Moths: at last!

A quick visit to the moth trap late last night meant I noticed a trapped clouded drab. This was my first moth since 19th March, an indicator of just how cold the last few weeks have been. This morning it was joined by a common quaker. Both common and regular moths which will probably be found in the trap until mid May.

common quaker

clouded drab

Village wander

An early start for a wander around the golf course and Westland Green. No hoped for summer arrivals and, really not a lot about at all. common buzzard, red legged partridge, pheasant, tits and finches were all about, along with a nuthatch at Valley Fields. A sharp frost disappeared rapidly as the temperature rose with clear blue skies. As I came down Chapel Lane a noisy jay headed towards Bluebell Wood where there were plenty of corvids moving overhead.



 





Golf course pheasant

distant red legged partridge

overhead jay

 

Mammal walk with new lens

Whilst at Amwell on Thursday I was aware that my 70 - 300mm lens was not working at all well. Yesterday it was even worse, so off to the camera shop in town. 4 - 6 weeks for quote and repair. I checked the household insurance and all was fine. Back to the shop to buy a 55 - 300 mm zoom and contact insurance. All very helpful and full cost of new lens in my bank account very promptly. Excellent service.
So, off this morning to christen the new toy. More mammals than birds, with a lame muntjac, hare, rabbit, fox and grey squirrel all seen.

 

 

Very few noteworthy birds, with this singing dunnock, little owl and chaffinch being the ones that let me use the new lens. A common buzzard was on the thermals over Queer Wood accompanied by a sparrowhawk and 43 fieldfare and 4 redwing noted in fields up Chapel Lane. Still very quiet bird wise, but yet again, the northerly wind, albeit somewhat abated, was still keeping the temperature unseasonably low.

Early morning at Amwell

Leaving at 6.15 and picking Gary up before 6.30 meant we were birding at Amwell Reserve by 7.00a.m. Bitterly cold again; no sign of the jack snipe from the viewpoint.  However, 8 goldeneye, with some males beginning their display, 3 little grebes, 2 oystercatchers and constant calling of chiffchaff and cetti's warbler. A yellow legged gull (yr lister no: 138), 2nd cy was observed being quite aggressive to lbbg and herring gulls. A wander around to the White hide gave great views of up to 7 common snipe, with a brief glimpse of the jack snipe. Shoveler, tufted duck + regular geese and grey herons were noted from here, too. On a quick wander around to Hollycross Lake a solitary redwing and goldcrest made it on to the day list, with great, blue and long tailed tits flitting through the trees.
 A good, if very cold, start to the day.

common snipe

common snipe

common snipe

tufted duck

updated year list

As of today 03.04.13 this is my year list. Running total 137sp.
Ones in red were not recorded in 2012.
great crested grebe, cormorant, grey heron, mute swan, greylag goose, canada goose, mallard, gadwall, shoveler, teal (10sp) wigeon, pochard, tufted duck, scaup, goldeneye, smew, red kite, common buzzard, kestrel, moorhen (20 sp) coot, lapwing, black headed gull, common gull, herring gull, lesser black backed gull, greater black backed gull, collared dove, wood pigeon, dunnock (30sp) robin, blackbird, great tit, blue tit, long tailed tit, jay, magpie, jackdaw, rook, carrion crow (40 sp) house sparrow, starling, chaffinch, goldfinch, siskin, reed bunting, waxwing, fieldfare, redwing, pied wagtail (50 sp) egyptian goose, great spotted woodpecker, treecreeper, mistle thrush, wren, bullfinch, red legged partridge, yellowhammer, stock dove, pheasant (60sp) green woodpecker, nuthatch, marsh tit, song thrush, tawny owl, little grebe, barn owl, little owl, woodcock, sparrowhawk (70 sp) coal tit, little egret, red throated diver, guillemot, razorbill, common scoter, gannet, kittiwake, brent goose, turnstone (80 sp) great northern diver, tree sparrow, oystercatcher, shelduck, pintail, cetti's warbler, stonechat, marsh harrier, snipe, great white egret (90 sp) water rail, dunlin, golden plover, snow bunting, dartford warbler, linnet, greenfinch, redshank, ring necked parakeet, ringed plover (100 sp) pink footed goose, chiffchaff, lesser redpoll, meadow pipit, grey partridge, great grey shrike, merlin, caspian gull, green sandpiper, skylark (110 sp) grey wagtail, brambling, little stint, fulmar, curlew, spotted redshank, black tailed godwit, bar tailed godwit, knot, whooper swan, (120 sp) sanderling, grey plover, avocet, ruff, corn bunting, long tailed duck, purple sandpiper, shore lark, hen harrier, hawfinch,  (130 sp)black redstart, greenshank, goldcrest, mandarin, kingfisher, swallow, jack snipe.

