Went to Amwell today.
Simon was leaving and mentioned that the Bar Tail Godwit was still present, and William had his scope ready for me. This is quite a rare species for Amwell, and this one was part of a very large inland passage. Not long after, I found the Common Sandpiper, which along with Redshank, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Little Ring Plover and the Snipe I did not see made it something of a wader day.
The easterly wind was rather unpleasant, and I started to get rather cold despite the sunshine. Lots of Swifts started to appear around 0930, along with parties of House Martin, but surprisingly no other hirundines. Raptors were elusive and only a coup,e of Buzzards managed to get up.
There were a large number of common Terns, mainly fishing down in the southern end. There were a few Lesser Black Backs and Herring Gulls as well as the Black Headed Gulls on the raft. Just before 1100, some of us glanced at a Black Headed flying north, did not pay any attention of course until it was almost out of sight. William then spotted the black underwing and realised it was a Little gull. A few of us got to the bridge and picked it up before it was lost to view.
Had to leave then as the cold wind was getting to me and I was starting to feel a bit unwell.
Monday, 2 May 2011
Quiet Long Weekend
Did not do a great deal this weekend, despite the two days extra holiday.
Friday and Saturday were largely spent in the garden, as I had a bit more work to do with the pond before the plants really got going. Missed the Royal Wedding as a result, but could not avoid the repeats all evening despite my best efforts.
Sunday was another quiet one. Not much to go for nationally, so we decided to stick with the Chilterns and butterflies.
Arrived at Bison Hill Whipsnade a bit before 0900 and found it a bit windy. Despite that, we found the first of many Grizzled Skippers on the path down from the car park. We split up and I covered the lower slopes, but apart from a few Dingy Skippers the wind proved a bit annoying and little else was seen. Plenty of Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat in the scrub.
I eventually made my way up the slope, and having lost Colin I encountered another butterfly hunter. We spread out and covered the upper slopes, and having searched the top, I returned and found him down lying down in a track I had searched earlier. Before I got to him I found my own Duke of Burgundy, and soon after several more. Colin then arrived and we reckon on having seen around nine or so.
We eventually returned to the car park, having got more Skippers as well as a large number of Green Hairstreaks.
We next went to Aldbury Nowers, not far from Tring.
My first Small Heaths were seen near the lay by as we made our way up to the Ridge Way. The slopes of the reserve proved hard to work. Got more Green Hairstreaks, Dingy and Grizzled Skippers and various whites. Colin reckoned to have seen a Fritillary as well. I had expected to see orchids, but I suspect we should have visited the southern section for these as the steep slopes were not ideal.
Our last site was Sewell Cutting near Dunstable. We had been told that Small Blues were flying. Unfortunately the cutting was more like a wind tunnel and little was flying. We did see Common Blues and a single Brown Argus, along with yet another Green Hairstreak and Dingy Skipper.
Friday and Saturday were largely spent in the garden, as I had a bit more work to do with the pond before the plants really got going. Missed the Royal Wedding as a result, but could not avoid the repeats all evening despite my best efforts.
Sunday was another quiet one. Not much to go for nationally, so we decided to stick with the Chilterns and butterflies.
Arrived at Bison Hill Whipsnade a bit before 0900 and found it a bit windy. Despite that, we found the first of many Grizzled Skippers on the path down from the car park. We split up and I covered the lower slopes, but apart from a few Dingy Skippers the wind proved a bit annoying and little else was seen. Plenty of Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat in the scrub.
I eventually made my way up the slope, and having lost Colin I encountered another butterfly hunter. We spread out and covered the upper slopes, and having searched the top, I returned and found him down lying down in a track I had searched earlier. Before I got to him I found my own Duke of Burgundy, and soon after several more. Colin then arrived and we reckon on having seen around nine or so.
We eventually returned to the car park, having got more Skippers as well as a large number of Green Hairstreaks.
We next went to Aldbury Nowers, not far from Tring.
My first Small Heaths were seen near the lay by as we made our way up to the Ridge Way. The slopes of the reserve proved hard to work. Got more Green Hairstreaks, Dingy and Grizzled Skippers and various whites. Colin reckoned to have seen a Fritillary as well. I had expected to see orchids, but I suspect we should have visited the southern section for these as the steep slopes were not ideal.
