Revisit to Lackford Lakes

Another visit to Dad so, as last week, an hour around Lackford Lakes not far from where he lives. A chiffchaff had recently arrived and seemed to be having a little difficulty in remembering its call. chiff chiff, chaff chaff chaff chiff etc.

nuthatch portraits

coal tit

bowed its head to show white crown stripe

In the Ash Carr were marsh, long tailed, coal, blue and great tit and a rather confiding nuthatch whilst from the two storey hide a female red crested pochard consorting with teal and shovelers.
The goldeneye pair were still on the sailing club lake along with wildfowl including greylag, canada geese, coot, teal, shoveler, tufted duck and plenty of both common and black headed gulls.
A most enjoyable hour, concluded by another chiffchaff heard, this one in fine voice and 3 flyover siskins. Not a bad list for such a short stay.

great tit

marsh tit

tufted duck

Cold night for moths.

Set the trap on open grassland tonight, next to mature ash and oak as well as a selection of younger trees. Having been sunny and warm all day meant the temperature was 10C when I set the trap at 6 but lack of cloud cover meant by 9pm it was 3C and dropping. I returned to empty earlier than usual as had a good wine to drink and was too lazy to walk later. Pleasing to find clouded drab and March moth. Another potentially good summer site. Clouded drab shown above.

New moth for the year

Actinic 15W trap set in neglected woodland last night ran from 6.30 to 9.30. Upon emptying a common Quaker and a twin spotted quaker were found, latter being a new species for the year. This addition takes the total for 2016 to 17 macro species and 6 micros.
This twin spotted is a pale form, with the two dots on either wing usually being black, not pale orange as shown here.

Tescos/Hadham Hall/Stone House Farm walk

Left Tescos after a morning coffee and wandered around Great Plantings Wood without recording anything significant: tits sp, yellowhammer, wood pigeon, chaffinch, robin etc. Took the path under the A120 and towards Hadham Park and the lagoon. Very little noted en route, great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker and corvid species before arriving at the lagoon.

coot on the small dragonfly pond east of Hadham Hall

Just a single grey wagtail made the list here, noting all the finches that overwintered here have now moved on.

Grey wagtail at the lagoon

At Hadham Hall, I could hear goldcrest calling in the conifers and spent a while trying to get some worthwhile shots of these as they moved swiftly through the pine needles. Mainly photos of branches as the birds were too quick, but one or two were pleasing to get.

greenfinch

goldcrest, calling continuously.

In full voice.

meadow pipit

A red kite and 3 common gulls (2 adults and a 2nd cy bird) over Brick Kiln Hill, a calling marsh tit in Bluebell Wood and a few greenfinches almost completed the list as I arrived back at Hadham Ford. Not before, first hearing and then noting a distant meadow pipit, not a common bird for the parish. Distant photo above.

Millennium Wood update

Yesterday afternoon was spent mooching around the wood. I had bought some hay to place in and around the 8 nest boxes placed several weeks ago. Did such a good job of placing them that took time to find 2 of them!
Of particular interest was a pair of mallards that appear to have taken up residence on the "pond." Unfortunately the water here will slowly drain away so not sure of the ducks will stay to rear a family; shall keep an eye on them over the next month or so.

drake mallard

female mallard

quick hair arrangement

A  male sparrowhawk flew through the wood whilst great, blue and long tailed tits could be heard as well as at least 2 bullfinches. Chaffinches and jays were also noted, so now is the time to have a weekly monitor of the nest boxes to see if any birds are showing an interest.
The primroses are now in full flower and the hornbeam and hazel leaves are beginning to open, joining the already opened hawthorn leaves. Another fortnight and all will be flushed with hues of green.

healthy primulas

A moth trapping session on the Saturday night gave up 3 species of moth: common quaker, small quaker and hebrew character, all ones already registered this year. Need a few warmer nights to start finding a better range of species and higher numbers, but all in all, a good start to spring. A couple more sunny days and the first butterflies will emerge from hibernation. Likely candidates are: brimstone, peacock, small tortoiseshell or red admiral.

3 common quaker and 1 small quaker (top)

New moth for the year

Was giving a presentation to Epsom RSPB group last night so no portable trap set. 3 moths to the garden Skinner: small Quaker, common Quaker and a first early grey for the year, shown here. 16th macro species for 2016.

