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 early October 2008

Tuesday, 14th October 08:

Michaels Mead Pond (Southern Country Park):

• Water Rail 1 - Still coming out in the open in the water inlet... it would probably be impossible to get prolonged views without taking cover as thir spot isn't yet visible from anywhere but the railings, right next to the bird!

Monday, 13th October 08:

Today's photos:

Skylark, Greylag geese, Goldfinch and Collared Dove

Walk into work produced no Redwing, Owls or much else of interest, however....

Hayter, Spellbrook (west):

          All from the 'shelter' 0700-0730

• Little Owl 1 - calling from the north
• Robin 7 min - singing
• Blackbird 4 - Alarming
• Goldcrest c.10
• Wren 4 - Singers
• Mallard 10 (1, 2, 7) All west
• Rook 15 (7E, 4W, 2E, 2SW)
• Sparrowhawk 1 (male by size) very low north through gardens and towards car park
• Dunnock 2 - Calling
• House Sparrow 3
• Mistle Thrush 3 (2E, 1E) - As usual
• Long-tailed Tit c.10
• Blue Tit 5+
• Pied Wagtail 7 - Flew onto factory roof from North-East in ones and twos
• Magpie 3
• Woodpigeon 12 (6SE, 1NW, 1W, 4Locals)
• Greenfinch 3 (2, 1) All West

Spellbrook to Trims:

• Goldcrest 25+ birds between hayters and Trims turning!
• Skylark - calling in good numbers
• Meadow Pipit - I spooked quite a few from the fields just walking along the road so there must be lots about
• Yellowhammer 2
• Mallard 13 (8E, 5 local to pond on spellbrook side of junction)
• Pied Wagtail 7
• Grey Heron 1 - at pond... see Mallard above
• Kingfisher 1 - also fishing pond above
• Kestrel 1

Trimms Green:

• Goldcrest - even all around farm cottages!
• Black-Headed Gull c.70
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 50+
• Canada Goose 50-60
• Meadow Pipit 100+ evenly spread grounded birds
• Skylark 150+ Calling everywhere with a few 20+ gatherings
• Collared Dove 47 - At farm cottages
• Linnet 53 (36, 7, 7, 3)
• Starling 50+
• Goldfinch c.25
• House Sparrow 7
• Yellowhammer 10 (2, 2, 6)
• Greylag 18
• Red-legged Partridge 4
• Cormorant 2 - Mathams Pit.... the only birds on the water!!!

          no Lapwing, Golden Plover or Buzzard today :-(

The Black Barn:

• Yellowhammer c.30
• Greenfinch 8
• Chaffinch 12
• Pied Wagtail 4
• Meadow Pipit 3
• Redwing 5 - Over South

Michaels Mead Pond (Southern Country Park):

• Great Spotted Wookpecker 1
• Bullfinch 1 - male
• Stockdove 1 - west
• Great Tit 2 - Unbeleivably, my first of the day!
• Coal Tit 2 - In the trees beside retirement home
• Grey Wagtail 1 - Flew down to where the water enters pond. I dont't recall having one here befor.... thought i'd have a quick peek, but i didn't expect to see a....
• Water Rail 1 - i poked my head over the railings to see wagtail and to my surprise there was a water rail less than 4 meters from me.... our eyes met and he was off. A brief, but superb view.

          All the Moorhen have seemed to have moved on.

Goldcrest: more noted from Mathams Wood/Pit, Milliners Way, Stockman Field, Oriole Way and even from my front door!  Todays total for this species exceeded 60 birds!

        A Pheasant really trying hard to blend in at Hayter

Sunday, 12th October 08:

Honeysuckle Close, Bishops Sortford:

• Blackbird - 4 males enjoying rowan berries in the garden

Saturday, 11th October 08:

                                FERRUGINIOUS DUCK

A photographic expedition to a new site, cut short due to a text message, "FERRUGINIOUS DUCK at Amwell"...special thanks goes to Rooster for humouring me on my birthday.

