Northern Pits: YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER late morning on north east side of Pumphouse Pit, but no sign thereafter. Also 8+ White-fronted Geese flew north late afternoon, 2-3 Rock Pipits, GREAT WHITE EGRET still, 3+ Ruff, Green Sandpiper, Marsh and Coal Tits, plus single Lesser Redpoll. Small movement of Redwing throughout the morning.

Northern Pits: GREAT WHITE EGRET on Pumphouse Pit mid-afternoon, then flew south; also adult Caspian Gull on new workings, 2 Pintail, 7 Little Egrets, juv Ruff, 3 juv Dunlin, juv Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, 7+ Snipe, 2 Rock Pipits, Marsh Tit, 1+ Redpoll over.

Northern Pits: juvenile Marsh Harrier, 9 Dunlin, 3 Common Sandpipers, 3+ Snipe, 3 Little Egrets, 13 Yellow-legged Gulls.

Northern Pits: 2 Hobbies, juvenile Ruff, Common Sandpiper, Snipe, Barnacle Goose and Wheatear.

Northern Pits: juvenile Whinchat, 7 Black-tailed Godwits, 8 Dunlin and Hobby.

Little Paxton village: Green Sandpiper heard calling overhead at 8:30pm.

Heronry South: GREAT WHITE EGRET again today and showing well.

Northern Pits: 2 juvenile Black Terns, c.12 Yellow-legged Gulls, 3 juvenile Ruff, Common Sandpiper and 3 Little Grebes on new workings; 9 Common Terns flew high east & 44 Yellow Wagtails flew north in one flock.

Northern Pits: juvenile Black Tern this evening; also Egyptian Goose, adult Hobby, 2 Greenshank, 4 Common Sandpipers, 3+ Little Egrets, 2 Kingfishers, single Swift, c.60 Yellow Wagtails over & 2 Cetti's Warblers.

Juvenile Black Tern at the new workings
  this evening © Martin Davis

Little Paxton village: Hobby flew low west in evening.

Hayling Pit: Water Rail calling.

Heronry South: GREAT WHITE EGRET with 4 Little Egrets this evening, viewable from the Kingfisher hide.

Great White (right) and Little Egrets feeding
 at Heronry South Pit © John Cheney.

Heronry South: GREAT WHITE EGRET at 19:35.

Great White Egret, Heronry South © Stuart Elsom

Northern Pits: Little Stint with 4+ Common Sandpipers in evening, plus Greenshank, 3 Snipe, female Pintail, 2 Kingfishers, 3 juvenile Little Grebes and 12+ Yellow Wagtails.

Great Meadow: juvenile Hobby in evening, then flew east.

Heronry South: 2 Spotted Flycatchers in dead trees near the dragonfly pond.

Northern Pits: Osprey and 2 Whinchats around north end in afternoon.

Northern Pits: single female/immature CROSSBILL flew low north mid morning; also GREAT WHITE EGRET still, Whimbrel, 3 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpipers, Barnacle Goose and 6+ Yellow Wagtails.

Northern Pits: Turnstone heard calling, 2 Greeshank, Redshank, 2 Green Sandpipers, 2 Common Sandpipers, 4 Ringed Plover, 2 Little Ringed Plover, plus 9 Hobbies hunting together low over new workings just before dusk.

Northern Pits: GREAT WHITE EGRET still; also Ruff, 4 Redshank, Greenshank, 3 Green Sandpipers, Common Sandpiper, 2 juv Little Ringed Plovers, Ringed Plover and 2 Kingfishers busy fishing.

Northern Pits: 2 GREAT WHITE EGRETS at SE end of Pumphouse Pit at 13:15, per RBA.

Northern Pits: juvenile SHAG on islands at new workings in afternoon. Also GREAT WHITE EGRET in SE corner of Pumphouse Pit.

Northern Pits: sub-adult SPOONBILL on new workings, viewable from the public footpath along north side of pit mid afternoon until mid evening at least. Also 2cy and sub-adult Caspian Gull, 9 Yellow-legged Gulls, 4 Wigeon, 2 Shoveler, 6 Teal, 7 Pochard, Greenshank, 2 Green Sandpipers and Ringed Plover.

Northern Pits: a large flock of 52 Redshank around Pumphouse east and west pits mid afternoon. Also female Ruff, 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Common Sandpipers, 2 Shoveler, 2 Teal and a single Wigeon.

Northern Pits: sub-adult Caspian Gull early evening, then flew off NW; also 3 Yellow-legged Gulls, 5 Black-tailed Godwits, Snipe, 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 7 Little Egrets and 5 Egyptian Geese.

