Friday 31 December 2010

My First Year List

Happy New Year!!
Below is my first year list 213 in total.

Alpine Swift
Avocet
Alder Flycatcher
Arctic Skua
Arctic Tern
Bar Tailed Godwit
Barn Owl
Barred Warbler
Bearded Tit
Bewick Swan
Bittern
Black Headed Gull
Black Necked Grebe
Black Redstart
Black Tailed Godwit
Black Tern
Blackbird
Blackcap
Blue Tit
Brambling
Brent Goose
Bullfinch
Buzzard
Canada Goose
Carrion Crow
Cattle Egret
Cetti's Warbler
Chaffinch
Chiff-Chaff
Coal Tit
Collared Dove
Common Crane
Common Gull
Common Sandpiper
Common Scoter
Coot
Cormorant
Corn Bunting
Cuckoo
Curlew
Curlew Sandpiper
Dunlin
Dunnock
Dusky Warbler
Egyptian Goose
Eider
Fieldfare
Firecrest
Gadwall
Gannet
Garden Warbler
Garganey
Glaucous Gull
Glossy Ibis
Goldcrest
Golden Plover
Goldeneye
Goldfinch
Goosander
Great Crested Grebe
Great Grey Shrike
Great Skua
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Great White Egret
Green Sandpiper
Green Woodpecker
Greenfinch
Greenshank
Grey Lag Goose
Grey Partridge
Grey Phalarope
Grey Plover
Grey Wagtail
Guillemot
Hawfinch
Hen Harrier
Heron
Herring Gull
Hobby
Hooded Crow
House Martin
House Sparrow
Jack Snipe
Jackdaw
Jay
Kentish Plover
Kestrel
Kingfisher
Kittiwake
Knot
Lapland Bunting
Lapwing
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Lesser Redpoll
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Lesser Whitethroat
Lesser Yellow Legs
Linnet
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Little Gull
Little Owl
Little Ringed Plover
Little Stint
Little Tern
Long Tailed Duck
Long Tailed Tit
Magpie
Mallard
Mandarin
Marsh Harrier
Marsh Tit
Meadow Pipit
Mediterranean Gull
Mistle Thrush
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Nightjar
Nuthatch
Osprey
Pale Bellied Brent Goose
Pallid Swift
Peregrine
Pheasant
Pied Flycatcher
Pied Wagtail
Pink Footed Goose
Pintail
Pochard
Purple Heron
Quail
Raven
Red Backed Shrike
Red Breasted Merganser
Red Crested Pochard
Red Flanked Blue Tail
Red Footed Falcon
Red Kite
Red Legged Partridge
Red Necked Phalarope
Red Throated Diver
Redshank
Redstart
Redwing
Reed Bunting
Ring Necked Parakeet
Ring Ouzel
Ringed Plover
Robin
Rock Pipit
Rook
Ruddy Duck
Ruddy Shelduck
Ruff
Sand Martin
Sanderling
Sandwich Tern
Scaup
Shelduck
Shorelark
Shoveler
Siskin
Skylark
Slavonian Grebe
Smew
Snipe
Snow Bunting
Song Thrush
Sooty Shearwater
Sparrowhawk
Spoonbill
Spotted Crake
Spotted Flycatcher
Spotted Redshank
Starling
Stock Dove
Stone Curlew
Stonechat
Swallow
Swift
Tawny Owl
Teal
Tree Pipit
Tree Sparrow
Treecreeper
Tufted Duck
Turnstone
Turtle Dove
Twite
Velvet Scoter
Water Pipit
Water Rail
Waxwing
Wheatear
Whimbrel
Whinchat
White Tailed Plover
White Wagtail
Whitethroat
Whooper Swan
Wigeon
Willow Warbler
Wood Pigeon
Wood Sandpiper
Wood Warbler
Woodcock
Woodlark
Wren
Wryneck
Yellow Browed Warbler
Yellow Wagtail
Yellowhammer

Thursday 30 December 2010

Stockers/Bury/Woodoaks

A rapid trip around Bury and Stockers Lakes then on to Woodoaks Farm.
At Stockers; c15 Siskin, Kestrel, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldeneye, 2 Goosander. Bury; 5 Red Crested Pochard, 3 Ring Necked Parakeet.

Woodoaks Farm; 10 Yellowhammer, Skylark, Buzzard, mixed flock c120 Fieldfare and Redwing, approx 90% Fieldfare.

Wednesday 29 December 2010

Scotsbridge Mill then Maple Lodge

At Scotsbridge; 2 Little Egret, 2 Water Rail.
Maple Lodge; 99% still frozen, c15 Siskin, 2 Ring Necked Parakeet, 12+ Long Tailed Tit.
At Maple Lodge I bumped into Pete and Margret. Margret gave me a disc with some pics she has taken. The Wryneck used in my blog title is one of them, another that caught my eye was the pic below of a pair of Goldeneye on Stockers.

