While the search for the recent Pectoral Sandpiper proved predictably fruitless it did however yield some nice autumn birds.  I'll take these as consolation prizes and proof that it's worth keeping looking.

First up, were 4 Stonechats followed by a late first-winter Wheatear enjoying the newly dug drainage pipe mounds.  Skylarks and Meadow Pipits continue to move through the site along with an increasing number of Reed Buntings.  Three Little Grebes continue to frequent the deep pool along with a Grey Wagtail and it was while observing this latter bird that I notice the star bird of the day - a Rock Pipit!

A pretty scarce bird in the county, Stanborough Gravel Pits does well for this species with Rock Pipits visiting annually and this the second record of the year following a Spring bird on 16th March.  In classic form, it crept along the edge of water, taking a bath at one point before preening on the bank.

Some photos of the Rock Pipit with a video of it preening below.

I mentioned the Wheatear enjoying the newly dug drainage pipes and this work represents another major step in the site's 'restoration' to farmland.  Many hundreds of metres of perforated pipe are being laid underground every 20 metres or so on all the slopes.  These then feed into main drain pipes that will take run-off water to both the main pit and deep pit.

While the work is fascinating to watch I can't help feeling that an awful lot of plastic is being buried in the soil and that good old-fashioned ditches might have been a more environmentally suitable solution.  Whether these drains work long-term or not remains to be seen and hopefully some water-logged areas will remain for over-wintering Snipe and Jack Snipe.

I believe there may be a Golden Rule of patch birding - never leave your patch with the added consequence that, if you do, chances are the 'Big One' will turn up!  Well, there's nothing like learning that lesson the hard way...

Taking the opportunity to work remotely and catch up with some coastal autumn birding I headed down to Cornwall for a week on 28th Sep.  I left as the first hints of winter birding were beginning to appear at the pits.  Teal numbers had grown to 15, the odd Snipe was flying around while 5 Golden Plovers made a brief appearance on 23rd and a Wigeon was seen on 24th.  The Dartford Warbler had last been seen on 25th, a Reed Warbler on 26th and a Wheatear on 30th.

It seemed to be quietening down - or so I thought - but I perhaps should have taken the hint when Andrew Steele queried a wader he was struggling to ID on 25th.  Neither of us could relocate it and his distant photos were inconclusive and suggested an odd-looking Green Sandpiper.  It did, however, get me wondering about Pectoral Sandpiper as a possibility.  That said, I don't think Andrew's bird was, HOWEVER, late in the evening on 30th another observer reported 2 Green Sandpipers and 1 probable Dunlin...

Sure enough, I received a message from Steve Pearce the next morning saying he had an 'interesting wader' at the pits.  His description sounded a perfect fit for a Pectoral Sandpiper so I put the suggestion out on the WhatsApp group asking if anyone else could investigate.  Remarkably quickly, another local birder, John Yates, located the bird and from his photos it became clear that Stanborough was playing host to a PECTORAL SANDPIPER!

With work and being away I've got a bit behind so a brief summary of late August and early September highlights below.

18th August - the site's first Black-tailed Godwit of the year finally made an appearance, with another 2 joining it on 20th.

19th August - the Barnacle Goose was present again with the Canada Geese flock and then again on 24th.

22nd August - the site's first Spotted Flychatcher since Sep 2021 was found near the horse paddocks and then another bird by the long drainage pit on 30th.

23rd August - a juv-type Marsh Harrier was seen and a Sedge Warbler was present in the main weedy area.  At least 7 Yellow Wagtails were recorded as well.

24th August - the first 3 Meadow Pipits of the autumn appeared in the evening, coming down to drink and bathe at the edge of the main pit.  A Common Snipe was also feeding at the water's edge and Stonechat numbers rose to 4 on site.  Five Swifts were also likely some of the last to be seen this year at the site.

27th August - a Wood Sandpiper was found in the long drainage ditch with a high count of 5 Green Sandpipers and 3 Common Sandpipers.  The 4th record of the species this year.
A Wheatear was also present and found the next day too.

30th August - a Whinchat was on the new fence along the main track.

31st August - a Mandarin was present on the main pit - perhaps the last for a while?

