 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! A short video clip of the hunting Marsh Harrier on 26th April 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. Common Sandpiper & Wheatear 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. Green Sandpiper & Greenshank 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. Clockwise from top left: Great Crested Grebe, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit & Yellow Wagtail 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.  Swifts flying in tandem post copulation! While many birds are still getting underway with breeding there have been some early successes with a female Mallard appearing with 7 ducklings (now sadly down to just 2) and a pair of Canada Geese with 6 new goslings. Hopefully they are the first of many fledglings with at least 7 pairs of Lapwing on site and the Mandarin Ducks vanished to the woods to hopefully return with offspring. With the new additions the site bird list stands at 114 species for the year. 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.  A Small Copper Butterfly on 1st May
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 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
 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?!
 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.
 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  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).  Pintails on 28th February 2024 At last it feels like Spring may actually be here and visiting the gravel pits comes with an air of expectancy as to what might have turned up! A particularly wet day on 22nd February saw the arrival of 4 Dunlin at the edge of the smaller pool along the track. No doubt pushed down by the rain they spent the day by the pool but were gone the next day. With them arrived the first Mandarin Ducks of the year with 2 males chasing a female bird around on the same pool. A single Dunlin was also present on 6th March.  Mandarin Ducks on 22nd February 2024 Easterly winds then delivered the first White Wagtail of the year on 26th February before bringing 3 pairs of Pintail on 28th February. Pintail are scarce in Herts away from Tring Reservoirs so to have 6 of these beautiful ducks felt very special. A single female was also present later at the site on 7th March.  Female Pintail on 7th March 2024 More easterly winds helped bring more waders and the first Redshank of the year appeared on 5th March typically staying for just the day. A Black-tailed Godwit was also seen flying high over the site on 7th March - a wader that we should see more of as the Spring progresses! |
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