I think if I were to depict my first year of uni birding in 3 photos, these would be my photos of choice...
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| Glossy Ibis - Berry Fen Oct 2021 |
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| Goldeneye, Grafham Water Jan 2022 |
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| Turtle Doves, April 2022 |
It's strange to think I've already finished my first year of university. As I'm studying Geography, many will say I'm never actually busy, which compared to other subjects may be true - either way, there's always been enough on my plate to mean that I'm now majorly behind on going through sound recordings and photos. While I used to like documenting any days out in blogs when I was younger, the lack of time to do so now does mean that writing summary ones over longer time frames is probably a better idea!
It's fair to say that though I do have an attachment to London having lived there all my life, by the end of A Levels I was in dire need of being able to get to and explore a new area. I never really expected to get to Cambridge, but I did (with the help of not actually sitting proper exams maybe...) and I was admittedly a little disappointed at first I wouldn't be somewhere coastal. I was told that Cambridgeshire is one of the best inland counties for birding and wildlife, one of many reasons why a year on, any initial disappointment at getting into Cambridge has turned into relief I didn't go to some of my other options.
Patch Birding
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Patch Birding in Cambridge Map
So the orange/yellow = main patches
Blue = local areas also visited/college etc |
It took a surprisingly long time to pin down my patches after arriving at uni. The first month saw very little birding take place, with a new timetable and routine taking priority. The autumn being as poor as it was also didn't help give much motivation to get myself out locally. If I did, it was most often meeting Ollie King and/or a few other local birders for 'Vismig' at Magog Down, a hill about 5 miles south of my college. It was clear that Magog, though decent for vismig at times with Hawfinch and Tree Pipit through on my first vismig there, would not make an idea patch both due to distance and number of resident species. A month of Bramblings and meagre migration was all at Magog...
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| Mute Swan - gave us some brief excitement on a Magog vismig |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Fieldfare |
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| Thrush migration |
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| Blackbird - seeing them migrate is underrated in being cool |
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| Blackbird |
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| Siskin |
With autumn 2021 being as slow as it was, most Redwing and Fieldfare passage didn't really get going till the start of November. By this point I'd started to take an interest in a very local route along the River Cam, taking me from my college (Downing College,) through Coe Fen and Paradise LNR up to Grantchester Meadows, making for a decent 8km or so walk if I do the full route. It was a patch which reminded me somewhat of my old stomping grounds in London, Morden Hall Park. Whilst quite simple (there is no big water body, woodland, reedbed etc,) it does hold potential, as shown by the fact Paradise LNR is well-known for its 2019 Pallas's Warbler.
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Sedge Warbler
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| Blackcap |
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| Some beauties on the Cam |
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| Barn Owl, Grantchester Meadows |
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| Common Tern |
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Common Tern
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For the first few trips, time was spent watching birds pile through on migration, finally cashing in on Fieldfare, Redwing, Siskin and other assorted bits and bobs like Golden Plovers, Skylark and Brambling. A probable Water Pipit got away, but otherwise it was a patch I quickly got used to and enjoyed. Spring and summer brought the usual warblers like breeding Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat, as well as the odd Common Tern fishing along the Cam. Having patch Corn Buntings and Yellowhammers, and even Skylark in such numbers, can still feel almost like a privilege.
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| Water Vole, Coe Fen - though I know they're around, I've only seen them 3 times. So hard to come across, yet so cool when seen - this was taken at last light in the winter |
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Banded Demoiselle
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Four-spotted Chaser
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| Emperor |
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| Damselflies at Cambridge Botanic Gardens |
Since the first term, I've aimed to go for a quick walk at least every few days along this river route, with over 40 visits since Christmas. Going as frequently as this has been mostly for two reasons - one, to keep me getting out regularly, so work and mental health don't keep me inside too often etc. The second the obvious one for birders - I'm daft enough to think that the more effort I put in there the more likely I am to actually find something noteworthy along the route. So far nothing especially rare yet, but a few scarcer and exciting finds have included Spotted Flycatcher, Grasshopper Warbler and Cuckoo, all nice to have so close to 'home.' Next year I guess...