4th September - a juvenile Little Ringed Plover was probably the last for the year.  At least 10 Chiffchaffs were seen feeding in the willows over the long drainage pit water - an area that's proving very attractive to passage birds.

7th September - the arrival of a juvenile Little Stint along with a Ringed Plover brought welcome interest to the site with the stint a site year tick.  The Barnacle Goose made an appearance along with a Reed Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat feeding in the long drainage pit.

8th September - 3 Whinchat were found and rose to at least 4 birds on 12th Sep.  These birds continue to be present on the site along with up to 6 Stonechat.

13th September - while Yellow Wagtail numbers were at 7 again, Meadow Pipit numbers had risen to at least 40 birds on site.  Swallow & House Martin passage is now a continual feature of the site along with the odd Sand Martin.

Stable periods of high pressure, easterly winds and very little rain have made for a slow passage this Spring.  Glaringly absent from the roll-call are waders such as Black-tailed Godwit, Ringed Plover, Curlew and Whimbrel.  But Spring is not yet over and there have been some highlights over the last few weeks.

Perhaps top of the bill was a female Marsh Harrier that spent a few hours early morning hunting over the middle pool on 26th April.  It was constantly harassed by Carrion Crows and Red Kites but nevertheless spent some time on the ground.  At one point it sat next to a Brown Hare and they just stared at each other!

April 21st saw a little bit of movement with the arrival of the first Common Sandpiper of the year and a high count of at least 6 Wheatears on site.  The Common Sandpipers increased to 2 birds on 6th & 7th May but just one remains on 11th May.  At least 3 Wheatear hung around but the last bird was seen on 6th May.

In other wader news, Greenshank have been a feature so far this Spring with singles on 21st, 22nd & 28th April followed by 3 birds on 7th May and another single on 11th May.  Unringed Green Sandpipers were also seen on 22nd, 27th & 28th April with a very late bird on 10th May.  It is likely that these are passage birds rather than from the local overwintering population.  Three Common Snipe were seen on 1st May and at least 2 remained on 7th May.  Little Ringed Plovers seemed to have settled into pairs with at least 4 pairs on site and starting to sit on nests.

April 22nd saw a Great Crested Grebe visit the site and the next day a late White Wagtail put in an appearance.  Good numbers of Yellow Wagtails remain on site but most seem to have paired up and moved out to the fields, hopefully to breed.  A pair of Meadow Pipits have also been displaying and favouring the weedy area so it's hoped they might breed too.  A common species in the winter they are a scarce local breeder.  The site's resident pair of Grey Partridge were seen on 23rd April and again on 11th May.

Swifts arrived back on 26th April with at least 8 birds present.  Thereafter they have once again become a regular feature of the skies with overcast weather bring a flock of over 100 in the past weeks.  Sand Martins have established at least 12 holes in the quarry workings with at least 30 birds regularly on site.  Hopefully their nests will be unaffected by quarry works.

In non-bird news, Brown Hares continue to be abundant on site but less visible now the crops have grown and courtship is dying down.  Painted Lady butterflies have been seen along the track a few times while a Small Copper butterfly was seen on 1st May.

The first couple of weeks of April are almost done and I'd like to report some amazing sightings but somehow this usually peak period has drifted by quietly.  A settled area of high pressure has brought beautifully clear days with a, at times, strong and chilly east wind.  Rain and cloud cover have been non-existent and it feels as if these missing ingredients have resulted in a lack of migrant birds.  Either birds are backing up waiting to arrive or are flying over, high in the clear skies, not needing to make the usual pitstops.  That said, a steady trickle of migrants has kept things interesting if not exciting.

Full of promise and headlining the period was a stunning male Blue-headed (Yellow) Wagtail of the European race flava.  Found at the pits on 27th March the bird hung around for a couple of days giving many people the chance to view and photograph it.  A perfect picture of Spring the bird suggested the start of something special but actually heralded a quiet few weeks!

While it feels the main influx of Spring migrants has yet to come, prior to the wagtail's arrival, there had been some movement with some expected arrivals in the from of Sand Martins and Swallows​ on 21st Mar.  A Wheatear was found at nearby Nashe's Farm on the same day but it wasn't until 24th that one appeared in the big field at Stanborough GPs.  A further 3 birds were then seen on 5th & 6th April.  A slow passage for this species, especially given the seemingly ideal habitat at the pits.

