An Evening Stroll and Other News

Another week of furlough, and things are carrying on pretty much as they have for the last seven weeks or so-I'm losing track of time as there is very little variation day to day.
Although there have been some lockdown easing, I have largely continued with the doctors letter to stay at home as much as possible, apart from shopping and the daily walk. However last Wednesday I paid a visit to Sarah and Ed, this being the first time I have left the Stevenage environs since early April, and the first long drive since then. I last filled up with petrol in late March and I still have well over half a tank left.
It was nice to see them again, and it was good to have a change of scenery as well. Naturally I took the opportunity to offload some plants, but somehow managed to bring back a lot more. Still I have lots of time to sort them out. Their garden was very good for butterflies as they were still getting Brimstone, Orange Tips as well as various whites, a Holly Blue or tow and my first Common Blue. Birdwise the only thing of note was a flyover Hobby.
Fairlands Valley is getting busier as the temperature increases, and it was rather crowded on the bank holiday weekend. Migration has largely ceased now and most of the birds are settling down so its getting a bit quieter. There seem to be two pairs of Great Crested Grebes at the moment but otherwise the only notable sightings seem to be the ever increasing Canada geese flock which has at times passed 100. One or two Coot and Moorhens have chicks, but the wildfowl don't appear to be nesting.
Aston End has also got a bit quiet now, though I am still seeing decent numbers of Yellowhammer, Linnets and larks. I tend to go out early to miss the heat as it is quite a long walk, and so haven't seen many butterflies and insects yet. There are a few Swallows and Swifts around, but I haven't seen a Martin out here at all.

Yesterday I tried something a bit different and went out in the evening, in fact I didn't get home until 1015pm well after sunset.
One thing I noticed was a completely different set of results with my counts. More Blackbirds and Song Thrushes singing-not surprising really, and lots of vocal Robins and Wrens, but of course far lower numbers of Skylarks singing, and apart from Blackcaps most warblers, finches and buntings were hard to locate.
The first surprise was a singing Corn Bunting in a weedy field near the ford. This is the first I have heard here for at least five years. The second was nearly being run over by a Badger along the Walkern Road. I was walking along the footpath, hidden from the road when a car suddenly appeared, presumably just as the Badger was crossing the road, it shot through the hedge only ten feet from me into the wheat field.
Thinking that would be it I carried on heading north towards a rather fine sun set. The Little Owls were out around the paddocks and sheep fields and two showed well, though one was being chased by a Blackbird so I didn't see it for long, but the other spent some time on an old barn.
A bit later on as I headed up towards Chells Manor, the light had really dropped so I dug out the bat detector and connected it to the phone. There were several bats flying around, with several Common Pipistrelles and I got two consecutive hits which came up initially as Lesser Noctule, which isn't a British species and then moments later it came up with the much more likely and very common Noctule. I haven't yet checked to see what if any the differences are between the two, or whether the detector made a mistake.

At Christmas, I received a tuber of Dranunculus vulgaris from Sarah. It flowered today. I had to move it to the bottom of the garden as like many of the arums it is a bit pungent, but it certainly attracted the flies. In the pot, the spathe is almost at nose hight and the musky rotting meat scent was certainly noticeable!

Half Way Through Week 5

I'm certainly enjoying my enforced work break-I can really see the attraction of retirement though its still some years ahead of me unfortunately.
The birding is still confined to the two different areas that I can get to.
Fairlands Valley has been my go-to when the weather has been amp or cloudy, on the assumption that it will bring migrants down onto the lake shore. Not really happened for me yet, though another local, Andy Day has picked up a few Common Sandpipers on his early visits. One was last Sunday, which I must have missed by an hour or so, but, on the other hand, I decided to head down into Monkswood for the first time in probably ten years and was surprised to hear a Cuckoo! Apparently the first in the valley for many many years, but it only lingered for a few minutes. Otherwise the valley has been pretty much the same on every visit, however numbers of singing warblers have been gradually dropping, and other species are getting a bit harder to find as the breeding season is well under way, and proclaiming territories is no longer a priority.
There have been a few odd ducks now and again, with a pair of Shoveller a few weeks ago, and more recently a pair of Tufted Duck stayed for a couple of days. Hirundines have been regular, with Swallows every day, a few House Martins (now rather scarce in Stevenage) and more recently a few flocks of Swifts have fed over the lakes.
Over in Aston End and Chells Manor, migrants have also been a bit tough. Most of the warblers are now on territory. The Willows that I found in early April appear to have departed, and they are now far less likely to summer these days. On the other hand, there seem to be an awful lot of Blackcaps, Whitethroats and, in particular Lesser Whitethroats this year. Linnets were tough to find earlier this year, but I have found a couple of flocks in the last month, and it appears that Yellowhammer  numbers are healthy.
The route I take has been pretty constant over the last 25 years or so, with the occasional slight detour, but today I decided to do it in reverse and start at Chells Manor. One of the dog walking couples I see now and again have told me that there is still a herd of Fallow Deer here, and I hoped that an early start might be beneficial before it got too busy. I had considered then going north up towards Boxwood and maybe into Walkern, but decided instead the head north east to reach the river just south of Walkern. I think I have really missed something. I knew that there were a few sheep being grazed here but discovered that there lots of fields with short grass, fences and gates-I wonder how many Wheatears have passed through this spot? One thing I did get was a Grey partridge with what appeared to be two chicks.
The river here as I headed south looked promising as well. As I reached the more familiar fields and stable blocks I was very pleased to see a Little Owl fly low and into a hedge. This isn't far from the old nest spot, and while I have heard birds once or twice this was the first actual sighting for around four years. A little way on, a low flying white bird some way away was assumed to be an egret, but once I got it in the bins I was shocked too see a Barn Owl. It stopped in a hawthorn briefly, and its really a pity I don't have a suitable camera at the moment as it was a stunning sight.
Definitely a route to take when I get round to an evening walk.

