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late December 2008

Wednesday, 31st December 08:

Hatfield Forest:

TAWNY OWLS:  I arrived around lunchtime to try and see these two perched birds (cheers for the heads-up peter) tho no luck today 
that's how it goes sometimes. See Peter's photos with both birds in the frame on this page in the STORT VALLEY WILD online forum:

http://hornbeam.proboards102.com/index.cgi?board=chatanimal&action=display&thread=693&page=1

[Pictures are near the bottom of page]

all was not lost with plenty still to see. 90% of the lake was frozen, making sure all the birds were in view
there were NO Tufted Duck, Pochard or Teal as the north end was frozen
however, managed one of my largest duck counts from here with:

• Mallard 188
• Gadwall 42
• Shoveler 9 (4 drakes) This may well be my personal best for this sp. here! Will check.

239 ducks with 3 common 'missing' species is LOTS

also noted:

• Great Crested Grebe 2
• Canada Goose 4 (the same four as seen on three seperate occasions at other sites in the last week and a half?... over SPF, Michaels Mead Pond and in the middle of the new town development?)
• Grey heron 2
• Bullfinch 10
• Jay 11
• Treecreeper 2
• Nuthatch 4
• Great-spotted Woodpecker 2
• Green Woodpecker 2
• Tawny Owl 0 (2 seen earlier in day together at usual spot by PH)
• Siskin 2 (in alders behind dam)

+ usualt tits, finches and crows

The most obvious gap on my 2008 list was a Greenshank :-)

Every year i have a stupidly common bird missing, i wonder which i'll miss in 2009

All the Best for the new year,

Graeme

Tuesday, 30th December 08:

Honeysuckle Close, Bishops Stortford:

Finally, a photo of our new resident male Blackcap

It only took me ELEVEN days!!!

Monday, 29th December 08:

 A few more of yesterdays Hatfield Forest pictures

Redwing, Rook and Nuthatch

Honeysuckle Close:

An In-our-Garden Daylist (with minimum numbers visiting for each)

• Starling 4 (+)
• Greenfinch 3
• Chaffinch 2
• Wren 1
• Dunnock 1
• Robin 1
• Songthrush 1
• Blue Tit 3 (+)
• Blackbird 6
• BLACKCAP - male on tenth day
• Goldfinch 3
• Long-tailed Tit 2

a minimum of 29 birds of 12 species.... a few weeks ago i managed a day with only a single robin to show for my efforts, most enjoyable!

NO House Sparrows, Great Tits, Woodpigeon or Collared Dove today but still a good species list from our postage of a stamp garden :-)

A Pied Wagtail on Hatfield Forest Cafe roof

Sunday, 28th December 08:

TAWNY OWL - A rare chance to photograph a wild owl.

It's not every day that your main subject keeps going to sleep in the middle of gettin his photo taken!

Hatfield Forest/Lake:

Highlights:

• Tufted Duck 15+,
• Gadwall 19,
• Teal 36,
• Canada Goose 29,
• GCGrebe 1,
• Bullfinch 9,
• Fieldfare 3,
• Marsh Tit 4 (2 at starthill and 2 at Takely end of forest),
• Redwing 35+,
• TAWNY OWL allowing close views on north-west side of lake in hawthorn plus photos,
• Jay 8,
• Green Woodpecker 4,
• Nuthatch 3,
• Coal Tit 9+,
• Song and Mistle Thrush both singing

 Barrat House Dental Care carpark, Bishops Stortford (Just behind Lloyds TSB):

• Grey Wagtail 1 - This bird clearly wins the out-of-place award! Very unexpected :-)

Saturday, 27th December 08:

Just two of the Bullfinches hanging about SPF

Female above, Male below

Stortford Park Farm (east):

highlights

• Cormorant 4 - Southeast
• Redwing 12+
• GreenWoodpecker 5 (including small playingfield to the east)
• Canada Goose 4 - South.... The same birds as seen previously at Michaels Mead Pond?
• Bullfinch 14 (+) A dramatic increase on the usual 2-4 birds
• Mistle Thrush 2 - down to the lawn(s) as always

