Hoopoe at Stibbington GP

© Kit Day


© Brian Stone


© Katie Fuller

Another top find by local recorder Brian Stone: "Arriving to do my WeBS count at Stibbington this morning, I flushed a Hoopoe from the entrance track. A year and ten days since the one I saw at Elton Furze!

"The bird is returning to feed alongside the hardstanding near the start of the track near the Hall. Coming into the village from the A1, park carefully before the track and approach with caution, staying back from the Private sign. Grid ref: TL087987."

Pink-footed Goose at Ferry Meadows CP

© Katie Fuller

Oystercatcher at Grummit's Scrape

© Phil Ackerman

Coot at Grummit's Scrape

© Phil Ackerman

Lapwing at Grummit's Scrape

© Phil Ackerman

Blackcap at Eldernell

© Katie Fuller

Wheatear at Ferry Meadows CP

© Katie Fuller

Passage has been a bit slow this year, so this male Wheatear was a nice find on the edge of Coney Meadow and Lynch Lake.

Shelduck at Welland Bank Pits

© Phil Ackerman

Grey Partridge at Baston & Langtoft GP

© Will Bowell

The male Grey Partridge has a brighter face than the female. Nationally, the species has declined massively in recent years. Sympathetic farming methods, like those practiced nearby by Nicholas Watts, can help.

Blue-headed Wagtail at Prior's Fen GP

© Kevin Du Rose

This bird is a bit different to our usual Yellow Wagtails that breed in the area (subspecies flavissima). Its very pale head looks like the eastern European Blue-headed race, beema (known as Sykes's Wagtail), though it could perhaps be a flavissima/flava hybrid.

Yellow Wagtail races merge into each other so there may be no definitive answer!

Meadow Pipit at Nene Washes

© Katie Fuller

Red-breasted Merganser on River Welland

© Steve Dudley

Pied Wagtail at Baston & Langtoft GP

© Phil Ackerman

Egyptian Goose at Welland Bank Pits

© Phil Ackerman

Avocet at Baston & Langtoft GP

© Phil Ackerman

Goldcrest at Baston & Langtoft GP

© Phil Ackerman

Lesser Redpoll at Baston & Langtoft GP

© Phil Ackerman

Brambling at Baston & Langtoft GP

© Josh Jones

Winter 2003/2004 has seen up to three Bramblings feeding around Park Farm in the company of Greenfinches and Chaffinches. Note the contrast in rump colour: white for Brambling, green for Chaffinch.

Wheatear at Welland Bank Pits

© Will Bowell

Little Ringed Plover at Baston & Langtoft GP

© Josh Jones

Little Ringed Plover is one of the earliest spring migrants to arrive in the PBC area.

Features which tell this species from the similar Ringed Plover include the yellow eye-ring (especially distinct on males like this bird), the flesh-coloured legs (orange on Ringed Plover), the smaller size, the all-dark bill (orange and black on Ringed) and the lack of white wing-bar in flight.

Brambling at Crowtree, Farcet Fen

© Steve Dudley

The buff tips on this male bird's black head feathers have nearly all worn off, revealing his smart breeding plumage.

Black-headed Gulls at Grummit's Scrape

© Phil Ackerman

Starling at Langtoft

© Phil Ackerman

Mediterranean Gull at Dogsthorpe Star Pit NR

summer-plumaged adult


first-winter
© Kevin Du Rose

Mealy Redpoll at Deeping St James

© Will Bowell
A shocking record shot- but a superb male and a surprise garden tick!

Lesser Redpoll in Bluebell Wood

© Katie Fuller

Hawfinch at Castor Hanglands NNR

© Josh Jones

This Hawfinch was found at Castor Hanglands NNR, a couple of months after Kevin Du Rose saw one at Milton Park, a few miles east. The extensive blue in the wing and smart contrast between the chestnut of the head and grey nape make it a male.

Hawfinches are notoriously shy, quiet birds, so Josh Jones did a great job to get these digiscoped photos.

He says: "An incredible bird. It allowed us to get within 20 feet, though it did stay in the middle of the hawthorns. We first saw it showing in the open, but our dog flushed it (sigh)!"

Iceland Gull at Eye tip

© Kevin Du Rose

Along with hundreds of other gulls, this pale, worn first-winter bird was attracted to the tipping activity near Eye. Taken with Nikon Coolpix 880, Kowa scope and sawn-off plastic milk bottle lid adapter!

Little Egrets at Decoy Road

Steve Dudley

Glaucous Gull at Prior's Fen

© Steve Dudley

This first-winter bird was first seen on January 2 at Eye tip. It turned up in a field containing a herd of Bewick's Swans just off Willow Hall Lane on January 30, where viewing was much easier.

Bullfinch at Southey Wood

© Brian Stone

Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls at Dogsthorpe Star Pit

© Kevin Du Rose

Star Pit has long been a Mecca for gull enthusiasts and has the lion's share of local rare gull records including the only record of Sabine's Gull. Records of the Caspian and Yellow-legged races of Herring Gull have increased greatly in recent years, due in part to increased observer awareness and a better knowledge of identification criteria.

The first bird (left) is an adult Caspian Gull displaying a slightly darker mantle, a small, clean white head, very long neck and wings, excessively long and parallel-sided
bill with little gonys, yellow/pink legs and a small, dark bullet-hole eye.

Waxwings at PC World, Peterborough

© Brian Stone

A great location for a species that so often turns up in supermarket carparks. In this case it is a retail park but much the same really. This party of 12 come hot on the heels of 3 at Crown Lakes on 1 January.

Although very tame, the dull conditions and activity of the birds made photography rather difficult, but here are a few shots including a closeup of the waxy tips.




© Amanda Ackerman




© Steve Dudley