Tuesday 28 December 2010

Curlew

Today I visited 3 Herts birding sites with Brendan G. First stop was Mary Exton School in Hitchin, postcode SG4 0QA. On arrival we immediately connected with a Curlew happily feeding away on the school sports field.

Secondly, Whitwell Water Cress Beds; 18 Common Snipe, 4 Meadow Pipit, 3 Little Egret, Grey Wagtail, Teal.

Last port of call was East Hyde on the Herts/Beds border; 2 Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Water Rail, 4 Little Grebe, Wigeon, Teal (all in Herts.)
sh4rpy, Brendan G.

Monday 27 December 2010

3 Smew on Bury Lake

An hour at Maple Lodge, very quiet but the tranquility was nice after 2 days of relatives! 3 Long Tailed Tit, 4 Jay, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, c12 Siskin and a Redwing were the most noteworthy birds.

Half an hour at Bury Lake; 3 Smew, 6 Red Crested Pochard, 2+ Goldeneye.

Sunday 26 December 2010

Woodoaks Farm then Scotsbridge Mill

At Woodoaks Farm; Buzzard, Redwing, Fieldfare, Little Owl, 12 Yellowhammer.

Scotsbridge Mill; 2 Little Egret, 2 Common Snipe, 4 Water Rail, Lapwing.

Saturday 25 December 2010

Seasons Greetings

Happy Christmas to one and all.
So far today from my living room window; Carrion Crow, Magpie, Jay, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Starling, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron, Black Headed Gull, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Greenfinch, Long tailed Tit, Coal Tit.
Nuthatch somewhere in amongst the food

Friday 24 December 2010

Stockers and Scotsbridge Mill

At Stockers Farm; 2 Lapwing. Stockers Lake; 2 Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Little Grebe, Goldeneye, 2 Goosander (m and f,) c15 Fieldfare, c30 Siskin, c20 Ring Necked Parakeet, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Little Egret.

Scotsbridge Mill; 2 Little Egret, Grey Wagtail, 12 Teal, 5 Snipe, 3 Water Rail.

Thursday 23 December 2010

Lone Waxwing and 2 Smew

At 09:30 this morning I was driving along Baldwins Lane towards Croxley Green when I noticed a single Waxwing perched on the telephone wires directly above the road. I had a quick look 45 minutes later but it was not to be seen.

At about 14:30 I visited Bury Lake and then Scotsbridge Mill with Paul F. At Bury lake we noted the following; Wigeon, Pochard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Goldeneye, 6 Red Crested Pochard, Ring Necked Parakeet and best of all 2 Smew both showing well close in. At Stockers Farm a lone Lapwing patrolled the "flooded field."
At Scotsbridge Mill we noted the following; c20 Teal, 3 Little Egret, c5 Water Rail, 8+ Snipe.
sh4rpy, Paul F

Wednesday 22 December 2010

Scotsbridge Mill

A lunchtime visit to Scotsbridge Mill produced the following; c5 Water Rail, c5 Common Snipe, c11 Teal, Song Thrush and Grey Wagtail.

Friday 17 December 2010

Abbots/Bedmond

An afternoon stroll around the fields between Abbots Langley and Bedmond. About an inch of snow and -2. The most noteworthy birds observed were as follows; 2 Buzzard, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 10 Long Tailed Tit, Goldfinch, 3 Jay, Kestrel, c15 Yellowhammer.

Sunday 12 December 2010

Waxwings

I popped over to Hatfield today in search of the recently reported Waxwings. When I arrived I immediately connected with c70 Waxwings. I stayed for about 2 hours and their numbers steadily increased to c110. The birds spent most of the time perched up in the nearby poplars, then occasionally dropping down to feed on the rowan berries in Hillfield.

Hillfield is in the Birchwood area of Hatfield and off Longmead. The postcode for twat-nav users is AL10 0TZ
Another top quality pic!

Rainham Marshes

Sat 11th December 2010. A visit to RSPB Rainham Marshes and adjecent river thames forshore.

River Thames between reserve and concrete barges; Avocet, Black Tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Curlew, Redshank, Lapwing, Snipe, Shelduck, Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall, Greater Black Backed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Meadow Pipit, Greenfinch, Kestrel, Skylark.

RSPB Rainham Marshes; Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Pintail, Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal, 2 squealing Water Rail, Cetti's Warbler, Redwing, Fieldfare, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Stonechat, Reed Bunting.

We spent some time going through the gulls looking for a Yellow Legged Gull but drew a blank. In one of the hides there was a "Gull i.d. Workshop" we even asked the Gull experts had they seen any Yellow Legged Gulls. We were told that there were none on the reserve. Checking sighting on birdguides this morning I noticed a report of "16 Yellow Legged Gulls RSPB Rainham Marshes (11/12/2010)" Oh well **it happens!

To finish the day we spent an hour on the Serin Mound looking for Short Eared Owl, however, we drew a blank here too.
sh4rpy, Brendan G