 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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 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.  They don't come much better-looking than this summer plumage BLACK-NECKED GREBE that spent the day of 19th March on the main pit! A first for the site taking the all time total to 157. The bird followed the arrival of 7 Pintail the day before and was joined on 19th by the first Dunlin of the year, coinciding with the arrival of very warm conditions on south-easterly winds. Three Little Ringed Plovers were also on site along with a White Wagtail. One observer also saw a Rock Pipit (possibly the same bird from 16th?) but others were unable to find it. The site's first Mediterranean Gull for the year - a second winter bird - was also seen on 18th.  7 Pintail over the site on 20th Mar The warm conditions (18+ degrees Celsius) saw the site's first butterflies of the year too - a Comma and Small Tortoiseshell. The 20th March saw further movement with Little Ringed Plover numbers up to 5 by the end of the day and a first winter Mediterranean Gull that slowly circled through the site without alighting. The 1st winter Mediterranean Gull on 20th March The weekend ahead holds changeable weather including some heavy rain so could be a recipe for more arrivals. The site year total now stands at 94 species.
 It's a slow, steady March so far this month but, as expected, the headline is that the Little Ringed Plovers are back with a pair appearing on 14th Mar - exactly the day they appeared last year and one day later than the year before! What will they make of the 'restored' site I wonder - will they find enough gravel scrapes to breed on? Only time will tell but in the meantime, we'll enjoy their visits. With them the Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail flocks continue to grow and the first White Wagtails have begun to appear with up to 4 birds on 14th. A really pleasing find on 16th was a Rock Pipit that gave itself away with its calls. Seemingly an annual bird - possible in both spring and autumn - it is nevertheless always rewarding to find these birds inland. Knowing its call and knowing where to look is half the battle but this one showed well enough for a few photos. The Rock Pipit on 16th Mar - the middle photo showing it eating a ladybird Wheatears and Sand Martins are the next expected spring arrivals but the Little Ringed Plovers and the Rock Pipit take the site's year total to 91.
 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.  The 3rd winter Caspian Gull 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. The White Stork (photo from off-site) & the Snow Goose 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.  Grey Plover Other highlights in 2024 included more records of Pintail than in previous years and many more records of Marsh Harriers with up to 3 different individuals visiting the site throughout the year. The presence of these birds begs the question as to whether they will attempt to breed in the near future - either at the site or in the St Albans area. An Osprey on 5th April was the only record for the year while up to 4 Scandinavian Rock Pipits were on site from 11th-13th March. A Black Redstart on 9th November was a welcome late autumn visitor too. Osprey & Black Redstart 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. Looking ahead to 2025...So what will 2025 hold? The site restoration work is scheduled to continue in the Spring and it is unclear how the site will eventually look. It is hoped that bodies of water will remain with attractive margins for birds. As to the longer term management of the site, that is unclear. Without any management successional growth would stifle the site and remove the scraped areas attractive to birds such as waders, not least the breeding Little Ringed Plovers. Disturbance is also a concern, not just from quarry work but also from increased shooting by the local farmer. The sighting of a fleeing fox before a fox-hunting group with horses and hounds was also a worrying development. Only time will tell but the site remains a fantastic opportunity to create a nature reserve should the landowner and land-managers be so minded. It also functions as an important flood-management system, storing water that would otherwise put pressure on the river and drainage system. The site awaits a vision and hopefully, when there is one, it will recognise the high-value of the site for birds and wider nature.  An unwelcome sight at Stanborough Gravel Pits on 5th Dec 2024 Bird-wise, hopefully 2025 will deliver the same excitement of the last few years. Some notable holes in the site list exist such as Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Common Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Hawfinch and Crossbill among others. Will 2025 see these added? We shall have to wait and see...! *Attentive readers will note that this is one down on the previous published total as Ruddy Shelduck was removed from the list as a species not yet accepted on to the official Herts List. The status of Ruddy Shelduck in the UK is currently under review by the BOU (British Ornithologists Union) but the outcome of that review is still pending. Instead, the species must be relegated to the "Escapes & Introductions" category as a non-wild bird.
 A memorable day at Stanborough Gravel Pits that delivered some fantastic birds including 2 new species for the site! For weeks the large, wet, muddy scraped area adjacent to the main pit had been looking perfect to attract something of interest and on 11th March it finally did. On that particular day I was picking up my son from Heathrow following his travels abroad so ignored the regular ping alerts on my phone. However, as we drove home, I couldn't help but notice the words 'Stanborough' and 'Brent Geese' on the screen. I then explained to my family that on our return I would have to go out immediately but would be back as soon as possible to complete the family reunion! I got to the pits by 11.30am and immediately got on the small group of 9 Brent Geese looking very at home on the muddy scrape, feeding and chasing each other about in typical Spring fashion. A new addition to the site list at #153 but more was to come... The news of 2 Curlew drew me back to the site after lunch and indeed, there they were, with the Brent Geese. In addition, a couple of Dunlin and 3 Redshank had also dropped in making it clear that a proper movement of birds was underway. A summer plumaged Black-tailed Godwit was seen flying around by some and was then present on site the next day. The Brent Geese flew north along with the Curlew around 3.30pm and were later seen at Broom GPs in Bedfordshire.  2 Curlew on 11th March 2024 With quite a few birders on site it was inevitable that more would be found and indeed one lucky observer saw a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in the hedgerow trees along Coopers Green Lane. Unfortunately no-one else spotted it but nevertheless another site tick taking the list to 154. And still there was more to come - a White Wagtail was on site and, as the day drew to a close, a Scandinavian Rock Pipit was found at the far end of the long pits.  Scandinavian Rock Pipit on 11th March 2024 The pipit concluded a remarkable day when I felt I had to pinch myself to check I was in Herts and not somewhere else like Frampton RSPB in Lincs! By the end of the day the site list had grown to 154 species and the site year list to 96. The next day, while the Dunlin and a single Redshank lingered, four Rock Pipits were found on site feeding together! The birds were always distant but included two birds transitioning into their beautiful pale summer plumage (see the rather distant 'record shots' below). |
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