An Oystercatcher also put in an appearance on 21st along with another Mediterranean Gull and a Little Egret.  The evening finished with a distant circling Marsh Harrier.

Two Dunlin were present on 22nd along with a singing Firecrest while a lone Golden Plover was seen flying around on 23rd & 24th Mar and then a flock of around 50 seen flying over on 27th. A single bird then appeared again on 5th April in the large field.  Equally brief in its visits was a single Shelduck seen on 26th & 30th Mar then on 2nd and 5th April.  Also present in the large field on 23rd Mar were a flock of around 130 Fieldfare but these had dwindled to just a handful in the first week of April.

A Willow Warbler was heard singing at the entrance on 30th Mar and various reports of a Water Pipit on 31st Mar and Rock Pipit on other dates were unconfirmed.  Yellow Wagtails of the usual British race flavissima arrived on 2nd April with at least 10 present on 7th.  Two Barnacle Geese were at the site on 4th April along with a Redshank and first singing Corn Bunting of the year.  With so much of the vegetation gone it remains to be seen whether this species will breed at the site this year.  Two Yellow-legged Gulls also passed through on 3rd April.

Good numbers of Little Ringed Plovers remain on site with at least 16 counted on 7th April.  At least 3 House Martins appeared in the hirundine flock on 6th April while the long-staying 7 Pintail dwindled to just 2 pairs and were not seen after that date.  Remaining onsite were fluctuating numbers of White Wagtails, a pair of Egyptian Geese, at least 2 Green Sandpipers and up to 3 Common Snipe.  Another welcome arrval was a Common Whitethroat on 10th April.

With many of the expected migrants now arriving (the site year list stands at 105 species) the stage is set (hopefully) for something a little more special.  Rain in the forecast still seems to evaporate before arriving and the skies are set to be clear for the foreseeable future so who knows?!

The first week and a half of March saw some much warmer weather with temperatures reaching a heady 18 degrees Celsius.  South-easterlies also felt promising but those elusive Spring migrants are still awaited.  New planting has begun (following and perhaps prompted by the recent hedge destruction) and hopefully new good habitat will grow up along the track bank in time.

​Despite the lack of Spring migrants a few highlights have headlined the period and are indicative of the changing season.  New for the year, a Shelduck appeared for one day on 2nd and another 2 on 11th.  Also new for the year, up to 3 Barn Owls have been present on site with one regularly hunting the back of the turnip field.

The real highlight came today, along with the 2 Shelduck, in the form of 2 Redshank feeding along the edge of the main pit.  Hopefully harbingers of more wader passage and certainly an expected arrival in early Spring.  Along with the Shelduck and Barn Owls, they take the site year total to 89.  The first White Wagtail of the year was also with the Pied Wagtail flock.

The last half of February proved very quiet with little to report and many of the same birds present.  However, a returning Oystercatcher arrived on 23rd and stayed until the next day - a welcome boost to morale as Spring tarries!

The site would appear suitable for them to breed but, being relatively new habitat and in constant flux, the site may not hold enough food for them.  Either way, the Oystercatcher brings this year's site total to 86.  Other wading species were in short supply with a maximum count of 11 Snipe flushed on 20th along with 2 Jack Snipe - presumably the same birds recorded earlier in the year.  Up to 80 Lapwing remained in the area along with 2 Green Sandpipers favouring the long drainage pit as usual.

An adult Yellow-legged Gull joined the gull roost on 23rd and appeared to be a different bird to the one on 4th being a heavier, possibly male, bird.

Wildfowl numbers have fluctuated, presumably in response to varying levels of disturbance at the site.  Mandarin Duck numbers have grown to 12 birds with Wigeon fluctuating between 20 to 50 birds.  A noticeable influx of Teal occurred with a peak of c150 on 24th but all virtually gone by the end of the week.  Tufted Duck numbers also peaked at 19 birds on 24th and varying numbers of Shoveler (max 21) and Gadwall (max 10) were present.  A single Pochard visited on 22nd while a Little Grebe has been seen on a couple of occasions.

