| Grafham Bird Photos 2005 |
28 December. Juvenile, showing well off the dam. The third GND at GW this winter.
20 December. Showing well off the dam, feeding on freshwater mussels.
4 December. Still present and showing well in the vicinity of the harbour, near Mander Car Park.
30 November. Is this a second winter male?
15 November. Record videograbs of a female on a murky morning. The second photo is a flight shot.
11 November.
23 March. A female on the roof of the Marlow CP cafe. Thanks to Colin Addington for the photo.
17 May. An adult on the dam. Thanks to Colin Addington for the photo.
May. Two adults on the dam. Thanks to Colin Addington for the photo.
17 May. An oiled adult on the dam. Thanks to Colin Addington for the photo.
5 November. A late adult.
4 November. Adult in summer plumage. This bird proved to be very elusive during it's 24 hour stay. This is the first at the site since 2002.
23 October. A good find by David Hollin on the WeBS count this morning and the first for Grafham Water this year.
22 October, drake, off the lagoons.
22 October, juvenile. This cracker has been here over two weeks now. The second photo shows the white rump, as the bird stretches.
Female with nasal saddle, October 2005. This bird was ringed two years ago in the Loire, France. Thanks to Jim Lawrence for this photo.
October 2005. Thanks to Jim Lawrence for this photo.
7 October. This was what I was looking for unsuccessfully when I found the White-rumped Sandpiper. Swings and roundabouts! Thanks to Duncan Poyser for the photo.
Juvenile, 17 October.
First at Grafham Water since 1999. The bird showed for an hour before dusk and was present at first light the next day, until it flew off strongly southeast. This photo is a video grab looking from Marlow Car Park towards the Sailing Club.
Juvenile moulting to first winter, 7 October. Third for the county, and a nice end to a week which started with finding a Leach's Petrel on Monday! Thanks to Jim Lawrence for photo 2.
3 September. Found yesterday afternoon, it remained elusive until this morning where it was watched for prolonged periods feeding on the reservoir bank, just east of the foot of Church Lane.
Adult, 21 August. This cracking bird turned up on a hot, sunny Sunday afternoon and spent most of the day resting in the middle of the reservoir, or picking insects from the surface, phalarope-style. Thanks to Jim Lawrence for the photo.
In the lagoons, 13 July. Part of a group of 14 adults that arrived early evening.
Thought to show some characters of first summer Caspian, this is possibly just a Herring Gull. Photo taken in the lagoons, 16 April.
On the dam wall, 12 April. Two of 4 or 5 present for the last couple of days. Interestingly, the group usually hung out close together, and did not mix freely with the numerous Pied Wagtails also moving through Grafham at the moment.
First record shots of the adult male, found by me, this morning, in the lagoons, 5 April.
Adult off Church Lane in the roost, 8 March. One of a small passage through Grafham early this month.
Adult, in the early roost off the lagoons, 22 January. This bird showed a minimal amount of black on the head, a feature which does seem to be variable between individuals.
Second winter, by the harbour boom, 22 January. This individual loafs around the reservoir frequently.
Third winter, in the roost off the Fishing Lodge, 22 January. The long wings, small rounded head and long, straw-coloured narrow bill really stand out on this large bird (compare with Lesser Black-backed Gull in photo 1). The bird sported much black on the leading edge of the wing, but with clear grey tongues protruding into the black on the rear of the primaries, hinting at the adult pattern which will develop. The bird also had a broken tail band.
Male in eclipse, with c20 Ruddy Ducks, Savages Creek, 15 January. Presumably the same bird that has been around in the county for a while. The bird has a very broad-based bill and long tail, which combined with the dark head make the bird stand out in a crowd.
