Red-necked Grebe at Ferry Meadows CP, Peterborough

A bird in winter plumage, hence not really a red neck, but showing ridiculously well close to the visitor centre on Overton lake at Ferry Meadows CP.

Red-throated Diver at Peterborough rowing lake

This adult Red-throated Diver turned up on the partially frozen rowing lake at Thorpe Park in Peterborough on the 3rd March, obviously blown in by the easterly winds. Not a common bird inland, indeed the first time one has turned up in the Peterborough area for a number of years and so, a very welcome PBC tick for me.

The bird (in its' winter plumage, hence no red throat) showed very well whilst I was on site and continued to do so for the next couple of days until it made its' way to the larger Gunwade Lake at nearby Ferry Meadows CP when the thaw came. It remained there until yesterday, whereupon it obviously decided that enough was enough as there was no sign this morning.

Hobby

Black Terns at Ferry Meadows CP. Peterborough

Crap photos, great birds!

Garden Bramblefinch

Adult Mediterranean Gull at Ferry Meadows CP, Peterborough

Kingfisher silhouette

Willow Emerald Damselfly at Kings Dyke NR, Cambridgeshire

Note the obvious 'spur' marking on the thorax. A key feature of this species

You can just about make out the pale wing spots, or pterostigma, another key feature

A damselfly with very few 20th century records in the U.K., but first seen in regular numbers in Suffolk in 2009. This species has been steadily moving eastwards over the past few years and has now been sighted in the Peterborough area on at least two occasions, one of which being the sighting that I had at Kings Dyke nature reserve a few weeks ago.

Not being a dragonfly or damselfly expert, I quite happily took the above photos without realising the importance of the sighting, or what species I was actually photographing. I knew it was an emerald type damselfly because of the colour of the individual, but it wasn't until I looked at the photos in greater detail and cross referencing with my dragonfly field guide, that I realised the individual was a Willow Emerald Damselfly (I think a female). A new species for the reserve and only the second in the Peterborough area, with the first being a week previous to mine.

Male Marsh Harrier, somewhere near Peterborough

Singing Sedge Warbler

Ravens close to Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

There is a pair of Ravens nesting close to Peterborough, indeed in the same area that the Peregrines featured in my previous post are trying to set up home. They are at present feeding young and can be viewed quite easily from a distance. The above heavily cropped images show one of the pair.

The largest passerine, larger than a Common Buzzard, is making a welcome foray into the east of the country. The Raven is a huge bird, with a loud clanging 'kronk kronk' call and an obvious silhouette with the wedge shaped tail key identification features. Another bird that has been persecuted heavily and until recently was confined to the more remote areas in the west of the U.K., but now those times seem to be changing with the bird moving slowly eastwards. Although there are some that are now calling for the species to be put on general licence, meaning that they can be shot. This MUST NOT happen.

Peregrine Falcon near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

Even non-birders have heard of a Peregrine Falcon. A bird that can fly at eye-watering speed, a thing of legend and thankfully a bird that is getting more and more common. The bird is still persecuted by some, especially Pigeon fanciers who object to losing their prized flying rats to these magnificent creatures. I know of at least two sites in the local area where these birds are to be found regularly and I managed to catch up with a pair at one of these sites yesterday where the above heavily cropped photos were taken.

Female Redstart at Eldernell, Nene Washes in Cambridgeshire

A few ropey images of the female Redstart that was present at Eldernell on the Nene Washes in Cambridgeshire yesterday. Always distant, but showing well and feeding continuously. A nice companion to the even more distant juvenile Spoonbill that was seen at the same site and was the intended target of the visit.