Glorious weather 30.11.11

Another wonderfully bright morning for a local walk before preparing to set off to give an illustrated talk to St Ives RSPB group this evening. Goldcrest, treecreeper and 6 bullfinches being the highlight birds. The 2nd goldcrest of the morning as one was observed in our garden at first light. Photos of a view, a robin in take off leap and 2 more regular views of a robin, taken in Millennium Wood. It was here that the party of bullfinches were also witnessed.

Sunday wander 27.11.11

A pleasant walk in unbelieveably warm weather today. Highlight sightings were a flushed woodcock, on the footpath off Chapel Lane, 3 mandarin on the old gravel pit, photo taken from a distance, an unseasonal red admiral butterfly and flowering herb robert, cut leaf crane's bill and red campion. Other notables were 11 skylarks over AVGC, 24 pied wagtails on a newly ploughed fields and several sightings of both kestrel and sparrow hawk. 2 parties of bullfinches were seen and a solitary treecreeper in Chapel Lane. Photos show herb robert, red campion, mandarin duck, view east over AVGC and some of the black headed gulls that were witnessed on the 15th fairway

Rainham Marshes: 24.11.11

A day visit to Rainham Marshes RSPB reserve today. Quiet around the reserve trails in poor light, but still some noteworthy birds. Linnets, lapwings and starlings were seen in their hundreds with good numbers of teal, wigeon, canada geese and grey lags. However, highlight birds were 2 bearded reedlings, photographed from distance. Both look like 1st year individuals. Also a snipe, cettis warbler and 5 spectacular drake pintails. The most memorable moment was watching 2 carrion crows attacking a lapwing. Firstly they attacked it at the water's edge, holding it down before it broke free. They then dive bombed the lapwing, knocking it into deep water. They then ignored it until it tried to fly from the water, whereupon they just knocked it back in again. This went on for 5 minutes before the lapwing was so waterlogged it could not get away from the water, so the crows then kept pushing it under until it drowned. They then paid no more attention to it. Seemed like it was no more than entertainment. This thought was echoed by the warden who said it was a regular occurence. Other photos show greylag, female teal, 2 little egrets, an irridescent magpie, a sunset fly past of canada geese and a view of the QE bridge at Dartford

Sunday Foggy wander

A walk this morning to fields and woods adjacent to the A120 gave good numbers of birds. In one oak tree I heard long tailed tits. On closer inspection I observed 34+ long tailed tits, 2 blue tits, 3 great tits, 1 chaffinch, 1 treecreeper and, best of all, 1 goldcrest. Latter, my first of the winter. Redwing, mistle thrush and fieldfare were ubiquitous whilst a coal tit in a stand of conifers was pleasing. Other birds of note: yellowhammer and common buzzard. Photo of the dead tree used as a jackdaw roost and one of a male chaffinch.

Photos

Photos from today's wander

Unusual sighting 18.11.11

A wander around the north and east side of the parish this morning, in glorious sunshine. In all 30 bird species with the undoubted highlight being a first year teal. First seen on the dragonfly pond east of Hadham Hall but dog walkers flushed it before I could get a photo. Flew off high to the west and looked like it dropped down on to the pond at the Hall. 2 distant flight shots here, along with moorhen, black headed gull and a pair of goldfinches. The teal is only my 2nd paqrish record, following a similar 1st year bird recorded 7th October 2009.
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Fungi festival

A neighbour popped around to let me know she had some strange fungi growing in her garden. She has lived at the same house for over 40 years and this is the first occasion these fungi have appeared. Huge numbers. Probably connected to this is the fact that sometime ago in the last 2 years, she had a horse chestnut tree removed, apart from the stump as shown in one of the photos. I suspect these may be growing on the rotting roots underground. Very spectacular and now the search to identifiy them.

Parish boundary wander 16.11.11

Setting off from Tesco I picked up the westerly and then southerly footpath that skirts around Bury Green before reaching Hadham Golf Club. From here I continued along paths until Bush Wood and the Ash Valley. In all 4.5 hour wander.
A total of 32 bird species recorded, with quantity being supplied by wood pigeons (1000+), jackdaws (500+) redwing and fieldfare (300+) and starlings (250+.) The light was atrocious, as the photo above of a rabbit proves. Good birds were treecreeper, sparrow hawk, a covey of 17 red legged partridge, a grey heron, 2 kestrels and a pair of bullfinches. A check on a pond on private land that I now have permission to visit gave views of only mallards(3.) I also popped in to a disused barn where I disturbed a little owl: too quick for the camera. Throughout the walk I kept hearing and seeing pied wagtails heading west. All was revealed in a ploughed field near the River Ash, where I encountered a feeding party in excess of 27. The sparrow hawk, top photo, put these birds up, before they returned to the plough. In all, a pleasant walk.

1st new moth of the month, 14.11.11

A spectacularly marked December moth was found in the trap this morning, along with regular visitors a silver y and feathered thorn. The December moth is a common late autumn/winter moth so I anticipate discovering more of these over the following weeks. 2 photos here, along with the aptly named silver y and the orange feathered thorn

Out owling 13.11.11

An evening wandering around Bury Green in search of owls. A final total of 4 little owls and 2 tawnies. No hoped for barn owls. However, it was a grey and dark dusk. Plenty of thrush species disturbed from hedgerows. At the start a common buzzard, great, blue and long tailed tits, great spotted and green woodpeckers as well as large numbers of corvids and wood pigeons. Photo here of a welcoming sight as I came down Brick kiln hill in the dark at 5.30pm

Barn Owl

A barn owl, reported to me on 8th near the polo and cricket fields, was searched for last night. No joy but search around local barns etc turned up 1 little owl, 1 rabbit skull and several barn owl feathers, but no pellets

Sprawler

A single moth in the trap this morning. A sprawler; a common autumnal moth found between October and December, preferring woodland and scrub.

Few more autumn shots