In the garden, I have been very busy, working most days and gradually getting things in shape for the rest of the year. There have been a few distractions of course.
I get daily flyovers by the local Kite and less regular sightings of Buzzards. Its usually one of the local breeding Carrion Crows that see them first, and the noise they make mobbing there raptors that attract my attention.
Butterflies are more frequent as its getting warmer, with plenty of Small and Green Veined Whites. I have a couple of big Honesty patches this year as well as Sweet Rocket, and so there are lots of Orange Tips visiting. Less regular are the vanessids, with only the odd Peacock, Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral. Although I no longer have any ivy, several Holly Blues pop in.
On Sunday I had my first Large Red Damselfly around the pond, and they are now being seen daily. However there hasn't as of yet been anything else, though I expect to see a few Azures a bit later this month.

Week 4, and a few toys.

I am starting my 4th week off work today, and am getting used to the daily routine. Apart from a day or maybe two taking Mum shopping, it's been a case of getting out for a walk in the early part of the morning, followed by varying amounts of gardening.
There was a slight hiccup when Mum had to be taken into Lister with gallstones. Luckily it was sorted and she should have been out the next day, but there was a holdup sorting out her meds. Rather than spend the weekend occupying a bed, she came home, and I had to go to the ward on Monday to pick the pills up. Not good for me to visit the hospital at this particular time, but luckily it was very quiet, plus parking is currently free, and since its been over a week now, I guess I haven't picked anything nasty up.
The birding continues largely as before, with regular trips around the lakes, particularly during cloudy or drizzly spells (not that we've had many of those) in the hope of a wader or two dropping in. Hasn't happened yet, but with the additional tours around the Aston End area I have picked up many summer migrants now, and so far this April I have recorded 66 species, all in the Stevenage 10kM square-and that's just the two sites mentioned plus my garden.
To add to the fun I have bought a couple of gadgets. Nocturnal migration seems to be a big thing during lock down, with birders picking up species they never thought would occur over they gardens, and while many have been sitting outside for hours on end, others have set up recorders and then spent the following day trying to decipher what, if anything has been picked up. This has been well proven at places like Portland Bill, where a lot of interesting things have been logged. Unfortunately, a lot of suburban nocmigging has revealed lots of distant cars, dogs barking and various domestic disputes, but there have been a lot of gems-one guy I follow on social media has had the expected Oystercatchers, Whimbrels and so on (he's on the Devon Coast) but also had a Stone Curlew the other night-a real county mega. I have bought a recorder myself, but have yet to use it in anger.
I have been out in the garden now and again as it has been pretty clear, so I have been doing a bit of star gazing and doing a few experiments with my camera. Being clear, any birds are likely to be high up, and so I haven't actually heard anything while I have been out-not even an owl. However, along with the recorder, a Tascam DR 05X, I also got a bat detector that fits on my phone. For as long as I can remember, bats have flown around the house, and we have assumed that they are pipistrelles of some sort. On the second night of trying, the detector triggered and I got a clear record of a Common Pipistrelle. Be interesting to see if anything else gets picked up as I have on odd occasions suspected a larger species over the garden.
At some point or other, I am intending to try a late evening walk around Aston End in an effort to try and locate some owls, and I will take the detector with me. There is some old woodlands on the route, but sadly the river has almost dried up so I don't expect to get much. I might have better luck at Fairlands, as the local museum has had bat walks in recent years.

Two Aroids

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From my garden today.

Arisaema sikkokianum.

