Early autumn SFYL list padders

Twelve weeks had passed with nothing added to my SFYL so I needed to pick up a bit on return from holiday after four weekends and a bank holiday missed. With a fall on the coast a few days previously, Wryneck was on the cards so I dutifully covered Pegsdon on Saturday from early morning, scoring a SFYT with two Whinchat before also finding two Redstarts to add to the tally from the spring. No Wryneck though...

Sunday offered another chance to get out for a few hours and try to see some wet stuff. For the third year in a row, my list of self found waders was looking poor (I guess the lack of habitat does not help that) so once again I went looking for some mud, or at least exposed water edge, in the brick pits. Scored at Brogborough No2 with Greenshank but failed to pick out anything at Quest where the water level is finally looking slightly wader friendly.

+2 for the day and the attempt to reclaim third place has begun...

150 up

With the advent of some easterlies and bands of rain sweeping in, last weekend had the promise of a few good birds.  Luckily the birth of my daughter hasn’t (so far) impeded my self-finding ability – although I am yet to make it to Pegsdon and find myself a Redstart.  I managed a few nips to Broom and lucked in on some nice birds and two new SFY ticks.

First up was a Ruff on Friday lunchtime – although this was gazumped by Lee a couple of hours later who found 30!  On Saturday morning things improved again with 8 Arctic Terns, a Whinchat, Greenshank, 2 Dunlin, and some Ringed Plovers.  Sunday morning was again pretty good – 5 Whimbrel flew over Matt and I, with at least 17 ringed Plovers though, two more Ruff, 9 Golden Plovers and my second SFYL addition of the weekend – a Black Tern.  Monday things were a little quieter with 4 Ruff disappearing in to the distance as I got to GLE, but a new Greenshank flew over, 3 Snipe came in, and a Herring Gull loafed in the evening.

Wonder what else I can eek out before the year end?

The Myers Farm 'Complex' Site List

1. Mute Swan

2. Greylag Goose

3. Canada Goose

4. Mandarin Duck

5. Teal

6. Mallard

7. Pintail

8. Shoveler

9. Tufted Duck

10. Red-legged Partridge

11. Grey Partridge

12. Pheasant

13. Cormorant

14. Grey Heron

15. Red Kite

16. Sparrowhawk

17. Buzzard

18. Kestrel

19. Hobby

20. Peregrine

21. Moorhen

22. Oystercatcher

23. Ringed Plover 24. Little Ringed Plover

25. Golden Plover

26. Grey Plover

27. Lapwing

28. Snipe

29. Woodcock

30. Black-tailed Godwit

31. Common Sandpiper

32. Green Sandpiper

33. Greenshank

34. Black-headed Gull

35. Common Gull

36. Lesser Black-backed Gull

37. Herring Gull

38. Yellow-legged Gull

39. Common Tern

Rock Dove

40. (Feral Pigeon)

41. Stock Dove

42. Woodpigeon

43. Collared Dove

44. Cuckoo

45. Swift

46. Kingfisher

47. Green Woodpecker

48. Great Spotted Woodpecker

49. Magpie

50. Jay

51. Jackdaw

52. Rook

53. Carrion Crow

54. Raven

55. Goldcrest

56. Blue Tit

57. Great Tit

58. Coal Tit

59. Skylark

60. Sand Martin

61. Swallow

62. House Martin

63. Long-tailed Tit

64. Chiffchaff

65. Willow Warbler

66. Blackcap

67. Garden Warbler

68. Lesser Whitethroat

69. Whitethroat

70. Grasshopper Warbler

71. Treecreeper

72. Wren

73. Starling

74. Ring Ouzel

75. Blackbird

76. Fieldfare

77. Song Thrush

78. Redwing

79. Mistle Thrush

80. Spotted Flycatcher

81. Robin

82. Black Redstart

83. Wheatear

84. Dunnock

85. House Sparrow

Yellow Wagtail

86. (Yellow Wagtail (flavissima))

87. Grey Wagtail

Pied/White Wagtail

(White Wagtail (alba))

88. (Pied Wagtail (yarrellii))

89. Tree Pipit

90. Meadow Pipit

91. Chaffinch

92. Brambling

93. Greenfinch

[Domestic Canary]

94. Goldfinch

95. Siskin

96. Linnet

97. Lesser Redpoll

98. Common Crossbill

99. Bullfinch

100. Yellowhammer

101. Reed Bunting

102. Corn Bunting

Black-tailed Godwit

My intention yesterday evening was to go to Tetworth this morning to carry out my WeBS count. I'm rather pleased with my decision at dawn this morning to text my friendly gamekeeper and postpone until tomorrow, on account of the poor weather.

Instead, I stayed closer to home and again visited my closest 'wetland' at Myers Farm. I was kind of expecting something to be there, and my mind was full of Wood Sandpipers and Spotted Redshanks as I made my way there. Predictably, neither was, but a familiar call and a leggy wader on the mud had me adding yet another wader to this surprisingly productive site's list - a juvenile islandica-type Black-tailed Godwit.

In a way, it's a shame the site is so out of the way, but on the other hand, I'm pleased to have it all to myself.

However, I really do think that I should buy myself a smartphone with a reasonably proficient camera.

DOM

Pintail at Myers Farm Reservoir, Potton

''Rubbish little farm reservoir on county border pulls in another good bird shocker.''

It isn't really rubbish, it kind of resembles a mini-GLE, but about the size of a six-a-side football pitch and with lots of exposed mud.

Following a Shoveler here (another site first) on 19 August, this morning at dawn a female Pintail was present - by far my earliest date in the county. I think a lot of stuff gets pushed off the fishing lakes just over the border at Little Heath, Gamlingay. Hence, some mornings, there can be reasonably high numbers of wildfowl and on others, nothing at all.

Tuesday's Greenshank was still present and there are now two Green Sandpipers. Not bad really...

ATB,

DOM

GK 3

Yesterday (20th) at Myers Farm Reservoir, north of Potton, I finally self-found-carbon-free-year-ticked Greenshank, then today at Tetworth Hall Wetlands, another two were present.

That takes me to 137 - already surpassing last year's total and nudging me (temporarily, I suspect), into third place.

DOM

Med

A species I didn't get last year but good to get whenever.