I was idly going through tweets on Tuesday night when I found a report of a Pallid Harrier at Therfield that evening. Despite a few people getting there before dark there was no further sign. I wasn't able to go next morning, though Barry Reed posted some nice images early on but became more elusive Deteriorating conditions-with very high winds over the next few days didn't seem to deter observers and the bird was reported daily, though often it would go missing for hours at a time.
This put me off going before work, and again afterwards as I was very time limited, and decided to wait until Saturday.
I had to have a flu jab first thing, and helped Mum with her shopping, but I was able to get there shortly after ten, to discover that it hadn't been seen since nine, and at very long range. I found Tony Hukin and Jay Ward, and had a chat not having seen either for a long time. Tony naturally had been up earlier in the week and had already had good views. After about twenty minutes someone found the bird a long way off to the north. W were observing on the high ground east of Park Farm and the Icknield Way, and the Harrier was actually over the ridge to the north east of Greys Farm, some 2km away. Despite the distance, the scope views were pretty good and the underwing pattern could be seen, though the neck collar was hard to see.
After a few minutes we lost it-about the time Ray Hooper turned up. He had a small flock of Golden Plover fly past as he approached us-missed by most, but only had to wait ten minutes before the Harrier reappeared. Eventually some decided to head up the Icknield Way to get closer views, but as rain was arriving Tony and I decided to leave. The bird was seen on and off all day, and seems to be favouring the high ground around Greys-There are several photos from the weekend of the Harrier sat on one of the bird tables, which is a bit unusual.
Naturally because of the distance I never got any photos myself.
With the general increase in Pallid Harriers in recent years-mainly juvenile birds like this one (and one or two probable Hen/Pallid hybrids), it was only a matter of time before one would turn up in Hertfordshire, and the Therfield-Bladock stretch was always likely to be the place one would be found, and complete the Harrier set, with regular Marsh and Hen here, plus the Montagues some ten years ago. With a bit of luck it will stick around for the winter.
Monday, 24 September 2018
Friday, 21 September 2018
Last Weekend
The week off work ended up on a fairly quiet note.
Having spent Monday to Friday clearing the garage, taking a boot full of stuff down to the tip, digging bits of the garden every day, incorporating 400 litres of (wet and heavy) composted bark, several bags of sand and gravel then replanting it was good to have a rest. So I went for a 5 mile walk on Saturday.
Being mid September I tend to think its a good time to find a migrant Redstart locally as they tend to pass through now. Some places seem to be regular spots for them and the paddocks on the Beane at Aston End seem to be one of them. I've had several over the years, and I suspect that they occur every year, but being unable to visit daily I cannot prove that.
As it turned out it was a very dull day from a birding point of view with very little activity. The only definite migrant was a single Swallow heading south near the ford. Three flyover Skylarks here were presumably local birds, and the same could be said of the three Chiffchaffs I heard. Jays were frequently seen, with around ten birds encountered. Generally though, the fields and hedges were quiet, and despite the rather warm conditions insects were in short supply. The ploughed fields didn't seem to attract anything either.
I did get a few butterflies though. In Aston End itself, my only local Painted Lady of the year flew past. One patch of brambles in a sheltered sunny spot had a couple of Commas and a Speckled Wood (with a few of the latter seen elsewhere).
I was a bit undecided about Sunday. I did consider the Osprey at Panshanger, but it often only showed in the afternoons, so I went to Rye Meads. With water levels dropping I had hoped that a wader or two might be present. Well there were two Green Sandpipers. Maintenance work on some of the scrapes had presumably let to some disturbance.
It was a bit breezy and I wasn't expecting to see a great deal, but a few Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers were flying.
Lots of duck were on the north lagoon, including a few Wigeon, but the recent Pintail eluded me. The nearest bird did pose though.