Arisaema griffithii

Daily Birding and Old Sightings

I'm still doing my early morning walks, as per the Government advice. Naturally I am recording the birds I see, or perhaps more importantly, hear. In order to make things more meaningful, I am trying to count everything, rather than just a few of the more interesting species, though things like corvids and Wood Pigeons being so abundant and mobile are just noted as present, and the results have been uploaded to eBird, and any significant observations also end up on the Bird Club sightings page.
It's been an interesting exercise. Species numbers seem to vary dramatically on a daily basis. Obviously there is a major timing aspect in that I have to be present when the bird is making a noise or flying around, and birds are very mobile. Overall though there is a consistency to things with the resident Blackbirds, Tits, Robins etc. I've got a pretty good idea where most of the Blackcap and Chiffchaff territories are, andI know how many Nuthatches and Woodpeckers are in each bit of wood I visit. The problem, as expected, seems to be some of the migrants. I found my first Willow Warbler along the river Beane a couple of weeks back, and I thought it had established a territory as it was around for over a week, but I couldn't locate it on the last couple of visits. On the other hand, I did locate another bird in another spot near Aston End, which also seems suitable habitat. Unfortunately Willow Warblers have been declining here in recent years and I suspect birds stay for a bit and then move on.
I am also starting to record more things as well. I've had spreadsheet lists of orchids, butterflies and dragonflies for many years now, and have started to get more serious about plants, bees and so on. For the last five years I have been using the Scythebill recording program for birds, which enables easy uploading to eBird, and users have created a number of extra lists for other groups, so I can record everything in one place.
The other bonus to the program is nostalgia, and also a few surprises. Back in March I started to transfer my old notebook observations, starting with 1996, and I am now half way through 1994. It's brought back many memories of past twitches, and I seem to be able to recall details of most of them, so in these days of lockdown I am at least still twitching even if it is all past glories. I also had a bit of a shock as well. Back then I wasn't really noting insects except on odd occasions and for years I have been rather annoyed in never having Scotch Argus on my butterfly spreadsheets. Well as it turns out I saw abundant numbers back in Perthshire in August 1994, which I had completely forgotten about, but the memory has been triggered by the old notes.
There are another 15 or so books to go through, and an awful lot of sightings to transfer, so its a good job that I have plenty of time on my hands at the moment

More Daily Walks and Summer Visitors.

I have been going out for walks every morning this week, and spending the rest of the time working in the garden. Basically its been Aston End on Sunday and today, and Fairlands Lakes yesterday. I've been averaging 4-5 miles daily so at least I'm getting fit (ish). The issues I had earlier in the year with my legs seem to have gradually gone as the temperature has increased and it probably has a lot to do with my metabolism and endocrine problems as I always seem to suffer badly in the winter months.

On Sunday, the walk around Aston end produced a lot of the usual suspects that occur, including a couple of Nuthatch territories, which now seem to be encountered regularly here. Summer visitors included one Blackcap, seven Chiffchaffs and the first Willow Warbler (possibly the first reported in Hertfordshire this year).

Monday was cloudy and cooler so I thought that the Lakes would be worthwhile. Five singing Chiffchaffs seem to be around the same as my previous visit, so I guess that most territories are filled. There were also two Blackcaps again. Over the boating lake, while counting the Cormorants (five) I noticed a flock of hirundines. They all seemed to be Swallows, and I reckoned that there were at least eight, and as I was going through the flock I realised there were also two House Martins. The flock didn't linger and moved off north. I wasn't really expecting much more else, particularly on the main lake which just had a couple of gulls, but a Common Tern appeared as I reached the south end. I checked the last years Firecrest spot and then headed home.

I thought it might be a good day to search for Wheatear or Ring Ouzels as there were a lot of ploughed fields and the  stroll around Aston end and Chells Manor showed how quickly things change at this time of year.  Chiffchaffs were about the same, and in the same spots, there were now two Willow Warblers-both near the river and paddocks, but Blackcaps had risen with nine singing birds. Lots of Yellowhammers and Skylark singing, and being warm, a lot of Buzzards and Kites were up. Three Nuthatch territories now, and at least four Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming.
I was also getting a lot of Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells, and probably because it was fairly early and a weekday, a lot of rabbits and my first Hare in this area for several years.
Later on while gardening, I had my year's first Orange Tip.

Fairlands Valley

I have been continuing to work since our company is one of those classed as essential. However, this week they have announced furloughing to start next week as a lot of our non-essential customers have closed or are cutting work back. On Thursday I had another consultation with my GP as my chest and ribs are still hurting a bit when I cough so he has given me some antibiotics as bone bruising could lead to infection. He also pointed out that with my medical conditions I am classed as very vulnerable and should be in isolation for 12 weeks, so he sent me a letter, I presented it to my manager and am now furloughed until the end of June.

Now what is a very keen gardener going to do at the start of spring with plenty of time on his hands?
Think I'm going to enjoy my time off.

Anyway, I am still allowed to do the essential shopping and daily exercise so I did a circuit of Fairlands Lakes this morning. While it was nice and sunny, and starting to warm up there was a bit of a chill to the breeze.
With the winds switching to a southerly, I was hoping for a few hirundines going through, but with little cloud cover there wasn't much to force them down, so the best I could manage were five Chiffchaffs and two Blackcaps singing. There was also a pair of Shoveller on the boating lake.
Here is a complete EBird list. https://ebird.org/checklist/S66601714