Please scroll down to view photos. All photos taken by Jono Leadley unless stated otherwise.

• Aytha hybrid, Aythya sp, 1st winter drake in Savages Creek, 9th December. This bird is smaller than Tufies, has a nicely peaked head and a yellow eye. The grey mantle feathers appear too dark for Lesser Scaup and do not have coarse vermiculations. The flanks may be too white for LS too. The black on the bill tip seems to be too extensive, spreading around the tip from the nail. Shape-wise it looks close to Lesser Scaup however and it may be a Tufted Duck x Lesser Scaup hybrid. Another Aythya hybrid is present currently, but is an adult drake, looking like a Tufted Duck with a plain dark grey mantle.
  
  

• Fox, Vulpes vulpes, male in Dudney Creek, 2nd December.
  

• Scaup, Aythya marila, 1st winter drake in Valley Creek, 2nd December.
  

• Scaup, Aythya marila, drake in Valley Creek, 26th October.
  

• Red-crested Pochard, Netta rufina, six of the seven flying along the dam, 20th October.
  

• Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis, adult in the lagoons early afternoon.
  

• Rock Pipit, Anthus petrosus, two on the dam, 2nd October. Presumably the migratory littoralis subspecies. The bottom photo both are together, with a juvenile Yellow Wagtail.
  
  
  

• Arctic Tern, Sterna paradiseae, juvenile 30th September. Today, fishing in the harbour at Grafham Water, next month, maybe off West Africa on it's way down to Antarctica!
  
  

• Stonechat, Saxicola torquata. Male near Dudney Creek on 30th September.
  

• Little Stint, Calidris minutus. One of seven juveniles on the dam, first thing on 30th September.
  
  

• Turnstone, Arenaria interpres. Juvenile on the dam, 19th September.
  

• Little Stint, Calidris minutus. One of two juveniles on the dam, first thing on 18th September.
  

• Ruff, Philomachus pugnax. Juvenile still on the dam, 17th September.
  
  

• Sanderling, Calidris alba. Juvenile still on the dam, 17th September.
  
  

• Black-necked Grebe, Podiceps nigricollis. Distant juvenile in Savages, 16th September. This may well be the same bird seen at the north end of the dam a couple of days ago.
  
  

• Little Ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius. Juvenile on the dam, 15th September.
  

• Knot, Calidris canutus. Juvenile on the dam, 14th September.
  
  

• Sanderling, Calidris alba. Juvenile on the dam, 14th September.
  

• Ruff, Philomachus pugnax. Juvenile on the dam, 14th September.
  

• Dunlin, Calidris alpina . Juveniles on the dam and a Sanderling in the background, 14th September.
  

• Ringed Plover, Charadrius hiaticula. Juvenile on the dam with Dunlin, 13th September.
  

• Little Egret, Egretta garzetta, part of a group of 14 feeding up Savages Creek, 2nd September. This species increases in number each year, with the peak at Grafham Water always being in the mid to late summer.
  
  

• Mediterranean Gull, Larus melanocephalus, 23rd August, one of two first years kicking around at Grafham this morning.
  

• Great Skua, Stercorarius skua, two off Mander early evening, 22nd August. The result of strong northerly winds and rain.
  

• Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata, first winter at Marlow 16th August. A scarce bird at Grafham these days.
  

• Arctic, Common and Black Terns,juveniles on the boom, 16th August.
  

  Juvenile Arctic Tern (above) and Common Tern.

  

  Juvenile Arctic Tern (left) and Common Tern.

  

  Juvenile Black Tern.

• Black Tern, Chlidonias niger, adult and juvenile on the boom, 12th August.
  
  
  
  
  

• Arctic Tern, Sterna paradiseae, juvenile on the boom, 12th August. The fourth photo shows it sitting next to a juvenile Common Tern. Note the difference in leg length.
  
  
  
  

• Common Tern, Sterna hirundo, juvenile on the boom, 12th August.
  

• Sanderling, Calidris alba, adult on the dam, 29th July.
  

• Dunlin, Calidris alpina, adult on the dam, 29th July.
  

• Sanderling, Calidris alba, adult on the dam, 24th July.
  

• Common Tern, Sterna hirundo, ringed adult on the dam, 24th July.
  

• Green-winged Teal, Anas carolinensis, eclipse drake in the lagoons, 22nd July.

  

  
  
  

• Black-tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa, two of the three in the lagoons, 22nd July.
  

• Little Egret, Egretta garzetta, one adult in the lagoons.
  

• Hoopoe, Upupa epops, probably the first for Grafham in a garden in Grafham village on 31st May. Photo per Debbie McKenzie.
  

• Manx Shearwater, Puffinus puffinus, distantly off Hill Farm, 11th July.

  

  

• Common Scoter, Melanitta nigra, drake off Plummer CP, 3rd July.
  
  

June

• Three more photos of the Laughing Gull. Thanks to Matthew Rodgers for the top two photos and David Hollins for the bottom one.
  
  
  

• Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla - 24th June. Second-summer on the dam. Grafham Water and Cambridgeshire's second record.

  

  
  
  
  
  
  

• A trio of geese, Bar-headed, Pink-footed and Barnacle. - 12th June. All hanging out with the throngs of Canada and Greylag Geese at Marlow CP.
  
