Belted Kingfisher for Christmas

 I haven't seen Colin since the early part of October. Various things like family get togethers, weather, a really bad booster reaction in my case and other commitments have stopped us getting out. The one thing we have wanted to do is go up to Lancashire for the fourth recorded Belted Kingfisher. It turned up at outside a reserve called Brockholes near Preston in the middle of November. However it was never reliable, only seen on a few days and getting to the viewing spot on the river involved an extremely precarious descent down a reputedly 200' wooded slope, which being Lancashire was rather wet and muddy. There were stories of many stories of birders slipping down the cliff of doom, falling in the river and apparently on one occasion a mountain rescue team was needed. 

After it was last seen, it was hoped that it would show up somewhere a bit more accessible and there were a couple of reports elsewhere and prior to Christmas was finally pinned down to a river near a place called Roach Bridge and the local farmer was allowing access to the field overlooking the river for a suitable fee. Tony Hukin told me he had gone on the 22nd, and viewing was good if you had the right gap in the trees. We planned to go up on the Monday, but there was only one brief sighting on Boxing Day so we held back. Typically it was then seen all day, so we went on Tuesday.

We arrived at the designated parking spot just before 8am to find it full up and had to use a pull in a bit further up the road. It was raining, the light was abysmal but at least it was warm. We had been warned that it was like the Somme, and the access footpath resembled a rocky muddy stream, and the climb up was a bit iffy, but the field was a lot worse. A naturally wet boggy grazing meadow, hundreds of visitors had really churned it up into a more than ankle deep quagmire, and the viewing area was a muddy slope overlooking the river, and more than one person fell while I was there.

It was a bit challenging with the light and while the odd duck was seen and recognised it took some time before someone reported the Kingfisher. I was in the wrong place, and directions hazy but was told it was obscured by a rather distinctive branch just above the water, and I could see a moving shape. Suddenly it flew across the river splashed down near a twiggy bush and returned, repeating this a couple of times. Not much more than a silhouette, the rain. spattered eyepiece and glasses not helping, but at least it was just about recognisable. 

That was it for a bit. I though I had it a bit higher up in the tree for a while, and so I moved to get try and get a better angle and met up with Ian Bennell and his crew. One of the nearby birders  had it in his scope so we all grabbed a quick view-it was further back than expected, being in a different tree, but the light wasn't bad. It was facing us, the white belly was divided by a distinct chest band and the slate blue upper-parts contrasted nicely. At least we could now say we had really seen it. I couldn't locate it for sure in my bins largely because I was never sure I was looking in the right place. Colin did see it fly further away along the river and then departed in order to dry off. I hung around for a while and it was then seen briefly a long way off by the river bend, and then disappeared around the bend. After I left, Ian did get a very distant digiscoped shot when it was perched near a pool around the bend.

The Kingfisher was my 5th lifer of the year-with the Mockingbird, Albatross, Green Warbler and Long Toed Stint it has been a really good one for new birds. 

 

Some Recent Sightings

  As so often happens these days, I'm playing catch up, with a summary of the last five or six weeks.

 My last post was entitled holiday part 1, with the expectation of a follow up. For some reason, in the last few years, my autumn break kicks off with something really good, followed by nothing much and this year was the same. Obviously there were still issues with fuel supplies at the time and there wasn't a great deal turning up to justify travelling. In fact the general consensus seems to be that it was a pretty poor year for the east coast, with migrants in short supply. The now normally abundant Yellow Browed Warblers were very scarce for example.

 Following the Long Toed Stint twitch, I had a car service booked, so it was a couple of days before I was able to get out. The 13th proved to be the highlight of the week. Indications were good on the Continent with masses of Thrushes building up on Monday and Tuesday and they duly arrived. Breakfast tweets were full of reports of large numbers of Redwings from first light, so I headed over to the Beane valley.      Unlike Amwell for example, where thrush movements have been spectacular as they are funnelled along the Ash valley and then over the pits, there is nothing here to concentrate movements so arrivals are over a broad front.

 I saw the first few birds east of Chells Manor, and over the mile south along the river I was encountering small parties regularly, with several flocks of 40-50 flying straight through. In total I counted around 245 over 40 minutes, which is likely to be a small percentage of the numbers locally-some south England migration spots were reporting tens of thousands. Unusually there weren't any Fieldfare at all (and I had to wait until early November before I found any), but there seemed to be rather more Blackbirds and Robins. No Mistle Thrush either, though I did encounter two later that week (they used to be seen regularly around Aston End but are now very scarce). Elsewhere, one of the sheep fields had a huge flock of Pied Wagtails with around 50 birds present for a couple of weeks.

There was a bit of a hiatus for a few weeks, with poor weather and one of the flu-like things keeping me out of action. 

The 13th November was one of those days, but a bit of a stunner. I was getting ready for the Saturday shopping trip when I heard a high pitched call. Looking around I saw a few Starlings go over and carried on then the call came again from a neighbour's garden and several Ring Necked Parakeets landed in my Rowan, then more arrived until there were twelve. It was a rather surreal sight as it isn't a big tree and apart from the occasional crow, the biggest birds are normally Blackbirds. The Parakeets are still around, I hear them most days that I am at home and I've seen them here, and also Chells Manor and Camps Hill School, though never more than 6-7. Based on Alan Ford's publication this is the biggest flock in Stevenage, and though they have been seen infrequently over the last few years, I get the feeling that they are now here to stay.