Bumped into Maureen again on the way back. I was talking about the difficulty of trying to find Willow Emeralds in the conditions when one decided to fly out of the sallow beside us and then a second individual appeared. I had pretty much given up on trying to see any this year. Very tricky to photograph, as the 100-400mm lens struggled to focus but I nailed it in the end. The 60mm macro was a lot easier but the short working distance caused me to flush it (though that was the only reason we saw the second individual).
Having spent Monday to Friday clearing the garage, taking a boot full of stuff down to the tip, digging bits of the garden every day, incorporating 400 litres of (wet and heavy) composted bark, several bags of sand and gravel then replanting it was good to have a rest. So I went for a 5 mile walk on Saturday.
Being mid September I tend to think its a good time to find a migrant Redstart locally as they tend to pass through now. Some places seem to be regular spots for them and the paddocks on the Beane at Aston End seem to be one of them. I've had several over the years, and I suspect that they occur every year, but being unable to visit daily I cannot prove that.
As it turned out it was a very dull day from a birding point of view with very little activity. The only definite migrant was a single Swallow heading south near the ford. Three flyover Skylarks here were presumably local birds, and the same could be said of the three Chiffchaffs I heard. Jays were frequently seen, with around ten birds encountered. Generally though, the fields and hedges were quiet, and despite the rather warm conditions insects were in short supply. The ploughed fields didn't seem to attract anything either.
I did get a few butterflies though. In Aston End itself, my only local Painted Lady of the year flew past. One patch of brambles in a sheltered sunny spot had a couple of Commas and a Speckled Wood (with a few of the latter seen elsewhere).
I was a bit undecided about Sunday. I did consider the Osprey at Panshanger, but it often only showed in the afternoons, so I went to Rye Meads. With water levels dropping I had hoped that a wader or two might be present. Well there were two Green Sandpipers. Maintenance work on some of the scrapes had presumably let to some disturbance.
It was a bit breezy and I wasn't expecting to see a great deal, but a few Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers were flying.
Lots of duck were on the north lagoon, including a few Wigeon, but the recent Pintail eluded me. The nearest bird did pose though.
Bumped into Maureen again on the way back. I was talking about the difficulty of trying to find Willow Emeralds in the conditions when one decided to fly out of the sallow beside us and then a second individual appeared. I had pretty much given up on trying to see any this year. Very tricky to photograph, as the 100-400mm lens struggled to focus but I nailed it in the end. The 60mm macro was a lot easier but the short working distance caused me to flush it (though that was the only reason we saw the second individual).
Friday, 14 September 2018
Ravens at Amwell
I have had a week off, mainly to work in the garden. Despite the many hours outside, I didn't get many birds, though the three local Robins took a great deal of interest whenever I did any digging. The only notable birds were two Buzzards over on Thursday, and a Coal Tit in the Rowan on Monday-they are best described as a scarce visitor to the garden.
On Sunday, I did go out for an hour or two. Work at Amwell has cleared much of the area in front of the view point and some deeper pools had been created, so I thought I'd pay a visit just in case the new exposed mud would bring in flocks of waders (never going to happen but we live in hope). William Bill and Barry were there so it was good to catch up as I haven't been down for several months, though I haven't really missed much (apart from the much needed Sandwich Terns the previous Sunday).
The first birds I saw were two Ravens over the woods, seemingly playing with up to four Red Kites. Now and again one would come a bit closer and they were very vocal-easily heard despite the distance. A couple of Buzzards, a Sparrowhawk and two regular Hobbies added to the interest. For most of the regulars the 'highlight' was the feral Barnacle Goose, which may have been the first of the year, and a Redshank briefly.
Also Ring Necked Parakeets were around much of the time with about a dozen flying low over us, and then later in the trees opposite.
As far as waders were concerned, there were only Lapwings on the islands until I picked up a Common Sandpiper. Apparently there are two around and a second bird appeared on the new scrape.
There weren't many ducks around, apart from a few Tufted, Pochard, Mallards and Gadwall. Apparently there have been a few Pintail around and lots of Shoveller. Presumably the work has disturbed them. Eventually two Teal did appear.