Connaught Water, Epping Forest:

• Red-crested Pochard 1 - male
• Pochard - only noticed one male
• Teal 7
• Cormorant 1 - immature
• Goldcrest - lots about
• Tufted Duck - lots
• Great Crested Grebe 3 (incl 1 juv)
• Mute Swan 8 [(2 Ad + Juv) + (flyovers - 4 ad, 1 Juv)]
• Great Spotted Woodecker 1 - calling
• Canada Goose lots
• Black-headed Gull 25+
• Grey Heron 2 (3)
• Gadwall 4 - on island

Amwell NR:

• FERRUGINIOUS DUCK 1 - A splended male.  We passed lots of content birders an the track down to where the bird had been seen... we were informed that it was very active at the far side... how hard can it be to find?  The last birder we encountered told us that he'd lost it and left us to it.  We were joined by a few others and i got him sleeping amongst the pochards. This bird was a real birthday treat... kneeling in a cowpat while scoping the opposite bank, however, wasn't.... i think Rooster may still be laughing :-)
• Stonechat 1 - Male in the middle of large reedbed, feeding like crazy
• Cettis Warbler 1 - singing
• Water Rail 1 - Calling
• Common Buzzard 1
• Sparrowhawk 1

     many more photos still to come over the next few days...

          and here's today's distant/sleeping drake Scaup:

Friday, 10th October 08:

Walk in from Thorley Church to spellbrook along farm paths in the dark 0500-0600hrs:

• Little Owl 1

Hayter, Spellbrook (west):

          0710-0730 from 'shelter'

• Kestrel 1 - local
• Cormorant 3 (2 juvs, 1 ad) - all over together North-East
• Pied Wagtail 6 - Flew onto Hayter factory roof from North-West
• Mistle Thrush 4 - All East, putting in their usual first light appearance
• Mallard 5 - West
• Greenfinch 6 - West
• Chaffinch 2 - West

          1405-1430

• COMMON REDPOLL 1 - In the siskin alder at entrance to hayter. After a few minutes the bird had a quick look round the silver birch then flew east. Only my second of the species around Stortford in six and a half years!
• Chaffinch 25 - Spread over 100 yards of treeline on North side of Hayter land is an amazing increase
• Greenfinch 54 - between spellbrook farm and Trims Green in 3 groups (17, 8, 29)
• Great-Spotted Woodpeckers - still very vocal on north edge of hayter land

Trims Green:

• Skylark 20+ so slowly increasing
• Yellowhammer 2 - calling in distance
• Meadow Pipits 5 (2, 3) grounded
• Common Buzzard 1 - local
• Kestrel 1 - female
• Black-backed Gulls c100 - in the field next to Thorley church with LBBGs
• Lesser Black-backed Gulls c.20 - see above
• Woodpigeon - Still in abundance.. one flock of c.350 birds was the largest noted today
• Sparrowhawk 2 (1 imm low south... about a yard off the ground, 1 adult male spooking all but one brave/stupid chaffinch from around the new farm building.... stopped for sometime in closest tree giving plenty time to appreciate this awsome predator)
• Linnet 7 - Very low numbers present due to hunting Sparrowhawk
• Pheasant - An all-green job was on the opposite side of the road to Blounts

Thursday, 9th October 08:

Walk in from Thorley Church to spellbrook along farm paths in the dark 0500-0600hrs:

• Little Owl 2 - One from thorley church grounds and another from 'thorley?' wood
• Redwing 1 - South.... expected to hear more, cosidering my 3 mile walk just before dawn
• Mistle Thrush 1 - Singing from church grounds

Hayter, Spellbrook (west):

         Highlights:

         0700-0730, 1000-1010, 1305-1335 and 1500-1600 Hrs. (2hrs10)

• Bullfinch 2 calling around hayter 'shelter'
• Black-headed Gull 19 (1 N, 1S, 17N)
• Mistle Thrush 3 - over East... each morning for the last few days there's been a few early morning birds over east, so i assume these are the same local birds, roosting nearby, and not classic migrantst?  I'm a bit confused as twice they've been with a redwing!
• Redwing 1 - east with mistle thrush again?
• Greenfinch 31 - west in 2 groups
• Goldfinch 12 west
• Mallard 3 west
• Sparrowhawk 1 - Female. Still hanging around North perimeter of hayter land (8th day)... great to get some more records after recording none (i think) at this site during the breeding season.
• Jay 3(4) locals
• Great Spotted Woodpecker 3 (2 male, 1 female) - vocal around north lawn all day
• Common Buzzard 2 (Ad and Juv) - giving really super views, flying just north of hayter.  The sun was in perfect position for us (me+SE) to see in full colour and detail. Birds were hanging around and i would think that these are two of the local birds that have been seen regularly throughout the the summer.
• Chaffinch 13 (8, 5) - all south -west
• Skylark - several calling above north field

Fields directly between Hayter in Spellbrook and Thorley Church

          1500-1600

• Woodpigeon - eventually more than 75% took to the air with masses of jackdaw, eventually dispersing in all direction c.650
• Jackdaw c.270 - almost all eventually leaving east
• Rook 35-40 with jackdaws
• Black-headed Gull 25-30
• Starling c.50
• Meadow Pipit 1 - single calling from ground
• Skylark 7 (6, 1)

At one point there was over 700 birds in the air between my position and thorley church! I'm glad i managed some time counting before most were airborne... it looked like a cloud of woodpigeon/jackdaw and would have been really impressive from the church itself.... if memory serves this is the largest number of birds i've seen, at once, in my time birding hayter... tho i once had well over 1000 woodpigeon from mathams wood!

