.
early January 09:
Friday, 9th January 09:
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
- Blackbird - Albanistic male has become fearless in the cold weather... often coming within a few meters when we stand at the 'shelter'
- Pheasant - The bottle-green type is on the prowl again.. a very odd looking bird!
Trims Green:
- Red-legged Partridge 9 YL#95
- Canada Goose C.60 - Between Trims Green and Thorley Church
Thursday, 8th January 09:
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
The Canteen Roost
- Greenfinch - prob. exceeding 80 birds. Gathering from 1430 Hrs.
Wednesday 7th January 09:
My third day back at work brought to an abrupt end by a text message informing me that there were WAXWINGS in Bishops Stortford! Thanks for getting the news out Jono :-)
What can I say? An england tick i've been after for ages (years would be more accurate).
and all the better for being local :-)
WAXWING 9 (later counted 10 by others) YL#94
Tuesday, 6th January 09:
Siskin can be a pain to spot amongst alder branches
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
mission to photograph yesterdays sighting... but with very little time
- Siskin 5 - still
These were the best i could manage in my short lunch break:
Monday, 5th January 09:
GOLDCREST - My best photo of this species to date!
Back to Work! No camera today so pictures are from yesterday's outing to Hatfield Forest.
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
1030
- Kestrel 1 - male hunting over north lawn
- Mute Swan 6 - Not an everyday sighting on the west side of town!
1345
- SISKIN 5 - giving good views at head height in alders.... no camera.... d'oh! YL#93
- Kestrel - still
and another of y'days efforts, Jackdaw:
Sunday, 4th January 09:
Hatfield Forest NT:
Goldcrest and Marsh Tit are a pain to digiscope
Those Deer are adorable
Todays mission was to find Marsh Tit and pick up a few local gimmes: Treecreeper and Nuthatch with Hawfinch being a rather extreme longshot.... Less than an hour into my search and i received a text message from PH:
'2 Bewick's Swans on Hatfield Forest Lake'
I was less than a mile away in Starthill, following Tit flocks, and began the short (jog) to the waterside.
Within a short while (via old Tawny) we were watching these birds on the lake.... Possibly the highlight of my '09 local birding in the first few days of the year? Who knows, but we had another surprise... one of the birds was ringed!
- Treecreeper 7 - YL#88
- Tawny Owl 1 - One of two birds present today, Rick and Peter were there as i arrived. 'Old Tawny' gives superb views but you have to know where to look :-) any interested parties should contact me privately YL#89
- BEWICK'S SWAN 2 - The cafe was beggining to get busy and these two were looking uncomfortable with the activity... flew North at 1045 in the direction of Stansted Airport Lagoons. YL#90
- Nuthatch 4 - YL#91
- MARSH TIT 3 - Took me an age to find these guys, a few hours after Bewick's sighting!
- Mallard 218
- Teal 2
- Shoveler 9
- GADWALL 0 - There were 42 on 31st December 08!
- Great Crested Grebe 1 (usually 2)
- Canada Goose 4
- Bullfinch 13+
Easly the star of the day, Bewicks Swans:
(ring details should provide us with some information on this bird)
Saturday, 3rd January 09:
A rare pic indeed.... me (with steve e) enjoying Tollesbury
Today: A twitch with Steve E to see Waxwing in Maldon and a Red-breasted Goose at Tollesbury
A Morrisons Carpark in Maldon:
- Waxwing 0 - My most twitched species drawing another blank :-(
Tollesbury on the Essex Coast:
No BbGoose but there was still a surprise instore for us!
highlights:
- Little Grebe - YL#70
- Brent Goose - YL#71
- Turnstone - YL#72
- SMEW 1 - male with Goldeneye, my second of the year
- Little Egret - YL#73
- Shelduck - YL#74
- Pintail - YL#75
- Goldeneye
- Kestrel - My only BoP so far YL#76
- Oystercatcher - YL#77
- Ringed Plover - YL#78
- Grey Plover - YL#79
- Knot - YL#80
- Dunlin - YL#81
- Black-tailed Godwit - YL#82
- Curlew - YL#83
- Redshank - YL#84
- Turnstone - YL#85
- Linnet - YL#86
- TWITE 1(+) YL#87 and a LIFER to boot!
Friday, 2nd January 09
Stortford Park Farm:
- Yellowhammer 1 YL#64
- Carrion Crow 2 YL#65
- Stockdove 7
- Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
- Meadow Pipit 2 YL#66
- Skylark 1 YL#67
- Mistle Thrush 1 YL#68
- Green Woodpecker 2 YL#69
- Fieldfare 9
- Redwing 37
Oriole Way, Bishops Stortford:
On berries between Honeysuckle Close and the Brambles
- Fieldfare 6
- Redwing 14
Honeysuckle Close:
In the Garden
- Blackcap 1 - male, still no sighn of one-day-wonder Female
- Songthrush - Almost always present
- Redwing 20+ local movements
- Fieldfare 12 (7, 5) as above
Thursday, 1st January 09
A Water Rail giving super views as usual at Amwell (see also VIDEO via *my links page*)
....let the yearlisting begin.
Amwell NR:
- Great Crested Grebe 4
- Cormorant
- Grey Heron
- Mute Swan
- Greylag
- Canada Goose
- Shelduck
- Wigeon
- Gadwall
- Teal
- Mallard
- Shoveler
- Pochard
- Tufted Duck
- Goldeneye 5+
- SMEW 1 drake at distance
- Pheasant
- Water Rail 6+
- Moorhen
- Coot
- Lapwing
- JACK SNIPE 1
- Common Snipe 4
- Black-headed Gull
- Common Gull
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Herring Gull
- Great Black-backed Gull
- Feral Pigeon
- Stockdove
- Woodpigeon
- Collared Dove
- Kingfisher 1(2)
- Great Spotted Woodpecker
- Grey Wagtail 2
- Pied Wagtail
- Wren
- Dunnock
- Robin
- Blackbird
- Fieldfare
- Song Thrush
- Redwing
- CETTIS WARBLER 1
- BLACKCAP 1 Male my 7th bird on my yearlist (in my garden, Honeysuckle Close)
- CHIFFCHAFF 1 - between Amwell viewpoint and railwayline.
- Goldcrest
- Long-tailed Tit
- Coal Tit 1
- Blue Tit
- Great Tit
- Jay
- Magpie
- Jackdaw
- Rook
- Starling
- House Sparrow
- Chaffinch
- Greenfinch
- Goldfinch
- Bullfinch 6
- Reed Bunting
- Golden Plover c.30 on way home just South-West of SPF (west)
63 species is a great start to the year for me!
Here's a photo of one of the highlights of my day
Chiffchaff in January can be a pain to find!
other photos (via *my links page*) include Mallard, Herring Gull, Goldeneye, Great Crested Grebe and my worst ever record shot.... a drake Smew