Northern Pits: GREAT WHITE EGRET in SW corner of Pumphouse Pit mid evening, then flew north and appeared to drop on to pit immediately north of Pumphouse. Also, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2-3 Common Sandpipers and 4+ Little Egrets.

Northern Pits: 4 Black-tailed Godwits, adult female LRP with 2 now fully flight capable young/juvs, 17+ Yellow-legged Gulls, Hobby, 2 Red Kites, c.10 Buzzards.

Northern Pits: 2 Green Sandpipers, 1+ Common Sandpiper, 2 Dunlin, female LRP with 2 chicks, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Hobby, 2 Little Egrets, 6 Yellow-legged Gulls, Common Gull, Pochard.

Northern Pits: Sanderling, 3 Common Sandpipers, 2 Ringed Plovers, 2 Oystercatchers, 4 Little Egrets, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls and 3 Egyptian Geese.

Little Paxton village: 3 Hobbies hunting Cockchafers at west end of village late evening.

Rudd Pit: 6 Grass Snakes around Pit.

Northern Pits: 2 Egyptian Geese, 3 Little Egrets, Ringed Plover, Lapwing with 3 chicks, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls (2nd summer and 2 adults).

Heronry South: 2 Turtle Doves in dead tree around basin area opposite Hayden Hide access track.

Washout Pit: GREAT REED WARBLER singing on and off still this evening, per Rare Bird Alert.

Washout Pit: GREAT REED WARBLER singing still this morning at SE end of reedbed.

Northern Pits: Turnstone still this evening, plus pair of Little Ringed Plovers, 4 Little Egrets and 2 Teal.

Washout Pit: GREAT REED WARBLER singing still this morning.

Heron Trail: GREAT REED WARBLER still singing at Washout Pit, plus Hobby and many 100's of hirundines, but no sign of yesterday's Red-footed Falcon today. 23 Common Tern pairs using the Tern rafts on Heronry North.

Northern Pits: Turnstone on new workings in evening. c.40 Common Terns.

Heron Trail: female RED-FOOTED FALCON aerial feeding over Heronry North and sanctuary area mid afternoon to early evening, but no sign after 6pm. Also 2 Hobbies. Turtle Dove singing by Hayden Hide late afternoon, plus adult KITTIWAKE flew south.

Some record shots of the falcon by James Hanlon here: http://cambsbirdclub.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/red-footed-falcon.html

Washout Pit: GREAT REED WARBLER singing still mid afternoon.

Heron Trail: Turtle Dove reported near Education Centre at 9am, per RBA.

Washout Pit: GREAT REED WARBLER singing still today.

Washout Pit: GREAT REED WARBLER still singing this morning.

Northern Pits: Two 2nd-cal year Caspian Gulls in evening, 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gull still, single Dunlin and pair of Little Ringed Plovers.

Northern Pits: 7 Hobbies over Pumphouse Pit, 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gull still.

Washout Pit: GREAT REED WARBLER still singing and showing well in the morning, but elusive during the afternoon.

Washout Pit: GREAT REED WARBLER still singing and showing well on and off this morning.

Northern Pits: 5 Shelduck, Little Ringed Plover, 2+ Cuckoo's.

Washout Pit: GREAT REED WARBLER still singing at southern end of reedbed today.

Washout Pit: GREAT REED WARBLER still early morning.

Washout Pit: GREAT REED WARBLER still singing and showing well at times in at southern end of reedbed. Also Water Rail calling, Kingfisher and singing Cetti's Warbler.

Northern Pits: 2 Greenshank, 2 Tundra Ringed Plover, 4 Hobbies.

            Great Reed Warbler by Steve Blain

Washout Pit: GREAT REED WARBLER still at southern end of Washout Pit reedbed. Also Otter early morning.

Northern Pits: Adult KITTIWAKE on new workings (Pumphouse Pit west) mid morning briefly; 2cy Caspian Gull, 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gull, 2cy Common Gull, Sanderling, 2 Dunlin, RAVEN over & 2 Hobbies.

Northern Pits: adult KITTIWAKE through north late morning; also 37 Black Terns (16 straight through, 21 lingering), 4 Greenshank, 4 Dunlin, 2nd summer Yellow-legged Gull, Hobby & 3 Cuckoo's.

21 Black Terns on Pumphouse Pit

Heronry North: 2 Black Terns early morning. No sign of yesterday's Wood Warbler. Good numbers of Garden Warblers.

Heron Trail: WOOD WARBLER singing at north end of haul road by main quarry plant workings this morning.

Northern Pits: adult dark morph ARCTIC SKUA on Pumphouse briefly at 13:51, but chased off north soon afterwards by Black-headed Gulls. Also Wood Sandpiper still, Greenshank, 6 Common Sandpipers, 16-18 Dunlin, 4 LRP's and a Wheatear.

