternoon produced adult Med Gull, 1st-winter Yellow-legged Gull, Common Sandpiper and 2 Dunlin (a year tick - I blame the high water levels, currently 100% full!)

GW Year List: 85

19th February....

No sign of Kumlien's Gull in roost this evening.

Three Red-crested Pochards have appeared, including a leucistic female (all 3 having been further down the Ouse Valley in Bedfordshire until recently). The only other birds of note were a Common Sandpiper and a Black Swan (just my second at Grafham in almost 10 years!).

GW Year List: 84

18th February....

The gull roost contained a good number of large gulls... and I picked out an adult Kumlien's Gull amongst them. It was present from 5.15-5.30pm at least. This is the first record for Grafham Water (although several years ago, another adult I saw in the roost was probably also of this race). It was presumably the same as that seen yesterday roosting in Bedfordshire.

The other highlight was 2 vocal Curlews flying around during the evening. In the morning, I missed a flock of 181 Black-tailed Godwits that flew through during WeBS count.

GW Year List: 83

10th-11th February

Two very quiet days, and two poor and distant gull roosts. The only highlights were two different leucistic Black-headed Gulls on seperate days. The first was the regular bird which has been returning for several winters (all white, apart from a small ear-spot and jet black primaries), but the second was a new individual, which was creamy white all over, had no ear-spot, and dull brown/creamy primaries.

8th February....

Very crisp under foot this afternoon, due to the cold burst of winters snow, but the drop in temperature has had no effect on increasing wildfowl numbers. The unexpected highlight was seeing 2 Grey Plovers making their way NE over the res at 3.30pm. Otherwise just a 2nd-winter Yellow-legged Gull of note.

7th February....

The gull roost from Mander was very distant, so instead I concentrated on the Goosander roost:

By 5.15pm 16 birds had arrived around the harbour, equally split between males and females. There was also a splendid near-adult Yellow-legged Gull on the boom most of the evening, and a Little Egret in Littless Creek (a year tick).

GW Year List: 82

6th February....

A lovely still winters evening, with great light, but I could only manage a 1st-winter Caspian Gull and 5 Goosanders in a quick look after work.

On Sunday, counts of 15 Pintail and 30 Ruddy Ducks all showed increases on my last visit, no doubt due to the freezing conditions. Having to work on Saturday cost me another GW year tick, as 30 Pink-feet flew over the gull roost late in the day!

With cold weather now upon us, and more forecast, I'm hoping Grafham will have a late-winter flurry of good birds yet! Well, we live in hope....

1st February....

The roost from Mander car park was distant, but did produce estimates of 2300+ Herring Gulls, 800+ Lesser and 200+ Great Black-backed Gulls, also 2500+ Common Gulls and 4 Yellow-legged Gulls (2nd, 3rd and 2x 4th-winters). Also a drake Goosander around the harbour.