7th December, Church Lane Bay. Thanks to David Hollins for the photo.
9th December, Plummer CP. Thanks to Mark Hawkes for the photo.
7th December. The first to turn up in Cambridgeshire as part of the large wreck. Apart from photo 2, the other in hand shots were taken after both birds had sadly died. Three birds were seen at Grafham today, the first two of which were adults. Photo 8 shows the moult in the primaries. The new feathers seem to be in the process of being replaced outwards, with the blacker inner primaries appearing to be newer feathers. Two primaries were still in pin. On photo 6, note the difference in rump pattern.
2nd December, one of two melanistic birds in the roost.
19th November, presumed adult winter. This was the best I could do with fading light and severe shakes!
19th November, presumed third winter. Although this appeared at first to be a Caspian, it had quite shortish legs and it's bill looked a little chunky. Also, the bird swam with a low front and high rear end. Any comments appreciated.
29th October, a late individual on the dam. The white supercilium, throat and lower ear coverts, plus the grey crown and mantle suggest Blue-headed, but as this bird is a first winter (owing to moult contrast in the greater coverts and pointed ends to the tail feathers), it is not safe to say for certain. This bird is also rather long-legged, which fits flava, but this is a little subjective!
4th October, an immature male in Gaynes Cove.
4th October, on the fence at the foot of the dam.
4th October, feeding along the dam.
4th October. First winter at the north end of the dam.
28 September. First winter.
28 September, on the jetty at Marlow CP this afternoon.
27 September, juvenile male, near Marlow.
18 September, four juveniles with two Dunlin at the north end of the dam.
18 September, two, with two Dunlin, two Ringed Plover, a Common Sandpiper and the Pectoral Sandpiper, in Valley Creek.
11 September, juvenile, Valley Creek. For it's third day.
11 September, juvenile, Valley Creek.
9 September, juvenile. Found and identified in flight by Mark Hawkes and myself at Marlow CP at at 2.30pm, before being relocated at 3.50 on the shore near Dudney Hide.
17 August, 8.30am. A first calendar year bird feeding from trees between Marlow CP and the north end of the dam.
3 August, 6pm. Presumably the same pair with 4 Dunlin and 2 Ringed Plover for company at Marlow.
1 August, 8pm. A pair on the dam with two Dunlin (see 4th photo). A bit blurry due to low light.
30 July. 2pm. A bit of a surprise - on the budleia in my back garden!
29 July 2006. Present for it's eighth day, now off Mander CP, but still distant. Note the Yellow-legged Gull on the buoy behind.
21 July 2006. Off Plummer Car Park early evening.
17 May 2006. Adult on a buoy.
17 July 2006. Juvenile near Hill Farm.
2 July 2006. Second summer on the boom. One of three or four loafing around during the day.
21 June 2006. A stonking adult watched fishing from the dam.
17 June 2006. 25 on the reservoir, near Church Hill.
2 May 2006. Male on the shore at Marlow. Photo taken shortly before we dipped a fly-through Arctic Skua!
1 May 2006. First of the year, from the south end of the dam.
30 April 2006. On the dam.
29 April 2006. Part of a really good April passage.
23 April 2006, female on the barbed wire fence below the dam.
23 April 2006, female on the dam.
21 April. Three birds were present, feeding on silver birch catkins near Marlow CP. This male looked like a Mealy, with very white and pink underparts, obvious white tramlines on the mantle and lacking in warm tones on the neck, head and breast sides. The mantle colour was, however, warmish brown and it is mid-April. I would welcome comments on the identity of this bird.
21 April. I found this pair, a Grafham tick for me, in the lagoons at 8am. They spent the day here before moving on.
10 April. One of two males present on the dam. Photo one shows the bird sharing the dam with a Blue-headed Wagtail and a White Wagtail, and photo two with a Yellow Wagtail.
10 April. Among the hordes of wagtails on the dam.
9 April -singing in the lagoons.
8 April 2006, on the dam. A grey-backed individual.
6 April 2006. In the roost.
5 April 2006. On the dam.
2 April 2006. Still here...
28 March 2006. On the boom briefly at dusk. Perhaps the same bird that has been around all winter?
24 March 2006. Standing on the ice in lagoon two. When will the cold weather end?
15 March 2006. After being present for four months, this bird finally showed well in Valley Creek!
15 March 2006. A female in the lagoons. One of the five that arrived just over a week ago.
15 March 2006. A female in the lagoons.
12 March 2006. A male near Church Lane. One of the five that arrived a week ago.
5 March. Record shots of the five present in Littless Creek, which included 2 adult drakes, a first winter drake and 2 females.
25 February 2006. An unusually pale individual in the roost.
12 February 2006. This immature female has often been seen hunting at Grafham Water, since autumn 2005. It is the same bird that killed the Leach's Petrel on 3rd October, and today killed a Little Grebe, and is here seen trying to pick the corpse out of the water. After many unsuccessful attempts, it gave up.
12 February 2006. Showing well off the south end of the dam in the rain.
12 February 2006. Female in the lagoons, an unusual location for this uncommon species at Grafham Water, and a good find on a wet WeBS count by Mark Hawkes.
11 February 2006. The juvenile is still present and, at times, showing well.
11 February 2006. Two drakes still hanging out in Gaynes Cove, near Plummer CP.
5 February 2006. A surprisingly uncommon species at Grafham Water, this bird was fishing from the stone jetty by the harbour.
4 & 5 February 2006. This bird is very hard to photograph, usually staying far from the shore in the deeper water.
29 January, Valley Creek.
26 January. Two adults and two immatures showing well in Sanctuary Bay.
21 January. Sunbathing on the dam wall.
21 January. Second winter, presumably same as last Saturday. Hanging out in Littless Creek.
21 January. A male.
21 January. Two males in Gaynes Cove.
19 January. Male, showing well in Valley Creek, though asleep.
14 January. 2nd winter, showing well off the dam.
14 January. Up to a dozen have been showing well around the harbour.
8 January. 4th winter, showing well in Littless Creek.
8 January. Juvenile, showing well off the dam. This bird has been present since 28 December 2005.
