Little Hadham Birding: Afternoon at Amwell and Rye Meads Reserves

Drake pochard

Set off for Amwell at lunch time. Grey and a tad nippy but plenty of birds from the Viewing Point. 100's of swallows over the water and mixed in with these were several Sand martins, House martins and my first Swifts of the year. I tried to get some flight shots but the light was just too poor for a high shutter speed.

Roosting on the mud were 8 Common terns, another year lister whilst everywhere were gulls, mainly Black headed but a few Common, Herring and Lesser Black Backed mixed in with them.

Off to the James Hide but only a pair of nesting Canada geese so onwards to the White Hide. More gulls, Grey heron and Cormorants.

I headed back to the Viewing Point where a pair of Little Ringed plovers arrived. Then decided to try the hides at Rye Meads, just down the road.

Common tern

Common tern and 2nd CY Common gull

Herring gull

Flyby Mallard drake

2nd CY Common gull

Swift

Inquisitive Robin

Lesser black backed gull

Cormorants

Cormorant

Common tern

Arrived at Rye Meads and grabbed a coffee before heading to the Draper Hide. Here, a pair of Little ringed plover, gulls and wildfowl so took the seasonal trail around to the bust Kingfisher Hub. No sign of the star attraction in the 20 minutes I was present. Day old coots, Reed bunting, Kestrel and Gadwall all noted, though.

Around to the Tern Hide where pochard were diving and then a check on the reed bed from the Ashby Hide. At first, a very distant female Kingfisher in a willow that then came to the reeds to check for fish before heading back to the willow and lost from view. Few poor record shots below.

Species list for the day: