 The number of small birds on site has been increasing rapidly over the last few weeks with the arrival of many Meadow Pipits, Linnets and Skylarks. This must all be enticing to birds of prey and indeed a Sparrowhawk has been regularly seen harrying the flocks along with up to 3 Kestrels. A particularly large 'dump' of small birds - including a 300+ strong flock of Linnets - seemed to occur on 12th with misty, damp conditions during the first part of the morning. I stationed myself on the track and, as I have done many times before, imagined a Hen Harrier skirting the back edge of the big field before hunting over the main pit weedy margins. The raucous cries and caws of Rooks and Carrion Crows startled me from my day-dreams and I put my binoculars to my eyes and...picked up a ringtail Hen Harrier, making its way along the back edge of the large field! It then began to hunt over the weedy area at the back of the main pit before dropping down into ground cover. I couldn't quite believe it! I took some very distant and somewhat shakey record shots and video to confirm that it was indeed a Hen Harrier and not a rarer form. Unfortunately the corvid ranks were not as delighted as I was and rallied to drive the poor harrier up high and away offsite heading southeast. I assumed that was the last we'd see of it but a message came in later on that the neighbouring farmer had seen it over his fields in the afternoon. Others re-located it in the rough fields adjacent to Cromer Hyde Farm that had previously hosted 4 Short-eared Owls. Unfortunately the mobbing continued and the harrier was last seen heading south just before sunset. The harrier takes the site year list to 130 and is the first record at the site since one on 24th October 2022.  A photo (cropped by me) that beautifully captures the moment taken by Louisa Veasey as the harrier left the site on Sunday evening. The same day also saw 3 Rock Pipits at the edge of the main pit. Two flew off high while one remained, being seen the next day too.  Two of the three Rock Pipits on site on 12th Oct With the continuing abundance of potential prey items at the site it was perhaps no surprise that the next day saw another bird of prey visit - a Merlin (#131 for the site year). Rather obligingly it perched up just 50 yards away on the new fence along the track. The video below records some of my best views of the species ever - likely to be a juvenile bird. The presence of so many flocks of small birds on site has brought an air of excitement to the recent visits, spiced up by the activities of these scarce raptors. With the first flocks of Redwings and Fieldfares arriving in the county this state of affairs will hopefully continue for the next few weeks. Autumn is in full swing but worthy of note also was a late Sand Martin on 6th October.
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 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! Blue-headed Wagtail Motacilla flava flava on 27th & 28th March 2025 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. Migrants on 21st March 2025 - Oystercatcher, Little Egret & Mediterranean Gull 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. 2 Dunlin on 22nd Mar & the lone Golden Plover on 5th 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. Yellow Wagtails, a White Wagtail & Common Whitethroat 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 Redshank feeding on 11th Mar Otherwise, the usual parallel trends of growing flocks of winter birds feeding up before leaving and others pairing and courting with a view to breeding have been evident on site. The Fieldfare flock enjoying the turnip field has stabilised around 200 birds while Common Gull numbers have diminished being replaced by increasing numbers of Black-headed Gulls. A female-type Marsh Harrier was seen on 7th and on the same day at least 24 Common Snipe were flushed from the main weedy area along with at least 3 Jack Snipe. In the same area a single Stonechat was last seen on 3rd and may be the last sighting until they return in late summer post breeding. On the water, wildfowl numbers have generally fluctuated day-by-day but overall have increased. Around 30 Teal, 5-10 Wigeon and up to 50 Shoveler remain on site along with up to 20 Gadwall and well over 30 Tufted Duck and just one Pochard. Mandarin Duck number remain around 12 birds with a peak of 16 on 7th but mostly now paired up. A Great Crested Grebe visited again on 3rd and a pair of Little Grebes are now exploring nesting sites around the deep pit. Coot numbers have risen to at least 5 birds and their calls are now heard constantly as they begin courtship.  Great Crested Grebe on 3rd Mar  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.  Adult Yellow-legged Gull on 23rd Feb 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! Woodpigeons feeding on the turnip tops 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.  Wing-tagged Common Buzzard - tagged in the nest in nearby Hatfield Park 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!  Red-legged Partridge on 24th Feb  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.  Peregrine on 24th Jan 2025 The regular immature male Marsh Harrier came through the site on 31st whilst the Skylark flock has held at about 50-60 birds along with up to 200 Fieldfares. Mute Swan numbers have fluctuated but tend to be around 15 birds and Lapwing numbers have varied from 30 to 100 birds. A couple of Green Sandpipers continue to favour the site, commuting between the long drainage pit and pools in the arable fields across the road. Gulls continue to provide a bit of interest although the 3rd winter Caspian Gull seems to now be favouring Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits a few miles away. A possible adult Caspian was present on 29th but at distance it wasn't possible to be 100% sure and, despite the nice clean head and darker grey mantle, I couldn't rule out a hybrid bird. Some video-grabs of the possible adult Caspian Gull on 29th Jan 2025 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.
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