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| House Martin |
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| Swift |
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Swift
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By the end of my first term, I'd starting looking a little further afield. Though the South Cambridge Cam Route was my main patch, Dernford Reservoir - about half an hour by bus on a good day - had a bit of a pull factor. Gulls were my main target there for winter, with a Kumlien's gull favouring the site for several years. Sadly it was slightly disappointing by way of gulls in the end, as besides one Mediterranean Gull and adult, 3rd winter and 1st winter Yellow-legged Gulls, only common species were noted. Over the course of the winter I did enjoy several Goosander at the site - other ducks seen here have included Mandarin, Red-crested Pochard and good numbers of Wigeon, though little else dropped in. A site past its best in the winter? - probably...
In addition to a cool Bunting roost which has included 20+ Corn Bunting, other Dernford highlights have been Grey Partridge (in the same category as the buntings in being surreal to have locally,) Common Sandpiper and the clear highlight, this superb Black Tern. Going to have to spam some Black Tern (and gull) photos - my first time seeing a spring adult bird, and getting such good views made it all the more memorable in the buildup to exams in May.
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| m Goosander in the dark |
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| Kestrel sunset |
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| 3rd winter Yellow-legged Gull - once I got my eye in with these brutes, it became possible to pick them up in flight which I managed twice, including once as it went through college |
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| Pochard |
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| 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull |
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| 3rd winter Yellow-legged Gull - some more photos |
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| 1st winter YLG |
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| Common Gull - a bird that did my head in for a bit, as it flew in with an obviously a red bill. Nothing too unusual in the end... |
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| Black Tern |
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| these two made comparisons easy - look at that size difference |
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| Common Tern |
Dernford, whilst nice to escape to in the winter for whistling Wigeon and Gulls, proved to be a complete pain to get to by bus, with the times suiting me best to go coinciding with rush hours. By the end of the second term, I'd started to explore other potential places for a 'second' good patch. Eventually, I found Teversham and Wilbraham Fens, located about 5 miles to the east of my college, and around 25 mins by bus/bike.
It took me until the 7th March to finally visit the Wilbraham Fens area, mostly as I was keen to see a wintering Corn Bunting flock. Though I didn't see more than a couple, bumping into a number of fenland specialities made me instantly drawn to the place. In addition to a water body which can pull notable waders in (I've only seen Snipe and Green Sandpiper there yet,) the expanses of farmland and reedbed, all lined by hedgerows and scrub, is perfect for Marsh Harrier, Lapwing, Cuckoo, Skylark, passage Wheatear etc. Ring Ouzel, a lifer for me, was seen in May. The number of warblers in spring has been exceptional, with 11 species seen on several visits since the end of April. Of all my patches, I think the Wilbraham area holds the most potential of my patches to find something, rare or just interesting, which is one of several reasons for my more regular spring and summer visits - the best I've found so far is a singing Siberian Chiffchaff in late April. Fulbourn Fen, situated a little further out still, I visited for the first time a few days before I left, with Nuthatch, breeding Spotted Flycatchers and orchids making me realise I'd missed out on another site for several months...
The whole area is also just quite scenic, with dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies all plentiful on the warmer days. Easily the favourite of my patches, and a place that still feels like a treat to visit in spring and summer.
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| Lesser Whitethroat |
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| f Ring Ouzel - my first, overdue lifer from |
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| Siberian Chiffchaff |
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| Lesser Whitethroat |
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| m Yellowhammer |
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| Marsh harrier |
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| Bullfinches |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Lesser Whitethroat |
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| Small Heath |
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| A familiar early morning silhouette that never gets old... |
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| Red Kite |
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| m Wheatear |
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| f Yellowhammer |
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| Willow Warbler - a cool mixed singer |
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| Spotted Flycatcher - several breed in a woodland nearby |
Also not to forget that the city and my college itself is part of my patch. My college grounds are brilliant for the odd bit of birding - Swifts galore now its spring is a big reason not to forget it. I've managed plenty from my college either flying over, passing through, breeding or also by live nocmigging. Water Rail, Golden Plover and Little Ringed Plover have been noted by the latter. The Cambridge Peregrines, only about half a mile away, occasionally make fly throughs in additions to Red Kites etc. A singing Nightingale, found a few days after I arrived back at uni in spring, was worth two trips for - a bird with such a piercingly powerful song I never tire of hearing. Myself, Keir and Isaac really soaked it in at the end of April.