Hirundines were often flying through. I saw a few Sand Martins early on, and there were a few Swallows, but the majority were House Martins, with maybe 50-60 birds in the 2.5 hours I was there. Not a massive count by normal autumns, but they have been really scarce for me this year.
Pretty rubbish shot of one of the Ravens. A long way off and badly underexposed unfortunately.
On Sunday, I did go out for an hour or two. Work at Amwell has cleared much of the area in front of the view point and some deeper pools had been created, so I thought I'd pay a visit just in case the new exposed mud would bring in flocks of waders (never going to happen but we live in hope). William Bill and Barry were there so it was good to catch up as I haven't been down for several months, though I haven't really missed much (apart from the much needed Sandwich Terns the previous Sunday).
The first birds I saw were two Ravens over the woods, seemingly playing with up to four Red Kites. Now and again one would come a bit closer and they were very vocal-easily heard despite the distance. A couple of Buzzards, a Sparrowhawk and two regular Hobbies added to the interest. For most of the regulars the 'highlight' was the feral Barnacle Goose, which may have been the first of the year, and a Redshank briefly.
Also Ring Necked Parakeets were around much of the time with about a dozen flying low over us, and then later in the trees opposite.
As far as waders were concerned, there were only Lapwings on the islands until I picked up a Common Sandpiper. Apparently there are two around and a second bird appeared on the new scrape.
There weren't many ducks around, apart from a few Tufted, Pochard, Mallards and Gadwall. Apparently there have been a few Pintail around and lots of Shoveller. Presumably the work has disturbed them. Eventually two Teal did appear.
Hirundines were often flying through. I saw a few Sand Martins early on, and there were a few Swallows, but the majority were House Martins, with maybe 50-60 birds in the 2.5 hours I was there. Not a massive count by normal autumns, but they have been really scarce for me this year.
Pretty rubbish shot of one of the Ravens. A long way off and badly underexposed unfortunately.
Tuesday, 4 September 2018
A Wader Weekend
After a long Bank Holiday weekend which due to family commitments meant I didn't go birding, it was good to get out with Colin on Saturday.
I was somewhat uncertain about the trip though, as I had severe back and neck pains and very stiff achy joints. I was also getting over a bit of a stomach bug-the usual problems with my adrenal condition had flared up again. However with a fairly gentle drive up the A1 we eventually arrived at RSPB Framton Marsh just before 9am. It was a nice warm day, a bit of a breeze and the pleasant conditions helped me considerably and we had a good three hours here.
Getting out of the car, I slowly made my way to a small crowd near the closed visitors centre and was immediately struck by the huge numbers of Black Tailed Godwits and Knot on the lagoon-there were thousands of them. I was scanning the flocks when I heard a "hello Phil" beside me, turned round and found Ian Bennell returning heading back to the car after a successful visit. He suggested we go round to the small crowd near the hide where viewing conditions were better and then he headed off to Norfolk.
The viewing conditions were a lot better regarding the lighting but I had a bit of an issue with the reeds, but eventually I was able to get up onto the viewing mound albeit with some difficulty. Along with the words of Godwits and Knot, we saw many tens of Ringed Plover everywhere, Dunlin flocks wheeling around, with maybe six or so Curlew Sandpipers (I found one or two more elsewhere on the reserve later). Rather outnumbered were the few Golden Plovers, Redshanks and Avocets. The first target species proved easier than expected-a sleeping Long Billed Dowitcher on the nearest island. it did eventually wake up and flew further out. A moulting adult, it made a change from the more frequent juveniles and winter plumaged birds we tend to see.
The second target species was incredibly mobile and I had missed it several times when scanning the flocks. The moulting adult Stilt Sandpiper is presumably the one we had seen in February at Stanpit on the south coast, and while easy to pick up in the bins was a lot harder in the camera hooked up to the scope. By now I had realised that I had a bit of a problem digiscoping as I could tell that despite using higher than usual shutter speeds I was getting soft images. Obviously the distance and the heat wasn't helping but I am suspecting that the gimbal mount was introducing a bit of shake. My aches and pains didn't help either.
