Mark Hawkes
banner
grafhamwbirder.bsky.social
Mark Hawkes
@grafhamwbirder.bsky.social
300 followers 150 following 870 posts
Birding Grafham Water from Aug 1997 (236 for the patch) | WeBS counter | Cambs List 302 (233 self-found) | Former County Recorder | terrible photographer
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
The Indian Golden Oriole is still with BOURC for consideration, so it isn’t published in the latest BBRC report.
A Brambling (or 2) over Grafham Water first thing brings me to 166 species on the patch so far this year. Also a vocal Curlew doing circuits of the reservoir @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social
Might be the latter!! They have this habit of bouncing when feeding. It’s characteristic of the species but it’s also super fun to watch….
Pleased to find this Jack Snipe at Grafham Water this afternoon (only the 5th time I’ve seen this species here). Also happy to find 5 Common Scoters @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social #ukbirding #cambirds
Two terrible record shots of distant species at Grafham Water today. Whooper Swan & Rock Pipit. The former being a site year tick for me (#164) @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding
A couple of hours at Grafham Water this afternoon result in zero seabirds, but seeing and hearing this Battle of Britain Memorial Flight was great. They actually passed over twice!
Fem/imm Scaup at Grafham Water this evening (1st of the year here), 8 species of wader and 2 Caspian Gulls (adult and 2nd-winter) @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding
Beautiful, foggy, sunrise at Grafham Water today. 3 Caspian Gulls the highlight from a quick visit. On Saturday I counted 113 Little Grebes - a new county record count @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding
Thanks for sharing, Richard. One I’m sure @jonheath.bsky.social @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social will be interested to know about. Sounds like it coincided with the large national influx at that time.
Belated but very reliable news of a singing Hoopoe in Monks Wood in April. No other sightings afaik, but nobody was checking and no ornithologists were in the wood for much of spring. #ukbirding
@grafhamwbirder.bsky.social
It’s tricky! It has a wing pattern which is atlantis-like (no mirror on p9) but doesn’t have black on p4. Mantle prob isn’t dark enough. Head streaking not esp. dark. Adult atlantis away from Azores likely to be hard to confirm 100%. Could it be from a clinal zone (western Iberia/Canaries maybe)?
Non-atlantis hooded Yellow-legged Gull at Grafham Water this AM (been around a few weeks), also drk Common Scoter plus 3 Redwing & Rock Pipit over @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social #ukbirding #gulls
When seawatching at Hunstanton do you base yourself on the cliff top, or somewhere lower down?
Pleased to find this juv Little Stint at Maxey Pits, Cambs this evening. Been very few in the county this autumn. Lesser Yellowlegs still present too @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding
Juv Bonxie off Mander car park 07.00-07.35 at least, but mobile. The northerly winds produce again @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social #ukbirding #ukrarebirds
Given the distance, that’s a good photo 👍🏼 Glad you got there in time.
Juv Gannet at Grafham Water, Camb 4-5pm, then flew off towards the dam. Been a few years since the last time I found one here (and this one’s my 6th ever here) @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social #ukbirding #ukrarebirds
I’ve been sent another video. I’ll DM it to you.
On initial viewing of your video, this appears to be a different bird to the one at Isleham Washes a week ago. Which is a little surprising, as I thought they’d likely be the same birds.
Personal totals from Pendeen 06.50-10.00; 9 Sabine’s Gulls (I missed 4 others), 6+ Grey Phals, 11 Balearic’s, Black Tern, 10 Bonxie, 21 Arctic Skuas, 20+ Arctic Tern, 3 Sooty Shears @cbwps.org.uk @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social #ukbirding
All birds are created equal. Apart from Sabine’s Gull. Obvs!!
These are my personal totals. There were plenty of birds I didn’t get on/or try to get on today. The counts for some species far exceed my counts 🙂
That was some 13hours of seawatching!! By far my best ever. My brain in frazzled!! 🤪

Totals can be seen here;

ebird.org/checklist/S2...

@birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social @cbwps.org.uk #ukbirding #ukrarebird #seawatch