Fairlands Valley has been pretty much business as usual over the autumn. Three Egyptian Geese turned up for a few weeks, the Kingfisher may be back for the winter but has only been reported once or twice, and there is a nice sized flock of Siskins at the moment. The Redwing influx meant that for a week or so around 50 birds remained around the old farm house, with several Brambling that I never saw. Later in November, I started to see our regular Caspian/Herring Gull X307, and highlights were seeing the Tawny Owl in the nest box on the 20th, and a female Mandarin and two Goldeneye on the 20th. The Fairlands year list is getting close to 100, which I understand is unusual if not unprecedented and we are all hoping that a few good birds turn up in December. 

October Holiday pt 1. Long Toed Stint

 It's October again, and as usual I have some time off. With the recent fuel 'shortage' and Colin working most of the time, long distance traveling is not on the agenda unless something good justifies it.

That was the case on Sunday. I was expecting to travel to the east coast, as, although a bit quiet for the time of year there was enough interesting stuff to make it worthwhile. However, what had been a Least Sandpiper at RSPB St Aiden (and prior to that a Temminck's Stint) was finally identified as a Long Toed Stint. Apart from one in Cornwall in 1970 which was only seen by it's photographer, the only other record was way back in 1982 in Cleveland, and with the state of birding communications then, only a small number of birders saw it. So a tick for virtually everyone. 

Over 2000 birders had turned up on Saturday, so we made plans to leave early and headed up the A1 to Yorkshire (yet again) and got there at 0830. It was a bit cool, but clear and after a bit of a fast walk arrived at the reed-bed complex where the Stint was roosting on a spit among Lapwings and Black Headed Gulls. It was a fair way away but views were pretty good as was the lighting. Also on the pool were a few Ruff, Black Tailed Godwits and one or two Dunlin.  We could see that a small crowd on the reed-bed causeway was pretty close and some birders headed off to join them. Unfortunately the birds were spooked and the Stint flew off west. Rather surprised to be able to follow it in the bins until it dropped down on to the far lake.

Unlike most who headed straight there Colin and I took a slightly longer route around the West reed-bed in the hope of picking up one of the Black Necked Grebes. One was present but we couldn't find it. There were a lot of calling Cetti's Warblers, and we encountered a small flock of Bearded Tits, as well as the typical selection of wildfowl, Lapwing and Snipe. We eventually reached the crowd and could see the Stint on a small island with some Lapwing but viewing was restricted. I was able to kneel at the front, but this meant that I only had a small window through the reeds. I was able to get the camera connected to the scope and over the course of about 30 minutes managed to obtain a large number of blurred and poorly focussed images. However a few were passable.

After the long period kneeling I had a lot of trouble getting the legs going but fortunately I only had to walk a few yards to where a rather showy Bittern was feeding. Unfortunately the car park was still about a mile away so it took a while, and it was a relief to reach the car  and the coffee.

Green Warbler and White Tailed Lapwing

 A Green Warbler was trapped and ringed at Buckton just north west of RSPB Bempton on Thursday. There have been seven previous records, the first on the Scillies in 1983, and then a long wait until 2014 when the next was found in Shetland. It is now more or less annual but there has only been one brief mainland bird so this one was bound to attract a crowd, particularly as it was still present the following morning. Apparently it was mayhem as the warbler rarely showed for more than a few seconds and hid for long periods, and a lot of birders left unsatisfied or supposedly ticking a Willow Warbler by mistake.

Rather surprisingly considering the weather conditions it remained into the weekend, so Colin and I decided to go on Sunday morning, as there were a few other decent things around and the Albatross was still visiting Bempton cliffs.

We arrived just before 9.30am and headed along the cliff path to the trapping area where a large crowd was present. Tony Hukin and Mike Illett had staked out the ringing ride where they had been getting close but brief views, and suggested that it showed more frequently on the southern side. I found a spot where I could view into the bushes but the couple beside me suggested that the willows were problematic so I moved further right and higher up. Here I was able to look down into a small crab apple by the (hidden) pond and it didn't take long for the Green Warbler to pop up and it sat in the apple for many minutes preening. Views were incredibly good in the scope and while it spent most of the time facing us a couple of times it sat side on showing the faint wing bar. It eventually flew back into the bushes and there was a bit of a wait before it reappeared in one of the willows, this time well out in the open, but too distant and mobile to attempt photography. Colin was a bit further down and closer and seemed rather happy with the views so we decided to head back to the car.

I had to stop on the way to snap some of the Gannets.

Unfortunately the Albatross had departed early morning and didn't return until the afternoon so we missed our back up bird.

We called in at RSPB Blacktoft Sands in the afternoon to see the long staying White Tailed Lapwing. There have been six previous records and we made the long drive to Caerlaverock in 2007 for the third (and first twitchable) one. That one showed quite well but remained distant and my photos left a lot to be desired. 

The Blacktoft one was a bit more obliging and was the closest bird from the aptly named First Hide. There was a decent supporting cast ofmany  Ruff, Black Tailed Godwits, Snipe, three Marsh Harriers and lots of juvenile Bearded Tits. It has been a long time since we had visited the reserve so it was nice to get reacquainted with it.

RSPB Framton on Sunday.

 Following a bit of a break, Colin and I were back on the road on Sunday with Frampton Marsh the destination. It's always a good place, and at this time of year the build up of waders can be very impressive, with a good chance of something unusual. This time it was an adult Pacific Golden Plover, something we last saw on a fen one winter in the mid 90's hidden among a vast flock of Golden Plovers, and there was also a good chance of the Black Stork appearing, another bird not seen this century.

When we got there, it was a bit cool, breezy with light rain., something I hadn't really prepared for. I spent a while scanning the fields from the car park, but the stork was absent, and in fact wasn't seen anywhere that day. I did however find Barry Reed and Mike Illett who were on a similar mission to us.