A few archive photos from 2012: grey plover (Dungeness), kingfisher (Rye Meads) and yellow wagtail,(Hadham Hall)

Quick Amwell visit

After the blasting northerly along the River Stort, I thought a trip to Amwell, it may be a little less windy. Wrong! Blasting northerly meant for a cold stay.
Usual fare on offer with a common snipe in front of the view point, but also another snipe, bobbing. A jack snipe, year lister 136. Photos of both snipe below. Look for the shorter bill and dark crown on the smaller jack snipe.

common snipe

jack snipe

jack snipe

For some reason, perhaps the wind, photos nowhere near as sharp as I had hoped for. Shame as the jack snipe was showing well and yes, that is a dead coot next to it! Over the water I registered my 1st swallow of the year: year lister no: 137, a solitary bird working hard to find any insects upon which to feed. Otherwise, Amwell was as normal: canada and grey lag geese, redshank, gulls, tufted duck, 2 goldeneye, gadwall, shoveler, mallards, grey heron and cormorants etc. A single reed bunting flew by and a cettis warbler exploded into short song. A chiffchaff could be heard the otherside of the river.

grey heron puts up the gulls

song thrush

River Wander 03.04.13

After a quick body snapping session at the physio I took a walk through Rushy Meads Reserve and along the River Stort to the new reserve at Thorley Wash. All looking good here, with much ground clearance therefore few birds due to recent heavy disturbance. I particularly enjoyed the sculptures that have recently appeared. A little concerned that where the grasshopper warblers used to be every June has been cleared and so does not offer the same cover as previously. Will have to wait and see if they turn up and stay this year.

dragonfly carving, Thorley Wash

owl carving, Thorley Wash

Lokking over the new scrape at Thorley Wash

Along the river I registered my 1st kingfisher of the year yr lister no: 135. Also, 5+ chiffchaff, one shown below along with a splendid male bullfinch and a singing siskin at Rushy Mead.

bullfinch

chiffchaff

same chiffchaff

singing siskin

Other birds of note were 6 jays, 1 common buzzard and plenty of regular finches. A pleasant but cold walk. The original plan had been to walk all the way back to the village, but the paucity of birds made me think it would be better to return to the car and pop down to Amwell.

Long Wander

Glorious day, so off for a long walk. Firstly along the footpaths to Tescos where I enjoyed a coffee after the 3 mile wander and before the 4 - 5 mile wander back via Bury Green and Millennium Wood.
Not to much bird activity: few fieldfares near Cradle End and redwings in Millennium Wood. Also here, several bullfinches and long tailed tits.

A kestrel flew off as I came back down the hill into Hadham Ford where there were 2 pied wagtails, plenty of blue tits, house sparrows and dunnocks messing about in the hedge next to the river.
On fields near Bishop's Stortford were at least 750 gulls; a mixed flock of lesser black backed, black headed, herring and common. Without my telescope difficult to say if anything more interesting.
Probably the first day this year that I have over dressed for a walk, I actually got warm although my hat was blown off by the north easterly on several occasions.

Distant part of the gull flock.

Also, in Stocking Wood near Bury Green I came across this rather old beefsteak fungus. Can be edible but bitter as it takes in the tannins from the host tree, usually oak.

white stork hunt

A white stork was reported in nearby Sawbridgeworth this morning, seen at several locations. This is 5 miles from Little Hadham. However, by the time the news filtered through it had moved on and was last seen heading north over Thorley, just 3 miles east of the village. I guessed a few sites where it may settle so visited them, checking all fields etc en route. Other local birders were also out checking likely areas of their patches. Nothing. Seeing as it was originally found on a lampost in the High Street of Sawbo suspect it could have landed in the middle of Bishop's Stortford. obviously a townie stork and probably first year over shoot.
I ended up at Stansted airport lagoons, some 5 miles north east of Bishop's Stortford but all I got was a common buzzard, 2 common snipe, 6 teal, 1 pochard and a handful of skylarks, canada geese, mallards and coot.
Bitterly cold wind across the lagoons so not the best birding afternoon. Birding friend Graeme was out along the River Stort, getting a woodcock and little else.

Dawn chorus wander 01.04.13

Leaving home at 5.50a.m. I set off up Ford Hill, through Hoecroft Lane to Millfield Lane, Hadham Hall and then home via Bluebell Wood. In all, about 5 miles.
As I left home the local tawny owls were calling and song thrushes, robins, dunnocks, blackbirds and a wren were singing. Yellowhammers were heard along Millfield Lane and several lesser black backed gulls headed overhead. The grounds of Hadham Hall had greenfinch, goldfinch and chaffinch all singing whilst several coot were on the ponds. At the lagoon, the usual suspects, a pair of tufted duck and pair of little grebes. More lbbg flew overhead and a solitary male reed bunting was heard and seen in the adjacent hedge. Great spotted woodpeckers drummed and green woodpeckers called. The resident barn owl was seen briefly heading to its regular roost.
However, the 2 highlights were firstly, 6 snipe heading south at 6.30a.m. near Hoecroft Lane and as I returned, a single little egret along the Ash Valley, heading south. Only the 3rd parish record. Too far away and in poor light for a photo. On a field on the far side of the valley 9 common gulls were loafing around. Snow began to fall as I arrived back home.

 

Bird list:
tawny owl, song thrush, robin, blackbird, dunnock, jackdaw, rook, magpie, carrion crow, barn owl, tufted duck, snipe, yellowhammer, great tit, blue tit, starling, wood pigeon, collared dove, pied wagtail, little egret, reed bunting, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, wren, coot, mallard, lesser black backed gull, common gull, green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, mistle thrush, fieldfare, redwing, house sparrow, pheasant, little grebe, skylark. With some new additions to the village list from today and yesterday the total for the parish this year rises to 64. Year list 134.
Next dawn chorus walk :14.04.13. All welcome. Meet at the village hall car park at 5.00a.m.