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Late February 2009

Saturday, 28th February '09:

EPPING FOREST

SVW group outing
Species list for the walk:

1. Great Crested Grebe 3
2. Mute Swan 4
3. Canada Goose 40+
4. MANDARIN 21+ (14+ at Strawberry Hill Pond, min of 7 hiding around Connaught Water
5. Teal 8? .... prob more but only remember eight
6. Mallard
7. RED-CRESTED POCHARD 1 - male at ConnW
8. Tufted Duck 25+ (also a single drake at SHP)
9. Kestrel - distant female the only BoP of the day
10. Moorhen
11. Coot
12. Black-Headed Gull c.90 - around 1 in 7 seemed to be sporting at least a partial chocolate hood
13. Common Gull c.20 - only a single on arrival but a few were present on 2nd pass
14. Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 - looking uncomfortable amongst Commons
15. Woodpigeon
16. Collared Dove
17. Green Woodpecker 1
18. Great Spotted Woodpecker 6+
19. STONECHAT 1 - a male was the unexpected bird of the day
20. Wren - many giving alarm and full song
21. Robin - around the water sides there were a few really tame individuals
22. Dunnock
23. Blackbird
24. Song Thrush 5+ singers
25. Mistle Thrush - only 2 singers noticed
26. Goldcrest - only a single calling seemed an oddly low number
27. Long-tailed <15 seemed very few for the distance covered
28. Coal Tit 5 minimum - including 2 singing birds
29. Blue Tit
30. Great Tit
31. NUTHATCH 1 - only a single calling occasionally due South of the 'cycle-stop' tho no visual
32. TREECREEPER 3 - All with tit flocks, including a stereotypically difficult to photograph individual at SHP (despite being in view for a few mins)
33. Jay - only one heard!
34. Magpie
35. Jackdaw
36. Rook
37. Carrion Crow - One bird at ConnW showed extensive white to wing... my photo of grounded bird does not do it justice
38. Starling
39. Chaffinch
40. Greenfinch
41. Goldfinch
    
    Rick and I snuck down to the Valley to check for Barn Owl and also managed:
    
42. Feral Pigeon 2
43. Pochard 5
44. Great Black-backed Gull - over
45. Grey Heron 1 - on way there
46. Cormorant 2
47. [Black Swan]

most obvious missing birds were prob Fieldfare and Redwing.

now all the listing fun is over, how about a couple of snaps from my 150 shots, taken today in somewhat variable light,

Thanks again, all, for the great day out

One of a few tame Robins hanging around the waters edge for an easy chance at nibbles:



A stereotypically uncooperative Treecreeper
I do wish they'd stay still once in a while ;-)



Teal - nice and close!





A very distant female Kestrel.. with no wind we didn't see this bird hover once:



Carrion Crow - the one that showed extensive white on wing in flight:



Red-crested Pochard - far too close for my lens... not a single crisp shot but this was my best:



male Stonechat - the really unexpected find of the day:



Mandarins:

Friday, 27th February '09:

Thorley:

• Mute Swan 6 - over at 0705 Hrs

Spellbrook (west):

• Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 - calling at Hayter, my first for weeks
• Pied Wagtail 1 - now in residence on the North edge of factory roof
• Songthrush 1 - singing
• Mistle Thrush 1 - singing
• Goldcrest 1 - singing from west of Hayter land
• Coal Tit 2 (3?) - One singing from private gardens on North side of Hayter offices, coming down regularly to work feeders
• Yellowhammer 1 - calling just west from Hayter

Thursday, 26th February '09:

A superb daylist!

