13 NOVEMBER DIARY NOTES MJP

a late 10'ish start for Di and I and first we headed over from Kempston to the first field east of G M Growers - all 10 Eurasian White-fronted Geese were present - 3 adults and 7 juveniles, so likely two broods involved. 10 Grey Partridges were in the same field and we'd already seen 6 more along the lane north-west of Hatch.

A scan from Grizzley's then a drive along Stratford Road, Sandy scanning for the recent Osprey was unsuccessful, best hereabouts was a Jay and a Green Woodpecker.

A tour round Broom via Gypsy Lane then the main road was uneventful and we scanned the main lake from a convenient pull in - the grebe was on view with head sat back a la G C Grebe but in minature. It then awoke and was clearly a Slavonian Grebe with white cheeks and flat black cap, not the Black-necked reported earlier which would have looked narrower headed and "shabbier". This would have been around 11.30 and we could see that 7 of the Whitefront flock were now on view at the left end of the island and we also distantly identified a Martin Stevens and a Matt Burgess (+ bike)!

By 12.10 we had arrived at Houghton House car park for a walk round Kings Wood. We met Pip Housden returning along the track who told us that he'd failed to connect with the recent Firecrests (again) and that when he'd arrived SCB was leaving after equal lack of success. We told him of our Slav Grebe i.d. at Broom then walked on for our stroll around the wood, however our Firecrest sightings didn't improve on the others' score! Some nice L T Tits, Treecreepers and a Nuthatch were amongst the generally rather meagre fare about.

I stopped off at Quest ClP on the way home, c2.10pm, but there was only one gull present - a f.w. Gt Black-back - certainly no sign of the adult Caspian Gull reported by Steve Blain c1.30 - ta for the txt Steve - I guess someone or something had caused all the gulls to fly off.

31 Common Teal were present though and a good-sized flock of Lapwings.After dropping Di off, I set out for a late afternoon look at Brogborough and Stewartby. First though I went to North Common Farm and here, with mobile calls with Neil Wright (who was atop the hill whereas I was along the public footpath bordering the old tip) I eventually had some great if a tad distant views of a Short-eared Owl. In fact Neil saw two birds over this undulating rough grass field on the hillside. A fox was hunting the rough grass field alongside and a flock of 32 Greenfinches were by the tall line of lleylandii.by the farm entrance.

I only looked a Brogboro' Lake for a few minutes but Keith Owen was able to confirm (when I joined him at Stewartby Lake) that the juv Great N Diver was still present on Broggie late afternoon.

Only 15 minutes viewing at Stewartby Lake was possible before dusk fell, nonetheless we both saw the adult Caspian Gull and a couple of adult Yellow-legged Gulls in a rather smaller roost than of late.Not a bad day all in all with almost 60 species seen.

M J Palmer