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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: September (and more August) 2013
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28 September: Barbara York's garden. Found whilst tidying up bushes. Grass Snake discarded skin, evidentally it used hard twigs to help slough it off. Caterpillar of Peppered Moth. Caterpillar of Privet Hawkmoth. Unusually late half grown for time of year. Usually pupated by now.   |
| 23 September: 1 osprey at the back of Ian and Sheila’s garden in College Farm, seen about 8.15am today, resting on a hedge, and being harassed by corvids. Also 1000+ swallows on the telegraph wires preparing to go south. |
20 September: Red Underwing moth Lode Way. These pics per Chris Boness. Topside and underside.  |
| 20 September: A very nice ringing recovery. The third result from winter session ringing activities in Robert Normans Aldreth Road orchard View Report. per Stuart Sharp. [One of 10 ringed that morning, and 22 that winter. PM] |
| 16 September: I had a quick look along Tinkers Lane and New Cut Drain yesterday afternoon. No sign of the juvenile Hobby. However, had a brownish/grey adult over and perched in the ploughed field on Adventurer’s Fen not that far from where the family were last w/e. Later had an adult (no idea if it was the same one) heading fast towards south end of Aldreth where c10 hirundines were hawking. Lost it behind a line of trees and didn’t see it again. Otherwise very quiet. Simon Stirrup |
14 September: Goat Moth larvae going into pupation 14.9.13 Wilburton. (Jeff and Linda Pecle)  |
| 10 September: 1-2 Kingfishers regularly seen on Guppy's Pond. |
| 8 September: Aldreth. Hummingbird Hawkmoth in garden. John Burgess |
| 5 September: Duck Lane. The Hobby has been seen chasing the martins again over the house in the last few days. Also the Southern Hawker has been egg-laying in the pond. Today there’s a Chiffchaff singing at the front of the house! Regular Goldcrests in the garden and heard elsewhere in the village- hopefully a good year for them? Barbara York North Fen. 800-1000 Lapwings in stubble field. PM&ID. Station Road behind houses. At least 1000 House/Sand Martins congregating on electric wire (4 strands). Not seeming to feed or similar. Just occasional parties fly around and return to wires. Hirundines have used this place as a collecting point for many years annually but never as many as this at one time. SD, ID & PM. (Picture Ian Dickerson)  |
| 3 September: Over High St and Aldreth Road. 7 Common Buzzards and 1 juv Marsh Harrier on thermals. Chris Boness |
2 September: Soprano Pipistrelle male bat rescued/restored/released Wilburton (picture) in evening by licenced bat handler Barbara York. Flew away strongly so obviously in good health now. Also 2-3 juvenile Marsh Harriers hunting over sugarbeet crops in Adventurers Fen. Also Common Buzzard and Hobby. Brown Hawker dragonflies on Graingers Drove. Good numbers Ruddy Darters but less Common Darters. PM&ID. |
1 September: Young Swallows. Simon. Claytons Bridge. Juvenile Hobby hawking dragonflies in drain. 800 app Lapwings. Adventurers Drove. Finches now flocking up. Linnets, Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Chaffinches. PM Duck Lane. Hobby male trying to catch birds in air. Duck Lane Interesting flock just through the garden- 9+ Long-tailed Tits, 6+ Blue Tits, 4+ Great tits, 2+ Goldcrests and 1 Willow Warbler. Per Barbara York. |
| 31 August: Dam Bank: Grey Partridge, 2 Adults + approx 10 young. 2 Buzzards, 1 Kestrel. North Drove: 2 Yellowhammers, 1 Wheatear(in low flight), 15+ Linnets, 1 Kestrel,1 Buzzard( Poss. 1 from Dam3 Bank) 1 very smart stoat . Gravel Pit Drove: 1 clouded yellow butterfly, 1 Kestrel, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Corn Buntings. Long Drove: 2 Kestrel (which included 1 juvenile), 1 Buzzard (poss. one of previous seen) Ian and Sheila Dickerson. |
30 August: Rally Field. Lower Pond. Found some Narrow-leaved Birdsfoot Trefoil and Water Mint. Old Brick pit by North Fen Drove...some young Little Grebes. Clustered Mushroom, Agaricus pseudovillaticus, and Male Ruddy Darter. Narrow-leaved Birdsfoot Trefoil is not as common as ordinary Birdsfoot Trefoil and is more regularly seen near coastal areas and sites of old commercial workings as this is. In 1800-1930 there used to be brick clay pits here and brickmaking. In fact it is where Jewsons started. PM&ID     |
| 29 August: Had a quick look the end of Butler’s Lane this evening. I had an adult Hobby fly past and seemed to go into the line of mature trees along northern edge of Darby’s field. I also saw juvenile Kestrel (perched on bales) and a juvenile Buzzard. I have seen a juvenile Buzzard several times now and presume it is from the nest near Aldreth. Both the Cuckoos that I saw were adults. We saw a Common Blue butterfly near the Old West River on Monday, but didn’t see much else. Haven’t seen a Small Copper locally this year. SS |
| 28 August: North Fen. Barn Owl hunting in daylight probably means young nearby. Butlers Lane. Sparrowhawk on prey in middle of field. Young Hobby called from copse and later seen flying towards Aldreth. PM&ID |
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27 August: Sand Martin with other House Martins and Swallows on wires in Aldreth. Simon Stirrup.
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| 23 August: I was very sad yesterday to discover the bodies of the mother and one of her cygnets at Aldreth Bridge from the family that has nested just up river on the Old West. Both bodies eaten, just bones and feathers remaining Would a fox have killed them, or is this a dog? Susan Everitt. Comment. I don’t think a dog would have done this. It is typical of the way a fox would feed but I doubt if it had caught an active live adult female. Maybe one of the birds was very sick or already dead. Possibly more than one fox involved. The other of the two Swans would remain with its dead relative and become vulnerable. PM Galls Farm, Hobby. Aldreth Road, Brimstone on my Buddleia. Never seen one land on them before, not in my garden at least. It was pristine and seemed to have a strong greenish tinge. PM North Fen Cut Drain bank. Common Emerald Damselfly female.  |
| 13 August: North Fen 2 separate male Marsh Harriers. One colour ringed. per D Hopkins |
9 August: Postman David saw old Pine Hawk moth on doorpost while delivering to Business Area north of Ansons Packaging. |
22 July: Station Road. Lesser Stag Beetle per Jez Reeve.  |
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