All the waders went up several times-the first when the visitors centre opened up the shuttered windows and the second when the Peregrine drifted over before returning and failing to take a Dunlin out of the flocks.
Colin and I eventually (rather slowly) left the crowd and did a circuit of the scrapes. To some extent it was very disappointing, with very little water present, so we didn't see a great deal. However there were a lot of Reed Warblers including several confiding juveniles.
On the salt marsh bank we had a flyby Whimbrel, ten Spotted Redshanks on one of the pools (we were told that there were 24 until the Peregrine put them up) and then reached a small herd of cows with a few Yellow Wagtails and Starlings . Out on the grazing marsh more cows had more wagtails-I counted 27 around three of them and with cattle all over the place, many with birds with them, we reckoned that there could be a hundred or more Yellow Wagtails on the reserve. Also of note were the large numbers of Sand Martins and Swallows, but strangely no House Martins.
After lunch and feeling a bit tired we headed home, calling in at Graffham. There were seven Black Terns from the marina car park, unfortunately a long way off, along with a few Common Terns. Two Ospreys had been present on Friday and had been reported in the morning, so we spent about an hour checking out the western side where we presumed they would be but we weren't successful. There were a few Kites and Buzzards now and again, plus a calling Tawny Owl and a few Bullfinches.
I wanted to get out again on Sunday-a rather warm morning. I was intending to get to Amwell but messages from Tyttenhanger meant I went there instead. Parking up by the model railway, a flock of Parakeets flew over as I got out of the car, and there were lots of tits and Chiffchaffs in the trees and bushes. Getting to the container by the gate I was told that I had just missed the two Spotted Flycatchers, which were very mobile. I was left to scan the main lake on my own, picking up two of the Common Sandpipers an then decided to check the riverside bushes for the flycatchers. However I got a call and managed to hobble back to one of the big oaks where the flock had been refound and I got decent views of one of the Spotted Flycatchers.
I then carried on around the pit, with not a lot to show. Willow Emeralds have recently been found but I couldn't see any, though Migrant and Brown Hawkers and Common Darters were everywhere.
Up at the farm, another Spotted Flycatcher had been reported but all i saw there were Chaffinches around the feeders so I carried on to the high point meeting up with everyone. Apparently they had a Whinchat in the scopes-a long way off in the sedges and reeds half way out. I couldn't even see a bird at all. One more Common Sandpiper a Snipe and three Green Sandpipers, were present, with several Common Terns and a few Swallows over.
There was nothing in the big hedge but had heard hat the Greenshank was on the fishing pit. A bit of a slog but I eventually found it a long way off on the far bank.
I made another attempt at finding the Willow Emeralds, again without seeing any and eventually left, about an hour later than I had intended.
Had I got to Amwell (having left home about 20 minutes earlier than usual) I would have had a nice county tick with the seven Sandwich Terns that were present until 0930......
I was somewhat uncertain about the trip though, as I had severe back and neck pains and very stiff achy joints. I was also getting over a bit of a stomach bug-the usual problems with my adrenal condition had flared up again. However with a fairly gentle drive up the A1 we eventually arrived at RSPB Framton Marsh just before 9am. It was a nice warm day, a bit of a breeze and the pleasant conditions helped me considerably and we had a good three hours here.
Getting out of the car, I slowly made my way to a small crowd near the closed visitors centre and was immediately struck by the huge numbers of Black Tailed Godwits and Knot on the lagoon-there were thousands of them. I was scanning the flocks when I heard a "hello Phil" beside me, turned round and found Ian Bennell returning heading back to the car after a successful visit. He suggested we go round to the small crowd near the hide where viewing conditions were better and then he headed off to Norfolk.
