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| 30 August 2016: Here is an image of a Dark Bush-cricket taken near Nine Acre Wood on Sunday. [That is an amazing photo Simon. However did you get it head on like that. Terrifically frightening alien. Did you by any chance get a normal one sideways on too. Keep the reports coming. Like the teasel. Paul] My son spotted 2 of them in the vegetation there and this one allowed a close approach. It was mostly obscured and the only angle available for a photograph was head on. An extraordinary creature. Simon.  |
| 28 August 2016: Osprey flying NW over Haddenham (just east of the water tower) at 12.15? Barbara York |
| 28 August 2016: We know we do have Harvest Mouse around here but how common they are we don't know. Wendy Lanman had one by Guppys Pond a while back. They are likely to be seen more after harvest when they have lost most of their habitat I suppose and more vulnerable it seems. |
| 27 August 2016: Here are a selection of sightings from this month. I have never knowingly seen a cuckoo bumblebee before which seems odd as it was so distinctive. I was annoyed to see the dead Harvest Mouse as I have never seen one before. I wonder how common they are around here? I’ve attached an image of a backlit Teasel head from Aldreth. Simon. 6th August – Garden, Aldreth - Cuckoo Bumblebee sp 1 female High Bridge, Aldreth – Coot 2 pairs both with 3 young, Kingfisher 1 or 2, Willow Warbler 2 singing, Painted Lady 1 12th August – Clayton’s Bridge – Marsh Harrier 1 female 14th August – Ewell Fen – Yellow-legged Gull 3 adults (Photograph below teasel) 21st August – Garden, Aldreth – Small Tortoiseshell 12+ on one buddleia bush 26th August – Aldreth – Swift 1 27th August – Tinker’s Lane, Aldreth – Turtle Dove 1 juvenile, Yellow Wagtail several. End of High Street, Aldreth – Sand Martin 7, House Martin c40, Swallow c5. Village Centre, Aldreth – Harvest Mouse 1 dead on pavement (presumably caught by a cat).   |
| 26 August 2016: Guppys Pond. Dragonfly watch. Brown Hawker, Emperor, Black-tailed Skimmer, Common Darters,Several Small Red-eyed Damselflies on blanket weed. We were looking for Willow Emerald Damselflies but no luck. They are spreading westwards from initially being recorded on the East Coast about 5 years ago. They like Willows and Sallows beside open water so just right for Guppy habitat. Perhaps next year. Birds quiet with just one Reed Warbler, a few Coots and 7/8 Mallards. Spotted Flycatcher reports from gardens near Linden End. PM&ID |
| 25 August 2016: Met someone yesterday who I regard as knowledgeable about wildlife and has permission to shoot pigeons on some of the farms around Haddenham. He was telling me of an incident in midsummer -July period of a family of Cranes (2 adults and one young bird) spending a few days at the bottom end of the Steam Rally field which would be quiet at that time of the year and not visible from any busy roads. I do regard this as a reliable record. He has seen several raptors over the year a list of which he has promised me. They include a record of Goshawk chasing the pigeons once. He also knows his raptors well so that is a useful record too. PM |
| 22 August 2016: I have a House Martins nest on my house and this year they have reared two broods totalling 4-5 young. Today at about noon there were at least 30+ circling and swooping around and going up to the nest and away again. This behaviour went on for about 15 mins and then they all departed. What were they all doing? PM |
| 16 August 2016: Reliable reports are coming in of Hobbies hunting hirundines over the Recreation Field by the Ramparts. PM |
| 13 August 2016: We had an exciting moment yesterday, a flycatcher was catching bugs from our budlia, we were so pleased to see it. You [PM] may be right, they may have nested on the other side of the wall. Julie |
