Garden watch 26.01.10

A brief period keeping an eye on the garden feeders realised a good list of local birds along with a stranger. A male pheasant (shown here) was feeding on the wheat spilt from a feeder. Very pleased at this as it means I won't have a flowerbed resembling a wheat field in June. In all: great tit, blue tit, coal tit, blackbird, robin, jackdaw, collared dove, wood pigeon, goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch, dunnock, wren, house sparrow, redwing and fly over sparrow hawk, carrion crow and 3 black headed gulls. Not too bad for less than half an hour.

Ash Valley Golf course 23.01.10

A breezy and cold walk around the footpaths south west of The Ford. A reasonable selection of the resident winter birds were recorded with 8 lesser black backed gulls heading north. Several parties of long tailed tit were seen, good to see after the freeze. One party adjacent to the 2nd fairway numbered in excess of 15. A male bullfinch was also recorded in this area whilst 50 fieldfare and 35 redwings were discovered feeding on the par 3 course next to the club house. Distant photo here. Also depicted are a shot of the flooded footpath near the 2nd green and the River Ash, flowing with the recent melt water.

North of the A120 : 19.01.10

A walk to the lagoons around Hadham Hall gave little to view. A solitary grey heron in a field near Hadham Lodge was the best of a quiet wander. On the main lagoon, several canada geese had taken up residence along with 7 mallards, 1 mute swan and the 2 resident feral duck.
Several moorhens were on the ice free water in front of Hadham Hall. A common buzzard was observed, being mobbed by 2 carrion crows near the village hall. Poor light limited the photography, with a distant shot of the grey heron being shown here.

Strange garden visitor 10.01.10

Spent a hour watching and photographing garden birds at and around the feeder. A good garden bird was discovering a moorhen on the garden fence and pecking around under the seed feeders. Looked very out of place. A good garden list with song thrush (photographed) blue tit (photo) blackbird(photo) starling (photo) great tit, jackdaw, goldfinch, chaffinch, house sparrow, collared dove, robin (photo) wood pigeon, dunnock, greenfinch and coal tit (photo)

After this, a walk to The Bull and back at Much Hadham gave views of kestrel, sparrow hawk and common buzzard as well as magpie, green woodpecker and a marsh tit was heard near the River Ash.

Also, very many thanks to Sandra and John for inviting me around to view their garden visiting woodpecker. Although I only managed a brief glimpse I did manage to get a shot of long tailed tits at their feeder (see above). In all, 6 were present and good to see such numbers during this very cold snap.

To Tescos and back 07.01.10

A morning walk in good snow to the shops and back gave an opportunity to do a little cold weather birding. Nothing unusual was seen, but birds not seen were of interest. No sign of the redwing and fieldfare that have been prevalent for 6 weeks or so in large numbers (100+) Also, more worryingly, no long tailed tits. These tiny birds can be hit hard in cold weather and this prolonged spell may well have decreased the population markedly. Presumably the winter thrushes have moved south west in order to find better feeding grounds. I shall certainly keep an eye and ear open for local long tailed tit sightings. Green and great spotted woodpecker were seen, magpies, goldfinches and yellowhammers appeared to be everywhere.

I have received a report of a lesser spotted woodpecker visiting a village garden and hopefully shall get the opportunity to stake it out in the next few days.

Photos attached show a "Christmassy robin" (next year's Christmas card?), a female kestrel and views from around Brick Kiln Hill and Millfield Lane. The first view shows the village pub and Chapel Lane from the hill opposite.

Frosty and cold: 05.01.10

A first wander of the New Year, in minus temperatures, from Tesco's through Cradle End, Green Street, Millfield Lane and Hoecroft Lane. Usual bird sightings with highlights being 2 parties of bullfinches, both a male and female shown here near Cradle End. Also, plenty of goldfinch, greenfinch and yellowhammer activity near pheasant feeders. Jays and magpies argued along Hoecroft Lane and a great spotted woodpecker in Millennium Wood. The top photo shows a view from this wood, along with frost tinged oak leaves.A strutting cock pheasant also shown, along the footpath from Green Street to Millfield Lane.