Stonechat at Baston Fen

© Mike Weedon

Shag at Dog in a Doublet

© Brian Stone
The sluice at the Dog in a Doublet is the place to look for Shags or indeed most seabirds in the PBC area. Brian Stone was duly rewarded for heading out there this bitterly cold lunchtime, to check what may have drifted in on the strong northerlies. The brown plumage and pale-tipped wing coverts age this bird as a first-winter.

Sparrowhawk in Peterborough

© Mike Weedon
This young bird consumed what appears to be a House Sparrow or Greenfinch (can anyone ID it from this leg?) at its leisure in Mike Weedon's West Town garden (or rather on next-door's netting to protect their figs.

Cormorant at Orton Brick Pit

© Mike Weedon

Gadwall, Lynch Lake, Ferry Meadows

© Mike Weedon
Gadwalls (this is a drake) hang out with Coots, their favourite feeding partners, on this the smallest lake at Ferry Meadows.

Common Scoter at Ferry Meadows

© Brian Stone (click for larger pic)
Three female type Common Scoter on Overton Lake yesterday were replaced by eight on Gunwade Lake today. This normally coastal duck doesn't occur every year in the area and rarely stays long. Most are females or immatures so it was a treat to see an adult male with these.

Magpie in West Town, Peterborough

© Mike Weedon
Digiscoped in Mike Weedon's garden, where a pair were coming to peck at bread and take peanuts by the beakful.

Grey Plover at Deeping Lakes LWT

© Trevor Williams
This scarce bird for the Deepings area was found by Trevor Williams during his monthly 'duck count'

Wheatear at Prior's Fen

© Mike Weedon
This Wheatear apparently equalled the latest in Huntingdonshire, after birds on 30.10.90 and 30.10.01, though a bird was at Eldernell on 28.10.02, so perhaps late October records aren't that rare.

Slavonian Grebe at Baston/Langtoft GP

© Josh Jones© Chris Orders© Will Bowell
An ace find from patch worker Josh Jones. This is the first for the pits since January 2000, which was typical winter record and a one day stayer, and is only the second in the past couple of years for the PBC area.

Marsh Tit at Woodwalton Fen

© Mike Weedon

Rock Pipit at Dog in a Doublet

© Mike Weedon
There are many newly-laid rocks reinforcing the banks between the bridge and the sluice, making juicy habitat for this scarce migrant.

White Stork at Maxey

© Josh Jones
This is the same individual which has been frequenting the Gunthorpe Road area since late August at least, and is believed to be a first winter.

Tree Sparrow at Farcet Fen

© Steve Dudley
A first-winter in Steve's garden

Greenshank at Prior's Fen

© Mike Weedon
One of four juveniles present.

Wheatear at Prior's Fen

© Mike Weedon

Juvenile Arctic Tern at Prior's Fen

© Brian Stone

38 Knot at Deepings Lakes NR

© Kevin Du Rose

An unprecedented flock of this normally coastal wader species and surely a PBC area record count. They normally occur as singles and then perhaps only one a year!

Great Spotted Woodpecker at Ferry Meadows

A first winter male.

© Brian Stone

Little Owl at Farcet Fen

© Steve Dudley

Little Stint at Deeping Lakes LWT

© Mike Weedon
Photographed on 13.9.05, this juvenile Little Stint was found on 11.9.05 and was still present to 15.9.05 at least.

White Stork, Gunthorpe Road, Newborough

Present from 27 August to 20 September 2005 at least.


© Kevin Du Rose


© Steve Dudley


© Mike Weedon


© Brian Stone

This is the second well-watched White Stork in the PBC area in recent years. The previous one was “Marge”, a well-travelled individual with distinctive black and white barring in the wing and missing wing feathers that made it easy to track across the country. It had been in Essex and then spent a long time at Cottenham Long Drove in Cambridgeshire before turning up on the Nene Washes where it stayed for most of April 2003. It then returned to Cottenham and was found dead there in early January 2004.

Prior to that one was seen by an extremely lucky birdrace team flying towards Peterborough along the Nene Washes on 11 May 2002, one circled over Alwalton on 23 Apr 1998 before heading off north and there was one on the Nene Washes in 1996 wearing a metal ring, which was no doubt an escape from captivity. There have also been a couple of other reports recently from non-birders that couldn’t be checked, at Stilton (17 Dec 2003) and Deeping Gate (16 Jul 2005).

Wheatear at Prior's Fen

© Brian Stone

Chaffinch at Elton

© Brian Stone

Juvenile Caspian Gull at Prior's Fen GP

© Kevin Du Rose

Little Egrets at Prior's Fen GP

© Kevin Du Rose


© Brian Stone

Prior's Fen attracted several Little Egrets from 12 August onwards and six present between 23 August and 6 September 2005 is a new record count for the PBC area.

Temminck's Stint at Prior's Fen GP

© Kevin Du Rose

Whinchats at the Nene Washes

© Mike Weedon

Up to nine were present at the end of August.

Coot at Ferry Meadows CP

© Katie Fuller

Swallow at Ferry Meadows CP

© Katie Fuller

Juvenile Spotted Flycatcher at Farcet Fen

© Steve Dudley

Wood Sandpiper at Prior's Fen GP

© Kevin Du Rose

Green Sandpiper at Etton Road GP, Maxey

© Kevin Du Rose

One of up to 13 present here in early August.

Yellow-legged Gull at Prior's Fen

© Kevin Du Rose

An excellent comparison between Great Black-backed Gull and a 1st summer Yellow-legged Gull.

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull at Deepings Lakes NR

© Josh Jones

Juvenile Common Terns at Deepings Lakes NR

© Mike Weedon

Ring-necked Parakeet at Farcet Fen

© Steve Dudley

Turtle Dove at Langtoft

© Phil Ackerman

Reed Warbler at Dogsthorpe Star Pit NR

© Mike Weedon