Oriole Way, Bishop's Stortford:

• Redwing - plenty hanging around all available berries with at least 12 birds present

Finally got a few photos of our new resident Song Thrush, yesterday, here's the best one:

Friday, 26th December 08:

From the top: Redshank, Grey Plover, Knot, Knot (again), Brent Goose and Turnstone

Boxing day family outing day-list, including Bishop's Stortford, Haybridge Basin and a few sightings in between

Bishops Stortford

• House Sparrow
• Great Tit
• Blue Tit
• Dunnock
• Robin
• Starling
• Common Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Woodpigeon
• Collared Dove
• Redwing 4
• Song Thrush
• Blackbird
• Great-spotted Woodpecker 1
• Magpie
• Rook
• Goldfinch
• Chaffinch

additions en route

• Lapwing - flying up from SAL, seen from motorway
• Linnet
• Pied Wagtail
• Great Black-backed Gull
• Carrion Crow
• Wigeon
• Mute Swan
• Canada Goose
• Greylag
• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Coot
• Pochard
• Tufted Duck
• Cormorant

Haybridge additions

• Greenfinch
• Mallard
• Feral Pigeon
• Turnstone 50+
• Redshank c.25
• Dunlin 3!
• Greyplover 14(15)
• Moorhen
• Teal 21
• Brent Goose 47+ (2, 7, 8, 30+)
• Knot c.350
• AVOCET - a site first for me!
• Little Grebe 10
• Sanderling c.35
• Oystercatcher 21
• Rock Pipit 1
• Curlew 1 calling
• Herring Gull
• Shellduck 4

on way home

• Fieldfare
• Red-legged Partridge
• Jackdaw
• Buzzard
• Kestrel
• Green Woodpecker

57 species today but really cold westerly making it fairly hard going for all of us

Thursday, 25th December 08:

Honeysuckle Close, Bishop's Stortford:

Christmas Day in the garden

• Blackcap 2 - Male joined by Female in the night.... a super Christmas sighting!

Wednesday, 24th December 08:

Goldfinch

Stortford Park Farm (east):

A quick walk around with Finn produced his first owl species

• Little Owl - Single bird showing well at the main entrance to SPF (east) from the bypass

Tuesday, 23rd December 08:

An old Goldfinch photo which didn't originally make the final cut.

[30th March '08 in my garden]

Bishops Stortford, West Bypass

Tescos to Southern Country Park and back... both sides of bypass

redwing 33, fieldfare 3, songthrush 1, stacks of blackbird and a few woodpigeon enjoying berries.

.........no Waxwing then :-(

others of note:

• Jay 3,
• Goldcrest 7(+),
• Bullfinch 5 (3, 2),
• Green Woodpecker 4 (+),
• Water Rail at M'sMP (northern CP),
• Tufted Duck - presumed usual drake,
• Canada Goose 4 - I wonder if this is the same four that were in town yesterday?
• Coal Tit 1 - at SPF
• Black-headed Gull 70+ (20+ at MsMP, 50+ South)
• Common Gull 16+ (One with the BHG's at M'sMP with 15+ over South with while i was there.

South-west edge of Stockman Field (northern country park) :

feeders were attracting masses of birds

• Blue Tit 30+,
• Great Tit 12+,
• Chaffinch 11,
• Greenfinch 6,
• Goldfinch and Long-tailed Tits feeding nearby gave the impression i was completely surrounded

well no waxwings yet but still enjoying the local patch all the same... i don't usually see too much daylight at this time of year so i suppose there is at least one benefit of not being at work, even if i still can't get far

P.S. Blackcap still hanging around garden

Monday, 22nd December 08:

A male Sparrowhawk and a jumpy Pied Wagtail yesterday at SPF

A few highlights from todays wander around Bishop's Stortford....