The pools by the visitors centre held a wide variety of waders, though not in the numbers normally expected-Mike mentioned that it was a lot better a few weeks previously. We did find several Common Sandpipers, loads of Ruff, Avocet and Black tailed Godwits, plus a few Redshank, Knot and Dunlin. We carried on down to the road to the sea wall with a flyover Spotted Redshank the only bird of note (and surprisingly the only one seen that day). We got to the top, noticed a lot of scopes and cameras pointed at a muddy pool, and after a long and difficult search realised the Pacific Golden was sheltering from the wind behind a muddy ridge and only its head was visible. Fortunately it did eventually move around a bit and showed quite well, though a bit distant for the camera.

While we were there we were told that one or two Short Eared Owls were present on the salt marsh, and eventually four were seen, always very distant. They seem to be resident, possibly breeding but in the past we have not managed to see them. Also present was a rather nice female Merlin and a few flyover Yellow Wagtails.

We carried on along the bank, picking up a few Curlew and Whimbrel, a couple of Little Stints among the Dunlin and a Garganey, with a few more Yellow wagtails and two Wheatear. We ended up int eh east hide for a bit with the big flock of Spoonbills occupying the island opposite, a variety of duck and a rather nice adult Hobby.

Our casual stroll around the reserve ended with the news of a Dotterel among some Golden Plovers at the end of the road so lunch was delayed while we headed off back down the road again. Fortunately it stuck round long enough for most to see it but stayed less than an hour. While there news of an adult and juvenile Black Tern somewhere on the reserve came up-they could be seen by the visitor centre but remained distant and very mobile. Two rather good unexpected bonuses.

After lunch we headed back home with a couple of diversions. The first was Deeping Lakes where we spent half an hour in the rain by the eastern pit. Three Ruddy Shelduck were present, associating with Egyptian Geese. There has been a bit of an influx this year, presumably from the feral flocks that build up in the summer in Germany, and it seems likely that they may eventually be admitted to the British list. There haven't been any truly wild ones for well over a century, and being colourful and popular most are believed to be escapes, though it is assumed that the four we saw in the early 90's (part of a small influx) were migrants from the feral population.

We also stopped off at Graffham Water and had a short spell on the dam. There should have been a Black Necked Grebe but it had presumably moved to another section and we had to be content with a large flock of Pied and Yellow Wagtails feeding on the waters edge, a Common Sandpiper, and a few Chiffchaffs and tits feeding in the trees behind us, and at least two Willow warblers-one of which sang occasionally. Would have been nice if there had been more warbler species, or maybe a flycatcher-there were certainly plenty of flying insects for them.

Butterflies

 It's been a poor year for butterflies for me, though others seem to think it hasn't been too bad. Maybe because the decent warm sunny days in recent months have tended to occur while I am working has been a factor. Pottering in the garden after work has certainly boosted the numbers and variety seen.

I think the early warm spell in spring was a bit of a false promise. I was seeing good numbers of Orange Tips, Brimstones, Peacock and Tortoiseshells and a few Holly Blues back then, and of course Aprils freeze and Mays rain knocked everything back considerably. I really had to wait for June to get going before insects started to appear again, and it was mainly the white butterflies that I was encountering early on (unfortunately growing unprotected kale plants among my salad crops was not a good idea). Eventually by mid summer some Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Large Skippers started to arrive, along with large numbers of Peacocks and Red Admirals. A couple of walks around Aston End suggested that the summer grassland species were doing well, particularly Marbled Whites. What I wasn't seeing were any blues, Commas and Tortoiseshells. Even the few trips out and about failed to produce any. 

I had one local butterfly trip in early July. I had planned to visit Hertford Heath and search for dragonflies, but decided at the last minute to go to Danemead instead. The meadow was productive as expected with lots of browns, skippers and a few Silver Washed Fritillaries. Rather than leave and drive to Broxbourne Woods west car park I decided to remain in the Danemead area and explored a number of paths and forestry tracks eventually ending up on the path where the Parrot Crossbills were a few winters ago. On the way back a german couple, also butterflying stopped and retraced their steps. I thought they had found a White Admiral which had hoped to find, but it was something better-a Purple Emperor. This is the first i'd seen in any part of Broxbourne Woods for several years and was fantastic to see. It was rather approachable as they often are and some of my full frame photos were taken on the phone, but this one was with the Olympus 60mm macro.

As July merged into August, Gatekeepers arrived in force, and some Marbled Whites and Meadow Browns were still around in Aston End. After a long wait, one or two Commas finally appeared-the first was in the garden and my one and only Common Blue of the year turned up on my honeysuckle. Red Admirals and Peacocks remain frequent and a couple of Painted Ladies have also been seen. Still no late season Tortoiseshells locally-I'm wondering if the dreadful spring wiped out the eggs and caterpillars, but then again the others species managed to survive.

Black Browed Albatross at Bempton

 Albatrosses have been regularly in the UK for most of my lifetime but have always been very tricky to connect with. The most reliable, a Black Browed appeared most years in a Gannetry until the early 90's and it or another was seen intermittently thereafter for many years. Since 2017, when one appeared on the cliffs at RSPB Bempton for a month or so and subsequently around Heligoland and Sylt it has been easier for European birders to see, though not always relaible in it's appearances.

There were reports earlier this year that the regular bird had been attacked and presumably killed by White Tailed Eagles so it looked like it was game over for the foreseeable future. So it was a bit of a surprise when one (presumably the same bird) had reappeared at Bempton at the end of June.

Like last time it seemed to linger among the Gannets but wasn't seen every day. It seemed to spend a few days away from the cliffs, presumably feeding and then return for a while, and as a result a lot of people had to make several trips to see it. The best advice was to wait until it had returned, and if it was still present at sunset, to get there for first light the next day (mind you that was also the case with the Lizard Brown Booby two years ago, and we dipped). My problem of course was that I am only free on Sundays making it extra tricky, but Colin called as he had a couple of days free. As it returned Tuesday evening we went for it.

