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Click on "Programme & Volunteering" to see the Working parties |
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Click on "Flora & Fauna Record" to go to the Birds and Wild Flower Systematic lists
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| BREAKING NEWS: March, April and May 2013 |
27th May: Germander Speedwell. Guppy's Pond. A study in blues. Ground Ivy, Guppy's Spinney. Ragged Robin in Fairchild's flower meadow. Cheers Paul.  
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| 26th May: Report from Christian Boness: Monday 13th May at 07.45 2nd CY Female Marsh Harrier over Froize End heading East. Sunday 19th May in afternoon. Hobby hawking over LindenWay/Nelsons Lane. Sunday 26th May. Pair of Sparrowhawk. Displaying over Froize End. |
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21st May: Orange tip in Ian & Sheila Dickerson's garden
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20th May: Long Drove. Sedge Warbler showing rear plumage with delicate brown/orange hues. Bugle and Herb Robert. Sweet Violet and Thyme-leaved Speedwell. I don't have a lawn, I have a patch of grass which is mown but where there are natural wild plants in it I mow round until blooms are gone. These are some. PM
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| 18th May: Swifts arrived back in High Street, three days later than average date. PM |
| 17th May: Weather previously has not been good for birding etc, except for today. Long Drove. several Common Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers, Skylarks, Corn Buntings. No Yellow Wagtails noted which may not auger well this year for breeding. Common Buzzards breeding two places in parish. PM |
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12th May: Every year we have a room in the Arkenstall Centre to show Haddenham's wildlife in the Blossoms & Bygones event. This year 2013 went well and many children enjoyed dissecting Barn Owl pellets. They found most contain Bank or Field Vole bones - but one did have rat in. Many other people entered the ‘What is it?’ competition. Pictures on display were often complemented. These are some pictures taken by Jim Sawyer.
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| 6th May: Aldreth village. 2 Turtle Doves calling, PM&ID. |
4th May: Galls Drove. 5 Wheatears and 2 pairs Yellow Wagtails (Pictured). Corn Buntings and Reed Buntings. Cormorant high on thermals like raptors. PM&ID. picture ID |
3rd May: North Fen Drove. Sedge Warbler (Pictured), Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Yellowhammer etc. Common Buzzards. PM & ID. Guppy's Pond. Reed Warblers in this morning per Wendy LanmanFairchild's Meadow. Cuckooflower, Lesser Celandine, Cowslips coming out |
| 1st May: Bird numbers now building up on breeding sites. At least 4 pairs Yellow wagtails in normal places out in fen crops but haven't looked everywhere yet. Male Common Whitethroats singing on usual patches of brambles and nettle patches - again not looked everywhere yet. Sedge warblers, Yellowhammers etc etc. Thought we saw raptor circling on a thermal - was it a rarity? No its a Cormorant! Also 5 Wheatears - 4 of which hunted round a few old bales of straw for 15 minutes or so and then moved on. At least 2 were Greenland types. PM & ID |
| 24th April: Aldreth near The Boot: Lesser Whitethroat singing. Long Drove 1 male Wheatear, 2 Common Whitethroats males singing. Corn Buntings, Reed Buntings and a few Skylarks. PM & ID |
| 23rd April: Today a little trip round Long Drove; no Wheatears but a 1st Summer Marsh Harrier @TL408749. Chris Boness. |
| 22nd April: Just been out for a walk with my 4 year Old. Along the footpath a the bottom of Nelsons Lane to Sandy Path, Fen side Cut, Vipans Farm and back up the Lode Way. Highlights were Lesser Whitethroat, South part of Sandy Lane, Corn Bunting, Reed Buntings, overhead Yellow Wagtail, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. With Obvious locals such as Buzzard, Kestrel, G.Woods, Heron and Stock Doves. Christian Boness This morning I had 3 Wheatears along Dam Bank Drove and 1 along Long Drove. No Yellow Wagtails though. SS |
| 20th April: Gravelpit Drove 3 Wheatears looks like 2 were Greenland type. Dambank. Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard. PM& ID. |
19th April: 6 Wheatears, 1 male Whinchat, 4 pairs Corn Buntings, 3 pairs Reed Buntings, pair Linnets all vigorously nest building. Whinchat was found early morning by Simon Stirrup and was still present with the Wheatears at 11 a.m.  |
| 17th April: There were still 4 Wheatears around this morning on the Fen, plus a flock of 12 Magpies and a pair of Buzzards. Simon Stirrup. |
| 16th April: Male blackcap is still visiting the garden on a daily basis, usually bathing in the pond. Barbara York. Signs of life at last on the fens. 4 male Wheatears (3 Long Drove ,1 Dambank). Singles Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting pair, Yellowhammer. but now hope things pick up. Quite strong wind still but not as yesterday when fens blew quite hard. ID & PM. Wheatear now 6, plus a flock of 500+ Golden Plover in the same area. Sheila Dickerson.    |
| 15th April: I have got a local singing goldcrest and Saturday heard chiffchaff and yesterday had redpoll and 2 house martins from the garden plus first peacock of the year. Barbara York. Here are a few Spring-like images taken while we were busy in the gardening and sorting out the pond this weekend. Close-up of Frog spawn, Peacock nectaring on Blackthorn and a male Smooth Newt in a jam jar. Simon Stirrup.    |
