Tuesday 5 January 2016

2016 year list: 05.01.16

Only 2 sessions of birding, on the 3rd a brief walk around the parish and then yesterday, North Norfolk. As usual, I have no targets for a year list, but always happy to pass 200 species in a year. Last year 204 and in 2014 223, both lists contained good birds such as glossy ibis, little bittern, osprey and spectacled warbler. Whilst not a twitcher in my terms, I do visit rare birds if I happen to be in the area for a day's birding e.g. a day in Norfolk and the spectacled warbler was still present after a week or so, therefore shame to miss out. I had planned a Norfolk day anyway on that occasion and not too fussed if the bird had left, as it did 3 days later.
Red Backed shrike: Winterton dunes 2014

  1. red throated diver (Titchwell)
  2. slavonian grebe (Dungeness)
  3. little grebe (Wells Next the Sea)
  4. great crested grebe (Dungeness)
  5. gannet (West Runton)
  6. cormorant (Titchwell)
  7. little egret (Titchwell)
  8. grey heron (Titchwell)
  9. mute swan (Titchwell)
  10. bean goose tundra (Salthouse)
  11. pink footed goose (Holkham)
  12. greylag goose (Titchwell)
  13. canada goose (Burnham Overy Staithe)
  14. barnacle goose (Dungeness)
  15. brent goose (Titchwell)
  16. shelduck (Titchwell)
  17. mallard (Titchwell)
  18. gadwall (Titchwell)
  19. pintail (Oare Marshes)
  20. shoveler
  21. wigeon
  22. teal (All above: Titchwell)
  23. pochard (Dungeness)
  24. red crested pochard (Lackford Lakes)
  25. common scoter (Titchwell)
  26. goldeneye ( Titchwell)
  27. smew (Dungeness)
  28. red breasted merganser (Titchwell)
  29. red kite (Well Next the Sea harbour)
  30. marsh harrier (Titchwell)
  31. common buzzard (Little Hadham)
  32. kestrel (Little Hadham)
  33. sparrowhawk (Bishop's Stortford)
  34. peregrine falcon (Titchwell)
  35. red legged partridge (Choseley)
  36. grey partridge (Holkham)
  37. pheasant (Little Hadham)
  38. moorhen (Titchwell)
  39. coot (Dungeness)
  40. oystercatcher
  41. avocet
  42. grey plover
  43. golden plover 
  44. lapwing
  45. sanderling (All above: Titchwell)
  46. purple sandpiper (Sheringham)
  47. turnstone (Titchwell)
  48. dunlin (Titchwell)
  49. green sandpiper (Lemsford HMWT Reserve)
  50. redshank
  51. black tailed godwit
  52. bar tailed godwit
  53. curlew (All above: Titchwell)
  54. whimbrel (Kelling Water Meadows)
  55. woodcock (Little Hadham)
  56. ruff
  57. black headed gull
  58. common gull
  59. herring gull
  60. lesser black backed gull
  61. great black backed gull (All above: Titchwell)
  62. glaucous gull (Salthouse)
  63. guillemot (West Runton)
  64. razorbill (Dungeness)
  65. wood pigeon (Little Hadham)
  66. Stock dove (Burnham Overy Staithe)
  67. collared dove (Little Hadham)
  68. tawny owl (Little Hadham)
  69. barn owl (Titchwell)
  70. Little owl (Little Hadham)
  71. kingfisher (Titchwell)
  72. green woodpecker (Little Hadham)
  73. Great spotted woodpecker (Little Hadham)
  74. skylark (Choseley)
  75. water pipit
  76. meadow pipit
  77. pied wagtail (All above: Titchwell)
  78. grey wagtail 
  79. wren
  80. dunnock 
  81. robin
  82. stonechat
  83. redwing
  84. fieldfare (All above: Little Hadham)
  85. song thrush
  86. mistle thrush (Both Titchwell)
  87. blackbird (Little Hadham)
  88. blackcap (Little Hadham)
  89. Dartford warbler (Kelling Water meadows)
  90. chiffchaff (Titchwell)
  91. cetti's warbler (Titchwell)
  92. goldcrest 
  93. great tit
  94. blue tit
  95. coal tit (All Little Hadham)
  96. marsh tit (Titchwell)
  97. long tailed tit 
  98. nuthatch 
  99. treecreeper 
  100. magpie
  101. jay
  102. jackdaw
  103. carrion crow
  104. rook
  105. starling
  106. house sparrow (All above: Little Hadham)
  107. tree sparrow (Dungeness)
  108. chaffinch  Little Hadham)
  109. brambling (Titchwell)
  110. linnet (Titchwell)
  111. goldfinch (Little Hadham)
  112. greenfinch (Little Hadham)
  113. siskin (North Creake)
  114. bullfinch (Little Hadham)
  115. reed bunting (Titchwell)
  116. lapland bunting (Blakeney Freshmarsh)
  117. yellowhammer (Choseley)
  118. corn bunting (Choseley)
updated: 14.03.16


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This is me

This is me
At the end of another Norfolk Coastal footpath walk. 47 miles, 3 days 99 species of bird. September 2009

Caley Wood view

Caley Wood view
sunshine through the canopy 29.05.08

A walk along the Warta Valley, Poznan, Poland. Feb 2007

A walk along the Warta Valley, Poznan, Poland. Feb 2007
Best birds on this walk: black and middle spotted woodpecker and short toed treecreeper

