Birds in a rural industrial landscape

Peregrines and Ravens 'sharing' a TV tower

Male PeregrineFemale Peregrine

Raven

Turnstone at Ferry Meadows CP

Adult Little Gull at Ferry Meadows CP

Sparrowhawk, Serpentine BP, Peterborough

Great White Egret, Deeping High Bank

Adders for pattern ID checking

Displaying Sparrowhawk

End of March 2016

Last week in March, 2008, I was on 125 (inc 17 'elites'). Year total: 189 (my record total)
Last week in March, 2009, I was on 131 (inc 22 'elites'). Year total: 187
Last week in March, 2010, I was on 126 (inc 15 'elites'). Year total: 177
Last week in March, 2011, I was on 130 (inc 18 'elites'). Year total: 182
Last week in March, 2012, I was on 134 (inc 21*(22) 'elites'). Year total: 183
Last week in March, 2013, I was on 128 (inc 20*(21) 'elites'). Year total: 187
Last week in March, 2014, I was on 124 (inc 17*(18) 'elites'). Year total: 187
Last week in March, 2015, I was on 114 (inc 11*(12) 'elites'). Year total: 172
Last week in March, 2016, I am on 127 (inc 13*(14) 'elites'). Year total: 188
 * () Modern counting with Smew as an 'elite'

Here is the traditional state of my personal PBC (Peterborough Bird Club area) year list summary, as of the end March.
Not such a disastrous start as last year, but in terms of 'elites' still not great. However, there have been some goodies, including Dartford Warbler and Rough-legged Buzzard and my first Black Redstart since 2009. My only decent finds so far have been a second-winter Mediterranean Gull at Ferry Meadows and a Great White Egret (my second find of one of these) at Eldernell. Surely the spring season can't be as bad as last year, so I should catch up some of the regular scarce waders I failed to see throughout 2015.

Roof Redstart

Nice find by Hugh Wright's missus, of a young male Black Redstart in the posh end of Yaxley, near Peterborough. As you can see from these roof shots, there was plenty of mossy roof to explore, plus paved areas and rockeries; all good for a Black Redstart. This is my first Black Redstart in the Peterborough area since March 2009!

More adders etc

Went reptile watching again this weekend, when the sun came out to play at lunchtime, with the rest of the family. We recorded: Grass Snake,3, Adder,2, including one of autumn's tiddlers (plus 2 probables rustling away), Slow Worm, 1, Common Lizard, 6. At another site, Ed and I saw the same males as the previous weekend.

A very heavily marked male Adder

A small baby Adder (born in the autumn), possibly male, judging by colour compared to the autumn babies

Basking male Adder

Bee-fly

Common Lizard

This sign amused us...

Cranes at Eldernell

The male of this pair had a few primaries missing on its right wing. The unusual truncation and asymmetry suggest perhaps it had been shot, which is disturbing. At least it should be easily picked out in the field, in flight, for a while, at least...