May is such a cracking month, everything is bursting with life, racing to grow and reproduce as the days lengthen, squeezing the darkness from both sides. It is the month for a quirky ritual, the bird race, of which I am an addict. An excuse to push a full day out birding to it's ultimate conclusion and indulge in a full 24hrs of the good stuff. We've had plenty of practice and good fortune over the years but when the BIG day did come last year and waders were literally pouring out of the sky and birds were on the move everywhere we blew it and failed to see 5 common enough species that we really shouldn't have struggled with. We have made a pact now, race every year, hone the route to it's absolute efficiency, and be absolutely ready for the next BIG day.
The last week of April has recently been the week for greatest movement of waders, terns and gulls that make the difference between a good haul of over 130 species in Cambridgeshire and a record breaking haul of over 138, incredible for a land locked county. Despite the very protracted arrival this year of summer migrants, the stormy weather conditions and the very high water levels across the Washes we ploughed ahead with a late April date and started just after midnight enjoying the perfect proclamations of a roadside Nightingale. We headed to the wilds where we were rewarded with 2 Spotted Crakes dripping their whip crack across the wet meadows and a Bittern thumped an accompaniment but no Corncrake rasping tonight. Approaching the Fen a Barn Owl hissed and on the periphery of the headlamp beam an Otter crossed the road it's body almost the width of the rough tarmac. With it turning distinctly blustery and cold we heard little as we slopped through the sodden pathways stopping for lengthy ear strained vigils. Aside from the metronomic pips of many Water Rail interspersed with Sedge and Cetti's Warbler insistent on holding their territory we heard little. A Little Ringed Plover called overhead but for the first couple of hours the soundscape was slow going. As the gloaming crept in from the east a Tawny Owl called, an odd repeated grunting nearby didn't confuse Ben who had been listening to Mandarin calls in the event of such a situation. Mark checked Xeno Canto through the wonders of modern technology and as the call played from out of the phone speaker it was repeated organically by the Mandarin out on the marsh and then a Long-eared Owl called from over to the left, and there again. Success, despite the far from perfect conditions. The buzz of a Grasshopper Warbler battered around with the wind but became clearer as we walked back to the car, we glugged some coffee and headed to town.
A recent helpful tip off led us to a young Black Redstart holding territory and within a minute of pulling up the distinctive whistle and intermittent crackle was heard and the bird located on the corner of a building, tail trembling between bursts of song in the grey dawn. Onwards and able to see fully now, Crane added itself to the list, now a certainty but not too long ago we found one on a bird race, completely unexpectedly, an adrenaline inducing find. Two Short-eared Owls were hunkered down in the grass playing hide and seek and shortly after Mark said have a look in here....he'd found a Black-winged Stilt. It was well before breakfast and everything, despite the weather was going very well. The drizzle turned to rain and we headed across the eroding peats of the drained basin of an old mere seeking Wheatears, Corn Buntings and Tree Sparrows all which gave themselves up with little resistance.
To the woods, damp, lush and carpeted in bluebells. A Nuthatch then Jay and finally Marsh Tit called or appeared before us and we had to push on. At Grafham there were a lot of terns - all Common and we added Swift, Hobby, Garden Warbler, Coal Tit and Little Grebe to our tally. A weir stop produced a drive by Grey Wagtail and a hopeful Raven stake out revealed a greater surprise - an early Spotted Flycatcher. Through the gravel pits with a stop off for Pink-footed Geese produced Goldeneye, a couple of tremendously elegant Arctic Terns and a pair of Bullfinch inched their way onto our list. What was predicted and becoming evident was the difficulty we were having in adding waders to our list with such high water levels at all sites. A walk around the reeds to look for Bearded Tits also revealed a pair of migrant Whinchat with Bittern and Crane vocal across the valley.
Back to the Washlands there was little in the way of receding floods but those mark had checked out the previous day held a welcome Spotted Redshank, Dunlin, Avocet and a pair of Garganey. Working up the Washes gave us Pintail, Whooper Swan, Grey Partridge, Great White Egret, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ring-necked Parakeet and Little Owl. We decided to see out to dusk here knowing that with only Peregrine, Turtle Dove and Barnacle Goose as potential new birds obtainable to us and taking us over 130 that we had given the day our best and our route had delivered well. A better wader day would usually provide us with Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Turnstone, Sanderling, Grey Plover, Wood Sandpiper or a Little Gull, Black Tern or Med Gull - 140 is still the dream and who knows next year could be IT.
Back to the Washlands there was little in the way of receding floods but those mark had checked out the previous day held a welcome Spotted Redshank, Dunlin, Avocet and a pair of Garganey. Working up the Washes gave us Pintail, Whooper Swan, Grey Partridge, Great White Egret, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ring-necked Parakeet and Little Owl. We decided to see out to dusk here knowing that with only Peregrine, Turtle Dove and Barnacle Goose as potential new birds obtainable to us and taking us over 130 that we had given the day our best and our route had delivered well. A better wader day would usually provide us with Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Turnstone, Sanderling, Grey Plover, Wood Sandpiper or a Little Gull, Black Tern or Med Gull - 140 is still the dream and who knows next year could be IT.
