Another Thorley Wash Visit

As I was having Wendy's car cleaned at Spellbrook, I took the opportunity to spend a few hours again wandering along the River Stort to Thorley Wash Herts and Middlesex Reserve.

All very quiet on the bird front, with 2 kingfishers seen flying upriver, a skein of 18 mute swans over as well as a common buzzard and a cormorant. Very few birds actually within the boundaries of the reserve, long tailed, blue and great tits, wrens and robins and a relatively large count of 21 mallards flushed from the sedge.

great tit

strange shot of long tailed tit

wren

dunnock

flyby drake mallard

teasels

On the River Stort Navigation, 3 little grebe, more mallard and several moorhens. A nuthatch called from Wallbury and 2 great spotted woodpeckers flew over as a green woodpecker was observed in a tree.
I spent time scanning the large oaks where lesser spotted woodpecker used to overwinter between 2005 - 2007 but no sign, just good numbers of long tailed tits.

moorhen

little grebe

I also spent time scanning the whole area from the red bridge but no stonechat, reed bunting or snipe were noted. Need a cold snap to bring these, and perhaps a water rail into the area.

River Stort Navigation, looking north

reflections

Norfolk: Grey but good.

Another early pick up in Bishop's Stortford before setting off to North Norfolk. Gary and I had to stop at a petrol station near Ely as I was being interviewed by BBC 3 Counties radio about Little Hadham. Once this was completed we continued, refreshed by our first coffee of the day.
Our first destination was Titchwell Reserve as some good birds had been reported on the sea. We arrived in grey light, too poor for photography but after searching the water we found several red throated divers and a great northern diver (a lifer for Gary.)  A most confiding black headed gull joined us at the broken pill box. Regular waders were on the beach, with good numbers of grey plover, several spotted redshank and sanderling. Back on to the Reserve, a fine drake pintail was found, still in poor light. A single whooper swan flew over the reserve, my first year lister of the day.

flyby oystercatcher

drake pintail

From the parrinder hide, huge numbers of lapwing, golden plover and teal. A snipe was observed along with godwits, dunlin and redshank. As we trooped back to the VC a chiffchaff was seen in the reeds, associating with blue and great tits. No brambling or siskin so off round to Thornham Harbour where Twite had been reported.

drake teal

snipe

snipe

 As soon as we were out of the car we heard several overhead and after a few minutes, watched 10 in a nearby tree. As can be seen here, the light remained appalling. Twite were lifer number 2 for Gary

silhouettes of twite

We now decided a quick trip to Holkham Gap to find the surf scoter I saw a few weeks ago. However, we stopped at Burnham Overy Staithe and got distant views of the long staying rough legged buzzard, lifer number 3 for Gary! Here, we heard of a black redstart at Sheringham and that the surf scoter was now at the west end of Holkham Pines. This would involve a 6 mile walk which time didn't permit, so off we set for Sheringham.
 After about a 15 minute wander around by the boating lake we both saw a bird hovering by window sills and Gary was on to my 2nd year lister of the day. This bird spent much time moving about around the blocks of flats and showed on the roof. Disappointingly, the light had not improved.

black redstart, probably 1st year bird

We then thought we would complete our Norfolk Day with, first, a sea watch at West Runton and then, a trip to see the rough legged buzzard and short eared owl just 10 minutes from home near Braughing.
At West Runton several more red throated divers, plenty of gulls and 2 razorbills. The latter being year lister number 3 for me.
Another coffee, a drive home and we were in Braughing before last light. Distant views of the RLB but the SEO didn't show after three quarters of an hour and any slim chance of getting even a record shot had gone with the fading light, so off home.
A good 79 species recorded in the day, 3 lifers for Gary and 3 year listers taking my total to a reasonable 212. This was my total for 2013 and with several trips (Kent, Norfolk) still to come, I suspect I shall beat this total.

Local Wander

Having enjoyed a quick coffee in town, I wandered back to the village along footpaths now showing some good autumnal colour. To begin with it looked like rain, but this held off. Along the path leading to Cradle End were plenty of long tailed tits in the hedge along with good numbers of dunnock, chaffinch and a few goldfinches.

long tailed tit

Another ltt but light was so poor, hardly worth bothering

From here, I wandered along Green Street where another large party of mixed birds were found. 50+ chaffinches, 20+ fieldfare, a goldcrest and mixed tits were in or around a stubble field. A robin sang here, too.

