A Lesser Scaup at Wilstone Reservor

14th April 2026

On the 2nd April a possible male Lesser x Greater Scaup hybrid was reported at College Lake in Buckinghamshire. It stayed there until the 13th April, but after the first day was always reported as a Lesser Scaup. On the same dayit disappeared a Lesser Scaup was found at Wilstone Reservoir in Hertfordshire, presumably the bird from College Lake, and so far has only been reported as a Lesser Scaup.

On the first day it had been seen near the outflow but had now moved close to the shooting butts and therefore best seen from the hide. Unfortunately it was very distant, a distance of 350 yards as measured on Google Earth.

So I settled down in the hide waiting for the bird to come closer and was able to enoy the support acts of the usual suspects like Little Egret and a pair of Great Crested Grebes.

Also a couple of bonuses were a Stock Dove and a pair of Oystercatchers.

By now the bird had emerged from the trees on the spit and had moved a bit closer so time for some shots.

Well, this was my first visit to Wilstone for a year or so, not helped by the building works. And made even better by a trip down memory lane in the good company of Phil Luckhurst, Laurence Drummond, Sh4rpy and Dave Hutchinson. 

Also good to get Graham White as a year tick who these days is worth 50 points rarity value😊

Wheatear and Yellow Wagtails at Billets Farm...........and a Surprise!!!!

10th April 2026

After a great morning with the Nightingales at Fingringhoe Wick, time to try my luck once more with the Wheatears and Yellow Wagtails at Billets Farm. As before there was only one male Wheatear which spent all of its time feeding along the fenceline that runs along the reservoir bank and therefore always a bit distant.

However, this time instead of being just four Yellow Wagtails there were 20+, although free-ranging from the barn roofs to the fields around us. I prefer the fields to fence posts.

This bird was trying to catch an insect by the stock fence next to us, and you can see the insect in the 2nd and 3rd photos. This type of behaviour is ideal, as when they are chasing food they don't even know you exist.

And then to finish off the day nicely this bird flew in and landed on top of a Hawthorn bush just 20 yards away.

That will do nicely!!!

So what was the surprise? Well I knew something was up when I arrived at Billets car park as today there were double the most cars I have ever seen there, and surely they weren't all photographing Yellow Wagtails. I had checked Birdguides just before I left Fingringhoe and there was nothing unusual in the area.

However I soon found out that just five minutes previously Dave Low had found a 2CY Bonaparte's Gull in the middle of the reservoir. Unfortunately reservoirs are quite large and even on this side arm of the main reservoir the nearest opposite bank is 800 yards away as measured on Google Earth, and while I was there it always seemed to be about half way out.

So decent shots were out of the question, but I did manage some rather poor record shots when it was settled on the water.

What a great end to a great day!!!!

Nightingales at Fingringhoe Wick

10th April 2026

Well into April now and Nightingales are arriving on our shores so time for a visit to our local hotspot Fingringhoe Wick. A survey the day before recorded 27 singing males across the whole site which I seem to remember is about par for the course in recent years. However, this year their numbers and behaviour have been different is some respects.

I normally keep to the area in and around the picnic area early in April when most of the trees and bushes are still not in full leaf. At this time of year you might expect there to be 6-8 singing males in this area, but today there were at least 10-12 in what I would consider to be a conservative estimate. However, despite the larger numbers photography was more difficult as they would often ALL stop singing for 20 minutes or more.

Also I have found in the past that the early arrivals are keen to establish their territory and will often be seen out in the open, even sometimes singing from the top of a bare tree, but today they were all keeping undercover, so it was a matter of trying to find a tunnel through the branches and twigs.

I managed to photograph three individuals as shown below.You can tell which bird is which by the background.

On bird 2 you can see the chestnut tail.

Well, no birds on tops of trees, but that will do nicely.

Adders at Fingringhoe Wick

6th April 2026

It's that time of year again when the air warms up and Adders emerge from their winter hibernation and sun themselves on their favourite bank, so off to Fingringhoe Wick. As soon as I opened the car door I could hear Spring had arrived with Chiffchaffs singing everywhere.

Also one or two male Blackcaps.

First stop today was Robbie's Hide as the tide was on its way in and it would be interesting to see if there are any waders remaining, still to make their journey north. There were a few distant Curlews and Oystercatchers, but the main interest today were the 500+ Black-tailed Godwits, nearly all in their reddy-brown breeding plumage. Here they are flying in.

Just look at those wing-bars and black tails.

And then settling down for a bit of feeding before the high tide roost.

But now on to the business of the day and go in search of Adders. Unfortunately today only two were on view. This female was coiled up in a small hole which severely restricted her movement so it was only possible to get one shot. Just look at that lovely reddy-brown eye top left.

The male had only recently shed his skin so was a very distinctive black and white. Also, as he was out in the open, it was possible to get a range of shots.

Hopefully there will be a few more next time.