A great start to a Friday, albeit cold. A hot coffee at the Silver Ball cafe on the A10 brought feeling back to hands and faces.
Friday, 22 February 2013
Therfield Heath
An early start found me at the Prince Of Wales for Gary before 7a.m. A short drive to Therfield Heath, parking at Royston rugby club before a wander up to the Icknield Way to try and photo the Great Grey Shrike. Kestrel, common buzzard and mistle thrush noted as we walked up the slopes. After a half hour fruitless search, we heard great tit alarm calls and turned round to find the GGS at the top of a tree. Some record shots before it flew off to alight on the power lines. After this it disappeared into a thick hedge and out of view. A few shots here, distant and in poor light.
Other birds of note were common buzzard (2+,) a very distant circling red kite (photo 4 looking toward Duckpuddle Farm) a distant hen harrier over conifers at Grey's Farm, a solitary brambling over and good numbers of chaffinches, yellowhammers, black headed gulls and winter thrushes, predominantly fieldfares, goldfinches, a flock of 75+ linnets and a couple of wrens.
A great start to a Friday, albeit cold. A hot coffee at the Silver Ball cafe on the A10 brought feeling back to hands and faces.
A great start to a Friday, albeit cold. A hot coffee at the Silver Ball cafe on the A10 brought feeling back to hands and faces.
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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
sunshine through the canopy 29.05.08
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
- Jono Forgham
- 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
Over the allotment 28.09.08
Southern Hawker
Ridge footpath 27.08.08
Juvenile green woodpecker (17.08.08)
Note the stripes, denoting a bird fledged this year.
common blue
Ash Valley G.C. 15.08.08
Indian balsam (impatiens glandulifera)
River Ash
azure damselfly
River Ash 28.07.08
marbled white
Discovered at Westland Green 22.07.08
ruddy darter
Bush Wood 21.07.08
honeysuckle 19.07.08
growing in hedgerow in Chapel Lane
cinnabar moth caterpillar
Photographed on ragwort 19.07.08
Bittersweet
Study of petals 11.06.08
male yellowhammer
08.06.08
common blue butterfly
06.06.08
River Ash
looking south from the bridge at Hadham Ford
Common poppy (papaver rhoeas)
in rape field 29.05.08
Caley Wood sunshine
29.05.08
Millenium Wood fox
24.05.08
common comfrey (symphytum officinale)
06.05.08 banks of the River Ash
Garlic Mustard or Jack by the Hedge,(Alliara petiolata)
flowers, leaves and fruit edible . Good in salad and pesto
April showers
Double rainbow 30.04.08
Caley Wood bluebells
22.04.08
Yellow Archangel
Chapel Lane (20.04.08)
sunlight 16.04.08
looking south west from Bush Wood
snowy buds
06.04.08 in Bush Wood
Looking north west
05.04.08 evening shower approaching
Back Garden
Easter Sunday (23.03.08)
Brick Kiln Hill
Looking east (23.03.08)
No play today
The 2nd hole at Ash Valley golf course
Teasel head
Bush Wood (21.03.08)
Reflections
daffodils at Bush Wood pond (21.03.08)
Swollen River Ash
The river at the bottom of Winding Hill 16.03.08
Daybreak over the chapel
Thursday 13th March
Wild daffodils (narcissus pseudonarcissus)
growing in Bush Wood
January snowdrops
Banks of River Ash, north of Much Hadham
Good Moon
From garden 24.01.08
Village Green
Looking east towards Acremore Street
Looking south before Hadham Ford
rare January blue sky
South Easterly walk
black, normal, red extended walk
South Westerly route.
Black usual, red extended
North Easterly walk
black short, walk. Red, extended
North West Patch
black route regular. Red route the extended wander
2 comments:
Hi Jono,
I had the Shrike at 11:00 in the hedge east of the Icknield Way (TL352394). It was there again in virtually the same place at 15:30 with excellent views down to 30 yards. Otherwise, comparatively quiet against previous visits, although a 6 mile circular walk up to Therfield and back to the car park via the Herfordshire Way, produced a male Stonechat at the rifle range (TL325382), something that has become quite scarce in recent times.
Mike Oakland
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the comment. GGS was indeed showing well. My mate, Gary had a photo on the Herts bird website. Good supporting cast, too although too distant for the camera. Stonechat always a good bird to see. As a teenager living in Hitchin in the early 70's I used to bird Therfield regularly. Quail, dotterel and stone curlew were regular sightings!! Seem to recall breeding stone curlew, too.
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