 With work and being away I've got a bit behind so a brief summary of late August and early September highlights below. Late August18th 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? Whinchat on 30th August Early September4th 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.
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 Newly hatched Lapwing chick Late May highlightsMay did not finish with a bang but nevertheless did hold some interest with a Cuckoo heard calling on 21st along with the arrival of 2 Common Sandpipers. In line with annual movement of 'suspect' geese a very smart (unringed) Bar-headed Goose appeared on the same day along with a bona-fide ringed Oystercatcher. Originating in central Asia and migrating across the Himalayas at extreme altitudes, it seems inconceivable that a wild Bar-headed Goose should ever make it to the UK. This bird may simply be an escapee from a private collection or perhaps, a partially wild bird living as part of a feral population in the UK. Regardless of its origins it was a very smart bird and first record for the site. It follows the similar Snow Goose record of 2024.  The Bar-headed Goose on 21st May 2025 The Oystercatcher sported a bright blue & yellow leg ring with white letters HE on it. I was then able to identify this as a bird ringed by the Devon & Cornwall Wader Ringing Group on 13th Oct 2021 at Dawlish Warren on the Exe Estuary in Devon. My sighting constitutes the only sighting away from that site and the first since Feb 2023.  The colour-ringed Oystercatcher on 21st May 2025 It's interesting to see how far this bird has travelled and with some birds being re-sighted in Europe, who knows where it will go next? The full history of the bird can be found here: https://www.dcwrg.org.uk/recoveries/oystercatcher/bird/GBT-FJ28711  The Oystercatcher's ringing history The last Common Sandpiper was seen on 24th May but the next day 2 more Ringed Plovers appeared and another Oystercatcher on 31st May. Another Ringed Plover was also present on 28th May. On 27th May a new brood of Mandarin Ducks appeared - a mother with 10 new ducklings in tow. Lapwing chicks were first seen on 21st with at least 3 Lapwing broods proved by the end of the month. A Lesser Whitethroat was heard singing on the last day of May and a pair of Egyptian Geese were noted - one of 3 pairs that have frequented the site this Spring. Early June highlightsThe first few weeks of June saw a trickle of waders with more Ringed Plover (2 on 4th & 1 on 10th), 2 more Oystercatchers on 6th and a Dunlin on 2nd. At least 3 pairs of Little Ringed Plovers continue to display around the site but as yet there has been no evidence of breeding.  2 sleepy Oystercatchers on 6th June Disturbance at critical moments may have not helped the Little Ringed Plovers this year with an unwelcome visit from a walker with 4 off-lead dogs and untimely ploughing by the farmer. There is enough space on site so hopefully pairs will breed successfully in due course.  This Little Ringed Plover looked settled on a nest but sadly the field was ploughed shortly after! On cue with previous years, a Corn Bunting was singing on the wires along the track on 11th and then seen singing at the back of the main weedy area on 13th. Hopefully a mate will be found and breeding will get underway again. Both Mandarin Ducks and Lapwing have continued to be successful with a third brood of Mandarin ducklings appearing on 11th June and a fourth brood of 2 further Lapwing chicks the next day. Of course, as June progresses, thoughts of autumn migration begin to creep in! June is a turning point in the migration calendar and first back are the Green Sandpipers. Almost before we began to expect them, 5 Green Sandpipers arrived on 13th - a very typical date for their return. At least one bird was colour-ringed and studies have shown that they can make the journey from Scandinavia in one non-stop flight! A Hobby was also hunting over the pits on 13th and 2 Grey Partridges were flushed near the ruin. One of the partridges looked very small and could have been a juvenile.  Hobby on 13th June A Meadow Pipit was feeding along the new tree planting area which renewed hopes that there might still be a breeding pair on site - although this was the first bird seen since the dog disturbance.  Meadow Pipit on 13th June Elsewhere around the site insect life has exploded with a good variety of odonata including recently Emperor Dragonflies, Four-spotted Chasers and Black-tailed Skimmers. The first Marbled White butterfly was noted on 13th along with another Painted Lady butterly. Black-tailed Skimmer & Painted Lady butterfly on 13th June
 The last week has seen the rather undramatic arrival of migrants - a steady trickle compared to last year's bumper days. Though less dramatic it has meant that most days have held some interest with new birds being found on site. Heavy rain on 15th April felt like it should have delivered gulls and terns but instead brought down a fall of wagtails with at least 30 Yellow Wagtails (including another Blue-headed Wagtail) and 3 White Wagtails with the usual Pied Wagtails. Always a delight to witness even if the rest of the site felt quiet. Earlier in the day a single Wheatear had been found along side the main pit. The next day saw the arrival of a singing Lesser Whitethroat in the hedgerow bordering Coopers Green Lane and this was still singing at the time of writing on 20th April. A pair of Wheatears were found in the freshly ploughed restored areas on 17th and these were joined by a third bird - a female - on 20th. Some passage was in evidence on 19th April with a Greenshank found early morning that later appeared to relocate to Tyttenhanger GPs. The afternoon saw the first Hobby of the year over the site along with a passing Common Tern. The next day saw another or possibly the same Greenshank hidden at the far end of the main pit along with another Hobby over high. A singing Sedge Warbler joined the Lesser Whitethroat at the track entrance taking the site year list to 112 species for 2025. Female Wheatear on 20th April along with an elusive Greenshank
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November 2025
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