Colin arrived Wednesday morning (barely) and we left shortly before 1am and arrived at Bempton around 0430. There were already a lot of cars in the car park, it was starting to get light and it was also cold, windy and misty. It was only a short walk to the viewpoint accompanied by the noise of the Gannets, Kittiwakes and auks, and the small group had the Albatross in view in their scopes so it wasn't hard to get views ourselves. Unfortunately it was some way off on the cliff edge, and with the poor light difficult to photograph well, but it was always on view for the three hours I was there (Colin spent some time in the car resting). Most of the time it was shuffling around in its favoured spot, occasionally bickering with nearby Gannets, but for a few amazing minutes it was in flight dwarfing everything around it.

It was wonderful to see the large numbers of Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins and Kittiwakes as well, and I did spend a lot of the three hours just scanning below and around me enjoying the experience. Shortly after 0730, I phoned work, told them I wouldn't be in and returned to the car for something to eat and drink.

We stopped off at Kilnsea near Spurn and spent some time at the wetlands, Beacon ponds and the village. There were a few decent year-ticks to be had-Spoonbill, Scaup and Little Terns being the most notable, but the Rose Coloured Starling was presumably hiding in one of the gardens out of view.

A final rest stop was around an hour at the south end of Rutland Water. Here it was warm and sunny, with plenty of butterflies and dragonflies flying. The female Osprey was sitting by the nest, the juveniles having fledged and I eventually located the male bird hunting over a more distant bay. Otherwise it was a bit quiet, I had hoped there would be a bit of mud around with some waders,though there were a few Curlew and Redshank-which the female Osprey took exception to, flying around. It would have been nice to have explored other parts of the reserve, but it had been a very long day and we were shattered.

June and some Dragonflies.

 Writing this in mid July, and it feels like it is still May, with Summer yet to start. I have seen very few butterflies in the last month or so, and many f summer birds are in short supply still. A lot of the plants in the garden haven't got going yet-one or two have only recently emerged, the tomatoes have only just started flowering (last year we were harvesting them by now) and some of the tropical plants are not looking brilliant.

I haven't travelled far, many weekends have been damp and dull again so all I have really done is the usual walks around Aston End and Fairlands Lakes, with little of note. I did manage to get and evening walk in along the Beane with my bat detector but only got a couple of Pipistrelle hits. I also heard Tawny and Little Owls in the usual spots.

I did get over to see Sarah and Ed one day , and she took me out in the afternoon on one of her regular walks. Last year she had found a Pyramidal orchid by the cricket pitch, and we saw several this time, including one monster in someone's drive, but but then again, one has also appeared in her garden. This year, there were also many Bee orchids in the village, which was nice to see.

I also paid a visit to Amwell on a warm sunny day and managed to see most of the dragonflies that I could expect to see (and having only seen one or two Azure Damsels in my pond, they were the very nice to see). Probably the best news regarding these is the large numbers of Norfolk Hawkers that are now present on site, and for that matter elsewhere in the Lea Valley. They really do seem to be expanding rapidly throughout the south east now. Here are a few images from the morning.

The rest of May and a bit of June thrown in.

 After our big trip up to see the Mockingbird, things kind of ground to a halt for a while. The weather went downhill for a bit and we both had family commitments and covid jabs to mess up the weekends, so I have mostly gone for the usual local walks when I could.

The Aston End area has had a few visits at various times of the day. Compared to last year it certainly seems to be a bit quieter for many breeding species. Whitethroat numbers are down by about half, and I have only managed to locate one Lesser Whitethroat so far-last year there were at least half a dozen. Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs are ok, but Swallows are scarce, I only saw my first local Swifts at the end of May and I have yet to see any House Martins. On the other hand there seem to be a few small flocks of Linnets, maybe because there are more weedy uncultivated fields, and this has probably benefited the Yellowhammers as well. The rather wet spell has kept the Beane flowing and last week I found a singing male Reed Bunting near the ford for the first time in many years. The only other notable sightings were the female Wheatear on the 15th, and a pair of Bullfinch.

 

I have only been over to Langley and the Norton area once. A pair of feeding Yellow Wagtails in one of the muddy areas are presumably breeding somewhere locally.

The singing Corn Bunting is still around as well.

As usually happens, Quail have turned up between Baldock and Royston with one or two showy birds at Wallington over the bank holiday weekend, and two or three very invisible birds at Deadman's Hill last weekend which I went up to listen to on the 5th. While there, I had a flyover Yellow Wagtail and two Lapwing-local breeders? plus a few singing Corn Buntings and a couple of Partridge as well.

Sunday was going to be a butterfly trip in Wiltshire but I was a bit sceptical about the forecast and with lots of cloud and the occasional bit of drizzle driving down the A3 it wasn't' surprising that we had to rethink things a bit.

Bentley Wood is usually pretty good even when conditions aren't all that good, but not this time. The log book only had a few recent entries with a couple of Small Pearl Bordered and a Duke of Burgundy earlier in the week. We never saw a single butterfly so I concentrated on some of the plants while searching for birds which also seemed to be in short supply. One singing Tree Pipit was notable.

We scrapped the plan to go to Martin Down and headed for Noar Hill instead and I realised that there would be a good stopover at Chappetts Copse.

Here the Narrow (Sword) Leaved helleborines were out in abundance and a fantastic sight. We were also given pointers to a couple of Birds nest Orchids as well.