Cloudy Pit: pair of RAVEN flew north late morning, plus Siskin over.

Poor weather, but still plenty of birds around...

Over 100 species recorded across the pit complex today, with the follow highlights seen at various localities: Wood Sandpiper still, 9 Arctic Terns, male Peregrine, 2 male Whinchats, 2 male Wheatears, 5 Common Sandpipers, 9 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plovers, Greenshank and Snipe.

No sign of yesterday's Firecrest.

Heronry South: FIRECREST by the Kingfisher hide at 08:20. Also 3 singing Nightingales in the area.

Northern Pits: 2 Whinchats, Wheatear, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, 5 Common Sandpipers and Cuckoo.

Firecrest by the Kingfisher Hide this morning © Felix Bird.

Northern Pits: pair of RAVEN over in morning, plus Wood Sandpiper, Sanderling, 2 Greenshank and 1+ Swift and Garden Warbler at Pumphouse Pit

Heronry South: Turtle Dove reported nr education centre at 13:40.

Northern Pits: 3 Whinchats, fem-type Marsh Harrier through north, 2 Arctic Terns, Sanderling, 2 Greenshank, 2 LRP's and 3cy Yellow-legged Gull.

Heronry South: polish ringed White Stork flew over at 12:30 (it had earlier been seen in neighbouring Bedfordshire in the morning). The bird has escaped from a rehabilitation centre in norfolk, see: White Stork info

A1 North Pit: Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat singing from hedgerow around northernmost field.

Boughton Lodge Farm Pit: pair of Little Ringed Plovers and Green Sandpiper, plus 3 Red Kites over.

Island Pit: Lesser Whitethroat singing and 3 singing Cetti's Warblers.

Northern Pits: 6 Whimbrel, 2 Ruff, 7 Dunlin, 2 LRP's, 2 Red Kites.

Washout Pit: singing Reed Warbler.

Hayling Pit/allotments area: singing Cuckoo early morning.

Heron Trail: Nightingale singing by Peter's Field

Meadow Trail: Nightingale singing by the steps at Hayling Pit, leading to meadow.

Northern Pits: drake Red-crested Pochard, 3+ Little Egrets, Avocet, Curlew, Ruff still, 2 LRP's, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, 4 Common Terns, 2+ Yellow Wagtails.

Northern Pits: 11 Little Gulls (8 adults, 2 second-cal year, 1 3rd cal-yr) mid-afternoon, plus 2 Common Terns, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, Greenshank, Avocet, Dunlin, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, 8 Oystercatchers and 6 Redshank.

Northern Pits: 2 drake Red-crested Pochards, 2 Little Egrets, Red Kite, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruff still, Dunlin, 3 Little Ringed Plovers, c.40 Sand Martins, 5 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Sedge Warblers.

Northern Pits: drake Red-crested Pochard, Ruff, 2 singing Sedge Warblers.

Boughton Lodge Farm Pit: 2 Little Ringed Plovers.

Northern Pits: female Goosander, 2 Avocets, Curlew, Green Sandpiper, 4 Redshank, 3 Oystercatchers, Red Kite, 14 Sand Martins, 5 Swallows, 3 Fieldfare & 3 Cetti's Warblers.

Heronry South: Egyptian Goose sat in tree amongst Cormorant colony (!), 2 singing Blackcaps.

Meadow Trail: 3+ singing Cetti's Warblers, singing Blackcap.

Northern Pits: Grey Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, displaying Little Ringed Plover, 2 singing Blackcaps, singing Willow Warbler.

Washout Pit: pair of Garganey again, plus singing Cetti's Warbler.

Northern Pits: 2 Avocets, Curlew, groups of c.80 and 18 Black-tailed Godwits over, Ringed Plover, Green Sandpiper, 5 Dunlin, Common Tern, c.30 Sand Martins, Kingfisher.

Island Pit: c.30 Sand Martins and 3 Swallows.

Washout Pit: pair of Garganey again early morning, but then flew south.

Drake Garganey at Washout Pit

Heron Trail: 2 Swallows over Heronry North Pit, plus 2 Lesser Redpolls (including a singing male)  near new hide.

Northern Pits: Little Ringed Plover over.

Washout Pit: pair of Garganey at south end of pit all morning, before flying off south around 11:30.

Northern Pits: 1-2 Rock Pipits, 4 Black-tailed Godwits over, Green Sandpiper.

Heron Trail: Chiffchaff singing at Rory's Wood.

Northern Pits: GREAT WHITE EGRET flew north at 08:35. Also drake Smew, 5 Pintail (4 drakes), 2 Curlew, 2-3 Dunlin & Red Kite.

