SATURDAY 10 MAY
Rain at first but then warm and sunny, with
temperatures increasing to 18.5 degrees C. Short-lived though, as by
mid-afternoon, gale force SW winds had set in, cooling things down and making
birding rather unpleasant
Joined Darrel Bryant, Jay Ward and Barry
Reed at AMWELL WATCHPOINT early afternoon, where a cracking summer-plumaged
TURNSTONE was showing very well feeding amongst emergent vegetation on one of
the closer islands, exactly the same location as one last year. A Common
Sandpiper was in the same area too, as well as a migrant Ringed Plover and 3
displaying Little Ringed Plovers.
Plenty of other activity too, with Mute Swan
(pair), Great Crested Grebe (2 pairs), Sinensis Cormorant (67+, with
many young being fed in the nests), Grey Heron (12, again young being fed in the
nest), Little Egret (3), Canada Geese, Mallard, Gadwall (4), Shoveler (two
drakes & a female), Northern Pochard (5), Tufted Duck (31), Moorhen, Coot,
Red Kite, HOBBY (2 over the distant wooded island), Common Tern (12),
Black-headed Gull (55+, with several pairs on the rafts), Lesser Black-backed
Gull (pair), Common Redshank (2), COMMON SWIFT (85+), House Martin (5), COMMON
CUCKOO (1 calling), Sedge Warbler (singing male), Cetti's Warbler (1), GARDEN
WARBLER (2 singing males), Common Whitethroat (singing male), Common Chiffchaff
(singing male), Blackcap, Long-tailed Tit (pair), Blue Tit, Great Tit, Dunnock,
Barn Swallow, and Reed Bunting (2).
At least 4 nests on one raft..
and at least 9 on the other - increasing breeding numbers of Black-headed Gulls in Herts
I then drove over to OXFORD, where in gale
force winds, the first-year GLOSSY IBIS was feeding out on PORT MEADOW, on a
small pool 250 yards north of the main flood. Also HOBBY and 45 Common Swifts
seen, as well as 9 Mute Swans
At FARMOOR RESERVOIRS, there was no sign of
the summer-plumaged Spotted Sandpiper seen earlier; it had presumably moved back
to the river again after being flushed
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