A new male Adder

This lovely male Adder was, we believe, a new one at our survey site. It was one of a record haul of Adders and other reptiles we counted and recorded on Sunday (22.5.16). The total of 144* individual reptiles comprised:

105 Slowworms*

17 Common Lizards

11 Adders*

11 Grass Snakes

* = record site count for us

Black-necked Grebe pair at Ferry Meadows CP

Found by Donal Gardener, I believe, on Saturday morning, these beauties were possibly the same pair I found a few weeks ago on the Nene Washes at March Farmers. Like those, this pair were in full breeding plumage and were very sleepy, not attempting to dive to feed during the few hours I was watching them. Also like the Nene Washes birds they expectedly departed overnight. I believe the female of the pair is the one with slightly brighter yellow (rather than orange) ear tufts, which was also slightly smaller. This was also the case with the Nene Washes pair (which were much more distant than these, so beyond photography). If you look carefully you can see at her fluffy rear, above the feet is rather black and white (grey) whereas 'his' fluffy rear has a buff infusion. Lovely birds!

Lapwing at Deeping Lakes LWT

8 Black Terns, DLLWT

Adder close-ups

A large female

Young male, perhaps two years old

A mature male slithers over the head of a female

That same female give me the glare...

Red-necked Grebe, Crown Lakes, Farcet

A nice 2016 PBC year tick was this superb breeding-plumaged Red-necked Grebe found by Kevin Eldred. My first in this plumage around here, and only my third Red-necked Grebe in the Peterborough area, after birds in 2004 and 2005.

Polish miscellany

Northern caudatus Long-tailed Tit

Marsh Tit

European Bison

Aliens not welcome, thank you