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| The Downing College fox |
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| Nightingale, Coldhams Common - as usual a pain to photograph |
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| college Green Woodpecker |
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| Cambridge Peregrines - bred about 500 metres from my door, regularly pass through with prey |
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| Sparrowhawk in college |
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| Common Buzzard |
Green University Birding
So as far as the 'Green Patch Challenge' goes (see previous blog posts for this, essentially being a young birders challenge to stay local and see species within a 5 mile squared area,) I've managed 129 species as of the start of June since the start of the year. Of the 129 - which includes the same area of my london patch/local - just in the Cambridge Green Patch area I've seen 113 species. The end of year targets of 150/130, given how many species I've managed to miss/lack of species I've found, is looking pretty unlikely...
Cycling hasn't happened this year - I've never really learnt well, partly due to a long term ankle injury (and partly due to laziness/relying on walking and public transport,) but it's my main aim to improve on for next summer as buses haven't been the cheapest. It's fair to say that reaching places outside the local 5 square mile green patch of Cambridge would've been impossible without buses and more specifically the Cambridge busway going NW of the city, towards St Ives.
This busway has been especially useful in opening up Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB, the first place I visited when I started exploring the Cambridgeshire area more for birding.
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All the places I've visited by green means this academic year!
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The first time I went was with Luke, who (thanks to his dad Nick) took me birding in the West Cambridgeshire area in the first week of the winter term. We visited Grafham Water, Fen Drayton and Ouse Fen RSPB (Berry Fen) over the course of the day, managing 82 species in the daylight hours. In addition to Scaup, Redshank, Short-eared Owl, Great Northern Diver, Goldeneye, Common Sandpiper, Jack Snipe etc, there were easily two main highlights - after life ticking Smew (3m, 2f) which gave a pretty ridiculous close fly-by, we then sound recorded calling Glossy Ibis at dusk, the first ever English recording of the species (truly awesome for us.)
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| Scaup |
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| Great Northern Diver |
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| Common Sandpiper |
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| Smew |
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| Glossy Ibis |
Since, I've made 7 visits to Fen Drayton either on my own or with Sian, Keir and Luke at different times. There's been too many highlights to name - no 'rares' but just loads of quality species, with Smew, Cattle Egret, booming Bittern, Turtle Dove, Avocet, Bar-tailed Godwit, Little Gull, Scaup and 11 species of warbler all noted. Fen Drayton's not everyone's cup of tea, but as far as easily accessible nature reserves go, it's easily top of the class there. Helpfully, it also goes past Northstowe Fields, a development site that's pulled in plenty of waders this year - the best seen the one time I properly stopped were my first LRP of the year at the time, Avocets, Ringed Plover, Redshank and Green Sandpiper.
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| Turtle Dove |
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| Little Gull - Fen Drayton |
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| Scaup |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Rook |
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| Barn Owl |
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| Cattle Egret - myself and Sian were treated to some quality views of 7 in the Swavesey churchyard in February. |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Avocet |
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| Avocets and young |
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| Bar-tailed Godwit |
Buses have also allowed me to go on (or attempt) the odd twitch here and there too. A day North of the Cambridge, attempting to see Green-winged Teal and Kumlien's Gull at Smithy Fen, was pretty disastrous, even if I was rewarded with some Caspian Gull action on the long walk back to the bus stop. In the first term, I went on a low carbon twitch of Great Grey Shrike in Comberton, just west of the town (all locations on the map above,) being successful the first time I went and not the two times after.
Though buses have been invaluable, so much is doable on foot that I've been on some long rambles at times. At the very start of 2022, in an attempt to save some money, I walked to Milton CP, before returning home via the river and a loop of town, a walk which ended up being a tiring 25km by 1pm. Yellow-browed Warbler and many other species made it fairly worthwhile, as did the gorgeous weather.
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Great Grey Shrike
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| YBW |
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| Kingfisher |
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| YBW |
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| Norfolk Hawker - one of 3 new dragonfly species seen this spring for me |
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| Scarce Chasers |
All in all, Green Birding from uni this year has been impressive, both in terms of species seen and places visited. I've not even been too ambitious with day trips, minimizing how much I've spent on buses and my carbon footprint, showing how good uni birding can be even by green means. Not having a car at uni (not that I've learnt to drive yet) hasn't actually been as important as I expected!
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| Turtle Dove |
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| Common Cranes |