Two Great Crested Grebes were present on 26th and 2 Coot remain on site.  Another Little Egret made a brief appearance on 23rd.  Perhaps more noticeable on site has been the flocks of birds gathering to feed in the large sheep fields.  Common Gulls have been passing through with the flock peaking at about 300 birds on 20th.  The most dramatic flocks have been the Woodpigeons with some Stock Doves and Jackdaws mixed in.  Several flocks of around 1,000 birds commute between the surrounding fields and virtually cover the crop when they land!

A smaller flock of c100 Fieldfares also remains in the field. These flocks of course attract predators and 2 Peregrines have continue to visit the site but, as yet, no Merlin.  Last year's wing-tagged Buzzard has reappeared and at least 2 Ravens have been seen flying over the site on a few occasions.  Another noticeable change - very much in line with previous years - is the growing flocks of Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits visiting the water's edge.  Hopefully these in time will harbour White Wagtails and maybe some scarcer pipits.

Passerine activity is more noticeable with the approach of Spring and both Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings are now singing on site.  They will hopefully breed but one major set-back for all passerines has been the sudden removal of the willow hedge between the ruin and Symondshyde Farm.  Aside from providing shelter and nesting opportunities for many birds the hedge-line also provided a valuable corridor into an otherwise shrub-less site.  The track between the hedges also held a variety of butterflies not found elsewhere on site.  It is not clear why the hedge was ripped out and hopefully it will be allowed to re-grow but equally it may be ploughed in and replaced with a fence.  A real loss at the very start of the breeding season.

The good news is that March has arrived and with it the promise of Spring migrants.  We'll hopefully soon have the calls of Little Ringed Plovers on site with Sand Martins and Swallows overhead.  Last year March saw some excellent birds so let's see what this year brings!

Despite the cold and quiet past few weeks of February little signs of Spring are beginning to creep in to view.  Easterlies have dominated the month so far with temperatures struggling to get above 5 degrees Celsius.  The cold, overcast conditions have not proved conducive to early Spring passage but finally, mid-month, it feels like we may be on the brink of Spring.

The sun actually came out yesterday and this coming week promises a new and warmer weather system.  By the last few years' standard, returning Oystercatchers are now officially late but little clues to early movement have appeared.  Today the lone and patient Coot was joined by another - I assume they can now get to the business of courtship and nest-building but I'm sure challengers will arrive!

Tufted Ducks have returned with numbers now up to 13 birds and just yesterday, 3 Mandarin Ducks arrived with 5 today.  Despite their love of parkland pools with mature trees for their nests these ducks seem to really enjoy the bare gravel pits and appear to find plenty to nibble at on the stony ground.

Wildfowl numbers in general have fluctuated and never seem to have recovered from the shooting onslaught unleashed by the farmer on his pet Mallards.  Unfortunately, the more savvy wild ducks are quick to leave and while occasionally visiting soon vacate the site once they spot human visitors.  These have included around 30 Wigeon, similar numbers of Shoveler, a few Gadwall, a single male Teal and female Pochard.

Other regulars have included the 2-3 pairs of Stonechats, 2 Green Sandpipers and varying numbers of Egyptian Geese arriving to roost in the evenings.  A high count of 24 birds was noted on 5th Feb.  A Chiffchaff was also foraging with the Stonechats on 5th.

Highlights of the first few weeks of February include 2 Jack Snipe flushed along with 10 Common Snipe on 10th Feb and an adult Yellow-legged Gull on 4th Feb.  A Little Owl was also calling from its usual area on 5th and a Little Egret was noted on 1st Feb.  A Great Crested Grebe on 8th Feb and a pair of Grey Partridge on 9th were also new for the site year list.  With a pair of Red-legged Partridge seen on 15th the site total now stands at a healthy 85 for 2025.

One final highlight of the month so far has been the continuing sighting of Marsh Harriers with a wing-tagged bird on 13th and a male on 14th.  The male has been presumed to be an immature - possibly a 3rd calendar year bird - with contrasting underwing and dark trailing edge to it wings.  However, it does not appear to be the same as a similar bird seen in November 2024 that had darker wings with dark ends to its tail feathers.  In addition a full adult male was seen on 26th June last year along with a juvenile and female bird.  Assuming some of the sightings are of the same birds it seems that there may have been 5-6 individuals involved over the last 12 months.  With records in every month for a whole year it seems to bode well for a possible breeding attempt somewhere in the area at some point.

