Royston Wildlife Blog: Local Wildlife Sightings February 2021

The very wet, wintry theme continued during the first week of February. With the ground saturated and mud everywhere I restricted myself to shortish walks from home. On a couple of occasions I noted a selection of large gulls, including some 'herring-type' individuals, feeding in various paddocks at Newsells Stud Farm. However, I couldn't get close enough to identify any with certainty. The weather changed dramatically from the 7th, with a light coating of snow and biting easterly winds bringing the air temperature down to 0C or a little below during the day. At least the frozen ground was easier to walk on, and I took the opportunity to go on some longer walks. Another peregrine was seen, at Hatchpen Farm, on the 8th when a walk up to Reed and around Wisbridge Farm produced 40 bird species (37 seen). Fieldfares and redwings were widespread and common, as they have been all winter along the ridge between Barkway and Therfield.

On the 10th I made a return visit to the grounds of Wimpole Hall, determined to catch up again with the tundra bean goose that had taken up winter residence there. On this occasion I was lucky, seeing both the bean goose and the two wintering Russian white-fronted geese amongst the large flock of greylag geese on the lake. Also seen here were two singing treecreepers, a raven, the ever-present mandarin ducks and lots of redwings and fieldfares.

White-fronted and Greylag Geese, Wimpole Park, 10 February

Tundra Bean Goose (right) and Greylag Goose, Wimpole Park, 10 February

Treecreeper, Wimpole Park, 10 February

On the following day I decided to pay another visit to Heydon Pig Farm, to see whether I could find the Iceland gull that has been wintering in the area. On this occasion I got lucky, finding it at 2.45pm on the farm alongside lots of other large gulls, which probably included both Caspian and yellow-legged gulls. The gulls were quite distant, but I managed to get one or two 'record shots' of the Iceland gull before the gulls flew off ten minutes later. Plumage details indicated that this was an immature bird, whilst the bill markings were consistent with it being a second winter bird. The bird has subsequently been identified by others as a Kumliens gull (the Canadian sub-species of Iceland gull) - possibly the same bird that visited the South Cambridgeshire area last winter. On the way home I noted several lapwings and a herd of fallow deer, not far from the pig farm.

'Record Shot' of 2nd Winter Iceland Gull (all pale bird, centre) with other Gulls, Heydon Pig Farm, 11 February

Fallow Deer, Near Heydon, 11 February

The weather changed again at the start of the 3rd week of February, with the midday temperature rising from 2C (with a biting wind) on the 14th to 12C on the 15th. Temperatures remained at or above normal for the time of year for the rest of the month, with a warm, settled period towards the end of the month representing the only decent spell of weather for the whole of meteorological winter (December, January and February). A movement of lapwings over town was noted on the 15th and a group of five cormorants, seen from a bedroom window as they flew east over the north of Royston on the 23rd, was my highest count of this species in the area, but generally things remained quiet. Perhaps my most interesting local sighting came on a late afternoon walk up to Hatchpen Farm. Large numbers of starlings were gathering around the farm and at around 5.10pm, as darkness fell, I was able to observe a 'murmuration'. With more starlings constantly coming in, a rough estimate from counting specks on some of my images (below) was that 1200-1500 birds were involved. I've never seen a murmuration here before. I wondered whether this could be a 'one-off' event, but a repeat of the spectacle, with similar numbers of birds involved, was noted on the 23rd. Large roosts (100+ birds) of goldfinches, linnets and fieldfares were also noted here on the 15th, although only the goldfinches were seen on the 23rd. There has been no shooting at Hatchpen this winter, which may explain why it has suddenly become a prime area for roosting birds? A great black-backed gull, seen in flight on the 15th, was the 8th species of gull that I have seen locally this year.

Starling Murmuration, Hatchpen Farm, 15 February

Starling Murmuration, Hatchpen Farm, 23 February

With footpaths rapidly drying out towards the end of the month I was able to discard my wellies and go for longer walks in the countryside, including an 8-mile walk, taking in the villages of Therfield and Reed, on the 23rd when 40 bird species were recorded. These included a flock of around 200 golden plovers, seen to the east of the Icknield Way between Therfield Heath and Therfield, and three pairs of grey partridges. The young mute swan was still wintering on Mardleybury Lake. A little further afield I saw two cattle egrets, the first in a field near Wendy (South Cambs.) on the 20th and the second in a field in Hitchin on the 25th (making a brief detour from an 'essential' journey).