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.

Barely had the metaphorical ink dried on my last post and the very next day it felt like autumn passage got into full swing!  The write-up has had to wait until now though as soon after I went on holiday and got back to busy-ness thereafter.

On the morning of 8th July 8 Green Sandpipers were reported so for my evening visit I had in the back of my mind that a sudden influx like this could come with a Wood Sandpiper too.  Not finding one, I had begun to pack up to leave when a wader hunched at the edge of a pool drew me back for a second look.

I had initially dismissed it as another Green Sandpiper but something about its head shape didn't quite seem right for that species.  The light was poor so I couldn't really see much else but as I continued watching so it began to feed and I realised I had a Wood Sandpiper!  Eventually it walked out of the glare and allowed the somewhat grainy record shot above. 

Other passage on 8th was also evident with an increase in gulls, including a Mediterranean Gull and a surprise early Common Gull through.  The first juvenile Black-headed Gulls also made an appearance.

Waders continued to feature during the rest of July but in a somewhat muted way.  It has officially been a poor breeding season for the Little Ringed Plovers with just a second pair raising one chick from 18th July.  This means that, in total, only three new Little Ringed Plovers have hatched this year from 2 pairs with likely less than that making it to adulthood.  It's difficult to pinpoint why it's been a poor year for them but it is likely to be a combination of disturbance at key moments in their breeding cycle and loss of habitat due to quarry restoration.

Green Sandpipers have been present throughout July, averaging about 4 birds on site with 2 ringed individuals and 2 unringed birds regularly being seen.  A Common Sandpiper appeared on 15th July and was joined by another on 19th, with a maximum of 3 counted on 27th.  Another Wood Sandpiper was seen briefly on 20th with another heard but unseen on 27th.

A Greenshank put in an appearance on 25th and an Oystercatcher on 29th.  Despite the substantial areas of exposed mud and seemingly ideal wader conditions the offering feels a little paltry for this time of year.  However, it is still early days...

Away from the water, interest included a high count of 4 juvenile Stonechats on 25th and an evening count of 167 Ring-necked Parakeets heading over the site in small groups to their roost at Stanborough Lakes.

Also flying over the site were 2 Peregrine Falcons on 26th, the first Siskin for the year on 27th and the first 3 Ravens for a while on 28th.  The site year list for 2025 now stands at 121 species.

Perhaps the most noticeable change with the new month is the arrival of large numbers of geese.  As in previous years, this seems timed to coincide with the harvesting of the cereal crops.  The goose flock on occasion has grown to almost 500 birds, among them up to 300 Canada Geese, 120 Greylag Geese and a maximum count of at least 57 Egyptian Geese on 10th Aug.

A Barnacle Goose was found with the flock on 7th and seen subsequently on and off.  The goose flock is very mobile, switching between the fields and the water and sometimes vacating the site altogether, however numbers are highest in the evening and early morning.

The first Wheatear appeared near the farm on 1st August and at least 3 were present on 14th with one seen the next day too.

In the same vein a Whinchat was found on 10th August behind the middle pool and seen again the next day - the first site record for the year.  Stonechat numbers peaked at 6 or more on 10th - all scruffy juvenile birds.

Wader passage has been almost non-existent with Green Sandpipers remaining on site but the last 2 Common Sandpipers being seen on 7th.  More noticeable has been the passage of hirundines with several flocks of House Martins (100+ on 12th) moving east with a few Sand Martins.  Swifts are also still passing through with at least 50 noted on 12th but these will be some of the last birds this year no doubt.

Yellow Wagtail passage is also underway with at 10 birds being regularly seen in horse paddocks near the farm.  Both Sedge Warbler and the site's first Reed Warblers of the year have been noted at the back of the main weedy area.  It is likely these are passage birds although it is possible they may have bred on site unnoticed. 

Perhaps the most notable record for the first half of August has been the sighting of 3 Marsh Harriers together by one observer on 13th.  The sighting involved 2 adults calling and being followed by a juvenile bird.  Harriers are certainly on the radar as they disperse post-breeding and who knows, maybe a Montagu's Harrier will come our way!

Much of the autumn remains to come and hopefully the best bits too!  It's always tricky to work out why some years are quieter than others but, given the seemingly ideal conditions, the last 2 months have not delivered the hoped for wader passage.  It is difficult to know if the ongoing quarry restoration works play a part with landscaping and new topsoil being put down - perhaps on top of formerly good feeding areas.

The 'deep pits' have been reduced to a small lake and it remains to be seen if these will be attractive to birds.  Since the new topsoil has gone down these pools have been devoid of birds other than loafing gull flocks.  The middle pool has virtually dried up while the main pit has been given an extended life as water has been pumped into it temporarily.  It too faces the same fate however with further landscaping set to greatly reduce its size.  Let's hope what is finally left recovers to attract birds and wildlife again but for the moment you can't help feeling that the site is in decline.

The month of June finished quietly as expected with much of the focus on resident breeding birds.

​The first Little Ringed Plover chicks (just 2) appeared on 17th from a nest that appeared initially to have been abandoned.  However, not so, and the heatwave may have accounted for the parent birds spending more time than usual off the eggs.

To date, just one chick survives but another nest nearby will hopefully fledge soon.  The parent birds are remarkably tenacious with the the fledged chicks' nest just metres away from quarry traffic digger tracks and the second nest on a beach frequently disturbed by bored youths and other visitors.

The latter part of June also saw a fair few Yellow Wagtail juveniles appear with at least 3 broods noted if not several more.  Another potential breeder - Corn Buntings - have also remained on site with at least 2 if not 3 birds favouring the middle pool area.

Up to 5 Green Sandpipers remained on site joined by a Common Sandpiper on 17th that was seen again on 27th & 29th.  The only other birds of note were 2 adult Grey Partridge seen on 14th and a lone Teal (an eclipse male) on 27th signalling the seasonal shift and joined by another on 30th.

July opened with a sense of autumn passage with a high count of at least 16 Little Ringed Plovers on site including 3 full-grown juveniles.  Undoubtedly part of a post-breeding dispersal with numbers returning to the usual 5-6 birds over the next few days.

Green Sandpiper numbers have stayed at up to 5 birds but it is hoped that among them might be a Wood Sandpiper soon!  A Hobby was seen on 4th along with the site's first Red-veined Darters (2) noted by visiting County Recorder for odonata species, Roy Woodward.

Along with the arrival of the Crossbills other birds seemed to be on the move too with 2 juvenile Stonechats appearing at the site.  Their appearance is in line with previous years and are likely to represent dispersing juveniles rather than locally bred birds.  A good passage of over 100 Swifts and 50 Swallows east was also noted and the Linnet flock increased from about 30 birds to well over 100.

The stage is set for Autumn passage so let's hope it's more exciting than the rather quiet Spring we've had!

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.