When we finally reached Noar Hill, the sun came out, it got rather hot and we started to see butterflies. Almost all were Small Blues for some reason, with one or two Dingy Skippers, Small Heaths and Holly Blues. Apart from a number of pretty well gone over Early Purples, Twayblades were the most abundant orchids. There were a few Common Spotted but they were small and weedy this year. The small wood in the north east corner had a few White Helleborines as expected and we found a number in a very open area that seemed have  been a cleared recently.

A search for Frog and Musk orchid was fruitless, which is not unusual for us as they aren't easy to find even when you know where they are supposed to be, and me feeling rather tired  under the weather didn't help either. Birds were again quiet, with only a few seen and or heard, but a hot June afternoon is not the best time. A pair of Bullfinch showed briefly and there was a rather odd sounding singing Song Thrush and a few Yellowhammers.

Northern Mockingbird

 After a long stay in Exmouth during the last lockdown, and a very brief appearance in Sussex, we had assumed that the Mockingbird had gone, and those of us that didn't want to, or couldn't travel at the time had missed a biggie. Of the four previous records, only two were accepted and they were a long time ago.

News came out at the end of last week that it had appeared again, this time in a back garden in Newbiggin Northumberland. A bit further to travel than Devon, but at least there was another opportunity, so we set of early yesterday and arrived on site just after 10am. Interestingly, parking was rather straightforward and it was only a few yards to the observing spot where we joined the small crowd. The Mockingbird was initially seen in a tangle of clematis on a fence top, largely hidden, and seemed to be feeding but after a short while it popped up onto a tree branch and gave stunning views, and seemed unperturbed ny the continuous machine gun of the DSLR shutters. It eventually dropped down again for a bit and then flew up to a TV arial. Having had our fill we returned to the car and then moved to the church point car park.

Offshore there was a constant stream of Arctic and Sandwich terns, some Kittiwakes and Eider ducks. One or two nice Greenland Wheatears were perched up on the rocks and chalets, and there were also some flocks of Sanderling and Oystercatchers on the rocks. Unfortunately I couldn't confidently pick out any Roseate Terns in the heat haze and the local Iceland Gull eluded us as well.

looking at what to do on the way back, we rejected a few sites in the north Pennines and thought about calling it at Bempton Cliffs but decided it was a bit of a detour, but there had been a report of a red Necked Phalarope on some old gravel pits in the Idle valley near Doncaster just off the A1. This proved to be an interesting area and seemed good for waders with lots of breeding Lapwing and Redshank, some Dunlins, three Greenshank and a Whimbrel. The one missing one was the Phalarope. Otherwise it was standard gravel pit fare of a mix of ducks, including some lingering Wigeon, a Black Headed Gull colony, Common Terns, plus two Arctic Terns on the deck and a variety of reed-bed species. 

Little Paxton and fen Drayton

 I met up with Colin again yesterday. Being a Bank Holiday we had no intention of travelling all that far so confined ourselves to some of the sites around Cambridge.

We started at Little Paxton and spent around 90 minutes doing the usual circuit around Heron Lake. A couple of nice Garden Warblers near the car park was a good start, with one or two more seen elsewhere. My first Lesser Whitethroat and Cuckoo were heard shortly after but then it got a bit disappointing as it appears most of the Nightingales are no longer  present. The lake was rather quiet, apart from the Common tern and Black Headed Gull colony-the cold northerlies keeping hirundines away, and apart from Blackcaps, other warblers were only around in ones or twos. 

The norther section-Diddington Pits was much more interesting. There were no passage Black terns or Little Gulls unfortunately but one of the Grasshopper Warblers was very showy, as were the Nightingales-at least five were seen. The habitat here is much more suitable at the moment. 

The early afternoon was spent at Fen Drayton. It was very busy with plenty of dog walkers and picnickers, and only a handful of birders. Still rather cold and windy, it was hard going to find the smaller birds, especially when the heavy showers arrived but it did brighten up a bit by the time we got to Moore Lake which was the only one with any muddy islands. The hoards of Common Terns and Black Headed Gulls covered much of them but I did locate a single Common Sandpiper and Redshank. The resident Cattle Egret was a bit elusive and it was a good job we had a scope with us. Eventually by the time we got back to the car park the sun was out and a few Swifts were seen feeding over the adjacent lake.

On the way home we called in at the Ashwell dung heaps for a few minutes where there were three Yellow Wagtails (more were seen later in the evening by Tom Spellar). One was rather photogenic, farmed nicely by the fragrant piles.

An Impromptu Holiday-With Pictures!

 I had some time off last week, which was totally unplanned, but turned out quite well.

It actually started on Friday 16th, when I spent the morning at Amwell, only my third visit of the year. I quickly added a few year ticks, with several singing Reed and Sedge Warblers, the usual Oystercatcher pair and three Little Ringed Plovers. There was also a large Sand Martin flock feeding over the south end which gradually dispersed along with small parties of Swallows among them. One female Goldeneye remains, but otherwise only the normal summer wildfowl were present. Snipe were rather more conspicuous than usual with several birds flitting around, one Raven was seen briefly and at the end of my visit a Common Tern appeared.

The Saturday afternoon walk around Aston End wasn't really productive, though my first Whitethroat of the year was seen, but otherwise summer visitors were scarce-having weeks of cold northerlies has really had an impact this year.

Sunday 18th was split into two parts. I did a quick circuit of Norton Green in the hope of picking up Ring Ouzel and Wheatear but it was largely empty. I then went round Dyes and Kitching Lane which again was a bit on the quiet side, there were a a few Chiffchaff and Blackcap around, and the usual Marsh Tits. All of the winter thrushes appear to have finally departed. I was hoping the. ponds and stream would remain through the summer but they are getting rather dry now. A few Hares are in the area-these were snapped last month.