  
  

• Aythya hybrid resembling Lesser Scaup, Aythya affinis - 3rd June. Accompanying the drake Scaup on the lagoons and a trap for the unwary.
  
  
  
  
  

• Scaup, Aythya marila - 3rd June. An unseasonal visitor to the lagoons.
  

• Dunlin, Calidris alpina - 11th May. 22 individuals out of a flock of 26 on the dam early morning. Nearby Paxton Pits recorded 180 today.
  

• Sanderling, Calidris alba - 8th May. A fairly common passage migrant at Grafham; this one was on the dam.
  
  

• Wilson's Phalarope, Phalaropus tricolor - 5th May. Attracting a steady stream of admirers. Scroll down for photos from the 4th May.

  

  

• Arctic Tern, Sterna paradisea - 5th May. Two or three with Common Terns and hirundines on the north shore, near Church Lane, on an overcast morning. Using my wife's new Canon 200mm with 1.4x extender.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus - 4th May. On the dam early morning. It was while I was watching this that Colin called about a phalarope...
  

• Wilson's Phalarope, Phalaropus tricolor - 4th May. An awesome find by stalwart Grafham Water patcher, Colin Addington, in the lagoons this morning. The first Spring record and second ever for the site. In the same lagoon as Monday's Spotted Redshank and Bar-tailed Godwit. Awesome!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe - 3rd May. At the foot of the dam.
  

• Yellow Wagtail sp., Motacilla flava - 1st May. Female near the dam, presumably a Blue-headed Wagtail.
  
  

• Bar-tailed Godwit, Limosa lapponica - 1st May. In the lagoons and part of a large passage through Cambridgeshire in the last week or so.
  
  

• Little Ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius - 22nd April. A fairly common passage migrant.
  

• Ring Ouzel, Turdus - 21st April. A male (top three photos ) and female (bottom two photos) were discovered in one of the traditional Rouzel spots, near Marlow Car Park this morning.
  
  
  
  
  

• Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella - 14th April. A few pairs breed around the site. This female was on the dam wall.
  

• Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava - 14th April. Up to five now around the dam and sitting in the rape field.
  

• Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava - 9th April. One of two on the dam late afternoon; nice to see them back!
  

• Yellow-legged Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus michahellis and L. fuscus - 9th April, on the boom by the harbour, early evening. This pair have been around GW for a couple of weeks now. The male YLG is very protective of his mate.
  

• Glaucous Gull, Larus hyperboreus - 9th April. After several Iceland Gulls during the first three months of the year, I finally found a Glauc, a species which has been thin on the ground this winter. Not really what I expected to see on a warm sunny morning in April! The bird remained on the reservoir until about 9.30 when it moved to the ploughed field opposite Marlow CP, where it remained until mid-afternoon. Having not seen the eye or bill at close range, I am not totally sure of the age of this bird, but it is either a first or second summer. Thanks to David Hollins for the photo (the bird is partly obscured, second from the left).
  

• Curlew, Numenius arquata - 6th April. In the lagoons. It is not often this species lands at Grafham during the spring, they usually just fly through.
  

• Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus - 2nd April. In the lagoons.
  

• Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis - 18th March. Second-summer in the roost off Savages Hide
  

• Avocet, Avocetta recurvirostra - 9th March. Three birds sitting out on the reservoir!
  

• Brent Goose, Branta bernicla - 9th March. 14, sitting on the water off the dam, they flew off east towards Paxton at c8.10am.
  
  
  

• Kumlien's Gull, Larus glaucoides kumlieni - 18th February. An adult in the roost off the harbour. Interestingly, an adult Kumliens was present in the roost at Stewartby in Bedfordshire last night (c18 miles SSW of Grafham Water), and at Dix Pit in Oxfordshire the night before (c45 miles SW of Stewartby). This is probably the same individual.
  

• Brent Goose, Branta bernicla - 22nd January. Two dark-bellied adults present early morning near the dam. Having forgot my camera, I took this photo with my mobile phone down my scope!
  

• Goosander, Mergus merganser - 21st January. One of seven present this morning.
  

• Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos - 21st January. This individual is wintering on the shore around Marlow Car Park.
  

• Wigeon, Anas penelope - 21st January, part of a flock of 25 on the grass at Marlow this morning.
  

• Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus - 20th January, on the boom by the harbour.
  

• Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo - 20th January, on the boom by the harbour.
  

• Common Gull, Larus canus. - 14th January, adult with strong hood off Gaynes Point.
  

• Mediterranean Gulls, Larus melanocephalus. - 14th January, first winter and adult (one of two present) off Gaynes Point.
  
  
  

• Gull sp, Larus sp. - 11th January, first winter off Mander CP. Photo taken in poor light. This bird had a pink bill with a dark tip and plain brown underparts. I didn't see the tail or rump clearly, but I think it could be a dark argentatus Herring Gull.
  

• Caspian Gull, Larus glaucoides - 11th January, first winter off Mander CP. Photo taken in poor light.
  

• Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides - 11th January, adult off Mander CP. Photo taken in poor light.
  

• Caspian Gull, Larus cachinnans - 3rd January, off Mander CP. Photo taken in poor light.