.
late October 2008
Friday, 31st October 08:
Trims Green:
before 7 o'clock
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
Surely my most frantic morning watch from this spot during my 6+ years at hayter with around 1650 birds in just 30 mins!
0700-0730
- Song Thrush 1 - East
- Fieldfare 196 (46w, 150sw)
- Redwing 365 - all West in fourteen large groups. the largest had over 80 birds
- Black-headed Gull 45+ north
- Grey Wagtail 1(2) - flying back and forth from factory building to brook (or two birds?)
- Woodpigeon 660 (at least 310 birds south with the remainder c.350 birds landing in the fields just north from hayter)
- Stockdove 6 - all together SW
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 NE
- Dunnock - singing
- Starling 179 (c.90, 30+, 17, 42) all west
- Chaffinch 60+ (17, 23, 6, 14) all west - not including any local birds
- Pied Wagtail - usual rooftop pair
- Common Gull 7 north
- Goldcrest 2 - above the canteen
- Green Woodpecker 1 - calling from nearby
- Blue Tit c.15 locals
- Collared Dove - 9 is quite a few for hayter land!
- Greenfinch 30 (maybe 35) - west
- Robin 9 - heard since we got out of car is double my usual total!
- Jackdaw 30+ north
- Rook 20+ north
- Great Tit 2
- Wren 4 - two singers
- House Sparrow 3
1015
- Merlin - flypast by male Spellbrook West
- Fieldfare 4 - west
- Muntjac 1 - on NW Field
- Blackbird 7 - on north lawn
Trims Green:
Lunch o'clock
- Merlin - bird landed halfway up the east facing rooftop of new farm building.
1505
- Kestrel - only BoP to be found around Spellbrook and Trims after work was this distant female :-(
Kestrel
Thursday, 30th October 08:
MERLIN - male. see detail below.
Trims Green (from usual stop at Morris/Rhino junction):
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Fieldfare 33 (23w, 9w ,1 local)
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Redwing 28 - south
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Greenfinch c.20
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Goldfinch 5
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Yellowhammer 15+
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Linnet 24 (25)
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Pheasant 5 - more than usual (lots around hayter in the last week but never think to write them down)
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Canada Goose - Lots calling from North (fishing pits or noth trims field)
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Meadow Pipits 2
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Golden Plover - at least 50 were VERY close to the road on south-east field
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
from the shelter
0700-0730
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Goldfinch 9 (2, 4, 3) all West
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Stockdove 1 - north-east
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Black-headed Gull 10 (7, 2, 1) all North
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Woodpigeon 600+ (500+ over south west in 30 mins and a further 100+ landing in North Field)
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House Sparrow 4 - locals
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Jackdaw 2 - north
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Sparrowhawk 1 - Female
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Mallard 4 - East
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Pied Wagtail - 2 west + usual birds on roof
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Fieldfare 4 (1 local, 3 north!)
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Redwing 58 (18w, 30sw, 10 local)
1000hrs
lunch o'clock
Trims Green:
a little bit longer than the planned 5 minute stop!
1605-1640
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MERLIN 1 - Male. This was really super stuff! Bird was hunting around us for half an hour. I love watching these birds in flight as they are so different when on the hunt to the other smaller BoPs i see more often, but never have i had such close views of this species. He would occasionally pull up in a tree for a breather but never for any length of time as it was getting dark quickly. A few times bird passed ridiculously close to us (clearly focusing on the job at hand) as if we wern't there at all! photo was taken from Morris Farm entrance/Rhino fisheries entrance... bird was on a tree on the south-west side of the new farm building. And just incase you don't know the site....New building is the western-most building found north from the entrances
MAP
MERLIN crop
Winter Thrush Totals Today:
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Fieldfare: 91+
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Redwing 115+
Wednesday, 29th October 08:
Early morning finch flock at Trims
[looks like a rather feeble christmas tree]
Chaffinch, Yellowhammer, Greenfinch and a couple of Linnet
there were also House Sparrow and Goldfinch but they refused to all share the same tree.
There were another 6 trees like this one so there must be huge numbers floating about...
