Last walk for October and new species

An 8.00 am start along the Ash valley, up to Bush Wood and back along the Ridge Footpath this morning. Good numbers of birds, with the now regular 1000's of crows, jackdaws, rooks and wood pigeons. Also increased numbers of the winter thrushes, redwing and fieldfare.

However, the highlight was recording the first siskins of the year. A flyover party, low heading east from Acremore Steet. Suspect the numbers of these small, flocking Scandinavian finches to increase as the year ends. The numbers of winter arrivals is indicating a bumper year for such, with a good possibility of waxwings making an appearance.

Skylarks appeared to be on an easterly movement, with double figures being recorded overhead. A sparrow hawk was observed being mobbed by jackdaws, several kestrels hovered and a common buzzard was noted over the Ridge from the Much Hadham road. 2 Black headed gulls and 3 lesser black backed gulls wove their way north east, maybe towards Stansted airport lagoons In all, 35 species were recorded, with the strangest being a female blackcap, observed in the hedgerow along the ridge. The vast majority of this species migrate south for the winter, with only a handful risking staying put. Chiffchaffs have also started to remain as residents, more so than blackcaps, so a good record.

Photos depict a silhouetted and somewhat confused green woodpecker, a redwing showing how it came to be named so, some autumn colours and a heavily moulting goldfinch

Norfolk trip photos

A 3 day camping trip to North Norfolk gave me a chance to observe birds not seen around Little Hadham. Report link: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=126435

but some photos here. In all, a pleasing 96 species were recorded, with a few obvious omissions which would have made it over the century. Click on each photo to enlarge.

From the top, they are:

1. knot
2. oystercatcher
3. shoveler
4. looking west from Sheringham
5. turnstone
6. stonechat (male)
7. brent geese
8. starling roost
9. stonechat (female)
10. redshank
11. teal
12. dunnock
13. black tailed godwit
14. juvenile herring gull
15. turnstone
16. turnstone
17. black headed gull upper wing
18. black headed gull underwing

Garden watch and afternoon walk

A session just watching the garden birds this afternoon led to a list as follows:

great tit, coal tit, blue tit, starling, jackdaw, collared dove, rook, carrion crow, wood pigeon, blackbird, chaffinch, dunnock, and goldcrest.
Later on, a walk over the golf course added a kestrel, more goldcrests, yellowhammers and great spotted and green woodpeckers. Meadow pipits have returned to the golf course for their winter stay, viewed from New Road and a solitary herring gull headed south over the course.

Hundreds of wood pigeons and assorted corvids filled the sky. The leucistic jackdaw still remains in fields south of the Ford. As the clocks have gone back, the sun was setting by 4.30pm, signalling the end of my after work walks until spring.

Photographs here show local and common garden birds: collared dove, great tit, a blackbird enjoying a windfall and dunnock. Also, several photos showing autumn colours and sunset.

24.10.08 Long Walk

A walk around the whole patch between 9.00 - 2.15 today, with a picnic being taken at the golf course in sunny weather.However, still drizzling when I set off, accompanied by the local calling tawny owl. Long tailed tits everywhere, mixing with a flock of blue tits, great tits, goldcrests and 2 marsh tits was good to watch although vegetation too dense for worthwhile photographs.
In all 39 species were recorded. A large female sparrow hawk flew in front of the golf club clubhouse and a smaller male was observed at Caley Wood. A song thrush was photographed, as shown here, along with goldfinches and a greenwoodpecker.
Gulls, both lesser and greater black backed headed north in the early morning light and skylarks called above the fields along the Ridge Footpath. Here also 11 grey (English) partridges were seen and heard. Redwings and fieldfares were ubiquitous, as were chaffinches and yellowhammers. Wood pigeon numbers must have been in excess of 3000, whilst crows, rooks and jackdaws also added another 500+. A bullfinch was seen, briefly, in Alder Wood whilst a nuthatch was heard in Caley Wood.

A late comma butterfly was observed near the golf course.
Today's snaps show a green woodpecker, several autumn colour shots, a skulking song thrush, and a late flowering red campion.

Evening Wander 21.10.08

A three quarter of an hour search of trees, shrubs and bushes on Brick Kiln Hill proved successful. The first autumn fieldfare was recorded heading west, whilst in excess of 400 crows, jackdaws and rooks headed south to roost. 25+ lesser black backed gulls followed as the light darkened along with a lone 2nd year herring gull. A hoped for owl photograph was, however, not feasible although 2 tawnys called from near Muggin's Wood

Sunset photos taken from the hill near Field House.

Brief wander 18.10.08. Redwing return

A short walk on Saturday morning along the River Ash to the golf course and back. Usual suspects with plenty of corvid activity. Several lesser black backed gulls headed north from their night roost and a party of goldfinches were observed feeding in an ash tree. Green woodpeckers called and skylarks chirped from high.

Photos today depict 2 of a long tailed tit, one at take off point. The others show a late flowering poppy in the garden and the leucistic jackdaw mingling with rooks and other jackdaws, south of the village.

However, highlight was coming across a flock of 35+ redwings in the sheep field south of the ford. Newly arrived, these thrushes migrate to the UK for winter, having bred in Scandinavia and Russia. A male bullfinch was also recorded from this field. Upon returning home, 3 goldcrests were watched in the garden trees.

Sunday 12.10.08

After the splendid Harvest Supper at the village hall, I took myself off for a wander up Chapel Lane, though Westland Green and over Ash Valley G.C. before heading home along the lanes and Ash valley. 22 species were recorded, the highlights being a male bullfinch in the hazels at the top of Chapel Lane, goldcrests in the conifers at Lodge Farm and a single common buzzard low over the golf course club house. The latter depicted here, being mobbed by a carrion crow.

Skylarks appeared to be moving west, with several parties overhead. A group of 8 black headed gulls also worked their way over the course in a southerly direction.

However, my attention was more drawn to the insects on this gloriously warm midday. A migrant hawker dragonfly hung around long enough to be photographed, as did a superb comma butterfly. I suspect a newly emerged individual , judging by the pristine state. 3 peacock butterflies were observed, 2 small whites and even more amazingly, a male brimstone. This flew up Chapel Lane and had obviously just emerged. A butterfly more associated with the first sunny days of spring! The warmth triggering its hatching. Too fast for a photo, unfortunately. A female common darter was also photographed on the ground near Caley Wood adjacent to the 2nd green on the golf course.

Later in the evening 4 tawny owls, 1 little owl were heard calling from the garden along with barking foxes and a howling muntjac. Must be the impending full moon.

Also shown here are a tree full of rooks, (with 1 carrion crow), a misty view looking south east from Chapel Lane and the colours of the hedgerow from the same spot. Also along Chapel Lane the vegetation near Lodge Farm was particularly photogenic, as shown here.