Local mothing

Dotted chestnut

Common quaker

satellite

March moth

Hebrew character

Last night looked promising, so out the trap along an overgrown footpath in Pig's Green, west of Little Hadham.
I returned just after 9pm by when the cloud cover had disappeared and it was 2C. Consequently, pleased to find 6 moths of 5 species: 2 common Quakers, Hebrew character, March moth, satellite and best of all, dotted chestnut. Latter being only the second one I have ever taken.

Lackford Lakes, Suffolk Wildlife Trust Reserve

As I was visiting Dad today, not far from Bury St Edmunds, I set off early for an hour's visit around Lackford Lakes. This superb reserve is one I haven't visited for a long while and many improvements have been made. Highly recommended, indeed.
From the first hide, a pair of goldeneye along with gadwall, mallard, canada geese and teal. Black headed and common gulls overhead and roosting whilst a water rail called from the rushes, but didn't make an appearance.

Drake goldeneye

Goldeneye pair

female goldeneye

drake again

drake gadwall

I moved on and stopped at another 4 very good hides, seeing more of the same as well as a pair of pintail and displaying, territorial Egyptian geese. A pair of greylags were fast asleep on one of the many muddy islands where a pair of oystercatchers appeared to be checking out potential nest sites.
In the Ash Carr a nuthatch, great, blue and long tailed tit as well as a pair of confiding marsh tits. One was ringed but not confiding enough to read the ring.
On to Hawkers Pool but the long tailed duck that has been present for a while was not at its regular site and I was out of time, so back to the shop at the Visitors' Centre. There is no entrance fee, so a donation was made before I headed off to Burnt Eleigh to pay Dad some time.
A very impressive reserve and one that, in a few weeks time, looks very good for warblers, particularly chiffchaff, willow warbler and maybe nightingale. Hobbies should also be around as there is plenty of scope for dragonfly species.
I plan to return in early May.

drake teal

noisy Egyptian goose

A send off

same territorial dispute

robin

nuthatch

snapshot of flighty marsh tit

Herts and Middlesex WT Thorley Wash Reserve and Oare Marshes (Kent WT)

Sunday morning and a very muddy car, inside and out. Consequently off to Spellbrook car cleaners which offers a chance of an hour or two around Thorley Wash Reserve adjacent to the River Stort navigation.

Having retrieved my hat from the river after an unexpected gust, I set about checking the Wallbury area for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. None, but plenty of great and blue tits, moorhens, wrens and a calling but hiding cetti's warbler. A kingfisher headed upstream, too fast for the camera and pied wagtails called from the house by the lockgates. Overhead, corvids and 2 high common buzzards.

On the river, 15+ mallards, drakes in full plumage and up to 6 little grebes. The latter overwinter on this stretch of the river. However, unusual for this part of the canalised river was a solitary coot. These are usually to be found further upstream beyond Twyford Locks.

A wander around the reserve gave views of several calling reed bunting, more wrens and tits but little else. The excellent tree clearing work was noted and, hopefully, the recently released water voles will benefit form new light levels that will encourage vegetation. 

Back to the spotless car, not before noting 2 goldcrest in the trees near the railway line and pedestrian level crossing. A green woodpecker called as I returned to the car where I promptly got in with muddy footwear!

Coot

skulking dunnock

humble mallard in good plumage

Bracket fungus, possibly Polyporus squamosus: Dryad's saddle

Yesterday, I was booked to give a presentation on the Birds of the North Norfolk Coastal Footpath in Canterbury so I took the opportunity to pop into Oare Marsh Reserve. always a superb place.

 Light was really poor, but amongst the solitary avocet and a pair of black tailed godwits were an amazing number of pintail, maybe 200 in all. a large flock of brent geese flew east down the Swale and over on the other side of the Thames, a large flock of golden plover took to the air.

Blck headed and herring gulls were about as were good numbers of lapwings, teal and a small flock of wigeon. Large numbers of greylags on both sides of the reserve, so well worth the 45 minutes spent there.

pair of pintail

distant black tailed godwit in poor light

drake plumage in fine plumage