Year List

great white egret, Dungeness

Siskin, Amwell

tree sparrow and reed bunting, Dungeness

tawny owl, Little Hadham

Ones in red are ones I missed out on in 2012.
Thought it about time to list birds seen this year. A good start to 2013 without seeing anything hugely uncommon. Total far in excess of last year's by this time.
great crested grebe, cormorant, grey heron, mute swan, greylag goose, canada goose, mallard, gadwall, shoveler, teal (10sp) wigeon, pochard, tufted duck, scaup, goldeneye, smew, red kite, common buzzard, kestrel, moorhen (20 sp) coot, lapwing, black headed gull, common gull, herring gull, lesser black backed gull, greater black backed gull, collared dove, wood pigeon, dunnock (30sp) robin, blackbird, great tit, blue tit, long tailed tit, jay, magpie, jackdaw, rook, carrion crow (40 sp) house sparrow, starling, chaffinch, goldfinch, siskin, reed bunting, waxwing, fieldfare, redwing, pied wagtail (50 sp) egyptian goose, great spotted woodpecker, treecreeper, mistle thrush, wren, bullfinch, red legged partridge, yellowhammer, stock dove, pheasant (60sp) green woodpecker, nuthatch, marsh tit, song thrush, tawny owl, little grebe, barn owl, little owl, woodcock, sparrowhawk (70 sp) coal tit, little egret, red throated diver, guillemot, razorbill, common scoter, gannet, kittiwake, brent goose, turnstone (80 sp) great northern diver, tree sparrow, oystercatcher, shelduck, pintail, cetti's warbler, stonechat, marsh harrier, snipe, great white egret (90 sp) water rail, dunlin, golden plover, snow bunting, dartford warbler, linnet, greenfinch, redshank, ring necked parakeet, ringed plover (100 sp) pink footed goose, chiffchaff, lesser redpoll, meadow pipit, grey partridge, great grey shrike, merlin, caspian gull, green sandpiper, skylark (110 sp) grey wagtail, brambling, little stint, fulmar, curlew, spotted redshank, black tailed godwit, bar tailed godwit, knot, whooper swan,  (120 sp) sanderling, grey plover, avocet, ruff, corn bunting, long tailed duck, purple sandpiper, shore lark, hen harrier.

Therfield Heath

An early start found me at the Prince Of Wales for Gary before 7a.m. A short drive to Therfield Heath, parking at Royston rugby club before a wander up to the Icknield Way to try and photo the Great Grey Shrike. Kestrel, common buzzard and mistle thrush noted as we walked up the slopes. After a half hour fruitless search, we heard great tit alarm calls and turned round to find the GGS at the top of a tree. Some record shots before it flew off to alight on the power lines. After this it disappeared into a thick hedge and out of view. A few shots here, distant and in poor light.

 

 

 

Other birds of note were common buzzard (2+,) a  very distant circling red kite (photo 4 looking toward Duckpuddle Farm) a distant hen harrier over conifers at Grey's Farm, a solitary brambling over and good numbers of chaffinches, yellowhammers, black headed gulls and winter thrushes, predominantly fieldfares, goldfinches, a flock of 75+ linnets and a couple of wrens.
A great start to a Friday, albeit cold. A hot coffee at the Silver Ball cafe on the A10 brought feeling back to hands and faces.

Another moth

After an exceptionally warm day, a very cold and frosty night meant I had little expectation of finding any moths at the trap. However, this rather uninspiring (both in colour and name) Early moth was discovered.
Today has been even sunnier and warmer so maybe some emerging moths. However, the temperature has once again dropped markedly, so it may well mean they will not be on the wing and attracted to the garden light trap.

A Norfolk Day

A 5a.m. start for a whole day birding in Norfolk. No particular plan, just a wander and see what was about. In all a pleasing 87 species were recorded for the day and whilst nothing was stunning there was plenty that made it more than worthwhile.


Hunstanton Dawn

Hunstanton common gull on a frosty morning

A 7.00a.m. start to proceedings at Hunstanton Cliffs gave a good view of a common gull (above) along with a quick shot of an out to sea fulmar as well as land based birds such as goldfinches, pied wagtails and a selection of gulls.

Spot the black headed gull

knot and sanderling

Knot (and sanderling)

Knot

Sanderling

brambling

early morning Titchwell

A short drive found me as the only person at Titchwell RSPB  reserve. Super birds were seen, including: water rail, brambling (below) siskin, a surprise little stint mingling with dunlin west of the footpath, spotted redshanks. However, upon reaching the beach I primarily noted the smell of rotting shellfish! Millions of razorshells had been washed up in a strong tide and now, cleaned by gulls were rotting away, much to the pleasure of 1000's of knots, 100's sanderlings and 10's of turnstones.
A jay was also witnessed balancing upon the feeders near the visitors' centre

jay on feeder

However, the highlight for me was coming across a fairly common bird that offered an opportunity for a reasonable snap. A spotted redshank with reflections, courtesy of the good light.

Spotted redshank

same bird




redshank for comparison. Note short bill.
 