An early walk around Fairlands Valley on Monday was a bit bracing with the northerly winds, but maybe have been beneficial as several Willow warblers were singing, along with a few Chiffchaff and Blackcaps. Willows have been declining locally and the south over the last few decades and last year despite daily walks only recorded a handful of singing birds yet they are certainly more common this year. Two Pairs of Tufted Ducks were noteworthy as well.

Another early walk on the 20th around Aston End was another cool one though it did warm up a bit eventually. Three Willow Warblers was good news, and there were now a lot of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs singing, but there were no other summer warblers. Last year I had already located a number of Common and Lesser Whitethroat territories.As for cuckoos and hirundines well they were non existent. I did get to see a pair of Yellow Wagtails presumably on passage and there seem to be a few Linnets, Chaffinch and Greenfinches nesting this year.

Wednesday 21st was a red letter day-a trip to Norfolk and meeting up with Colin for the first time in six months. I just wish I had taken my winter jacket.

A quick stop at Chosely and then onto a nice quiet and almost empty Titchwell. Naturally year ticks in abundance with Avocets, Godwits and so on, Brent Geese, Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers plus a few rather smart Med Gulls in the Black Headed colony. The sea, despite the northerly was a bit disappointing with a few Gannets and Sandwich Terns passing and a rather pitiful flock of three Common Scoter.

After warming up a bit we went to Morston Quay and having walked along the sea wall to the eastern paddock realised that the long staying Ring Ouzel was back where we started near the car park. A couple of Wheatear and a Greenshank in the harbour was useful.

The final part of the trip was an early afternoon walk around Lakenheath Fen. Lots of hirundines over the mere-though without House Martins which I have yet to see. After a bit of a search, a pair of Garganey were found, and a Stonechat then it was a bit of a quiet walk along the river to the Joist fen viewpoint where a rather loud booming Bittern kept us entertained while we failed to see any Cranes though a pair of displaying Hobby in the distance was nice.

Gluttons for punishment we were out again the next day this time to Pembrokeshire. Star of the show was the long staying young Walrus which had taken a liking to the Tenby lifeboat station ramp. It was an exhausting long journey but worth it as it isn't a species I was expecting to see in the UK. While there have been couple of  records the last couple of decades in the northern isles they have tended to be short stayers and mobile,  and I have known people spend days trying to track one down. This one was in Ireland last month and then made it's way to Tenby where there appears to be a plentiful supply of clams for it to feed on.

This is what it was doing while we were there-would have been nice to see it hauled up on the ramp, but watching it bobbing around offshore was an amazing sight. Naturally, despite it's presence for several weeks there was still a bit of a crowd, though I don't think many took an interest in the Turnstones and Purple Sandpipers feeding on the rocks.

In the afternoon we had a walk around St Annes Head overlooking Skomer and Skockholm islands. I had hoped to pick a headland with a plentiful supply of auks and sea birds but there was a distinct lack of them. Maybe the wind direction was keeping them well offshore and perhaps one of the other places I had found would have been better. However we should see some eventually this year and having a pair of Chough low overhead is always worthwhile particularly when there are Greenland Wheatears flitting around and three Whimbrel feeding in the cattle field.

Naturally the next two days were a bit of an anticlimax. A short walk around Fairlands on the Friday produced a Garden Warbler-apparently the first there for several years and the bluebells are staring to look quite nice now. The Tufted Duck appear to have finally departed. One Willow Warbler still remains, and the first Moorhen brood has appeared. The afternoon around Aston End on Saturday was primarily for butterflies and while numbers are still low, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone, and Green Veined Whites were frequently seen, along with a couple of Speckled Woods and Orange Tips. The Muntjac wasn't expected and seemed to be very curious staying for some time despite the noise from the nearby pub.

Easter and Recent Weeks

 I have still been sticking to the Stevenage area over the last month or so, but since we were allowed officially to get out and about a bit more from early April I have travelled a bit more.

Fairlands has not been visited as much as in the past year. On a couple of occasions I went down in on Saturday afternoons but found it to be far too busy with large crowds, dogs everywhere and quite a bit of disturbance. I did pop down very early on Good Friday and it was nice and quiet. My first singing Blackcaps were heard-five males and a silent female, and there were three singing Chiffchaffs. My first Swallows were also in, mainly sitting on wires by the climbing frame with a few feeding over the lakes. There had been a House Martin earlier as well. Unfortunately a week before a Redshank and an Oystercatcher were around early one morning as I drove past on the way to work, but news arrived too late, and the same week a few Sand martins had gone through.

I've only been around Aston End once since I last wrote, on March 20th. The river level has dropped considerably and the ground was rather dry. About the only things of note were what was presumed to be a build up of pre migration flocks. Starlings numbered around 200, Redwing 125 and Fieldfare 260, largely between Lords Farm and the south end of Walkern. In all likelihood these numbers were rather conservative.

I have missed a large number of spring migrants. Two visits to the Ashwell dungheaps hasn't produced much, most of the good stuff has been seen while at work. The weather wasn't good for me either, cold and windy so no Wheatear, or Yellow and White Wagtails. A nice flock of around 175 Golden Plover in breeding plumage was nice to see though. Never mind as I had a long weekend prior to Easter with a view to finding migrants-it was during the late March warm spell with good southerly winds bringing in lots of stuff. Unfortunately a swollen ankle and tendon put paid to that-shame as that morning was supposed to be spent at Norton and Langley where 6 Wheatear were showing well. Places like Coopers Green pits were also pulling in lots of waders hirundines and Wagtails as well. 

