Excellent walk on local patch 08.04.15

Setting off from Tescos, I wandered around Cradle End, Bury Green, Clintons Farm and along Acremore Street and down the hill to Hadham Ford. Wide variety of birds, butterflies and flowers on show. Stocking Wood, near Bury Green had large clumps of wood anemone, dog violets and ground ivy as well as lesser celandine. The first few bluebells were just coming into bud.
In all, at least 8 chiffchaffs were heard and 4+ buzzards noted.A single red kite near Bury Green was followed by the 1st of the 4 buzzards. A swallow over Clinton's Farm
 was a first for the year in the parish, but no other migrants were seen or heard.
Yellowhammers, dunnocks, tits and finches all seen, as was a fine male sparrowhawk at Clinton's Cottages, but too fast for a photo.
Butterflies were: small tortoiseshell (3), peacock (2) and first comma of the year.
All in all, best wander of the year so far and worth noting all the bird species:
mallard, common buzzard, sparrowhawk, red kite, pheasant, herring gull, wood pigeon, collared dove, green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, skylark, swallow, wren, dunnock, robin, blackbird, chiffchaff, great tit, blue tit, long tailed tit, nuthatch, treecreeper, magpie, jay, jackdaw, rook, carrion crow, starling, house sparrow, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, bullfinch, yellowhammer In total: 34 species.

male robin in good voice

nuthatch inspecting possible nest sites

red kite over Bury Green

treecreeper

common buzzard

rapid flyby swallow. 1st village record for the year

chaffinch

chiffchaff

superb yellowhammer

dunnock

1st comma of the year

Glorious in the garden today

Plenty of signs of spring in the garden this lunchtime. Large white butterflies a first for the year along with 2 small tortoiseshells, male brimstone plus tawny mining bee, honey bee, bee flies and 7 spot ladybird.

small tortoiseshell

7 spot ladybird

tawny mining bee, perhaps?

Minsmere Trip 05.04.15

A flying visit to Minsmere Reserve on the Suffolk coast, hoping for a few year listers in the way of arriving migrants. Only got 2 new birds, a 2nd year caspian gull on the scrape and 2 sandwich terns over the scrape and out to sea again. Other notable birds: party of 4 bearded tits from the North Wall, 70 black tailed godwits from the East Hide, distant female black redstart from near the dragonfly pond and a few goldcrests near the Visitors' Centre. Otherwise, fairly quiet, with buzzards seen en route.
A quick trip to Dunwich Heath for dartford warbler was not a success, plenty of chiffchaffs calling though, along with finches and several reed buntings.

From the North wall looking south over the scrape

busy goldcrest

nice head shot of goldcrest

female bearded tit

male bearded tit

3 of the 4 distant bearded tits

grey heron from East Hide

Excellently plumaged black headed gull

very distant female black redstart

Thorley Wash Reserve and local walk 04.04.15

Firstly, a quick trip to Thorley Wash, where a solitary swallow over was the highlight, my first of the year. All very quiet with the only other notable birds being 4 chiffchaffs, 20 goldfinches and the resident pair of common buzzards.
Earlier, from the back garden, I had watched 2 red kites and 3 common buzzards soaring high to the south of the village.
Following Thorley I took myself off to check on one of the local pairs of barn owls. Both were visible in their tree hole. However, most surprisingly, was a roosting tawny owl in the hole next door, just 1 metre away. A most unusual sight. Other birds of note around the village were the return of the mute swan pair to the lagoon near Hadham Hall + a couple of calling chiffers. Hopefully, Minsmere tomorrow

distant 200 metre shot of 3 owls of 2 species in the same tree.

returning mute swans, pen in front, cob behind.

Little Hadham Wander

My regular route from town back to the village this morning. Not much on offer in blustery conditions. A green woodpecker near Green Street, yellowhammers in hedgerows and treecreeper, GSW, common buzzard and nuthatch in Muggins Wood along with blue, great and long tailed tit.
A coal tit showed well in Chapel Lane and a few chiffchaffs calling were all the birds worth noting.
In Great Plantings Wood near Tescos, the annual show of superb wood anemones has begun, but no other new spring flowers noted this morning.

wood anemone

green woodpecker

yellowhammer

coal tit

treecreeper

Quick Amwell Visit 28.03.15

Lunchtime visit to Amwell in grey and blustery conditions. At least 7 chiffchaffs calling as I wandered to the viewpoint, from where shoveler, great crested grebes, gadwall, teal, mallard, lapwing, tufted duck, grey heron, pochard, cormorant and assorted gulls (mostly BHG)  were all noted. However, on the island, 2 oystercatchers whilst a little closer, a redshank. Both good birds for land locked Hertfordshire.
Several common buzzards overhead and 3 red kites. A cetti's warbler was heard from the James Hide where also, long tailed, blue, great and marsh tit were on the feeders, with a reed bunting nearby.
A quick check for water voles was unsuccessful but a single snipe was seen from the walkway to the White Hide.

colourful pheasant near the James Hide

Oystercatchers on the island with lapwing and female pochard

black headed gulls, lapwing, pochards and the oystercatchers

redshank

great crested grebe pair.......

...............looking like some juvenile GCG maybe about later in the summer.

ever present confiding robin at the watchpoint

marsh tit at the James Hide feeders

Local buzzards

Yesterday, I managed to pop out to check on the sallows around Hadham Hall as this is a good area for early migrants. Just 2 chiffchaffs calling from the goat and grey willows that border the irrigation lagoon on local farmland near New Spring Wood.
Nothing else of note and no birds on the water. The crow scaring gas gun is still in an adjacent field, firing every half hour for over 3 weeks now, so no wonder little is to be seen. I have yet to make contact with the resident barn owl pair that have been at this site for 6 years. Hope they, too,have not been forced to move away!
Upon driving down the road from Hadham Hall, I checked a local dead tree where common buzzards regularly roost. A pair were to be seen, albeit somewhat distantly. Judging by size, the male at the top and the larger female further down on the right.
Lesser celandine were new for the year, flowering near the pools and old moat around the Tudor Hall. Also, flowering on the bank of the lagoon, coltsfoot, a typical late March plant.

suspected male buzzard

suspected female buzzard

common buzzard pair

coltsfoot

Signs of Spring 23.03.15

Leaving town at Tescos after a start up coffee, I headed back along lanes and footpaths to home. A chiffchaff called near East Wood (TL462215) whilst a second was heard and photographed at Bluebell Wood (TL 438219)

shy chiffchaff

 Great spotted woodpeckers were heard and seen as flyovers but not anything else of real note. Good numbers of skylarks, singing high over hay fields, 1 green woodpecker, 2 common buzzards. A check of Muggins Wood (TL442220,  a private wood which I have permission to enter) gave brief views of nuthatch, long tailed, great and blue tit whilst a tree creeper was heard only.
In all, 5 male yellowhammers were heard and seen, mostly along the hedgrow near to East Wood and the footpath leading from here to Cradle End. Always a good breeding bird to see in East Herts.
Plant wise, much to see, with common ground ivy, common dog violet, a single cowslip, dog mercury, marsh marigold and lesser celandine all being noted in flower. Jack in the hedge and lords and ladies were both found by the profusion of leaves, but yet to flower.
Goat willow was in full flower near East Wood, too.
After last night's heavy frost, it was no surprise when I failed to encounter any insects at all.

ground ivy

dog mercury

flowers of goat willow

male yellowhammer

another yellowhammer

lesser celandine

Jack in the Hedge leaves. Larval foodplant of the orange tip butterfly, so don't pick too much to make a really good pesto

common dog violet

another shade of common dog violet

cowslip