Our last site was Sewell Cutting near Dunstable. We had been told that Small Blues were flying. Unfortunately the cutting was more like a wind tunnel and little was flying. We did see Common Blues and a single Brown Argus, along with yet another Green Hairstreak and Dingy Skipper.
Monday, 25 April 2011
Easter part 2
Went to Amwell yesterday, in the hope of picking up some migrants. Weather looked promising-with some mist early on, but by the time I got there it was starting to heat up, though it took a long time for the sun to break through the clouds. Everyone seems to have gone on holiday, and hardly any regulars were present.
The two Oystercatchers seemed settled and three or four Redshank were present, along with the pair of Little Ring Plovers. There were around a dozen Common Terns in, though our hopes for a Black Tern among them never materialised.
There are at least two Grasshopper Warblers present-the one from the watchpoint is rather quiet, but another down near the James Hide is a lot louder, though John who was with me could not hear any of them. We wandered down to the bridge in the hope of picking up some damselflies, but none were seen, so we decided to have a look at the meadow where I managed to locate a single Large Red Damselfly. The orchids seem to be coming on quite well, with the hybrid Southern Marsh in bud and one with a few flowers.
Back at the watchpoint, the only bird of interest was a distant large corvid which appeared to be a Raven.
I left around noon, as my hay fever was starting to get quite bad.
Today, I first went down to Waterford Heath. Although it was sunny and fairly warm, there was a cool northerly breeze. As a result it took a while before I was able to locate a Grizzled Skipper, and it eluded my camera. I eventually managed to find another, and got a few images. Apart from that, one Peacock and a few Orange Tips were all I saw.
I eventually left and decided to head off to Graffridge Wood as it would probably be my last chance of getting some Bluebell images this year. Some bits looked quite good but the harsh noon sun made things difficult and results were a bit disappointing.
The two Oystercatchers seemed settled and three or four Redshank were present, along with the pair of Little Ring Plovers. There were around a dozen Common Terns in, though our hopes for a Black Tern among them never materialised.
There are at least two Grasshopper Warblers present-the one from the watchpoint is rather quiet, but another down near the James Hide is a lot louder, though John who was with me could not hear any of them. We wandered down to the bridge in the hope of picking up some damselflies, but none were seen, so we decided to have a look at the meadow where I managed to locate a single Large Red Damselfly. The orchids seem to be coming on quite well, with the hybrid Southern Marsh in bud and one with a few flowers.
Back at the watchpoint, the only bird of interest was a distant large corvid which appeared to be a Raven.
I left around noon, as my hay fever was starting to get quite bad.
Today, I first went down to Waterford Heath. Although it was sunny and fairly warm, there was a cool northerly breeze. As a result it took a while before I was able to locate a Grizzled Skipper, and it eluded my camera. I eventually managed to find another, and got a few images. Apart from that, one Peacock and a few Orange Tips were all I saw.
I eventually left and decided to head off to Graffridge Wood as it would probably be my last chance of getting some Bluebell images this year. Some bits looked quite good but the harsh noon sun made things difficult and results were a bit disappointing.
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Easter in Norfolk
Had a very busy Good Friday, but with little birding, though I did get my first Lesser Whitethroat.
Decided to do Norfolk on Saturday, and started off quite early to avoid the traffic.
We arrived at Snettisham Coastal Park just after 0700, and went off in search of migrants. Lots of warblers in full song, including a couple of Grasshoppers, one of which posed for us.
Did not encounter a great deal else-a few Wheatear and a Grey Partridge that flew in and settled down until an presumably blind dog walker waddled over and almost trod on it.
Stopped off briefly at Chosely barns, and had a quick scan of the fields-seems to be all wheat and no peas, so no Dotterel likely......
Did get a nice pair of Corn Bunting though.
Arrived at Titchwell shortly after 0900, and it seemed pretty quiet thankfully. Got out onto the marsh and the heat started to build rapidly to rather uncomfortable levels. Ran into Ray Tipper who had got a message that the Wood Sandpiper was still showing from Parrinder hide. Tried to find it on the way up but without success. Eventually located it in a small reedy patch on one of the islands. Did not get good images due to the lighting.
A pair of sleeping Garganey on the island was nice having struggled to find any on the Ouse Washes in recent weeks. Also got to see a pair of Little Terns and a female White Wagtail.