Wednesday, 8th October 08:

Thorley Church to spellbrook in the dark 0500-0600hrs:

• Little Owl 2,
• Tawny Owl 1

Hayter, Spellbrook (west):

• Grey Wagtail 1,
• chiffchaff 1 Singing,
• Mallard 37 west in 25 mins,
• Goldfinch 45-50 west,
• Greenfinch c.70 west,
• Chaffinch 11 (8W, 3E),
• Jackdaw c.250 just north of Hayter at 0730hrs, 41 east at lunch,
• Mistle Thrush 4 over East,
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 west,
• Coal Tit 2(3) Calling,
• Goldcrest 3 (2, 1),
• Pied Wagtail 7 (3 locals, 4 west),
• Yellow Wagtail 1 over west, Wondering if these late birds have been stopping on the roof?
• Harlequin Ladybird Seemingly very active with 5 landing on/near me,
• Canada Goose 2 over low east with more calling from field to west but all gone by lunchtime,
• Bullfinch 1 female,
• Jay 5 (3 SW, 2 Local),
• Redwing 6 SW,
• Black-headed Gull 37 NE,
• Kestrel 2 M+F,
• Yellowhammer 1

Trims Green:

• Golden Plover 27 on south field,
• Linnet 33,
• Meadow Pipit 14,
• Lapwing 120+ restless at mathams pit,
• Skylark c.15,
• Common Buzzard 1 Local

Tuesday, 7th October 08:

Trims Green:

• Golden Plover few callng in the dark,
• Blackbird 4 alarming birds on arrival was a surprise considering i've not really seen/heard many recently

Spellbrook (west):

• Redwing 2 over E,
• Mistle Thrush 6 (2S, 4E),
• Little Owl 1 calling from hayter car park just before first light,
• Blackbird six birds heard calling/alarming beween car park and hayter entrance. a remarkable increase from the usual two,
• Green Woodpecker 1,
• Long-tailed tit 50+ (largest flock: 32),
• Kestrel - female with kill,
• Great Spotted Woodpacker 1 - female,
• Starling c.40 SW,
• Songthrush 3 - trying to settle in tall trees in wood adjoining main car park but were very nervous, carrying on South after a little while

Stortford Park Farm (west):

• Blackbird 4 on 'stonechat corner' was another surprise,
• Meadow Ppit 20+ grounded,
• Yellowhammer 7,
• Linnet 8,
• Chaffinch 2 South

Monday, 6th October 08:

Trims Green:

• Meadow Pipit 3,
• Black-headed Gull 30+,
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 5+,
• Common Gull 2
• Red-legged Partridge 9

Spellbrook (west):

• Mistle Thrush 2,
• Jay 4 locals,
• Black-headed Gull 20+ North,
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 3 North,
• Greenfinch 12,
• Goldfinch 22 South,
• Pied Wagtail 3 On roof still,
• Common Buzzard 2 South,
• Coal Tit 13 (8, 5) Amongst two Long-tailed flocks,
• Treecreeper 2 With Blue Tits,
• Goldcrest 3,
• Sparrowhawk 1 Female still hunting around the car park during first light,
• Kestrel 1 Female with a kill, grounded on North-West field,
• Herring Gull 1

Friday, 3rd October 08:

accidentally deleted!  will retype soon and replace pics from beggining of oct!

Thursday, 2nd October 08:

Spellbrook (west):

• Sparrowhawk 1 south,
• Jay 5,
• Meadow Pipit 2 south,
• Grey Wagtail 3 (one was south),
• Pied Wagtail 7 on roof,
• Yellow Wagtail 4 on roof leaving eventually west,
• Songthrush 1 south,
• Redwing 2 south,
• Skylark 4 North over Hayter,
• Herring Gull 1 North,
• Golden Plover 6 west,
• Kestrel 1 female

Trims Green:

• Lapwing c.120 above south airfield,
• Golden Plover 2 (+) calling from ground but not seen

Wednesday, 1st October 08:

Honeysuckle Close, Bishops Stortford:

• Redwing 1 south over my house at 0705hrs

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