14th April: After several years of rain, waterlogged land and mud etc. Now the weather is getting better at last so the high winds brought back fen blows. You just cant win! PM.   |
| 13th April: Sheila Dickerson is pleased to inform that she saw her first swallow of the year, on the wires that run above her garden. |
12th April: Green woodpecker in our back garden today. I saw a Swallow on the edge of Aldreth this evening which is my first local migrant. On 31st March I had a male Marsh Harrier at the Boot. Had a good look around the Fen this evening, but no sign of Yellow Wagtails or Wheatears (yet). Simon Stirrup. Very reliable report of 12 Waxwings in a Haddenham High Street garden during earlier this week 8/9/10th April. Accurate description and behaviour. Feeding on Cotoneaster berries. Had to go to see nurses in Haddenham surgery to be told this while they withdrew "Nearly an armful" of blood! PM. |
| 11th April: I was sitting on the patio this afternoon - in itself a newsworthy event - when a Siskin appeared on one of the sunflower hearts feeders. It remained for about five seconds and then pushed off again. My third Siskin record for the garden in 27 years. I wonder how many I will record in the next 27...? Jake. |
| 10th April: A few bits of warm sun and the Tree Sparrows disappear from my Haddenham garden. Instead, a male Blackcap turns up to feed on sunflower hearts, Still 2-5 Redpolls on the nyjer seed. Wouldn't it be nice if they stayed to breed like they used to? Jake. |
| 6th April: At last spring showing with 2 Brimstone butterflies in garden. PM. |
| 3rd April: I’ve just had a recovery from a Blue Tit I ringed in Robert Norman’s orchard: BLUTI L447951; Ringed 30/1/11 as a first year; Controlled 16/2/13 at Wicken Fen as an adult; 748 days, 11km. Stuart Sharp (11km may not seem like much, but this is great for a Blue Tit! PM) |
| 29th March: I have just been watching a Blackbird collecting nesting material. If he knew were the Jet Streeam is, ie, currently to the south of us, he'd stay in bed. Also, some territorial singing from Mistlethrush and the like, but no other sightings of birds daft enough to think that Spring has sprung. Has anyone else witnessed any avian madness of the kind? Jake Met two people in High Street. Haddenham. One told me of Tawny Owl injured in garden on Aldreth Road. Taken to Raptor Centre at Somersham. It was released again at same site two weeks later. Well done. Another reliable person reported seeing Barn Owl in daytime yesterday near Mingay Farm on Haddenham-Wilburton parish boundary. PM Along Long Drove and Dambank possibly over 1000 Lapwings still around spread over 4-5 fields and mobile. Maybe some or all are local breeders waiting partly because Ouse Washes still well flooded. Apart from many corvids and Wood Pigeons and some Blackheaded Gulls following farm machinery only 1 Skylark and 1 Corn Bunting, 1 Kestrel seen. PM & ID Just two record pictures to brighten up last days of bitter cold March 2013. Lapwing and Grey Heron. PM   |
| 28th March: Just back from walking into the village for supplies. A small gang of Waxwings flew over (Camping Close) approx. 5 or 6 heading north. So possibly still feeding in the area? Blackcap still around the garden today. BY. |
| 27th March: The male blackcap is regularly visiting the garden and using the pond. Also had 2 male redpolls feeding in the birch and alder today- first time seen this season. Barbara York. |
| 25th March: I haven't reported on the garden feeding lately because nothing has changed, ie still no Siskin or Brambling. I have Redpolls visiting regularly, up to four together at any one time, all feeding on nyjer seed. The other seed feeders are still pulling in Reed Buntings, usually at least 4 at any one time. The red millet seems to be the exclusive choice of the Tree Sparrows, never more than two at at time, but regular. Apart from these, the usual suspects, including a few Greenfinches, thank goodness. A couple of times in the really hard weather, Yellowhammers have turned up, 2-4, groundfeeding of course, but they don't stay long. Finally, one or two pairs of Stock Doves come regularly, though the Woodpigeons tend to be aggressive towards them. Also, I am intrigued to see the species that are learning to take food from hanging feeders, including Blackbird, Dunnock, Robin and Jackdaw. Stay warm. Jake. |
18th March: In the garden yesterday,on the ground over an hour with this Starling. Ian.  |
| 9th March: 2 cormorants on the pond today. Wendy Lanman. |
| 8th March: I have just seen a large cormorant fishing in the pond. Also last Friday a pike caught a coot, dragged it under and shook it before letting it go again! Wendy Lanman. |
| 7th March: The male Siskin still around - it was drinking from the pond yesterday and feeding in the birch for over 20 minutes. Last night the Tawny Owls were in the garden again, as they have been on at least 4 out of the last 7 nights (maybe more, but didn’t wake me up on other nights?). Barbara York. |
| 4th March: Lovely male Siskin feeding in the garden alders this morning - the sunshine even encouraged it to sing briefly. Barbara York. |
4th March: Phellinus igniarius or Willow Bracket fungus but found on old cherry tree stump. In my garden. PM.  First clumps of frog spawn this morning- the females are now starting to arrive. |
| 3rd March: First trip round our fens for well over a month. Drying up nicely now. No small birds except odd Skylarks. 1500-2000 Lapwings and 60 app Golden Plovers. Sunny but still cold wind. PM & ID. Barbara York |
| 2nd March: First sign of frogs today being reasonably active - it must be spring! Barbara. |
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