patches covered today: Tednambury marsh, Spellbrook (west) and Trims Green

• Little Grebe 2 - Tednam
• Mute Swan 2 - Tednam
• Canada Goose 9+ (Tednam 9 + a few vocal birds west of Spellbrook at 1800 hrs
• Mallard
• SPARROWHAWK 1 - Male gave my best view to date of this species during the chase. We drove parallel to this hunting bird as it manouvered through branches and over fenses in search of prey.... just stunning and my first Spellbrook bird for a while
• Kestrel 1 - hunting Trims at lunch
• RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE 1 -Trims South at 0705
• Pheasant 12+ noted today including the completely bottle-green bird
• Moorhen
• GOLDEN PLOVER 4 - North over Hayter at 0725 Hrs
• LAPWING 1 - At Trims Green
• Black-headed Gull 50+ North over Hayter just after dawn
• Common Gull 1 - North between BHG's
• Feral Pigeon 2 - around Morris Farm
• Stockdove 12 (6 stationary birds at Trims with 2 over west, 2 South-West over Hayter and 2 West over Tednam
• Woodpigeon
• Collared Dove
• Green Woodpecker - vocal bird at Hayter
• Skylark - singing from suitable habitat
• Meadow Pipit 6 - West from Tednam at dawn
• Pied Wagtail 1 - back on Hayter roof at usual spot
• Wren
• Dunnock
• Robin
• Blackbird
• Fieldfare 1 - South over Hayter at 0725
• Redwing 3 (2 Trims Green, 1 Hayter)
• Songthrush 2 - singers at Tednam and Hayter
• Mistle Thrush 3 - all singers with one each at: Trims Green, Tedam and Hayter
• Goldcrest 1 - singing from large tree at the Spellbrook 'crossroads'
• Long-tailed Tit - at least 3 heard from Hayter shelter
• Blue Tit
• Great Tit
• Jay 4 (2 tednam, 2 Hayter)
• Magpie 28 birds west from Tednam at dawn in less than 20 minutes!
• Jackdaw c.100 on wires just South-West of Tednam
• Rook c.50 in the air above Wallbury
• Carrion Crow 2 at Trims Green
• Starling
• House Sparrow
• Chaffinch
• Greenfinch
• Goldfinch
• Linnet 1 - calling over at Trims Green
• Yellowhammer 1 at Trims Green
• Reed Bunting 3(4) singing at Tednam at dawn

46 species for the day is a great weekday count

Tuesday, 24th February '09:

Tednambury Marsh (0640-0700):

• Barn Owl 0
• Meadow Pipit - few leaving West
• Cormorant 1 - North
• Little Grebe 2

Trims Green (0705-0715):

No sign of any winter flock around the new farm buildings

• Yellowhammer 1
• House Sparrow 1
• Chaffinch 3

Hayter, Spellbrook (west):

0720-0730

• Goldfinch 9 - roost looks to have already flown or dispersed for the breeding season
• Black-headed Gull 88 - over North

1315-1345

• Fieldfare 18 - south over factory
• Redwing 1 - with fieldfare above
• Jay 2
• Kestrel 1
• Muntjac 2
• Fox 1

Monday, 23rd February '09:

A quite day with only a couple of sightings of note

• Little Grebe 1 - along with a more usual Moorhen was unexpected sighting here, and only my second at this spot, a tiny lake just North-East of the Spellbrook-Trims Green junction.
• Mute Swan 7 - On the small pond just North of Tharbies Farm (Trims Green South).
• Winter Thrush 0

Sunday, 22nd February '09:

Stockdoves - easily overlooked

Honeysuckle Close:

• HOUSE SPARROW 16 - Surely a new garden record
• Dunnock 3 - lots of calling, wing-flicking and singing
• Great Tit 2
• Blue Tit 1
• Robin 1
• Blackbird 3
• Goldfinch 4

Michaels Mead Pond:

• Tufted Duck 1 - long staying drake still

On fields between Thorley Church and Mathams Wood:

• Greylag 3 (2, 1)

Thorley Church to the Wash:

• Fieldfare c.150
• Kestrel 1
• Stockdove 7

Wallbury:

• just the usual suspects with the exception of 4 Canada Geese on the water

Tednambury Marsh:

• Reed Bunting 14+
• Canada Goose 24
• Magpie 50+ magpies in from over river
• Meadow Pipit 32 in - with 14 on wires at once
• Little Grebe 4
• Barn Owl 0

 Fieldfare - still in decent numbers

Saturday, 21st February '09:

Snowdrops

Stortford Park Farm:

WEST

• Stockdove 13
• Chaffinch 30+
• Yellowhammer 45+ Flocking with Chaffinch
• Skylark 25-30

EAST

• Green Woodpecker 3
• Winter Aconite + Snowdrops - carpeting the house grounds with yellow and white.... stunning!

Stockdove, Skylark and Winter Aconite

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