I would've taken a decent count but was somewhat distracted by a car crashing (badly) a hundred yards to our left.
Trims Green:
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Golden Plover 76
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Stonechat 1 - male
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Redwing 20+ west
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Fieldfare 7 - west
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Cormorant 1 - North
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Ice on Road - lots
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Car Crash 1
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
late to work waiting for emergency sevices!
only 5 mins, but still lots of thrush!
0725-0730
1000-1010
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Redwing 50+ (60) around and on north lawn!
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Fieldfare 60+ also on/around north lawn on our tea break
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Blackbird 17 - with above grounded thrush!
1300-1330
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Fieldfare 129 (12w, 43w, 12s, 57w, 13w)
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Redwing 20 - mostly west
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Grey Heron - sat in North field again
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Sparrowhawk 1 - female hunting over bringing general panic to the masses of thrush on site
THRUSH DAY TOTALS :
(minimums)
Yesterday my first decent redwing photo of the season,
today, my first half-good Fieldfare shot!
Tuesday, 28th October 08:
My first photogenic Redwing of the season
Trims Green:
quick stop
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Cormorant 1
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Chaffinch 40+
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Golden Plover 86 (62, 24)
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Greenfinch c.20
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Linnet c.25
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Meadow Pipit c.25
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Kestrel 1 - there's nearly always one or two kicking about
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Redwing 7 - west
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Jay 1 - West
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Black-headed Gull 60+ - over north
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Common Gull 10+ - over North
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Lesser Black-backed Gull 7 - North
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
0700-0730 hrs
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Chaffinch 75 - west in 30 mins!
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Redwing 37 (23 west, 7 south, 7 south)
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Goldcrest
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FIELDFARE 1 - south. my first of the season
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Black-headed Gull 50+ north
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Common Gull 10 - north
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Woodpigeon - almost 500 between south and south-west!
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Starling 50 - West
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Songthrush 2 - west
1000-1010 hrs + 1300-1300 hrs
another couple of today's Hayter shots...
a Pied Wagtail and Collared Dove
good numbers of everything today with highlights of 160 chaffinch, 200 redwing, 4 redpoll and my first fieldfare!
Monday, 27th October 08:
Finally, a good photo of a Jay!
worth all that time in wait during the last month or so :-)
Trims Green:
0645-0705
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Chaffinch 20+ (still no brambling)
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House Sparrow 10 +
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Kestrel 1 - rubbish photos in poor light
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REED BUNTING 1 - would never have seen him without my scope with all the yellowhammer and sparrows about!
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Goldfinch c.25
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Linnet 6 (4, 2)
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Greenfinch c.20
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Skylark 10+ around buildings
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Meadow Pipit 3
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Cormorant 1 - North
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
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Redwing 15 (13 west, 2 - locals. photos too rubbish to post)
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Goldcrest 4(+) - feeding in tree above canteen
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Bullfinch 4 (2M, 2F). 2 were still there later in the day
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Kestrel 1 - female
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Jay 4 - finally, i managed to get to our stakeout spot without them noticing today. rewarded with chances at bird at fairly close range without him knowing we were there! made up for the many dozens of times bird didn't turn up or just saw us first :-)
Honeysuckle Cl, Bishops Stortford:
Sunday, 26th October 08:
very poor light at SPF today. female Green Woodpecker at a dreadfully slow 1/90th sec and ISO400!
