Saturday at Maxey Old Pits

Henry and I wandered round the old pits at Maxey yesterday morning (19 Sept).

A grey wagtail was by the bridge over the Helpston Road, flitting and calling backwards and forwards along the Cut. This is a favourite haunt of this species. At this time of year it is not as striking as in its handsome spring plumage, but there is still a strong underwash of yellow and the slate grey back to tell it from both the more common pied wagtail and the yellow wagtail - a summer migrant.

There wasn't much to report as we walked all the way round until we came to the western pit, about to rise up to the Cut again and back to the bridge. A moulting female marsh harrier was flying over the pit, joined by a rather annoyed red kite which flew rapidly after it. It is a good rule of thumb that if a kite is flying rather than soaring it is upset by something or other!