Easter Sunday morning was spent at Tyttenhanger, my first visit in nearly a year. It was bitterly cold with occasional sleety snow so not very pleasant and I only lasted an hour. There has been a lot of work on improving the Tree Sparrow population with several new feeding stations erected. Very popular with the tits and Robins, but I did get to see a pair of Sparrows. The main pit was rather empty, water levels high and only a mixed gull flock and a few Tufted Duck,Teal and Shoveller. Some rather frozen hirundines were trying to feed over the water, I counted two Swallows and eight House Martins.

Earlier this week Ring Ouzels have started to appear. One has been present at Damask Green just outside of Weston for a while, first reported on the 7th along with a male Redstart, and still there today 10th April. I paid a visit after work on the 8th, but it was rather windy and there was some uncertainty of where it was. In the end I covered several fields and hedges around the various grid references with another hopeful birder but without success. A visit this morning was also unsuccessful. Mike Illett had reported it earlier along with a Wheatear and I covered the same area as before. This time it was cold windy with heavy drizzle. Fortunately Bill Last appeared with better information-basically we had been searching the right hedge all along, but the Ouzel spends a lot of time in the bushes and I think the weather has been against us. Luckily Bill refound the male Redstart and while flighty showed fairly well at times in the now pouring rain.

New Fields

 As mentioned last time, I've considered the area west of Stevenage as an area to visit. While I do go to Norton Green now and again for the migrants, and make occasional excursions to Watery Grove, it has been a long time, over 30 years since I last went over to the Langley area.

The first visit on the 21st basically followed the directions I had been given, which was to leave the Meadway car park, go under the motorway and then turn left and follow the track west and then north to Almshoe Farm. There is a nice dung heap being constructed near Potters Spring copse which looks potentially good for wheatears and wagtails. The copse held a lot of Fieldfare and Redwing plus a few nice clumps of snowdrops. Heading north, and despite the fresh cool breeze the constant song of the skylarks was really pleasant-over 40 birds which is far better than the Beane valley. There were also a lot of Linnets and Yellowhammers around and while the numbers were a lot lower than over the new year, the cover crops around the farm held 54 and 22 seen respectively though with many small flocks scattered in the hedges and cover I suspect my counts were a severe underestimate. There were a few Chaffinches, Goldfinches and a Brambling among them but I never found the Stonechat that has been wintering.

The following weekend I went on the 28th, and decided to head south along Kitching and Dyes Lane. I was hoping that the Langley brook would be worth checking out, and maybe I could get into parts of the Knebworth Wood complex, though as it turned out I ran out of time. The big problem was that while it was fairly warm the valley was full of mist and visibility was down to a few hundred yards. No soaring raptors this day unfortunately. There is a nice sedgy pool near Letchmore Farm that looks promising for snipe or maybe a Green Sandpiper but I couldn't see anything on it. However the damp wooded lane was very productive with a lot of thushes, tits and rather nice views of both Nuthatch and Treecreeper. Heading down Dyes Lane I encountered more thrushes, tried and failed to kick up a Woodcock in the damp ditches and having reached the junction I then walked up Kitching Lane and found at least one Marsh Tit-always a reliable spot for them.

I had Friday 5th off so decided on a rerun along the Langley brook and allowed more time which enabled me to reach Watery Grove via Pigeonswick Cottage. At least it was sunny this time, albeit cooler. The 'snipe' pool had a nice male Grey Wagtail, but there were fewer birds in the woods along the brook. There is a large pond a bit down stream surrounded by damp wooded hollows which I was hoping would be worth checking. I was so intent on the water, which only had two Mallards, that I failed to notice the 15 or so Fallow deer on the waters edge. They seemed ok with my presence for a bit but eventually ran off.

The rest of the walk was rather uneventful. Thrush numbers seemed about the same, there were a lot more tits around, and I managed to find a couple of Red Legged and Grey Partridge in a couple of fields. Watery Grove was rather quiet as was the wood around Pigeonswick. I returned via Kitching Lane again, and with a bit of spare time headed up to Potters Spring and then headed northeast towards the motorway. I had met a local earlier who had mentioned a flooded field that had pulled in a couple of Dunlin earlier. I guess that with the drier weather the flood had subsided and while there were a few wet spots I didn't see a great deal. There were still decent numbers of Linnet and Yellowhammer in the area though.

More Local Stuff

 I've been a good boy and have stayed within the Stevenage area over the last month or so. Apart from a couple of incidental observations, I have when the weather allowed covered Fairlands Valley and the Area around Aston End.

Generally speaking, the birds at Fairlands have remained pretty much the same all winter. Despite four major visits, I have yet to see any of the Grey wagtails, and the female Kingfisher which is still around but rather elusive. A Siskin flock has remained in the area, but I have only managed to see a couple on one occasion so far. Cormorant numbers seem to have peaked at 13, but the other fish eater, Great Crested Grebe seemed to vanish over Christmas and has only returned in the last couple of weeks.

Last weekend, the mini beast from the east had resulted in most of the water freezing. I went down on the 13th after shopping as I'd heard that the White Fronted Goose had been present early on along with a Barnacle Goose. Unfortunately, as expected both had departed by the time I arrived. It was bitterly cold despite the sunshine with a strong southerly wind, so rather unpleasant, and I only did a circuit of the main lake. There were a huge number of gulls present as expected. Black headed Gulls numbered 300+, and with birds constantly flying around I never tried a proper count. On the other hand Common Gulls had increased to at least 12 and there were a substantial number of Lesser Black Backs, with 17 present. Most unusually were the Herring Gulls-there are often one or two in winter but I counted 27 and I believe more were seen later.

