LATE APRIL 2009

Thursday, 30th April '09:

Hoddesdon:

RED KITE - At last!!! my second local... ish bird since moving here in 2002. Thanks for stopping in an absurd place so i could get this yearlister, easily bird of the day and we hadn't even got there yet :-) Bird flew low over west... gettin aggro from every corvid within eyeshot. Yearlister.

Rye Meads RSPB:

a very quick stop before trying for Nightingales at Fishers Green

Little Ringed Plover 2

EGYPTIAN GOOSE 4 - 2 pairs Yearlister

SWIFT - 8 Was the most i saw at once tho there were undoutably more as there always seemed to be a couple in view. Yearlister

Cetti's Warbler 2

COMMON TERN - Lots. Yearlister.

Sedge Warbler 9+

Reed Warbler 3

Swallow 3 (4)

House Martin 1

Black-headed Gull - sitting on nest on tern raft

Fishers Green:

Nightingale trip cancelled due to car 'issues'.

Harlow Train Station:

Grey Wagtail singing from platform roof

Wednesday, 29th April '09:

Spellbrook (west):

Sparrowhawk 1 - Male over East

BLACKCAP - 5th singing bird found today on the South edge of Hayter land

Chifchaff - initial rush seems over with just a single singer today

Common Whitethroat 3 singing males

LESSER WHITETHROAT - singing male at their usual spot around the layby just west of the cat and dog place

Green Woodpecker 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

GOLDCREST 2 - A second bird singing from the roadside

SPECKLED WOOD 1 - unbeleivably, my first of the year.

Tuesday, 28th April '09:

Trims Green:

Blounts Farm at 0615 Hrs

Yellow Wagtail 1

Hayter, Spellbrook (west);

Blue Tit - We had to rescue a bird stuck in a wall today... made the hole a little larger so it doesn't happen again

Kestrel 1 - a single male

Goldcrest - still just a single singing on the West side of Spellbrook compared to last year's count of four1

Pied Wagtail 4 - 2 pairs with both males searching the lawn.

Trims Green:

Common Whitethroat 6 along Sacombe Ash Lane compared to last weeks single

Tye Green:

Red-legged Pertridge 2

Stort Park Farm (east):

Blackcap 2

Starling 33 (27, 6)

Green Woodpecker 2

Stockdove 2 - one on lawn while other 'whooping' in house grounds... again

Linnet 3

Sunday, 26th April '09:

One of the Stars of the day; Bar Tailed Godwit (male)

more photos below

Stansted Airport Lagoons:

A dash around a few local hotspots with Rick... a great day out

BAR-TAILED GODWIT 2 - This pair was the my best sighting of the month, don't get me wrong, Osprey's a cracker (east along thames at Rainham) but a new species on my local list wins hands-down. We half-heartedly snuck up to the largest of the lagoons, I had almost already made my mind up they were gone but as soon as we were close enough to see the closest bank we saw them.... just infront of us! With remarkably close views in stunning light we got more than just record shots... I would have been happy with a few distant pixels. One bird was larger, pretty brown, a MASSIVE beak and retained Juvenile feathers (terts) showing this to be a 1st Winter female. The male was much greyer, with a shorter beak and a few hints at male summer plumage... no retained Juv feathers aged this one as adult. I grew up in the estuary of the river Lossie in Moray but never got views quite like this. Although this pair spent most of the time asleep, they did rouse a few times to feed and at one point decided to walk straight at us... unbeleivable considering they were already almost on our lap! We chatted throughout out viewing... a little noise can be a good thing when the birds alredy know you are there... no fox (or other predator) are likely to alert their prey like this and seems to be a great way of keeping really close birds at ease [i often whistle a tune if on my own] works a treat :-) Cheers Mike for alerting everyone to this super pair.