The viewing conditions were a lot better regarding the lighting but I had a bit of an issue with the reeds, but eventually I was able to get up onto the viewing mound albeit with some difficulty. Along with the words of Godwits and Knot, we saw many tens of Ringed Plover everywhere, Dunlin flocks wheeling around, with maybe six or so Curlew Sandpipers (I found one or two more elsewhere on the reserve later). Rather outnumbered were the few Golden Plovers, Redshanks and Avocets. The first target species proved easier than expected-a sleeping Long Billed Dowitcher on the nearest island. it did eventually wake up and flew further out. A moulting adult, it made a change from the more frequent juveniles and winter plumaged birds we tend to see.
The second target species was incredibly mobile and I had missed it several times when scanning the flocks. The moulting adult Stilt Sandpiper is presumably the one we had seen in February at Stanpit on the south coast, and while easy to pick up in the bins was a lot harder in the camera hooked up to the scope. By now I had realised that I had a bit of a problem digiscoping as I could tell that despite using higher than usual shutter speeds I was getting soft images. Obviously the distance and the heat wasn't helping but I am suspecting that the gimbal mount was introducing a bit of shake. My aches and pains didn't help either.
All the waders went up several times-the first when the visitors centre opened up the shuttered windows and the second when the Peregrine drifted over before returning and failing to take a Dunlin out of the flocks.
Colin and I eventually (rather slowly) left the crowd and did a circuit of the scrapes. To some extent it was very disappointing, with very little water present, so we didn't see a great deal. However there were a lot of Reed Warblers including several confiding juveniles.
On the salt marsh bank we had a flyby Whimbrel, ten Spotted Redshanks on one of the pools (we were told that there were 24 until the Peregrine put them up) and then reached a small herd of cows with a few Yellow Wagtails and Starlings . Out on the grazing marsh more cows had more wagtails-I counted 27 around three of them and with cattle all over the place, many with birds with them, we reckoned that there could be a hundred or more Yellow Wagtails on the reserve. Also of note were the large numbers of Sand Martins and Swallows, but strangely no House Martins.
After lunch and feeling a bit tired we headed home, calling in at Graffham. There were seven Black Terns from the marina car park, unfortunately a long way off, along with a few Common Terns. Two Ospreys had been present on Friday and had been reported in the morning, so we spent about an hour checking out the western side where we presumed they would be but we weren't successful. There were a few Kites and Buzzards now and again, plus a calling Tawny Owl and a few Bullfinches.
I wanted to get out again on Sunday-a rather warm morning. I was intending to get to Amwell but messages from Tyttenhanger meant I went there instead. Parking up by the model railway, a flock of Parakeets flew over as I got out of the car, and there were lots of tits and Chiffchaffs in the trees and bushes. Getting to the container by the gate I was told that I had just missed the two Spotted Flycatchers, which were very mobile. I was left to scan the main lake on my own, picking up two of the Common Sandpipers an then decided to check the riverside bushes for the flycatchers. However I got a call and managed to hobble back to one of the big oaks where the flock had been refound and I got decent views of one of the Spotted Flycatchers.
I then carried on around the pit, with not a lot to show. Willow Emeralds have recently been found but I couldn't see any, though Migrant and Brown Hawkers and Common Darters were everywhere.
Up at the farm, another Spotted Flycatcher had been reported but all i saw there were Chaffinches around the feeders so I carried on to the high point meeting up with everyone. Apparently they had a Whinchat in the scopes-a long way off in the sedges and reeds half way out. I couldn't even see a bird at all. One more Common Sandpiper a Snipe and three Green Sandpipers, were present, with several Common Terns and a few Swallows over.
There was nothing in the big hedge but had heard hat the Greenshank was on the fishing pit. A bit of a slog but I eventually found it a long way off on the far bank.
I made another attempt at finding the Willow Emeralds, again without seeing any and eventually left, about an hour later than I had intended.
Had I got to Amwell (having left home about 20 minutes earlier than usual) I would have had a nice county tick with the seven Sandwich Terns that were present until 0930......
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