Species Account
Extract from Bird Report 2024
Scarce and irruptive winter visitor. (Green list).
Some of the flocks at the end of 2023 stayed over into 2024. Up to 18 were at Leighton Buzzard, near to Grovebury SP, from the start of the year, increasing to 26 by 6th January and 43 on the 17th, and were last reported on 21st January. A group of 18 in Woburn briefly on 2nd January, with 26 on the 4th, were probably wanderers from Leighton Buzzard. There were three at Pegnut Wood on the 3rd, ten in Bedford on the 7th, nine in Flitwick on the 12th, five at Broom East on 13th–14th January, and six in Ampthill from 13th January to 11th February, with 11 there on 7th March. There were nine in Bedford from 30th January to 9th February, five in Biggleswade from 28th January, increasing to 15 there during 13th–15th February, and nine in Cranfield on 11th February. In March, there were seven at Lidlington on the 11th, three at Kempston on the 12th and three at Wootton on the 13th, and up to 20 in Sandy during the 15th–27th. There was then a new run of records in Biggleswade, beginning with 14 on 4th April, ten remaining until the 11th, with two on 12th April. There were no records in the second winter period.
