I'd like to say that it's been a manic few weeks trying to keep up with all the arriving Spring migrants but the opposite is true!  Instead, in the face of high pressure weather systems, at time bringing strong winds and freezing temperatures, not much has arrived.

It would be easy to blame the impoverished pits with water almost entirely drained from the main pit and much reduced decent habitat than in previous years but, truth be told, it's been a fairly slow start throughout the County.  Any sign of movement has therefore been very welcome and the last couple of weeks have seen some further new arrivals.

For me, the headline species has been the 2 male Wheatears that arrived yesterday in strong, freezing winds and are still present today.  They are such smart birds with their grey backs, white rumps and peachy-cream breasts adding a welcome bit of colour to the pits.  They join the Little Ringed Plovers (up to 9 on 24th) as the first arrivals from Africa.

Another hint at movement came on 23rd with the arrival of the first White Wagtail of the year - a smart male - and it or another bird were present again today.

This evening the first 2 Swallows flew through the site, committed to a westerly flight path and not, it seems, tempted to linger at the diminished pits.  Unusually they have beaten the Sand Martins to it and we still await the latter birds' arrival.

Two other highlights stand out from the last couple of weeks.  Firstly, a male Stonechat appeared on 22nd and promptly set about singing - a rare sound in Herts and begs the question whether this species might consider breeding.  Sadly, something which the bird will not know is that the habitat from which it sings is ear-marked for destruction come mid-April.  A second bird was also present with both males being seen again on 24th and a single male again today.

The second highlight came this evening with a singing Little Owl - another sound that I must admit I haven't heard much before.  A mournful, hooting call made at regular intervals, quite unlike the usual sharp 'qwick' call that usually alerts me to their presence.  It is the first record at the site this year and indeed for a little while since their original nest tree was blown over in a storm.  Hopefully the singing indicates that there is a female nearby and that breeding may be resumed at the site this year.

In other bird news from the site, a variety of wildfowl remain in small numbers - up to 10 Gadwall, a few Tufted Ducks, up to 9 Shoveler and possibly as many as 15 Teal.  A few Mallards linger along with at least 6 Coots and 2 or 3 Moorhens.  At least 3 Little Grebes continue to pop up on any of the waterbodies while 6 Egyptian Geese and a few Canada Goose pairs have lingered.  Noticeable by their scarcity this year are the Mandarin Ducks with just one pair resting on the middle pool island on 21st and again on 23rd.  A pair flew over this evening too but did not land.

Migrant waders have yet to appear (aside from the Little Ringed Plovers) with Dunlin, Redshank and Ringed Plover all expected together with an increasing range of possibilities as April unfolds.  But will they still find the site attractive I wonder?  At least 2 regular Green Sandpipers continue to use the site with a further 3 birds flying through on 23rd.  A high count of 6 Jack Snipe on 13th was nice but, with the flooded fields drying out, the count was down to 2 on 21st.  At least 30 Common Snipe were flushed on 24th - surely another potential breeder if the marshy habitat was preserved.  Encouragingly, at least 6 pairs of Lapwing seem to be taking up territory on the rough ground areas so hopefully they will follow through to breeding success.

Small flocks of about 50-100 Fieldfares remain around the site with the occasional smaller flock of Redwings passing through.  Other signs of passage included fluctuating numbers of Meadow Pipits and 5 Siskins through on 13th with singles at other times.  Crossbills seem to have vacated Symondshyde Woods now but we may still get the odd passage birds.

With the first Swallows through this evening, eyes will be to the skies for more passage birds but for now I will content myself with this Raven that flew through this evening!

With the recent additions the site year list now stands at 89 species - poised to receive all the summer migrants over the next month!

A whole month has gone past since my last update with no real excitement in the intervening period.  However, Spring is in the air and most noticeably in the form of returning wildfowl to the site.

