The Birds of Stanborough Gravel Pits
Over the last 5 years or so, Stanborough GPs has become known to birdwatchers as one of the top sites for birds in the County. With over 150 species recorded to date the site is a magnet to a variety of breeding and wintering birds along with birds on passage in the spring and autumn.
The Recording Area
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The red dotted line marks the boundaries of the official recording area. Most of the site can be observed from the central public track running from Symondshyde Farm southeast to Coopers Green Lane. Observers are encouraged to submit sightings to the Herts Bird Club website selecting "Coopers Green GPs - Stanborough GP" from the drop-down sites menu. The Herts Bird Club website is also a good place to check what has been seen at the site recently.
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Top Birds
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Little Ringed Plovers Charadrius dubius are a Rare British Breeding Bird but breed in good numbers at Stanborough GPs thanks to the scraped gravel areas and shallow pools that they like.
The summer of 2023 saw up to 8 pairs raise broods of up to 5 chicks - some pairs also went on to have a second brood. The plovers are summer visitors to the UK from Africa, arriving back at Stanborough in March and departing in August. |
The Stanborough List
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1. Canada Goose Branta canadensis
2. Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis 3. Greylag Goose Anser anser 4. Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus 5. White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons 6. Mute Swan Cygnus olor 7. Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca 8. Shelduck Tadorna tadorna 9. Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata 10. Garganey Spatula querquedula 11. Shoveler Spatula clypeata 12. Gadwall Mareca strepera 13. Wigeon Mareca penelope 14. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 15. Pintail Anas acuta 16. Teal Anas crecca 17. Pochard Aythya ferina 18. Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula 19. Goosander Mergus merganser 20. Grey Partridge Perdix perdix 21. Pheasant Phasianus colchicus 22. Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa 23. Swift Apus apus 24. Cuckoo Cuculus canorus 25. Rock Dove Columba livia 26. Stock Dove Columba oenas 27. Woodpigeon Columba palumbus 28. Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto 39. Water Rail Rallus aquaticus 40. Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 31. Coot Fulica atra 32. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 33. Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus 34. Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus 35. Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus 36. Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta 37. Lapwing Vanellus vanellus 38. Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria 39. Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola 40. Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula 41. Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius 42. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 43. Curlew Numenius arquata 44. Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica 45. Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa 46. Turnstone Arenaria interpres 47. Ruff Calidris pugnax 48. Sanderling Calidris alba 49. Dunlin Calidris alpina 50. Little Stint Calidris minuta 51. Woodcock Scolopax rusticola 52. Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus 53. Snipe Gallinago gallinago 54. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 55. Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus 56. Redshank Tringa totanus 57. Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola 58. Greenshank Tringa nebularia 59. Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus 60. Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus 61. Common Gull Larus canus 62. Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus 63. Herring Gull Larus argentatus 64. Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis 65. Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus 66. Common Tern Sterna hirundo 67. Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 68. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 69. Great White Egret Ardea alba 70. Little Egret Egretta garzetta 71. Osprey Pandion haliaetus 72. Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus 73. Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus 74. Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus 75. Red Kite Milvus milvus 76. Buzzard Buteo buteo 77. Barn Owl Tyto alba 78. Little Owl Athene noctua 79. Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus 80. Tawny Owl Strix aluco 81. Wryneck Jynx torquilla 82. Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major 83. Green Woodpecker Picus viridis 84. Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 85. Merlin Falco columbarius 86. Hobby Falco subbuteo 87. Peregrine Falco peregrinus 88. Ring-necked Parakeet Psittacula krameri 89. Jay Garrulus glandarius 90. Magpie Pica pica 91. Jackdaw Coloeus monedula 92. Rook Corvus frugilegus 93. Carrion Crow Corvus corone 94. Raven Corvus corax 95. Coal Tit Periparus ater 96. Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus 97. Great Tit Parus major 98. Skylark Alauda arvensis 99. Sand Martin Riparia riparia 100. Swallow Hirundo rustica 101. House Martin Delichon urbicum 102. Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus 103. Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus 104. Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita 105. Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus 106. Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus 107. Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia 108. Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla 109. Garden Warbler Sylvia borin 110. Lesser Whitethroat Curruca curruca 111. Whitethroat Curruca communis 112. Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla 113. Goldcrest Regulus regulus 114. Wren Troglodytes troglodytes 115. Nuthatch Sitta europaea 116. Treecreeper Certhia familiaris 117. Starling Sturnus vulgaris 118. Song Thrush Turdus philomelos 119. Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus 120. Redwing Turdus iliacus 121. Blackbird Turdus merula 122. Fieldfare Turdus pilaris 123. Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus 124. Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata 125. Robin Erithacus rubecula 126. Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros 127. Whinchat Saxicola rubetra 128. Stonechat Saxicola rubicola 129. Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe 130. Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 131. House Sparrow Passer domesticus 132. Dunnock Prunella modularis 133. Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava 134. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 135. Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba 136. Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis 137. Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis 138. Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta 139. Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus 140. Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs 141. Brambling Fringilla montifringilla 142. Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula 143. Greenfinch Chloris chloris 144. Linnet Linaria cannabina 145. Lesser Redpoll Acanthis cabaret 146. Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis 147. Siskin Spinus spinus 148. Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra 149. Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella 150. Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus 151. Bewick's Swan Cygnus columbianus 152. Brent Goose Branta bernicla 153. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor 154. Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis 155. Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia 156. Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans 157. Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis 158. Purple Heron Ardea purpurea 159. Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra 160. Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata 161. Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus 162. Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos |
Escapes, Re-introductions & Non-wild BirdsIndian Peafowl Pavo cristatus
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea White Stork Ciconia ciconia Snow Goose Anser caerulescens Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria Sub-species & HybridsWhite Wagtail Motacilla alba alba
Blue-headed Wagtail Motacilla flava flava "Channel Wagtail" Motacilla flava flava x Motacilla flava flavissima Snow Goose x Barnacle Goose (?) |