Diary Notes Jan 26 – 31 – Added Feb 24th

I visited Cambridgeshire today in the vain hope of adding Rough-legged Buzzard and Great White Egret to my
Year List – I was partly successful.

I arrived shortly after midday and spent three hours on site ‘dipping’ – my fourth attempt at this elusive Rough-legged Buzzard – the bird I saw in Hertfordshire in December 2008. Searching from both the ‘Esso tanker’ spot and the layby south of the black barn, as well as from the high points just south of Coveney village drew a complete blank.

Four COMMON BUZZARDS were seen, including the pale morph, as well as 9 Common Kestrels and a flock of 35 Yellowhammers.. There were also over 2,000 Woodpigeons in the area, and over 400 WHOOPER SWANS in fields NE of the village on West Fen. A BARN OWL appeared at 1600 hours at Home Dams Farm, where it was caught up in an argument with a female Common Kestrel.

I also struggled with the wintering GREAT WHITE EGRET today and after a lot of searching eventually pinned it down feeding in deep water in the Main Drain, south of Pymoor Village at TL 505 855. It was there from at least 1510-1530. I did not see it today in the drain east of Dunkirk, although it had visited there earlier.

Great White Egret

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