Further along, in Millfield Lane, I took the footpath with young willows on one side. This leads to the polo fields. Here, both in the the willows and on the fields were big numbers of birds. First noticed were 100+ yellowhammers, seed feeding, whilst feeding on the grass of the polo pitch were 30+ pied wagtails and 30+ meadow pipits. The latter is not a common bird for this parish and as such, this number constitutes the largest congregation of mipits that I have recorded. Green woodpeckers, various corvids and a common buzzard were also about.

yellowhammer on the ridge of local cottage

1 of the 100 yellowhammers present at Millfield Lane

meadow pipit, 1 of 30+

As I wandered down Brick Kiln Hill the colours around the village were amazing, with this view being particularly pleasant.

Few notable insects trapped recently

Just before a 3 day trip to Rome, I trapped several of the November moth group in the trap in the garden. These have now been checked and, surprisingly, 2 of them were the Pale November moth whilst the 3rd was the common November moth. A good record for the rarer Pale November Moth. Thanks to Graeme for the work in identifying

Also, on the 11th, I emptied the trap and the only creature I came across was a wasp type insect. It looked like an Ichneumon wasp species, one of over 4500 that can be found in the UK, and indeed it was. An Amblyteles amatorius, not a common insect around here, as shown by the distribution map below. So, with the western conifer seedbug, D. ramburialis micro moth, this wasp and the Pale November moth, it has been a good fortnight for unusuals. All records forwarded to the relevant County Recorder.

Poor quality photo taken on the phone camera

As above

All set and identified

To the record office.

Local Rarity

For the past week there has been a 1st year rough legged buzzard in Hay Street, near Puckeridge, just a few miles north west of Little Hadham. Today was my first chance to visit and, true to form, it rained heavily upon arrival. The bird was still hunting, spending more time hovering than any RLB I have seen before. After a while, I left, only to return in the bright afternoon sun. Again, the bird was over the same field and showing a little better.
In this time it ranged much further, disappearing from view on several occasions, over the lane and into fields out of view. It was also seen to perch upon a distant hedge and, on several occasions, roost on the ground. It was seen to dive into the longer grass and not re emerge for 5 minutes or so, perhaps whilst eating caught rodents. A cracking bird to observe.

In rain and exceptionally poor light this morning

In afternoon sunshine

Having just relieved itself!!

Also present over the field were several common buzzards, a red kite, kestrel, yellowhammers and some skylarks. The previously noted short eared owl wasn't present to view by the time I left at about 3p.m. as the light was beginning to fade.

Success and Failure

I set off early this morning (5.15a.m.) for a session of birding in Kent. On Friday I am giving a presentation at Loughborough University on the bird reserves of Kent and wanted some photos from Reculver and Elmley Marsh. I had planned on the latter first as it is so vast, but heavy rain as I passed the junction on the M2 meant I reversed my day. I was aware of good birds east of the Towers at Reculver, desert wheatear, shorelark, black redstart and snow buntings which would be good to photo for the presentation.
I arrived in drizzle which soon petered out, having donned wet weather gear and met up with 2 chaps who had already checked for the wheatear with no success. I joined them and it was apparent that the rarity was not where it had been yesterday. We wandered half way to Cold Harbour, getting plenty of meadow pipits and reed buntings, as well as brent geese, turnstones, redshank, mallards, a ringed plover etc.

Damp, but brightening up

getting better, looking towards Margate

Flyby Brents

meadow pipit 

drake mallards in fine colour

Reculver Towers

Ringed Plover

Having carried on for a while and seen little, we headed back, meeting other birders heading east. No news from anyone on the desert wheatear, or, for that matter, anything else. I decided on one last wander along the path and, there was the shorelark. Only taken 3 hours to find. It was consorting with a few goldfinches and snow bunting. No sooner had I seen it then it legged it further east. It was then seen again on one of the rocky groynes before showing well near the path about a mile from the Towers. A year tick and a good bird.

shore lark

A final search for the wheatear gave views of a stonechat and more of the regulars present, including a field full of brent geese and lapwings. A kestrel hovered overhead as a party of 12 sanderlings flew east and a great crested grebe west. A solitary Mediterranean gull also headed west with a group of black headed gulls.

Brent geese coming in to land

male stonechat

Convinced I was wasting my time with the real rarity, I headed off for a quick photo session at Elmley. As usual, good birds on the 2 mile drive in with curlew, marsh harrier, kestrel, lapwings etc all visible from the car.
I parked with just enough time to check over the wall: teal, wigeon, 800+ golden plovers but no owls during the short time I was there. A quick check down by the old gun club also failed to give a view of SEO.

Marsh harrier

lapwing

curlews

lapwings, curlews etc

little egret

I had to be back home for work, so left promptly having got the photos I wanted and was home in time for the job. A good day out, with enough birds to make it a most enjoyable morning and the weather just continued to improve, despite the disappointing forecast.

Elmley Marsh kestrel