Below are 4 of the birds seen over the last year:

Having recently been introduced to a paper on Marsh Harrier identification I am less sure about ageing Marsh Harriers as the paper suggests it is nigh on impossible!  The paper can be found here and makes for interesting reading.

Whatever the case, hopefully these birds will continue to be seen in the area and one day stay to breed.

The year finished with a variety of highlights - mostly interesting birds that lingered or reappeared and one final new species for the year in the form of 2 Jack Snipe flushed on 27th December along with at least 6 Common Snipe.  Good to know they are still visiting the site and they take the site total to 131 for the year.

A Little Owl was in its usual hole (pictured) on 7th December however, the next day, Storm Darragh brought its tree down and the hole now sits just a foot above the ground!  Subsequent visits have revealed new droppings at the lowered hole suggesting the Little Owl may have continued to visit the hole despite its toppling.

On the water, wildfowl numbers grew with at least 20 each of Shoveler and Gadwall and the occasional single Tufted Duck and Pochard.  Diving ducks seem to have pretty well vacated the site this month but the male Pintail stayed on until at least 29th Dec while Wigeon numbers peaked at 55+ mid-month.  At least one Little Grebe remains faithful to the deep pit.

The Caspian Gull reappeared on 24th along with an adult Yellow-legged Gull, the former then staying with the gull roost until 28th.

The immature male Marsh Harrier put in an appearance on 18th while a lone Golden Plover flew around the site on 26th.  Otherwise it was business as usual with up to 4 Green Sandpipers remaining on site and a flock of c80 Lapwings split between the deep pit and the new workings scrape.  At least 4 Stonechat stayed on the weedy areas while the 100-strong flock of Linnet continued to enjoy the seed-heads on the restored areas.

A final highlight, particularly as they don't seem to common this winter, were 3 Lesser Redpolls (soon to be demoted to simply 'Redpolls') that were feeding on the alders along the Coopers Green Lane border.

After a quiet autumn period the first week of November saw some welcome variety with a steady trickle of migrant birds visiting the site.  Unsurprisingly, easterly winds dominated the period and, as usual, seemed to change things up.

A male Marsh Harrier on 3rd Nov seemed to herald a few arrivals - 3 Wigeon that increased to 4 on 7th, at least 5 Golden Plover flying around the site and a huge flock of 400+ Linnet in the fields.  In addition, a peak count of 8+ Common Snipe on 3rd joined up to 6 Green Sandpipers, a flock of 60+ Lapwing​ and up to 3 pairs of Stonechat around the site.

The 4th Nov saw the arrival of a Dunlin and the 5th a smart adult female Shelduck.  The Barn Owl was also back at its hole that evening.

An adult Yellow-legged Gull joined the afternoon roost on 6th November.  The gulls seem to like the newly scraped exposed mud on the edge of the deep pit.  The area also looks good for waders and maybe will be as the ground matures and provides more invertebrate food.  The main pit however is clearly still attractive to waders with a Redshank appearing on 8th Nov.

The real highlight of the week however came on 9th Nov with the discovery of a smart male Black Redstart that spent the day hopping around the newly formed earth bank along the track.  While it had gone the next day many local birders were able to see it and it becomes #128 for the site year list.

While the Black Redstart charmed another bird puzzled - appearing to be the site's first Caspian Gull, closer scrutiny suggested it may have been a hybrid with a Herring Gull.  The bird gave a very 'Caspian' vibe with its bulk, extremely long legs and white head.  It also had a nice white underwing and clean black tail band in flight.  However, small notches on its tertial feathers, heavily chequered inner greater coverts and heavy anchor-marked scapulars suggested at least some Herring Gull influence.  Despite the bird's stand-out 'presence' among the other gulls it sadly does not make it on to the site list.  It surely must soon though!

Regardless of the disappointing outcome the Caspian-type gull provided further education on the pitfalls of gull ID and the challenge of pinning down pure species.  Equally, the first week of November was by no means disappointing and delivered a welcome variety of birds to spice things up after a dull autumn!