Yearly Review. Part 1. January - March

An overview of the main interest for 2013.

January:
A brief respite from the snowy conditions, whilst remaining cold gave me the opportunity to get around the village on several occasions, ticking off regular patch birds for the new year list. Nothing particularly noteworthy until, bang. On the 17th I headed out in icy conditions to the irrigation lake near Hadham Hall. It was partially iced and I immediately clocked my 100th bird species for the parish: a pair of wigeon.

The drake shown here. This was a big moment as I had been stranded on 99 species for 34 months, the previous bird being a gaggle of greylags over. I spent a while trying to improve on the photos but the birds were flighty. A record shot, as shown here, sufficed.
On the 11th I headed off to Kent for a day at Dungeness before heading to Sandwich Bay bird obs where I was booked to give a presentation on my local patch. At Dunge, I ticked great white egret and great northern diver, along with regular auks and seabirds. After staying the night at the bird obs, I birded the beach with Ian the warden, ticking snow bunting and dartford warbler.

On the 26th a flying visit to Therfield Heath near Royston gave brief flyover views of the overwintering great grey shrike, which I returned to in February for a few distant photos.
Moth wise: pale brindled beauty, winter moth and this spring usher were the only trapees at my Skinner trap in the garden.

On one of my snow walks I came across these two foxes and managed a few village shots. The one here showing Brick Kiln Hill opposite our local hostelry and the Lane where we live.

February:
The weather remained frequently snowy as February began. On the 8th I came across my first grey wagtail of the year just 200 yards from home, on the banks of the River Ash. Also, a check on the irrigation lagoon some 2 miles away gave views of both the barn owls that remained at this roost throughout the winter.

Another visit to Therfield, with birding mate Gary, gave better views, if still distant of the long staying Great grey shrike. Good selection of finches with 100's of linnets as well as a fine array of birds of prey.

My first Norfolk visit of the year was on the 18th, recording a pleasing 87 species for the day which boosted my year list to 120 by the end of the month. At Titchwell beach there had been a particularly high tide and consequently 10,000's of razorfish had been washed up. This offered a great opportunity for some decent wader shots. Here, knot and sanderling, with, also, a particularly fine little egret.

Village wise, I kept wandering along the 65 miles of footpaths within the parish, These 3 common buzzards were a great sight. In the garden moth trap, the new addition to the year list was this Early moth.

 

 A bird I have yet to see within the parish is a brambling. I have heard reports of them but when I have visited the site I have missed them, or just seen chaffinches. I'm sure I'll get one soon, but as yet, they remain elusive.
This photo taken at Titchwell on the 18th Feb.

March:
A month where we continued to have light smatterings of snow, but plenty of warmer days and nights. I spent the whole month checking the parish for first signs of spring and was rewarded with a few good birds, although nothing new for the village list. I completed over 9 survey days, covering the whole parish.
On the 15th I got only my 2nd record of lapwing, with a solitary bird over, heading to Amwell perhaps. Also, these 2 yellowhammers got onto the village year list.

The moth trap was slowly becoming a little busier, with both hebrew character (top) and March moth being trapped on the 16th.

On the 18th a check through local woods to the west of the parish gave me my 3rd record of lesser redpoll, whilst the 19th gave up my first new moth species for the garden, a grey shoulder knot. This took my garden total to 254 species. I began recording in June 2011.

 

On the 30th of the month I was driving home as the light faded only to watch a barn owl fly out in front of the car some 200 yards from home. I popped back with the camera to find this bird had returned to a roost used for the previous 2 years. I had checked this place several times without success, so particularly pleased to find it still present.

Finally, on the 31st I undertook a long walk covering some 18 miles. I recorded 38 species of bird including first red kite for the year as well as two flyby mandarins, again 1st for the year and finally my first spring migrant; this splendid chiffchaff. Also, a reasonably confiding treecreeper was noted, shown here, busily hunting the crevices of the bark.

April - June to follow.