31st March....

A juvenile Peregrine flew over the lagoons today, but otherwise it was very quiet.

Thursday produced the first Little Ringed Plover of the year, but it appeared the summer plumaged Red-throated Diver seen at midday, soon departed when the rain eased.

GW Year List: 91

24th March....

Having moved house this week, birding has taken a back seat..... but I was grateful when Jono rung with news of a Fulmar that he had just found! I saw it distantly from Mander around midday. This is around the 8th Fulmar I have seen at Grafham in just 10 years... quite remarkable for an inland site.

GW Year List: 89

12th March....

A chiffchaff and Goosander seen during an hour after work.....

GW Year List: 88

11th March....

Two visits during the day hardly raised any inspiration, with just a Common Sandpiper and a 2nd-winter Yellow-legged Gull being of note.

10th March....

No sign of Avocets today, and little else of note seen. Just across the Ouse Valley at Paxton Pits, c.2000 Black-tailed Gowdits were a very impressive sight, all sandwiched on to one island!

9th March....

Seeing three Avocets in the lagoons this evening was something of a relief - they had been seen briefly this morning, but disappeared! The same couldn't be said for the 14 Brent Geese also seen briefly this morning... as they seemed to have made a proper job of disappearing. This species is becoming something of a fleeting visitor to Grafham in the last few years (I have missed 4 "morning-only" sightings in several years now.)

GW Year List: 87

8th March....

Aside from the wintering Common Sandpiper, and an adult Yellow-legged Gull, the only notable bird during the last hour of light today, was a "that could be a candidate for a fuscus-type Gull". It was very small in size, with a small head, very long primary projection, with white tips just visible on several feathers, low in the water, and jet black looking on the mantle (same colour as primaries) - there were many intermedius and a few graellsii near-by for comparison.... if only there was a sure-fire way to ID them!

6th March.....

A lovely sunny afternoon, but no migrants yet. 2 Goosander, 13 Ruddy Ducks and 3 Mandarins were the only notable birds in a quick look around Dudney area. No birding at Grafham over the weekend just gone - due to being in Cornwall for 50% of it.......

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.

31st January....

A drake Goosander and 4 Buzzards were the only birds of any sort of note today....

27th January....

Not much change still

The short period of cold weather during the week, has made no impact on the numbers of waterfowl around the reservoir. A look around today produced a few more year-ticks, mainly common species, but also a pair of Pintail. Otherwise 4 Mandarin and 4 Goosanders were the only other highlights.....

Bored of seeing nothing of interest at Grafham, I stopped at Paxton Pits on the way home to see the Black-necked Grebe. Nice bird, and showing well.

GW Year List: 81

23rd January....

Cold and birdless

After the relative excitement yesterday (for those who were about!), I managed a quick look mid-afternoon today. The cold wind hampered a good look around, but I was pleased, however, when a Grey Plover flew over calling mid-afternoon.

GW Year List: 73 (still some common species still needed)