Michaels Mead Pond (Southern Country Park):
Saturday, 25th October 08:
Blue Tit, Goldfinch and a couple of Jay shots
don't forget that full-size pice are all on my flikr page
click on 'MY LINKS PAGE' above, and look for 'My Photos'
Stortford Park Farm (east):
Stortford Park Farm (west):
Thursday, 23rd October 08:
I loved this shot. Grey Heron
west at extreme distance
over north-field, Hayter
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
0700
1000
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Redwing 24 (9 west, 15 more west at lunch)
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Pied Wag 2 (+?) on roof as usual
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Canada geese - Lots heard calling from Trims Green
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Goldcrest 5
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Chaffinch - local birds increasing with a few dozen heading west
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Grey Heron 1 - west
Wednesday, 22nd October 08:
i've still to get a really decwnt pic of bullfinch :-(
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
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Rook (and few Jackdaw) c.150 north
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Goldcrest 5
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Redwing 27 all west (1 @ 0705 hrs, 26 [22,4] @ 1000hrs and another 2 @ 1340 hrs)
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Bullfinch 2 - male and female at lunch
Stortford Park Farm (west):
Male Yellowhammer
Tuesday, 21st October 08:
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
0700-0720hrs from the shelter
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Rook 113+ (43, 70+) - All East
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Jackdaw - at least 5 birds among rooks
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Goldcrest 2
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Grey Heron - put down in field just North
cycle home from work via thorley church:
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Redwing 17 (all between south and west except for two birds in trees at thorley church)
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Skylark - quite a few passing over with local numbers increasing daily
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Merlin (probable) - Viewed with DS at distance over trims green/mathams Wd... I saw this bird again from the west side of the church but very distant indeed... N.B. Take scope tomorrow!
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Mute Swan 2 - Adults flying between Mathams Pit and Michaels mead Pond, tho they weren't there when i arrived.
Michaels Mead Pond (Southern Country Park):
Honeysuckle Close, Bishops Stortford:
Monday, 20th October 08:
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
from the 'shelter' 0710-0725hrs
1000hrs
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Chaffinch 9 - West
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Redwing 9 - West
1310hrs
Honeysuckle Close, Bishops Stortford:
Sunday, 19th October 08:
Michaels Mead Pond (Southern Country Park):
Feeding the duck with Finn
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Water Rail - still giving absurdly views from railings
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Goldfinch 4 - a remarkable drop in numbers since the lawnmowers decimated the hill on the east side of the park.
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Black-headed Gull - only a handfull of 1st yrs
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Mallard 40+
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Tufted Duck 1 - a return of the usual male?.... or was he hiding in the reeds during eclipse plumage?
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Bullfinch 1 - female
Saturday, 18th October 08:
Cemetery, Cemetery Rd, Bishops Stortford:
Friday, 17th October 08:
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
0700-0730 hrs
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Little Owl - calling behind carpark again this morning
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Redwing 13 - all South-West (4, 2, 7)
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Black-headed Gull 2 - North
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Common Gull 3 - North
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Pied Wagtail 5 - first-light arrivals from roost to north-east
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Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 - North
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Mistle Thrush 2 - East... as per usual
Trims Green:
Here's a female Kestrel from lunchbreak (at Hayter) giving me another chance to test new camera out in difficut conditions
Thursday, 16th October 08:
New camera (Fugi F31FD) picked up from post office in our lunch break.... will give it a go after work on SPF!
This model isn't new, but as far as i can see there isn't a better one (for taking pics through a scope) been made since they finished production on this mini-masterpiece a couple of years ago.
Hayter, Spellbrook (west):
from the shelter 0710-0720 (and a couple from my tea break)
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Redwing 2 - One over East at 0720ish, another at 1000hrs in the trees around North Lawn... a very nervous arrival
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Songthrush 2 - East
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Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 - north
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wren - quite a few singing
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Robin - singing and calling everywhere
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Goldcrest - still around in decent numbers!
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Mallard 1 - west
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Pied Wagtail 2 - the usual early morning birds from roost (thorley wash?) to start their long day chasing insects around the factory roof.
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Chaffinch 1 - West
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Mistle Thrush 2 - East as usual
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Green Woodpecker 1
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Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 - still calling somewhat compulsively on the North-West edge of badger-hide wood
Very quiet today around work.
Stortford Park Farm (east):
Stort Park Farm (west):
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Skylark 43 - South
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Meadow Pipit c.15 - on site
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Yellowhammer c.15 - 'stonechat corner' increasing but prob more to come.
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Linnet 3 - Have been expecting their numbers to be rising but no sign yet of last years ever-present flock
First Photos with New Camera!
Linnets and a Yellowhammer
Wednesday, 15th October 08:
Honeysuckle Close:
