Flying Sri Lankan Visit

Last Friday 17th I set off on the night flight Heathrow to Colombo and then train to Galle, arriving there mid afternoon Saturday.
The reason was distribute some much needed funds that Wendy and I had raised for the villagers of tsunami hit village of Mahamodara.
Our main plan had been to buy a tuk tuk for one beleaguered family and this was duly delivered on Monday 20th. Superb to see as I handed it to Raja so that he can make a worthwhile, albeit small income from the vehicle.

Bird wise, my time was so limited that I just had local wanders. The only new bird for me was in the last hour before getting the train back to Colombo. I took one last walk to the beach and overhead, 2 red billed tropicbirds. This was indeed a bird I have wanted to see on the previous 3 trips but it has alluded me. A rare but regular sea passage bird. Needless to say, on this last walk, all my camera kit was packed, so no photos as this magnificent bird swooped low overhead, highlighted by perfect blue sky!!!
The rest were nevertheless pleasing to see. I could only manage to get out at first and last light, which did not lend itself to super sharp photos. However: a few here of common residents species found within half a mile of the house I was put up in.

rose ringed parakeet

white breasted waterhen

Black drongo

brown headed barbet

young red wattled lapwing

red wattled lapwing

peacock, new bird for this small site

cattle egret

yellow billed babbler

Loten's sunbird

strangely posing cattle egret coming into breeding plumage

suspected oriental garden lizard

purple rumped sunbird

locals call this black monkey

greater coucal

brown pelican in Colombo. Suspect introduced species so not a Sri Lankan tick for me

I returned from this quick trip and bit of an understatement to say, I felt pretty under the weather. Last Saturday, admitted to the local hospital with Dengue Fever. This is a mosquito borne tropical disease known as breakbone fever as dehydration is so complete, all the joints in the body become dry and increasingly painful. Intravenous rehydration and intravenous paracetamol often need to be administered along with a heavy clout of penicillin. Now on the mend although still very sore. Lucky, as worse symptoms include need for blood transfusion, life threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever or potentially fatal dengue shock syndrome where there is a rapid drop in blood pressure!!
There is no vaccine and whilst I am now immune to one of the 5 possible types, it does mean if I contract one of the 4 others, it could possibly be far more serious, so need to be careful on future trips to rain forests etc.

Amwell and Local 14.04.15

An early start for Amwell Reserve some 8 miles away, leaving before 6.30a.m. I was heading off to see if the bluethroat that had been discovered the previous day had stayed overnight. It hadn't, but a wonderful morning, with a cracking sunrise through mist that hung to the water of Great Hardmead Lake. pair of snipe, 2 redshanks and a pair of oystercatchers were noted along with the regular Amwell birds. I left about 30 birders still on site, but no positive news was issued for the rest of the day. I knew I should have found time to pop along on the Monday evening, when it showed, albeit, briefly.

Amwell sunrise

snipe

early morning redshank

little egret

little egret

female reed bunting

Today, I popped over to see of the trio of owls were showing in the sunlight and warmth. Car thermometer read 24.5C this afternoon! Indeed, the 3 owls were present. I rigged up some camouflage barrier and crawled a little closer than beforehand, without disturbing the owls. I was still 100metres distant and they were happy to remain in place. Close enough for a few sharper record shots.
a family of 4 mute swans and 3 drake mallards were on the lagoon, with 2 swallows feeding overhead. Blackcaps and chiffchaffs called from the blackthorn hedge as a solitary yellowhammer called from further afield.
In the distance, 2 fallow deer. I tried to stalk these, getting a little closer but nowhere near enough for a good shot. These here are blurred by heat haze. As I turned to go back into the hedge for cover, I noted the white hart was with them, but gone into thick woodland before I could fire off a worthwhile shot. All in all, a successful wander.

roach in Hadham Hall moat. Large shoal here, today

Good neighbours

From a little further away

Closer crop

Fallow deer

100th moth

A set of 4 moths in the trap this morning: Emmelina monodactyla, small and common Quaker and, the 100th moth for the year, an Early grey, shown here.
Very slow for moths this year. By this date last year I had taken 193 moths of 23 species whereas this year 102 moths of only 11 species!

Amwell visit

A late afternoon, early evening visit to Herts and Middlesex Reserve at Amwell. 3 little ringed plovers were evident from the watchpoint along with a solitary redshank. One of the LRP's saw off a snipe but the rest were as per normal: shoveler, tufted duck, drake pochards, great crested grebe, 2 little egrets, grey herons, gulls (mainly BHG and common,) 40+ cormorants, teal, gadwall etc
The barn owl had not put in an appearance by the time I left around 7.30, but by then the light was too poor for a really worthwhile photo. A blackcap was heard near the level crossing and 3 swallows noted heading north overhead.

displaying lapwing

LRP and moorhen

little ringed plover

2 of the 3 that were present

LRP and redshank

Failing light for photos

2nd part of Village Spring Survey

Having covered the east and north of the parish yesterday, recording 40 species of birds, I set off this morning to search the westerly area. In the process I added; canada goose ( 2 over), coal tit, lapwing (1 over), teal (4th parish record) kestrel, linnet, little owl, song thrush and mandarin to take the total to an impressive 49 species. Also on offer, another resident barn owl checked and found to be present. This old boy has lived in his tree hole for over 6 years and lost his mate in 2011 when she was killed by a car early one morning. His offspring still inhabit the next parish to the west. He is now getting a little grey and tired, spending much time watching the world go by from his favoured tree.
The mandarin are free flying birds that crop up all over the parish, but favour a flooded gravel pit where there is plenty of fallen willows for them to roost and nest. Here, too was the pair of teal, a new bird for this site. Nuthatches were at nest holes whilst coal tits were in the local firs. Still no goldcrests to see.
A walk over the golf course failed to provide a hoped for wheatear, a regular haunt for them on spring migration. Maybe tomorrow? A dawn chorus walk over this patch on Sunday morning may provide a sighting.
Butterflies were even more evident than yesterday: 20+ small tortoiseshells, 6 peacocks and 2 brimstone males.

Aging barn owl at his tree. Been present for 6+ years here.

2 flyover canada geese. Not a regular village sight

white dead nettle (lamium alba)

red version of cowslip. (garden escape?)

one of over 20 small tortoiseshells seen this morning

mandarin drake at Westland Green

2nd walk of the day

After lunch I checked out the area east and north of Hadham Hall. The 2 barn owls and tawny owl were both in residence again, in the same tree and a pied wagtail got on to the day list, as did coot and moorhen, taking the list to a total of 39 species.
Following this I popped over to Millennium Wood, where the 2 resident buzzards were aerial and 2 chiffchaffs called. The highlight of this visit was a first sight and sound for the year. A very dark silhouette shown here.

good bed of wood anemone

Hadham Hall heron

common dog violet

goldfinch

wood anemone

lesser celandine with accompanying pollen beetles

ground ivy

coltsfoot

male blackcap