12 August 2016: An afternoon ride round fens on a hot blustery day. First sighting was a Shoveller in Church Fen Drain with a very young offspring maybe shows evidence of late breeding. Never noted Shoveller having bred in drain before. Next on Lakes Drove in lee of bushes by bridge a young Spotted Flycatcher catching quite a lot of passing prey. First time we have seen this species out on the open fen before. Was it one of the young reared in village earlier this month? Maybe. Round Aldreth Ponds many House Martins and Swallows hunting low over roadway. Also a flock of possibly 120-130 juvenile House Sparrows maybe good evidence of a successful breeding year. Otherwise only 2 Corn Buntings on Long Drove and 2 Kestrels. Much egg laying by Emperor Dragonflies at Claytons Bridge and a Black-tailed Skimmer around too. Photo record of juvenile Spotted Flycatcher but not good light in shade of bushes. photo ID. PM&ID Yellow Waterlily at Church Fen bridge.  Whorled Water Milfoil at Claytons Bridge.  |
| 31 July 2016: Report of Ditch Biodiversity Workshops 20/21 July 2016. VIEW HERE. |
31 July 2016: Seen between Galls and Back Drove, newly emerged Painted Lady and Peacock butterflies. I.D and P.M. |
| 29 July 2016: Late morning today: 1+ White-letter Hairstreak still on Fairchilds meadow bramble hedge. 2+ juv. & 1+ adult Spotted Flycatcher Old Burial Ground Church Lane. Tim Benton. |
29 July 2016: A not very noteworthy trip round fens today but did see a great number of Swifts hawking high and low over Adventurers Fen so must have been plenty of pudding in the air over the crops. Emperor Dragonflies laying eggs in water under Claytons Bridge. Galls Bridge a few more Great Water Parsnips coming. Then to Guppys Pond entrance to Hinton Hedges. Fungus on dead Elm branch ultimately determined to be Stump Puffball (Lycoperdon pyriforme). Also present along base of hedge/trees is Rough Chervil. This is a late species of Parsley family, 2-3 feet tall but spindly with florets only about 1 1/2 inches wide. Stalks very thin and hairy thus leading to "Rough" terminology. PM&ID Picture 1. Rough Chervil; 2 Stump Puffball.  |
29 July 2016: On 26th July there was a young Lesser Whitethroat in our garden in Aldreth. This evening, 29th July, at Clayton’s Bridge – Tufted Duck female with 6 large ducklings and a Golden Plover. While standing on the bridge the dragonflies put on an interesting show. Two Brown Hawkers were egg laying on a log. One left the log and started to egg lay on a floating red plastic shoe! It then left the shoe and started to egg lay on floating stem. There was a loud splash as a small Pike attempted to grab it. I think that the Hawker escaped. Simon.  |
| 28 July 2016: Good news, our neighbour opposite a No. 30 Station Road saw Flycatchers feeding young at the end of their garden at the end of last week. They back on to the field of broad beans behind Station Road and they were catching insects from there. It's not far from the Pond so could be the same family that were spotted there. Julie & Mike |
| 26 July 2016: Sitting in my garden with a good friend we saw a male Siskin on our feed table. First I have had for many years, Jake |
| 26 July 2016: 24th July 2016 - Bug Hunt day. A big thank you to Rob Mill for leading it. About 30-35 Parents and children enjoyed the morning being shown how to catch insects and identify species. Among those found were many grasshoppers, a sub adult Oak Bush Cricket, teneral Common Blue Damselfly and several small beetles. Noticed at pond edge was a Creeping Jenny plant. PM       |
22 July 2016: White-letter Hairstreaks on Fairchild's Meadows bramble hedge 17/7/16 from Rob Mills.  |
17 July 2016: A Roesel's Bush Cricket landed on the car driving past the church in Station Road yesterday, staying long enough to take a photo before jumping into our garden. Very handsome beast! Sheila and Ian. |
17 July 2016: Privet Hawkmoth on clothes prop from Jez Reeve. |
