At mid-way through the year it is definitely time for another update! Somehow the weeks have passed and I haven't got round to updating and Spring has come and gone. It proved a quieter one and has done for many other patches but undoubtedly in Stanborough's case, contributed to by the loss of the main body of water.

A summary of highlights will therefore suffice but one or two in particular stand out.  March closed with the first 2 Sand Martins of the year sneaking through on 31st and a Great White Egret visiting the middle pool - the first record since 14th Feb.

April then opened with a bang on the 3rd with 2 WHITE STORKS picked up heading northeast along the line of the A1 motorway.  Both birds were un-ringed and, as such, make it on to the Stanborough List as species #164

Of course, White Stork sightings are producing a growing conundrum for recorders as to the provenance of this species. Traditionally, un-ringed birds were considered wild while ringed birds were attributed to released birds and therefore treated as 'escapees'. Of course, if the ring could be read, the bird occasionally did prove to be a wild bird from a continental ringing scheme.

To date there are now many more release projects and not all released birds are being ringed, greatly muddying the waters.  As an additional spanner in the works, Natural England has declared that it does not believe there's enough evidence to show that White Storks were ever native to Britain! It seems we may now have a situation where any White Stork record will have to have a permanent question mark over it unless of course it carries a ring proving its wild origins! That said, as a humble local patch - it goes on the list!!

The 2 storks - it is assumed the same birds - were later picked up on the North Norfolk coast by several birders, apparently having continued their NE trajectory from Stanborough. We enjoyed distant views but, judging by the photos, the birds gave better views in Norfolk!

The storks provided the excitement of Spring but while wader passage was virtually non-existent the end of April did deliver a few welcome waders.  A Ringed Plover on 25th was a pre-cursor to more movement on 28th April with 4 Whimbrel appearing in the tilled fields near Symondshyde Farm. Later one observer found a Ruff but this did not stay long enough for others (including me) to see it. I did however pick up 5 Ringed Plovers flying through and together with the Whimbrel made for a welcome flurry of activity.

It was great to see these birds visiting the site, despite the loss of water, and also to hear their evocative 7-note calls.

As for the rest of Spring, it's very much been as expected with the bulk of arrivals throughout April and into early May and with wintering birds - snipe, wildfowl & thrushes - absenting themselves by early May.  A summary of key arrivals & departures follows:

5th April - the first Yellow Wagtail (see lead photo)
6th April - the first (and so far only) singing Willow Warbler
8th April - the first Little Egret of the year visits
9th April - 7 House Martins feeding over the site & the last flock of c30 Fieldfares are noted
10th April - the first Common Whitethroat is found
17th April - 2 Grey Partridge put in an appearance

18th April - Wheatear numbers peak at 8 with the last Wheatear staying until 19th May.  The first Cuckoo is also heard calling from Symondshyde Wood.
19th April - a Lesser Whitethroat turns up
22nd April - the first (6) Swifts are feeding over the site
25th April - a single Ringed Plover is found
28th April - wader day! 4 Whimbrel, 5 Ringed Plovers & 1 Ruff visit the site
1st May - a Sedge Warbler is singing & is later joined by another 2 singing males. To date, 2 pairs seem to be breeding
2nd May - a Reed Warbler is singing
3rd May - a russet-coloured Swallow is seen with normal Swallows on the fence wires by the middle pool - possibly an African (savignii) or Easter Mediterranean (transitiva) race? Either way a very striking bird that I managed to get a few snaps of a week later at Symondshyde Farm.

11th May - 2 Dunlin drop into middle pool

15th May - Garden Warbler singing by long pit - not a common visitor to the site
19th May - the first Hobby is seen at the site

Notable absences were Common Sandpipers (despite a good passage at other sites) and no Spring Whinchat.

With all the new arrivals the site year list has reached 108 species and the attention now turns to the breeding season. Early breeders have included Mallards (at least 2 broods), Canada Geese (at least 2 broods) & Mandarin Duck (at least 3 broods - presumably from the nearby woods).

At least 3 pairs of Lapwing have also bred while up to 3 or 4 pairs of Little Ringed Plovers have been stationed around various parts of the site.  Finally on 12th June, a pair produced 4 chicks on the 'deep pit' but inevitably these appeared to have dropped to just one chick by 19th June. Despite so much loss of habitat, these rare breeding birds have bred successfully yet again - long may it continue!

Yellow Wagtails and Skylarks seem to be having a particularly good year enjoying the farmland and no doubt soon young will appear. At least 2 pairs of Pied Wagtails have already fledged young.

I'm hoping the Little Owl seen earlier in the year is breeding while the Barn Owls have successfully raised 3 owlets in the box. Little Grebes remain on site but have yet to breed.

Despite staying into May, the male Stonechat eventually disappeared so no breeding there but a pair of Meadow Pipits may still be present although not recorded recently.  The large weedy area adjacent to the former main pit holds many pairs of Whitethroat and Reed Bunting. A fairly large (60+) Linnet flock is also enjoying feeding in the big oil-seed rape field.

June is typically a quiet month bird-wise but who knows - maybe a surprise will turn up...a Montagu's Harrier would be nice!  Insects and flowers come to the fore with Painted Lady butterflies having a particularly good year.  A single Pyramidal Orchid has also sprung up in the same area as last year.

Some exciting finds straight after my last post with a smart pair of Garganey discovered on 12th April and then a PURPLE HERON viewed in flight the following day!  Certainly a Red Letter day with regards to the latter, while Garganey were much missed in 2024.

Of course the sightings were exciting but I say 'muted' excitement, at least for me, as the Garganey were sadly flushed by over-zealous birders meaning others were not able to connect with them.  In addition, the Purple Heron - a Country Rarity and first for the site - was seen in flight only and heading away from the pits.  I take great pleasure in sharing my sightings and helping others connect with them and these two made me realise how much I enjoy the sharing as I felt somewhat deflated afterwards!

Either way, the Purple Heron becomes species #158 for the site and together with the Garganey takes the site year list to 107.  Also present on 13th April was a female Marsh Harrier that spent some time on prey in the big arable field but was eventually driven off by corvids.  A Willow Warbler was also singing by the entrance gate.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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?!

August is underway and expectations have risen with each day that passes for this is the month of movement!  Or at least we hope so!

The pits are sadly being rapidly filled in and re-landscaped but open water with muddy edges remain not to mention the scrubby areas and arable land.  Longer term heavy rain may restore some water areas but in the meantime hopefully the autumn will bring some good birds.

Today the first Common Gull - a juvenile - was with the growing numbers of Black-headed Gulls and a bright yellowy Willow Warbler was along the track.  Both are signs that birds are moving through, albeit just a trickle at the moment.  In addition, the first Ringed Plover of the autumn made an appearance and at least one Common Sandpiper remains on site with up to 3 in recent days.  Unusual in previous years, 2 Common Tern have been visiting the site most days - an adult with a juvenile bird.

The last few weeks have seen a good passage of both Green Sandpipers (up to 9) and Common Sandpipers along with a single Dunlin on 2nd Aug. In addition a couple of Barnacle Geese have been regularly with the Canada Goose flock along with up to 17 Egyptian Geese.  At least 2 different Marsh Harriers have been visiting the site and sightings may constitute even more birds if they are just passing through.  Up to 3 Hobbies and a Peregrine have also spent time hunting over the site, stirring up the flocks of other birds as they go.