Sunday 27 January 2019

2019 Bird Year List updated 19.03.19

Following several local walks for my Bishop's Stortford Independent fortnightly column and a trip to a very cold North Norfolk I thought it was time to kickstart my 2019 year list of all the birds I have seen this year.
Bullfinch: Wells Next The Sea harbour, feeding on sea buckthorn

Black headed gull: Brancaster harbour

  1. Red throated diver: Holkham beach
  2. Black throated diver: Titchwell
  3. Great Northern Diver: Holkham beach
  4. Black necked grebe: Holkham beach
  5. Little Grebe: Bishop's Stortford
  6. Great crested grebe: Cambridge/Waterbeach
  7. Gannet: Cley beach
  8. Cormorant: Cley beach
  9. Little egret: Cley NWT
  10. Grey heron: Holkham
  11. Mute swan: River Stort
  12. Whooper swan: near Ely in fields
  13. Pink footed goose: Holkham
  14. Greylag goose: Trimms Green
  15. Canada goose: Holkham
  16. Brent goose: Warham Greens
  17. Shelduck: Titchwell
  18. Egyptian goose: Holkham
  19. Mallard: River Stort
  20. Gadwall: Titchwell
  21. Pintail: Titchwell
  22. Shoveler: Titchwell
  23. Wigeon: Holkham
  24. Teal: Titchwell
  25. Pochard: Titchwell
  26. Tufted duck: Fuller's End
  27. Eider: Titchwell
  28. Common scoter: Titchwell
  29. Velvet scoter: Cley beach
  30. Red kite: Little Hadham 
  31. Marsh harrier: Cley
    Red kite: Holkham
  32. Common buzzard: Little Hadham
  33. Sparrowhawk: Thorley Wash
  34. Kestrel: Little Hadham
  35. Red legged partridge: Little Hadham
  36. Grey partridge: Little Hadham
  37. pheasant: garden
  38. Water rail: Titchwell
  39. Moorhen: River Stort
  40. Coot: Titchwell
  41. Oystercatcher: Titchwell
  42. Avocet: Titchwell
  43. Ringed plover: Titchwell
  44. Grey plover: Titchwell
  45. Golden plover: Titchwell
  46. Lapwing: Amwell
  47. Sanderling: Titchwell
  48. Turnstone: Titchwell
  49. Dunlin: Cley NWT
  50. Redshank: Titchwell
  51. Black tailed godwit: Titchwell
  52. Bar tailed godwit: Titchwell
  53. Curlew: Titchwell
  54. Woodcock: Millennium Wood
  55. Black headed gull: Little Hadham
  56. Common gull: Sheringham
  57. Herring gull: Little Hadham
  58. Lesser black backed gull: Little Hadham
  59. Great black backed gull: Cley
  60. Guillemot: Cley beach 
    Curlew: Thornham harbour
  61. Wood pigeon: Little Hadham
  62. Collared dove: Little Hadham
  63. Tawny owl: Much Hadham
  64. Barn Owl: Little Hadham
  65. Little Owl: Green Tye
  66. Kingfisher: River Stort
  67. Green woodpecker: Little Hadham
  68. Great spotted woodpecker: Little Hadham
  69. Skylark: Tye Green
  70. Shore lark: Holkham beach
    Shore lark: Holkham beach 
  71. Water pipit: Titchwell
  72. Meadow pipit: Cley
  73. Pied Wagtail: Bishop's Storford
  74. Grey wagtail: Little Hadham
  75. Wren: Garden
  76. Dunnock: garden
  77. Robin: garden
  78. Song Thrush: Bishop's Stortford
  79. Mistle Thrush: Bishop's Storford
  80. Redwing: Little Hadham
  81. Fieldfare: Little Hadham
  82. Blackbird: Garden
  83. Chiffchaff: River Stort
  84. Goldcrest: Hadham Hall
  85. Great tit: Garden
  86. Blue Tit: Garden
  87. Coal Tit: Garden
  88. Marsh Tit: Fuller's End
  89. Long tailed tit: Garden
  90. Nuthatch: Turner's Spring EWT Reserve
  91. Treecreeper: Little Hadham
  92. Magpie: Garden
  93. Jay: Little Hadham
  94. Jackdaw: Garden
  95. Rook: Little Hadham
  96. Carrion Crow: Little Hadham
  97. Starling: garden
  98. House sparrow: Little Hadham
  99. Chaffinch: garden
  100. Brambling: Titchwell
  101. Linnet: Thornham harbour
  102. Twite: Thornham Harbour
  103. Goldfinch: Garden
  104. Greenfinch: Fuller's End
  105. Siskin: River Stort
  106. Bullfinch: Wells Next the Sea
  107. Reed bunting: Thorley Wash HMWT
  108. Snow bunting: Holkham beach
  109. Raven: Little Hadham
  110. Peregrine falcon: Bishop's Stortford
  111. Smew: Amwell
  112. Siskin: Bishop's Stortford
  113. Goldeneye: Amwell
  114. Mediterranean Gull (Titchwell)
  115. Wheatear (Cley, Eye Field)
  116. Rock pipit (Cley, East Bank)
Snow bunting: Salthouse beach/Gramborough Hill 2018
Teal: Titchwell RSPB Reserve
Barn owl at Holkham

Water rail: Titchwell
117. Sand martin (Amwell)
118. Little ringed plover (Amwell)
119. Willow warbler (Amwell)
120. Blackcap (Sawbridgeworth Marsh)
121. House martin (Amwell)
122. Swallow (Rushy Mead)

Blackcap singing at Amwell
Willow warbler (Amwell)
123. Common tern (Oare Marshes)
124. Whitethroat (Dungeness)
125. Sedge warbler (Dungeness)
126. Common crane (Denge Marsh)
127. Great skua (Dungeness)
128. Arctic skua (Dungeness)
129. Whimbrel (Dungeness)
130. Lesser whitethroat (AVGC)
131. Spotted flycatcher (Westland Green)
132 Garden Warbler (Cradle End)
133. Sandwich tern (Titchwell)
134. Stone curlew (Weeting Heath)
135. Swift (Little Hadham)
136 Cuckoo (Holme NWT Reserve)
137. Red crested pochard (Titchwell)
138. Hobby (Titchwell)

Little Ringed plover

Juvenile Marsh tit
pair of Stone curlew



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