On my circuit I came across a large mid grey mantled gull with no rings, but the light was bad. Despite this I was sure it was an adult Yellow Legged Gull and put the message out. I moved further around to get a better view and my heart fell when I found our usual Caspian Herring hybrid X307 standing on the ice in the same spot. I was sure my bird was unringed, and fortunately I eventually found the Yellow Legged sitting on the ice nearby. Relieved, I was told by Alan Ford that it was only the second for the lakes.

Monday 15th, the White Front was seen again early on, with the Canada flock so I called in on the way back from work, but there weren't many geese present. However it was reported later that afternoon so I decided to stop off on the way to work this morning (16th). The geese were grazing by the car park and there was no sign of the white Front-but the Barnacle was with them until flushed by some dogs. Not sure if I've seen one locally before, and no doubt this is one of the many feral birds. 

Aston End has been a bit hard at times. In the colder periods, run off from the fields result in large sections of the lanes turning into a skating rink, while the footpaths generally remain a quagmire. It was really cold on the 14th, but luckily the paths had frozen solid, and my route was primarily dictated by keeping out of the wind. Numbers of birds like finches larks and buntings fluctuate and unless I bump into one of the flocks I can miss them completely. Thrushes are the same, though they tend to be a bit more territorial. There are at least 60 Fieldfare along the one mile stretch of river Beane that I cover, but I only found a few on the 14th, but numbers of Redwings have actually increased somewhat with a flock of 27 in one of the sheep fields. Nearby 26 Meadow Pipits were a very high count for the area and two flyby Lesser Redpolls and a Greater Black Backed Gull heading south were other highlights (I don't see either species all that often locally).

During the milder spells, the build up to spring is noticeable by the increase in singing Robins, Tits and Song Thrushes, and  displaying Buzzards and Kites. One or two Greenfinches are singing as well, but I'm having a hard time finding Chaffinches-numbers seemed to have plummeted in the last few years and I have only found one or two recently. One wintering Chiffchaff was present two weeks ago near Chells Manor, hopefully it is still around. I had hoped to pick up one or two unusual species, Woodcock, Stonechat and Raven  have been seen locally, and I thought that the beast would have produced some cold weather wader movements, but even Lapwings have avoided the area so it would seem.

The region west of Stevenage around Almshoe has been productive with large Linnet flocks, some Brambling and Stonechat. Andy Day has given me pointers on where to park and I'm hoping to get over there soon, along with watery Grove and Knebworth Woods for Marsh Tit. 

A New Year

 The post Christmas birding was confined to the Stevenage area, and for the first time in many years, I stayed up to see the new year in with a glass or two. Normally I'm out early with Colin on the 1st of course, but with tiers and lockdowns it wasn't possible this time. 

We have had a cold spell for a while now with frosts some nights so I decided to go around Aston End, hoping that the ground would be a bit firmer than it has been (the Beane footpaths have been very boggy recently and the horses have churned up some of the fields). Perhaps because of the cold, numbers were lower than recent, and I had a hard time locating finches and buntings. Thrush numbers have been pretty good, though flocks have been scattered and mobile, and it has been tricky counting Fieldfare and Redwing in particular when they have been feeding in the fields and set aside areas. I believe there have been several hundred in the area though peak counts of any species hasn't got above 80 yet. Song and Mistle thrush however have been rather scarce, with only a few birds seemingly on territory and singing. There  doesn't seem to to be any continental visitors this year.

On the 2nd I went out in the afternoon for supposedly an hour or so hoping to see the Short Eared Owl that Mike Illet had seen in the morning. I decided to start at Royston and work westwards in the hope oif picking up a few other species. I have never seen the  Therfield road so busy-the car park was full, there were cars parked on the verges all along the stretch up to the lay-by at Fox Covert and there were hoards of walkers everywhere. I had no chance stopping in the Grays area to scan the fields and carried on the Coombe Road. No birds, but lots of Fallow deer as expected. 

Dead Mans Hill was good at the green gate. There is a game feeder set up in the hedge, and the large area of cover held a huge flock of Yellowhammer, Linnet and Corn Buntings. There are around 200 Corn Buntings here at the moment, and I saw at least 20 in the short time I was present, with at leat 150 Yellowhammer and 100 Linnet. Two Grey Partridge were at the top of the ridge, no doubt there were many more in the area. 

I drove slowly slowly through Sandon and Roe Green with the occasional Fieldfare in the hedges, the odd Kite or Buzzard but nothing to cause me to stop. I reached Wallington with the expectation of stopping now and again at the lay-bys to scan, but found it rather busy and as I headed to the usual gates I noticed Mike Illet with his scope in. one of them. He yelled Merlin, then flying and I just caught it in flight as I got out. It returned to a hawthorn and perched for a bit and was then flushed as a ring tail Hen Harrier flew over. Unfortunately both were never seen again as news filtered out to the many local birders in the area. I hung on to sunset, but the Short Eared Owl never put in an appearance.

On Sunday 3rd I went to Amwell before the expected lockdown came into force. For once one of the Red Crested Pochards was present-rather atypically on Hardmead Lake. There wasn't anything unusual among the gull flocks, and with the lack of grazing edges there were only a few Teal and Wigeon present. A couple of Cetti's warblers were singing as I headed down to the Bittern Pool-no sign but there was a nice Siskin flock in the birches and a variety of tits to work through. I got as far as the Hollycross gate and checked the feeders with Phil, picking up more tits, a few Greenfinches but unfortunately no Blackcap which had been seen recently. We also checked the ivy by the level crossing as this has also been a good spot for them-it was full of Redwing and not much else.

This weekend, apart from  the usual shopping trip and Mum's second Covid jab, the heavy frost and mist meant I chickened out and have decided to stay indoors and stay warm and keep the feeders and water topped up.