Sea watching was rather poor due to the haze, but very nice thanks to the breeze. Found a few Scoter, single Eider and some Gannets and then two distant Grebes turned into a pair of breeding plumage Red Necks.
Was surprised to see a Green Hairstreak settle down behind Penny Clark who was with us, but it soon flew off. Unfortunately it landed on my arm, and I had to stand immobile while Penny and Colin got images. This turned out to be a bit of a mega, as Ray turned up and informed us that he had only seen two in 40 years at Titchwell.
On the way back we had another look at the Wood Sandpiper, recovered a bit of Colin's tripod and snapped a few waders.
We got a message-16 Dotterel at Chosely-in the field I had scanned earlier. Got there at Noon. Difficult to see well now the heat haze had built up, and they remained distant, but we managed to see at least six.
Also of interest were a large number of Large Red Damselflies in the hedgerow, a long way from water.
With energy flagging we headed off inland, calling in at the wonderful Beers of the World warehouse and stocked up.
Our last destination was Paxton pits. The visitors centre pond held Great Crested and Common Newts. The Nightingales were very vocal of course but due to the abundant leaf growth, hard to see. Several Turtle Doves were heard along the river and I got to see one flying off.
There were Black Terns further north at Diddington but we were too tired to contemplate the walk.
Decided to do Norfolk on Saturday, and started off quite early to avoid the traffic.
We arrived at Snettisham Coastal Park just after 0700, and went off in search of migrants. Lots of warblers in full song, including a couple of Grasshoppers, one of which posed for us.
Did not encounter a great deal else-a few Wheatear and a Grey Partridge that flew in and settled down until an presumably blind dog walker waddled over and almost trod on it.
Stopped off briefly at Chosely barns, and had a quick scan of the fields-seems to be all wheat and no peas, so no Dotterel likely......
Did get a nice pair of Corn Bunting though.
Arrived at Titchwell shortly after 0900, and it seemed pretty quiet thankfully. Got out onto the marsh and the heat started to build rapidly to rather uncomfortable levels. Ran into Ray Tipper who had got a message that the Wood Sandpiper was still showing from Parrinder hide. Tried to find it on the way up but without success. Eventually located it in a small reedy patch on one of the islands. Did not get good images due to the lighting.
A pair of sleeping Garganey on the island was nice having struggled to find any on the Ouse Washes in recent weeks. Also got to see a pair of Little Terns and a female White Wagtail.
Sea watching was rather poor due to the haze, but very nice thanks to the breeze. Found a few Scoter, single Eider and some Gannets and then two distant Grebes turned into a pair of breeding plumage Red Necks.
Was surprised to see a Green Hairstreak settle down behind Penny Clark who was with us, but it soon flew off. Unfortunately it landed on my arm, and I had to stand immobile while Penny and Colin got images. This turned out to be a bit of a mega, as Ray turned up and informed us that he had only seen two in 40 years at Titchwell.
On the way back we had another look at the Wood Sandpiper, recovered a bit of Colin's tripod and snapped a few waders.
We got a message-16 Dotterel at Chosely-in the field I had scanned earlier. Got there at Noon. Difficult to see well now the heat haze had built up, and they remained distant, but we managed to see at least six.
Also of interest were a large number of Large Red Damselflies in the hedgerow, a long way from water.
With energy flagging we headed off inland, calling in at the wonderful Beers of the World warehouse and stocked up.
Our last destination was Paxton pits. The visitors centre pond held Great Crested and Common Newts. The Nightingales were very vocal of course but due to the abundant leaf growth, hard to see. Several Turtle Doves were heard along the river and I got to see one flying off.
There were Black Terns further north at Diddington but we were too tired to contemplate the walk.
Friday, 15 April 2011
New Toys and a Friday Off
Bought some new toys recently-a Nikon D3S body and a Zeiss 35mm f2 lens. Had the day off today to do some birding and things and see how they work-my initial tests last week were very promising.
Last year, a White Spotted Bluethroat was on territory at Welney for most of the Spring, and it has come back. The reserve has been opening early to accommodate Bluethroat twitchers, and we arrived not long after 7am.
Got down to Lyle hide to see one or two birders looking at a speck in a sallow, and I thought I heard a snatch of song before it dropped out of sight. About twenty minutes later, one or two got a glimpse of the Bluethroat low down in the bank vegetation, but I could not get on it. My first Reed Warbler, and a lot of singing Sedge Warblers was not much compensation. We spent a while in one of the hides overlooking the bank in the hope of picking it up with no joy. A few Avocets on the pools, and decent numbers of Black Tail Godwits, some Dunlin and frequent flyby and drumming Snipe helped pass the time.
