Local Walk

Met up with Sawbridgeworth birder, John who was keen to have a look around Little Hadham, so, having met at Hadham Hall we headed east. Plenty of fieldfare, with occasional redwing over as we checked, successfully for the barn owl. On the filed further east, at least 200 fieldfare with plenty of starling whilst a lesser balck backed gull flew over. I mentioned that a white hart is sometimes seen in this area and within a minute, we found him to the north, showing a new pair of antlers, which gives his age to be 3 years old. A common buzzard left New Wood Spring and 2 more were seen later over Wickham Hall land. 3 partridges, presumed red legged ahead of us as we approached Bloodhounds Wood, before branching right over the field to Hadham Lodge
From here we continued south and under the A120. By now the wind had picked up speed, so little apart from corvids were in the air and very few birds noted on top of hedgerows. Yellowhammers called as we walked to Green Street, where a bullfinch called as we entered Millfield Lane. More yellowhammers in hedges around the polo fields along with at least 400 carrion crows and jackdaws feeding on the pitch here. A walk past Stone House Farm gave calling goldcrests before we arrived back, via Nut Walk, at Hadham Hall. Here, a sparrow hawk, male, flew low along the footpath. Not too much seen due to the gusty conditions, but nevertheless, a pleasant wander.

After a very windy night, I was surprised to find 2 moths at the trap, a satellite (shown below) and the dark form of mottled umber which flew before posing for a photo. These take my moth tally to 5890 records for the year. Maybe an hour or so in Millennium Wood tonight will help me pass 5900!

Satellite: so called because of the 2 smaller "satellites" around the larger white spot.

white hart

Pair of male yellowhammers in blackthorn

another cock yellowhammer