......it took me ages as i'm not yet fighting-fit :-)

Town Park/Grange Paddocks:

• Kingfisher 1,
• Siskin 5+ in alders amongst goldfinch,
• Sparrowhawk 1 male,
• Jay 2,
• Goldcrest 6 - thru trees beside paddling pool

River Stort (in the middle of new town development):

• Canada Goose 4 on the water
  

Railway Station Carpark:

• Berries 0,
• Waxwing 0

Cemetery in Cemetery Rd:

• Coal Tit 4 (+),
• Goldcrest 10+,
• Chaffinch 22

The Green Belt:

• Chaffinch most numerous of finches today with over 40 along this stretch,
• Greenfinch 15,
• goldfinch 13,
• Mistle Thrush 2
• Songthrush 3
• starlings and Tits unavoidable

Northern Country Park (stockman field):

• Great Spotted Woodpecker - in the long line of trees running North-South on the east side of Stockman Field is a first for me here (i think),
• Green Woodpecker - grounded male
• Redwing 1 - Singing

Honeysuckle Close (my garden):

• Blackcap - male still present (3rd day),
• Dunnock,
• Robin,
• Songthrush - Still at home hiding in my shrubs
• Wren,
• Blackbird 4(5) constantly bickering birds but no Sparrows yet,
• Redwing - Single down to grass on Oriole Way

yesterday at SPF, a Green Woodpecker

Saturday, 20th December 08:

A Fieldfare, today, on the lawn at SPF (east)

Stortford Park Farm (east side of bypass):

Very quiet on the finch front... also NO long-tailed Tit or Goldcrest!

• Green Woodpecker 4
• Goldfinch 5
• Bullfinch 4
• Chaffinch 5
• Mistle Thrush 2 as usual
• Greenfinch 2
• Redwing 9
• Sparrowhawk 1 male
• Fieldfare 4
• Common Gull 40+
• Black-headed Gull 3
• + tits, pigeons and crows etc

In my garden, Honeysuckle Close (Bishop's Stortford):

• BLACKCAP - Male briefly in garden today... i usually seem to get one between the last week of the year and the first two in January.  I have only a single Blackcap record during November since moving here in Feb '02
• Songthrush - newly resident bird refusing to give up picture, prefering deep cover.

I'm really sorry if you're bored of gull pics, it's a great chance to me to practice the dark-art of trying to get the 'correct' exposure.  A real challenge! The same is true for dark birds like moorhen, crows and not forgetting the nearly-impossible-to-photogragh Tufted Duck

Common Gulls on SPF

 

Friday, 19th December 08:

A Bullfinch trying to hide from view at SPF today

Highlights:

Stortfort Park Farm (east):

• Green Woodpecker 2
• Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
• Bullfinch 4 - plus unusual chance of photo
• Fieldfare 10+
• Redwing 5
• Mistle Thrush 2
• Pied Wagtail 2

 Stortfort Park Farm (west):

• Yellowhammer 3
• Meadow Pipit 5
• Skylark 7 (8)

Thursday, 18th December 08:

Stortford Park Farm (east), Bishops Stortford:

Five species of thrush on the lawns but very few finches

• Black-headed Gull 7
• Common Gull 33 (17 over south and 16 more down on the grass to feed)
• Goldfinch 8
• Starling 100+ (5, 53, 25+, 17)
• Greenfinch 7
• Blackbird 16+
• Blue Tit 5
• Magpie 4
• Carrion Crow 3 - using the playpark on the east edge
• Rook 16
• Green Woodpecker 3
• Woodpigeon 115
• Fieldfare 14
• Bullfinch 2
• Redwing 22 (23)
• Songthrush 2
• Mistle Thrush 2
• Jackdaw 2
• Wren 2
• Moorhen 2 - One on East-edge Pond and the other on SPF House driveway
• Dunnock 3
• Jay 2
• Great Tit 2
• Pied Wagtail 2
• Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
• Pheasant 1
• Chaffinch 5
• Robin 5+

Stortford Park Farm (west):

Very quiet

• Common Gull 8 south,
• Yellowhammer 3,
• Kestrel 1 hunting male,
• Common Buzzard 1 Vs. Crow over Stocking Wd later perching in tallest tree in East Wd,
• Jackdaw 3,
• plenty Rook and Woodpigeon
•  no Skylark, Meadow Pipit or Linnet!

 

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