Around 1020 we made our way back to the Lyle path, and not long after, the Bluethroat flew over Colin's shoulder and down in front of one of the small fibreglass hides. It was elusive initially but eventually came out and started singing. We were rather pleased at the performance it put on for us.
To put it mildly, I have never had such good views of a Spring Bluethroat. A nice start with my new camera.
On the way back, we encountered several Green Veined White butterflies, my first House Martins from the observatory, and several Yellow Wagtails.
The Ouse Washes Blue Winged Teal was back on the pagers last night and was reported again today, so we headed off to see it.
On arrival at Welches Dam hide we were rather disappointed to discover that it was sleeping with some Shoveller. However, from time to time it did lift its head. I had to use the 500mm lens with both 1.4 and 2x converters to get an image.
There were hardly any duck left, compared to two weeks ago, and no waders apart from a few Lapwing, Redshank and Oystercatchers, and the pair of Little Ring Plovers.
Just outside the hide a hunting Kestrel payed us no attention. This is with the manual focus 500mm and both converters!
Our final destination was Haley Wood in Cambridgeshire. We were there last year for the Bluebells and Early Purple Orchids. This year the spring is slightly more advanced, and some of the orchids were in flower though the Bluebells are not quite at their best yet. We also saw a lot of Cowslips, and what I presume to be Oxlips.
Photos will follow later.
Last year, a White Spotted Bluethroat was on territory at Welney for most of the Spring, and it has come back. The reserve has been opening early to accommodate Bluethroat twitchers, and we arrived not long after 7am.
Got down to Lyle hide to see one or two birders looking at a speck in a sallow, and I thought I heard a snatch of song before it dropped out of sight. About twenty minutes later, one or two got a glimpse of the Bluethroat low down in the bank vegetation, but I could not get on it. My first Reed Warbler, and a lot of singing Sedge Warblers was not much compensation. We spent a while in one of the hides overlooking the bank in the hope of picking it up with no joy. A few Avocets on the pools, and decent numbers of Black Tail Godwits, some Dunlin and frequent flyby and drumming Snipe helped pass the time.
Around 1020 we made our way back to the Lyle path, and not long after, the Bluethroat flew over Colin's shoulder and down in front of one of the small fibreglass hides. It was elusive initially but eventually came out and started singing. We were rather pleased at the performance it put on for us.
To put it mildly, I have never had such good views of a Spring Bluethroat. A nice start with my new camera.
On the way back, we encountered several Green Veined White butterflies, my first House Martins from the observatory, and several Yellow Wagtails.
The Ouse Washes Blue Winged Teal was back on the pagers last night and was reported again today, so we headed off to see it.
On arrival at Welches Dam hide we were rather disappointed to discover that it was sleeping with some Shoveller. However, from time to time it did lift its head. I had to use the 500mm lens with both 1.4 and 2x converters to get an image.
Just outside the hide a hunting Kestrel payed us no attention. This is with the manual focus 500mm and both converters!
Our final destination was Haley Wood in Cambridgeshire. We were there last year for the Bluebells and Early Purple Orchids. This year the spring is slightly more advanced, and some of the orchids were in flower though the Bluebells are not quite at their best yet. We also saw a lot of Cowslips, and what I presume to be Oxlips.
Photos will follow later.
Friday, 8 April 2011
Norton Green
Woke up to the sound of a Willow Warbler outside this morning.
Called in at Norton Green before I got to work. The very low sun was a bit of a problem at times. Around six Red Legged Partridges were scattered over the site, and Linnets seemed to be everywhere.
Found a single male Wheatear, and another Willow Warbler.
The spring garden is starting to look nice now. Because of the very dry weather, the Dogs Tooth Violets have not been damaged by slugs and snails this year.
Called in at Norton Green before I got to work. The very low sun was a bit of a problem at times. Around six Red Legged Partridges were scattered over the site, and Linnets seemed to be everywhere.
Found a single male Wheatear, and another Willow Warbler.
The spring garden is starting to look nice now. Because of the very dry weather, the Dogs Tooth Violets have not been damaged by slugs and snails this year.
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