Like clockwork, the first Coot appeared on 3rd Feb and was soon joined by a pair of Tufted Duck on 6th Feb - much to consternation of the resident Little Grebe that had had the whole of the deep pit to itself all winter!  Along with these arrivals, Gadwall numbers have swelled to up to 80 birds with Teal peaking at 110+ birds on 21st Feb.  A few Wigeon have stayed around the site with 8 on 17th January dropping to just a pair for most of the rest of the period.  A pair of Shoveler was present on 29th Jan and a Pochard appeared on 15th Feb and stayed to at least 22nd while Tufted Duck numbers grew to just shy of 10 birds on site.  A Moorhen remained on the drainage pool while Coot numbers settled at up to 6 birds.

A flock of up to 80 Canada Geese has been present for most of the period with a pair of Egyptian Geese in the field by the deep pool and joined by another pair on occasion.  The first Greylag Geese appeared on 8th Feb and 4 birds now seem to be regularly joining the Canada flock.  With such a good winter for rarer grey geese in the country there's still hope for a passing White-fronted Goose or even Bean Goose.  Also yet to materialise are any Pintail or Shelduck.

Despite being typically quiet the last month has not been without its highlights.  A single Golden Plover was discovered in the flock of Lapwing on 22nd Jan and was present again on 24th.  While the Lapwing flock has grown to nearly 300 birds (280+ on 20th Feb) Golden Plover have been notable by their absence.  The only other waders recorded have been up to 4 Common Snipe and the occasional Green Sandpiper although the latter don't seem to be regularly using the site at the moment.

Another welcome highlight was the brief appearance of 2 Great White Egrets on 14th Feb - a species not recorded on site last year.  Little Egrets have yet to appear at the site this year but 2 Grey Herons spent some time on the flooded fields by the woods on 15th Feb.​

After initial interest in early January, gulls have not really featured much in the last month save for a regular feeding flock of Black-headed Gulls and Common Gulls over the sheep fields.  Hopefully March will see some more passage but for now the larger gulls seem to be bypassing the site.

Stanborough GPs also continues to be a reliable site for the scarce Grey Partridge with at least 3 birds seen on 12th Feb followed by a single on 14th.  Somewhat easier to come by were up to 5 Red-legged Partridge on 11th Feb with 2 jousting males on 17th.

A particular feature of this winter has been the presence of Crossbills in the adjacent Symondshyde Woods and these have regularly strayed over the site during the last month.  Other flyovers have included several Siskins and a few Redpolls but not in any great numbers.

At least 4 pairs of Stonechat remain at various points around the site, possibly even 5 but these will no doubt move off as the breeding season beckons.  With breeding in mind, both Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers have begun to join the Skylark song with their own familiar repertoires.  There seem to be good numbers of Reed Buntings in the weedy area next to the main pit with additional pairs in the reeds at the middle pool.  The singing males look very fine and seem to puff up their white collars as they sing.

Spring is also in the air for the resident pair of Barn Owls that can occasionally be seen nuzzling their beaks together at the box entrance but no sign of any Little Owls yet this year.

To date the site year list stands at 81 species - a little behind last year but all to play for!  The stage is set once again for Spring migration so, with the first Swallows and Sand Martins already being reported elsewhere in the country, hopefully we'll see some action soon.

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.

You always know it's been a quiet end to the month when Coot headlines the blog!  However, this bird that turned up on 31st Jan is the first one of the year and signals the start of some spring movement of birds.  Many more will follow and, hopefully as in years gone by, will breed at the site.

The last half of January was quiet but the site list grew steadily to 77 by the month end with singing Mistle Thrush added and 3 Pochard on 31st.  A pair of Pintail on 24th was a nice surprise along with 55 Wigeon, 27 Gadwall and a few Shoveler.  A pair of Peregrine were also in the big field on that day and at least 5 Stonechats were on site.

On the passerine front, Linnet, Goldfinch and Chaffinch numbers have dwindled and only about 20-30 Meadow Pipits are in evidence.  A couple of Reed Buntings have also been mixed in with the flock along the track.

February beckons and with it the hope of some migrant waders arriving at the site - hopefully Oystercatchers but maybe also Dunlin and Redshank.