About Me

My photo
A primary school teacher for 30 years, I retired from teaching in July 2009 to set up my own science enhancement and communication company. The Primary Works offers science clubs, workshops and staged science shows nationwide. I have always been interested in bird watching since my early years. Apparently my first tick was after inquiring about a chaffinch and then receiving the Observer book of birds. By the age of 9 I had moved on to Tory Peterson's collins guide and was now involved on YOC birding holidays to Northumbria, Essex coast, Slimbridge and Yorkshire. My twitching rule is that I will willingly travel 1km for each gram the bird weighs. However, I have had many rarities just by being in the right place. I have travelled widely throughout Europe and also visited Australia and Sri Lanka. In 2016 I spent time at Portland Bird Obs and two trips to Aviero, Portugal. 2017 found me back in Sri Lanka in Feb/March, then July and back for New Year's Eve celebrations in December. Also returned to The Camargue in May for a 4 day trip. Few plans for 2018, but nothing yet booked apart from a trip to the IOW.

Grey heron

Grey heron
Over the allotment 28.09.08

Southern Hawker

Southern Hawker
Ridge footpath 27.08.08

Juvenile green woodpecker (17.08.08)

Juvenile green woodpecker (17.08.08)
Note the stripes, denoting a bird fledged this year.

common blue

common blue
Ash Valley G.C. 15.08.08

Indian balsam (impatiens glandulifera)

Indian balsam (impatiens glandulifera)
River Ash

azure damselfly

azure damselfly
River Ash 28.07.08

marbled white

marbled white
Discovered at Westland Green 22.07.08

ruddy darter

ruddy darter
Bush Wood 21.07.08

honeysuckle 19.07.08

honeysuckle 19.07.08
growing in hedgerow in Chapel Lane

cinnabar moth caterpillar

cinnabar moth caterpillar
Photographed on ragwort 19.07.08

Bittersweet

Bittersweet
Study of petals 11.06.08

male yellowhammer

male yellowhammer
08.06.08

common blue butterfly

common blue butterfly
06.06.08

River Ash

River Ash
looking south from the bridge at Hadham Ford

Common poppy (papaver rhoeas)

Common poppy (papaver rhoeas)
in rape field 29.05.08

Caley Wood sunshine

Caley Wood sunshine
29.05.08

Millenium Wood fox

Millenium Wood fox
24.05.08

common comfrey (symphytum officinale)

common comfrey (symphytum officinale)
06.05.08 banks of the River Ash

Garlic Mustard or Jack by the Hedge,(Alliara petiolata)

Garlic Mustard or Jack by the Hedge,(Alliara petiolata)
flowers, leaves and fruit edible . Good in salad and pesto

April showers

April showers
Double rainbow 30.04.08

Caley Wood bluebells

Caley Wood bluebells
22.04.08

Yellow Archangel

Yellow Archangel
Chapel Lane (20.04.08)

sunlight 16.04.08

sunlight 16.04.08
looking south west from Bush Wood

snowy buds

snowy buds
06.04.08 in Bush Wood

Looking north west

Looking north west
05.04.08 evening shower approaching

Back Garden

Back Garden
Easter Sunday (23.03.08)

Brick Kiln Hill

Brick Kiln Hill
Looking east (23.03.08)

No play today

No play today
The 2nd hole at Ash Valley golf course

Teasel head

Teasel head
Bush Wood (21.03.08)

Reflections

Reflections
daffodils at Bush Wood pond (21.03.08)

Swollen River Ash

Swollen River Ash
The river at the bottom of Winding Hill 16.03.08

Daybreak over the chapel

Daybreak over the chapel
Thursday 13th March

Wild daffodils (narcissus pseudonarcissus)

Wild daffodils (narcissus pseudonarcissus)
growing in Bush Wood

January snowdrops

January snowdrops
Banks of River Ash, north of Much Hadham

Good Moon

Good Moon
From garden 24.01.08

Village Green

Village Green
Looking east towards Acremore Street

Looking south before Hadham Ford

Looking south before Hadham Ford
rare January blue sky

Useful sites

The following are some useful websites that may interest readers of this blog.
Firstly, Bishop's Stortford Natural History Society http://bsnhs.webplus.net/

Fellow birder, Gary Whelan's blog. Gives reports from our trips out together plus reports from his trips abroad. http://hairybirders.blogspot.co.uk
http://www.hertsbirdclub.org.uk/ The official herts bird club website. Frequently updated, listing bird sightings around the county. Offers links to many other websites. Both of these sites also offer links to yahoo discussion groups.
http://www.birdforum.net/ An international site. You can enter as a guest but become a member( free) to post comments, bird sightings and just about anything to do with wild birds. Good news updates, classified section for binoculars, cameras etc.
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com/ A new site set up where you can contact people worldwide who will help you find good birds in their country. UK section being set up presently.
http://www.britainsbirder.co.uk/
Fellow birders blog. Strtford resident, Graeme Smith regulary birds the area south of Stortford as well as around Spellbrook and the River Stort from Spellbrook to Twyford Locks. Some superb bird photography: Graeme uses a digital camera attached to his powerful telescope to get detailled images of the birds he sees. Well worth a browse.
Two local sites that may be of interest can be found at
http://www.thehadhams.com/ www.thepelhams.net/content/section/12/139/

South Easterly walk

South Easterly walk
black, normal, red extended walk

South Westerly route.

South Westerly route.
Black usual, red extended

North Easterly walk

North Easterly walk
black short, walk. Red, extended

North West Patch

North West Patch
black route regular. Red route the extended wander