16 July 2016: A look round the fens on a warm but breezy day didn't find much in the way of passerines. However Kestrels were much in evidence with at least one family party of four by the Dambank -Long Drove corner. Interesting development plant wise - along cross Drove where a new ditch was cut about 3 years ago has yielded a mass of Upright Hedge Parsley where there is no hedge but the most surprising find was more Hedge Bedstraw out in this same ditch. Also pictured is a high specimen of Redshank. Very fine even if it is a weed to agriculture. In the water was Arrowhead but this year the foliage is growing quite high out of the water and very few flowering. Much Pondweed (Potamogeton) of various species in the very clear water. The site is to be visited on Wednesday/Thursday during the Ditch Workshop so we will then have expert identification of the host of aquatic species here. In the meantime a few pictures are included. PM&ID 1. Arrowhead foliage above water. Unusual to be this high.  2. Hedge Bedstraw. Cross Drove.  3.Redshank. Claytons Drove.  4.Upright Hedge Parsley en masse Cross Drove. |
14 July 2016: 9 July - Hoverfly - Volucella pellucens seen in Fairchild's Pond field by Ian. |
9 July 2016: Photographs taken on 7 July: Ivy Broomrape. Haddenham Station Road (A rarity in Cambridgeshire). Creeping Cinquefoil. Hinton Hedges. Square-stalked St Johns Wort. Hinton Hedges. PM   |
7 July 2016: Ian and Sheila Dickerson went to look at Hinton Hedges and Fairchild's Meadows and saw 1.Hedge Woundwort by footpath and 2.Meadowsweet by the Pond.  |
| 4 July 2016: On 3 July there was a Hummingbird Hawk-moth in our front garden. Over Saturday night (2 July) a friend ran a moth trap in our garden. The results are as follows: Non-noctuids: Barred Straw 1, Buff Arches, Buff Ermine 4, Buff-tip 1, Cinnabar 1, Common Footman 2, Common Marbled Carpet 1, Common Pug 1, Elephant Hawk-moth 2, Green Pug 3, Mottled Beauty 2, Poplar Hawk-moth 2, Single-dotted Wave 1, Willow Beauty 1. Noctuids: Beautiful Hook-tip 1, Brown-line Bright-eye 10, Dark Arches 2, Double square-spot 1, Heart and Dart 9, Large Yellow Underwing 4, Light Arches 2, Minor agg. 5, Mottled Rustic 1, Rustic 1, Setaceous Hebrew Character 9, Smoky Wainscot 25, Uncertain 35. Below are images of the Buff-tip and a Poplar Hawk-moth. Simon.   |
| 4 July 2016: North Fen Drove. An amazing day. In all the years I have been surveying the wildlife along this attractive drove there has appeared, as if out of the blue, a large quantity of Hedge Bedstraw. I have never ever seen it there before. I suppose this years weather has awakened seeds lying dormant for possibly decades. There are a couple of places here with Lady's Bedstraw which I have seen before. Fantastic. Also seen was good quantity of Purple Vetch and some Heartsease. Large numbers of Meadow Browns and odd Green-veined Whites. Surprisingly no dragonflies or Damselflies here. Bullfinch heard and 19 Post breeding Lapwings on fallow field. Various finches and warblers in hedgerow. Galls Drain. Arrowhead and Broad-leaved Pondweed showing. Brown Hawker, Four spot Chaser, Emperor and Hairy Dragonflies. Common Blue Damselflies. Long Drove. Few Corn Buntings and Yellow wagtails. Amusing family of Pied Wagtails on road and as we moved along gently so as not to hurt any they moved at least half a mile in front before moving away! Dambank bridge. Another Mink crossed the road with a young rat in mouth. Has it got young? Hope not. PM&ID    |
| 4 July 2016: Reports of Red Kite seen over Hillrow and then Lode Way then going SW towards Aldreth. Ian & Sheila Dickerson and Chris Boness |
| 2 July 2016: As I am somewhat incapacitated at the moment and have to use an electric buggy I thought I would explore the inner parts of Haddenham village for wild plants and these are some I have come up with. 1. Feverfew in the churchyard under the tower. Its a double one gone wild. 2. Hairy Tare also under church tower in a dark area. 3. Knapweed on road verge before it gets mown down 4. Nipplewort by the Arkenstall Car park. Otherwise several Swifts now screaming around village especially around Linden Farmhouse. This is a vey old building recently renovated but at least the Swift nests in it are still being used which is satisfying. PM     |
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