I'm going to do my best to cover all the great birding of the last 4 months where, with far too much work to do, getting out birding has taken priority over writing about it afterwards. I'm going to do a whistle stop tour of the highlights in a roughly chronological order.
At the tail end of January amidst a strict lockdown, I found what, on the face off it, still appears to be a female Ferruginous Duck at Pymoor. Quite a few folk saw it and agreed, in fact many hours were spent checking this birds features as hybrids are so frequent. During the spring I have seen 6 hybrids with the Pochard flock and unfortunately several of these were photographed and reported as the Ferruginous Duck, clouding the waters of identification somewhat for the Twitterati. I don't think the videos I took help much either as in adjusting the brightness to get some features of a very dark bird I have overexposed features which do not reflect the bird as it appeared. We shall have to see what the committees make of it but I think I'm going to have to hold out for a classy looking, unringed male. Shortly after its departure a very similar looking bird appeared in Worcestershire. Ben took some nice sketches and notes on the first day of it's stay.
The lower reaches of the Washes were productive during February with 3 Glossy Ibis, a showy Shag and plenty of Water Pipits around Earith.
I checked the gull roost at Witcham Gravel a few times hoping for the locally wintering Kumlien's Gull to appear - it didn't for me but a good run of Caspian Gulls did.
March started really well when Ian Barton photographed an immature White Tailed Eagle over Stretham. Fortunately the news went out quickly and I was able to get from work to a nearby vantage point with a huge vista across Wicken Fen, Burwell and across to Newmarket. After 10 minutes or so I picked the bird up being mobbed by an fury of corvids as it headed SE out into Suffolk. I, like many, presumed this would be a wandering bird from the Isle of Wight re-introduction but it transpired not to be a tagged bird and considered "wild". The following weeks saw a fascinating back and forth of a tagged and untagged bird in the Ely 10 with the tagged bird staying for several days along the Washes.
Photo - back of camera Ian Barton from WhatsApp
A drake Smew was found at Pymoor, but an early morning search proved fruitful, although I didn't see the white nun. However it did reveal a summer plumage Black-necked Grebe and a little further up the Washes at Four Balls Farm I said a big hello to a drake Ring-necked Duck as it weaved it's way through the willow tangle of the far bank. This was a long overdue find and a bird, despite seeing many over the years, I'd been actively looking trying to find for well over 30 years. I managed to get the phone on the scope and get some brief and grainy footage.
A few days later I caught up with the Smew which stayed through Easter and showed well. To confuse matters further a bulkier Ferruginous hybrid appeared for a day, as all the diving duck departed, and looked just like the bird present at Stanwick, Northamptonshire last year. A Dark Bellied Brent Goose was hanging out with the Greylags too.
Spring was slow to get rolling with a drip drip drip but the quality of inland migration was high. Early in April a Black Redstart was a delight, flicking around manure heaps at Tubney Fen.
I took a trip to the Brecks to look at the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers which were in company of over 100 Crossbills and a very confiding Otter. I took some time to check out the woods where we'd found an old Goshawk nest. This spot proved very productive with 3 pairs of Goshawks up and displaying at one point. Some incredible views of my favourite bird of prey.
A very smart Little Tern spent a few hours at Isleham Washes, I have held out little faith of connecting with a Little Tern in the Ely10 so this was a very exciting twitch, just 10 minutes from work. The punk Avocets there were also very showy.
Photo - Paul Wiseman from WhatsApp
As the month progressed migration stepped up and initially some favourable easterly elements delivered multiple Whimbrel, Bar Tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Little Gulls and Arctic Terns. A lovely afterwork visit to Kingfishers Bridge produced all these and a trio of Black Terns twisting between the Little Gulls. A couple of Ring Ouzel had a prolonged stay here too.
Feeding ducks with the kids I stumbled on a Kingfishers nest by Soham Duck pond, it was lovely to watch these birds at close quarters.
The Washes drained pretty quickly with only a few pools concentrating the remaining wildfowl and newly arrived Garganey.
Almost up to date, although the spring has been protracted and full of inclement weather we have seen the welcome return of some local scarcities around Ely, in addition to the Peregrines and Marsh Harriers doing their thing we have had a Bittern booming at the Beet Pits, Nightingales at Roswell, squeeking young Long-eared Owls here in Stuntney and Chinese Water Deer finally showing a little better.
Photo - Bruce Liggit
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