Sailing Lake: 2 Red Kites over and 2 Oystercatchers on the islands.

Visitors' Centre: Marsh Tit, 3 Siskins (2 males), 6 Lesser Redpolls.

Northern Pits: 10 drake COMMON SCOTERS throughout day on new workings (viewable from public footpath on the north and west sides of pit); also Rock Pipit.

Common Scoters on New Workings today

Northern Pits: Grey Plover on Pumphouse Pit, 3 Pintail, Dunlin, 6 Oystercatchers and Kingfisher.

WeBS count highlights

Northern Pits: c.4000 Black-tailed Godwits flew south late morning, followed by smaller groups (totalling c.1000 birds) visiting Pumphouse Pit on and off, although highly mobile. Also 1+ Golden Plover, Dunlin, Green Sandpiper, 2 Oystercatchers, 2 Redshank and 2 Snipe. A single Rock Pipit at south west end of Pumphouse Pit showed well briefly early afternoon. Wigeon on Pumphouse Pit numbered 797 and amongst them were 3 Pintail (2 drakes).

Island Pit: 2 Cetti's Warblers singing.

Northern Pits: drake Red-crested Pochard, 10 Pintail (5 drakes), 3 Little Egrets, Ringed Plover, Green Sandpiper, 5 Siskins.

Northern Pits: 2 RAVEN over calling, heading SE at 13:20. Also Water Rail, 16 Snipe, Redshank, 2+ Oystercatchers, 6 Buzzards, 25 Meadow Pipits and a female Siskin.

Northern Pits: WeBS count highlights were a single immature Peregrine, 5 Green Sandpipers and a female Pintail on the drained pit by Boughton Lodge Farm, 3 Oystercatchers, 2 Redshanks and a Little Egret.

A1 Pits: 16 Golden Plover flew north, pair of Mistle Thrushes by Water Ski Centre and c.30 Linnet, c.40 Reed Buntings & 5 Yellowhammer feeding in ploughed field.

Sailing Lake: 2 Oystercatchers.

Northern Pits: pair of Pintail, c.30 Goldeneye, 2 Red Kites, 4 Buzzards, 2 Kestrel, Redshank, 2 Oystercatchers, 9 Snipe, c.70 Lapwing and single Grey Wagtail again.

Visitors' Centre: escaped Gouldian Finch seen near to the centre today.

The escaped Gouldian Finch seen today

Northern Pits: 29+ Siskin in Alders along Anglian Water access Road (north side of Pumphouse Pit); also 2 Redshank, Snipe and Grey Wagtail.

Northern Pits: Short-eared Owl early afternoon, plus Oystercatcher and Little Egret.

Visitors' Centre: c.10 Redpolls visiting feeding station.

Northern Pits: Grey Partridge, pair of Egyptian Geese, Shelduck and 2 Lesser Redpolls

Island Pit: drake Goosander at south end of pit.

Northern Pits: 2 Little Egrets, 2 Dunlin & Grey Wagtail.

Northern Pits: c70 Black-tailed Godwits, Green Sandpiper and Kingfisher all late afterooon.

Island Pit: drake Goosander, Green Sandpiper.

Northern Pits: 2 Red Kites, 2 Little Egrets, 2 Green Sandpipers, Grey Wagtail, c.6 Siskins.

Sailing Lake: 1+ Siskin.

Northern Pits: at least one adult Little Gull still on Pumphouse Pit this afternoon.

Adult Little Gull on Pumphouse Pit this afternoon

Northern Pits: 6 adult Little Gulls and adult Yellow-legged Gull on Pumphouse Pit at 13:30 (per RBA).

Northern Pits: Short-eared Owl on SE side of Pumphouse Pit; also pair of Red-crested Pochards, drake Smew, 6+ Dunlin, Green Sandpiper still, 2 Egyptian Geese, 2 Little Egrets, Kingfisher and Chiffchaff.

Northern Pits: 4 Pintail (2 drakes) and Dunlin on Pumphouse Pit.

Northern Pits: Pink-footed Goose with c.100 Greylags on Diddington Pit mid-morning, plus 2 drake Smew and 4cy Caspian Gull on new workings.

Island Pit: Woodcock flushed from track on east side, plus roosting Barn Owl.

Heronry Pits: drake and redhead Goosander.

Visitors' Centre: 8 Lesser Redpolls at niger seed feeder.

Northern Pits: GREAT WHITE EGRET again mid afternoon, but then flew off north; also 9 Black-tailed Godwits, Green Sandpiper and 2 Egyptian Geese.

Boughton Lodge Farm: 12 Siskin feeding in Alders at south end of farm.