After a quiet few weeks of mild and sometimes wet and windy weather the daily searching has paid off!  A visit yesterday evening, saw me scanning the huge flocks of Skylarks mixed with Meadow Pipits and large flocks of Linnets.  I was almost done but as I scanned yet another group of Skylarks another smaller, more rusty-coloured bird was also moving along with them, very much in their slow, low-to-the-ground style, but clearly not them.

On the first good view as the bird appeared from behind the furrows of soil I knew I had a LAPLAND BUNTING!  The usual panic then ensued as I tried to fit my scope-phone adaptor to my scope, relocate the bird and start videoing!  All of this I did but, need I say typically, as I pressed record everything flew off.  I have a short clip of video with blurred soil and some fuzzy flying birds!  I'd like to say the header photo is of the bird but it is one I took in Cornwall last year of a far more obliging bird.

I watched the sub-flock of around 30 Skylarks fly across the track and away - at one point I thought I could hear a call reminiscent of a Lapland Bunting but wasn't sure.  Either way, it disappeared and a 5-hour search this morning from first light was unsuccessful.  I shall continue to search, as I'm sure others will as, if accepted by the rarities panel, this will be a first for Hertfordshire (rather surprisingly).  An inland Lapland Bunting on the deck is a rare thing so re-locating it would be a very popular outcome.

Searching for the bunting did reveal a few other birds including at least 2 Corn Buntings with the flock of Skylarks, 6 Grey Partridge and 4 Crossbills.  Two males and a female of the latter species perched up in the tree by the ruin giving excellent views before flying over to the puddles on the track to drink.  They were only there briefly before they headed towards Symondshyde Great Wood where there is no doubt a resident flock this autumn .

In other news, the site has been fairly quiet but highlights included a male Brambling with the finch flock along the track on 16th-18th October.  Two Crossbills circled the site on 26th Oct and the juvenile Merlin was seen again in flight.

A drop in temperatures (albeit short-lived) on 23rd Oct saw 6 Green Sandpipers roost and Teal numbers increased to over 40 birds.  The Teal were also joined by an immature male Wigeon on various dates along with a few Shoveler.

Work at the site continues apace with land drainage completed in many sections and the worked areas quickly tilled and seeded by the farmers.  Attention has now turned to the main pit which is sadly being drained and exactly how much of that will be left remains to be seen.  'Enjoying it while it lasts' is the order of the day and the site is still playing host to a great variety of birds as the ground continues to be worked.

Despite the restoration of much of the site 2024 proved to be another very good year for birds at Stanborough Gravel Pits with 131 species recorded, just one shy of the total for the previous year.

In all, 5 new species were added to the site list taking the all-time total to 156*.  First to be added were the 9 Brent Geese that appeared at the site on 11th March and later in the day a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was seen by one lucky observer - another new record for the site.  The day proved exceptionally good and can be read about here.

April saw the addition of a Sandwich Tern - seen by just a few observers - and then a Spoonbill in July seen by just one observer.  The final, and somewhat expected, addition came in December with the arrival of a 3rd winter Caspian Gull that then stayed to almost the year end.

In addition a number of escapes provided added interest in the form of a White Stork ringed at the Knepp Estate in Sussex.  On 16th May a pale-morph Lesser Snow Goose joined the goose flock and tempted thoughts that it might possibly be genuinely wild.  However, without a ring to prove it one way or the other, it is most likely a roving bird from a feral flock elsewhere.

Aside from the new additions, 2024 also held some real highlights on the wader front with the freshly scraped areas clearly proving attractive to migrant waders.  The 3rd May saw the site's second Avocet, 3-4 Little Stints on 21st & 22nd May, and both Spring and Autumn Wood Sandpipers.  Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Grey Plover and Sanderling also put in a good showing with a very smart summer plumaged Grey Plover from 15th-16th May.

While no evidence was found of breeding Lapwing this year, Little Ringed Plovers did breed successfully with at least 3 pairs raising a brood.  The site continues to be the main breeding site in Herts for this rare British breeding bird.  Little Ringed Plover numbers peaked at 17 on 23rd June and the last birds seen on site were on 15th August.   A lingering pair of Ringed Plovers gave hope that this former Herts breeding species might consider staying but they eventually left by the second week in June.

Other notable breeders at the site included Mandarin Ducks (although numbers were down on the previous year) and both Little and Barn Owls.  Sand Martins are likely to have bred but in small numbers while a pair of Corn Bunting may also have bred.

A number of birds recorded in 2023 were not seen in 2024 - some less surprisingly than others.  Garganey, Whimbrel and Ruff were surprise absences while Bewick's Swan and Turnstone less so.  The removal of the large scrubby area as part of the gravel pits restoration work meant that Sedge, Reed and Grasshopper Warbler were not recorded on site - a real loss as at least 2 of those species bred in 2023.  Common misses included Bullfinch, Brambling and Garden Warbler while Water Pipit and Tree Sparrow absences were less surprising.