Having covered most of Titchwell Reserve, adding whooper swan, black tailed godwit, 30+ avocets, ruff, a single guillemot (distant over the sea) pintail, grey plover etc, I left for Choseley drying barns. Here, 12 corn buntings, numerous house sparrows, yellowhammers and chaffinches were noted before a quick stop at Holkham for Great spotted woodpecker and another spotted redshank.
Then onto Cley, where I renewed my membership and enjoyed some pastry in the shape of a Cornish pasty along with the obligatory double espresso. On the reserve I noted a few new birds for the day (pochard, bar tailed godwit, marsh harrier and starling) before a walk along the East Bank to Arnold's. Here were plenty of waders with ringed plover being a new one for the day. A little grebe was also noted in a drain ditch. However, some good opportunities to photo a little egret were on offer, if you didn't mind crawling through reeds!

Then, on to the car park where a purple sandpiper was feeding near the Eye Pool. I have never seen one of these feeding in a field, its usual habitat being rocks close to breaking waves. Whilst here, I popped up on to the sea defence to check towards Blakeney and found a long tailed duck in one of the channels. At this point I met a few folk who had been to some of my RSPB  talks, so good to catch up with them.
After this, I whizzed around to Salthouse beach car park. The regular turnstones didn't move for anybody, offering close up photos. Whilst here, I also recorded a flock of mobile snow bunting and over the dunes, a single shore lark, heading towards the Muckleborough collection and Weybourne.

confiding turnstone

late afternoon looking back towards Salthouse

After this, with light fading, I thought a quick wander around Kelling Heath would give up a few birds. A dartford warbler was heard whilst kestrel, fieldfare and redwing were added to the list.
A super day.

Kelling Heath sunset
 

Finally, a few random photos of other birds where the photos worked. Good for folk who are trying to sort out tricky waders in flight, plus a few extras.

mainly golden plovers

What can you see here?

Not too friendly!

Chapel Lane wander

Wonderful weather today, clear blue sky and temperatures pushing into double figures. Time for a woodland based walk. Consequently, up Chapel Lane and along wooded footpaths to Westland Green and return via the golf course. Plenty of buzzards about, with 3 seen soaring over Valley Fields.

3 common buzzards west of Little Hadham

A nuthatch called from the top of a dead tree (below) whilst the wispy sound of a treecreeper could be heard, but not found. A welcome patch of snowdrops brightened the verge and male great spotted woodpecker drummed its territorial call. Over to the north of Chapel Lane 2 little owls could be seen roosting in the oaks; their usual haunt and there appeared to be signs that a barn owl had roosted in the tree where it nested last year.

Nuthatch

spot the nuthatch

super snowdrops.

 

Over the golf course a couple of green woodpeckers were digging about and a few lesser black backed gulls flew south, heading to their Amwell nature reserve roost for the night. The photos being a testimony to the good light and clear sky.

More pale brindled beauties

Only moths, once again were 4 pale brindled beauties. However, of interest was the first of the form monacharia. In London about 60% of p.b. beauties are of this form but this proportion drops markedly in the rural south east. In the north west is makes up the majority of the numbers trapped. The usual Hertfordshire form shown below, along with an unusual flight head on view.

Warmer evening

With a rise in night time temperatures, I switched the moth trap on; more in hope than expectation. However, I was rewarded with 2 early arriving pale brindled beauties. Nothing else put in an appearance. The two are shown here, displaying variations in markings and colour. However, the 4 blotches on the edge of the wing are clearly visible and a good indicator to species. Only other parish moth record was a dotted border, found on the pub wall Tuesday night. First of the year.

Walk around East of the parish

A wander around Cradle End, Millfield Lane and Brick Kiln Hill this morning may well qualify as the least successful birding walk for quite a while. Snow had fallen over night and was still falling in useless flurries but the temperature was warm and so more slush than snow.

footpath near Cradle End

corner of Stocking Wood

Green Street pheasant under garden feeder

Bird list in total for 4 miles of walking: great tit, blackbird, jackdaw, carrion crow, jay, magpie, blue tit, greenfinch, wood pigeon, pheasant and 30+ fieldfares.

Barn Owls

An afternoon wander gave good, if distant, views of the resident barn owls. I have observed these for over 2 years and they have remained faithful to the same treehole throughout. I needed a load of pellets for some forthcoming science shows in local schools and today the owls supplied me with over 25. All good size, so plenty of fun for the children next week.

 

Other birds of note:  a wren and fieldfares. No birds at all on the local waters, maybe a sign of the forecasted weather for later this week and early next. No coots, mallards etc. Very strange to find all the ponds totally devoid of waterfowl.

Walk back from town

A wander back through Cradle End, Green Street and Millfield Lane gave views of only regular birds: long tailed tit, goldfinch, yellowhammer, corvids etc + 15 fieldfare. However, a quick check on the River Ash gave great views of what I had hoped for, a grey wagtail. The conditions of this habitat were perfect so a bird I expected to see. A wait of ten minutes was all that was required before this stunning male arrived. Shallow river, exposed vegetation and mud, just what this species requires.

A new bird for the year.

Quiet in the garden

All very quiet in the garden this week with only a few moths due to the low temperatures and regular frost. Tonight, just another pale brindled beauty, albeit an immaculate specimen, probably just emerged.

Also of note, a cock pheasant appears to be a regular visitor, seen here searching around under the bird feeders for seeds.

 

 

Finally, a correction on the recently reported Agonopterix sp. Now thought to be the common, but new for the garden, Agonopterix heracliana.