House Martin c.8 (no sand martins)

Tufted Duck 1

Little Ringed Plover 2 - arrived fron North at 1103 Hrs stayed for 2 mins and left west

Blackcap 3

Common Whitethroat 3 (no lesser whitethroat heard)

Chiffchaff - few

Willow Warbler - lots

Sedge Warbler 2

Jay 2 minimum

Swallows - only a few at a time and fairly random directions made these impossible for me to guestimate

Thorley Wash:

Grey Heron 1 South

Reed Warbler - still no sign

Blackcap 2

Sedge Warbler 4 males (one at north end of Wallbury)

Kestrel 1 male

Buzzard 1 over South

Whitethroat 10 males minimum.... everywhere

Reed Bunting 4 (3 males)

Chiffchaff 3 (from Wallbury or adjacent side of river)

Willow Warbler 3 minimum, all distant so hard to be sure of number

Grasshopper Warbler - far too late in the day to expect to hear one but always willing to give it a go

Trims Green:

Blount's Farm

WHEATEAR - 1 male on stonepile. My first local bird 09 and only my 2nd of the year

Below:

Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting

Common Whitethroat, Common Buzzard

more Bar-tailed Godwit photos and Wheatear

Saturday, 25th April '09:

Stortford Park Farm (east):

Blackcap 1 male at East-edge Pond

Lesser Whitethroat 1 - find the style between two main lawns and head south along the dividing treeline to the far end of lawn... can also be head from playpark on SE side of SPF east.

Linnet 7 - coming down to lawn

Starling 61 - frantically gathering food, must be a few young hatched but no juvs amongst feeding birds yet.

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 South West over

Stockdove 1 - on lawn (another vocal from house grounds later)

Green Woodpecker 2 (3)

Friday, 24th April '09:

Trims Green:

Yellow Wagtail 1 at Blounts

Kestrel 1 - male

Hayter, Spellbrook (west):

Kestrel - female over North Field

Thursday, 23rd April '09:

Hayter, Spellbrook (west):

Blackcap 4 - singing males in Spellbrook, west of main road

Buzzard 2

Sparrowhawk 1

Kestrel 1

LESSER WHITETHROAT 1 - Singing from usual territory 50 yards west from the most westerly house in spellbrook (west). My first of the year :-)

Wednesday, 22nd April '09:

Hayter, Spellbrook (west):

Buzzard 1 - scanning fields to north and then having issues with Carrion Crow

Kestrel 1 - female

Trims Green:

Buzzard 1 - over Mathams Wood

Tuesday, 21st April '09:

GRASSHOPPER WARBLER

Reports of Groppers (grassshopper Warblers) singing from Thorley Wash, last night, makes absolutely sure that I didn't sleep in today... in fact i hardly slept at all :-)

Up at 0400 Hrs to be in location by 0520 Hrs is a super start to the day.

Thorley Wash (0520-0700, 1715-2100 Hrs):

covering the full length of Thorley Wash during my morning visit, and a comfy seat amongst the nettles along the west edge of central section in the evening, found a few species worth a note:

Grey Heron 2 South,

GRASSHOPPER WARBLER 3 (4), Two in the middle with one (or two) singing from the south side. The two birds in the central section are very close to the surrounding path. One that sings

Sedge Warbler 6 in total - 4 singers and then 3 in a bush/tree at once (one was already counted)

Common Whitethroat 9 - 5 (3m, 2f) central section, 2 males north from Wash path with a further 2 in Southern section.

Cuckoo 1 - calling from NE edge of Wash (essex side) and again in flight later on.

Cormorant 3 (2, 1 ) north

Kestrel 1 Male

BARN OWL 1

Weasel 1

Trims Green:

Red-legged Partridge 3 (2, 1)

Hayter, Spellbrook (West):

Buzzard - looking for lunch?

Common Buzzard over Spellbrook... my best of this species yet

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a Weasel searching a fallen tree (beside North-West Gropper) for supper at Thorley Wash

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A Red-legged Partridge 'singing' from a rooftop at Morris Farm, Trims Green.

looking on google earth this photo was taken at 150 meters!

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