Staurday Ramblings - MJP

Went out and about from mid morning yesterday..... starting off at Octagon Farm which I haven't visited for some months. The debris left by the travellers is a disgrace - an insult to the fellow human beings, dangerous for wildlife and an appalling state that having allowed this triangular wildlife haven to be used by traveller's, the Council can't be bothered to clear it up. Shocking!

Nonetheless, the birding beyond the bund was good - 56 Greylags were accompanied by a single Pinkfoot - unfortunately all flew off before I could get a record photo. Mute Swans totalled 33, Grey Herons 8 and Stock Doves 10+. A Green Sandpiper showed twice and, as I walked back to the car, a Common Snipe flushed up then a Grey Wagtail flew over Canvins abbatoir.

A covey of 8 Grey Partridges were south of Cardington and near Old Warden I found several Long-tailed Tits, Coal Tit, 2 Goldcrests and 1+ Nuthatch. 2 Common Buzzards flew out of the woodland squarking.

From the roadside at Southill Lake, I counted 205 Greylags but I suspect more were out of my view. From the track leading east from the bend between the lake and the village, I found just 10 Golden Plovers amongst well over 100 Lapwings - the hordes nearer Broom weren't about for me today. Also present were about 8 Stock Doves. Not much up the track opposite Southill Post Office but plenty of House Sparrow activity.

362 Greylags were counted on fields by Broom Lake accompanied by 2 or 3 Barnacles, a single Canada Goose and a "Granada" goose hybrid. Wildfowl on Broom Lake were poor though a drake Shoveler was my only one of the day. A G M Growers burger sufficed for lunch and was more interesting than the paucity of birds along Gypsy Lane - another party of Long-tailed Tits were my fourth such of the day.

Plenty of Lapwings were settled at Derek White's Eggs pit and 10 Gadwall and 4 Stock Doves were present. Between Beeston and the turn off to Hatch, I found a huge covey of 27 Grey Partridges. From Moggerhanger village hall car park, I 'scoped 22+ Corn Buntings distantly on a bush.

South of Bedford mid afternoon, another Buzzard - I had half a dozen during the day, 4 Kestrels and a Short-eared Owl showed and as dusk fell I picked out a Peregrine on one of the Stewartby brickworks chimneys and a first-winter Yellow-legged Gull in a poor Stewartby Lake gull roost. A possible adult Caspian Gull was also present - wing-tip pattern looked ok, as was head pattern and mantle colour, but there was not enough clarity of light and the distance too great to "nail it". All in all almost 70 species in an enjoyable half day out (Martin J Palmer)