Wet?! Looking out the window at 05:30 was like looking through a waterfall, so it was back to bed for a while. By 06:00 the rain seemed to have eased somewhat and my sons Andrew, Matthew and I decided to take our chances. While getting breakfast and loading provisions (and two teenage boys require a lot of provisions) the only sound was the drumming of rain on the conservatory roof. The local Robins that have been singing by the light of the street lamps in the recent mild conditions, were ominously quiet. Once again we wondered if we would not be better off back in bed. By 06:30 we were ready and decided to brave the elements for our ‘New Year’s Day Birdwatch’ where we try to see as many species as possible within 10 km of home.
During 2002, we had moved 25 km (15 miles) north from Codicote in the depths of darkest Hertfordshire to the Bedfordshire village of Henlow. Our new home range stretched from the chalk downland of the Chilterns, rising to 183 m at Telegraph Hill in the south across the flood plain of the River Ivel and its tributary the Hiz to the greensand ridge in the north from which Sandy, HQ of the RSPB takes its name. The A6 trunk road between Luton and Bedford forms the western boundary while the eastern border is a line on the map passing through the village of Ashwell. Three towns, Hitchin, Letchworth and Baldock, all in Hertfordshire, occupy the south-eastern quadrant while the smaller towns of Stotfold and Biggleswade lie on the route of the A1 which runs north-south across the area. The larger towns of Luton and Bedford lie outside our range, to the SW and NW respectively.
Our plan was to drive west past various plantations and woods on the greensand ridge hoping to pick up some owls, and any other birds that might be moving, before reaching Clophill at first light where we would walk around the Cainhoe sand pit. From there we intended to head for Swiss Gardens, stopping at likely spots en route for any farmland and woodland birds, then visiting Broom sand pits before heading home for lunch. No plans were made for the afternoon when we hoped to pick up any species still missing from our list. Our aim was to at least match the 68 species we had seen on New Year’s Day 2002 within 10 Km of Codicote, Hertfordshire.
As we pulled out of Henlow, the windscreen wipers were working overtime. Nothing else was stirring, not too surprising this early on New Year’s Day. Brief stops at Stockbridge Farm and Clifton cricket club failed to get our list started and all we heard was the wind and the rain. Our next stop was the car park nestled among the coniferous trees on the north side of Stanford Plantation and here we got lucky with a Tawny Owl calling, our first bird of the new year at 06:49 (some 44 minutes later than our first bird last year). Rabbits were numerous on the verge and Wood Pigeons disturbed from their roosts in small roadside trees as we drove towards Ireland. On the sheltered north side of Keepers Warren, a Tawny Owl flew across the road and when we stopped the car two more were heard calling. The sky was beginning to lighten, but it was still raining as we drove through Haynes where we heard Robin, Pheasant and Blackbird. Between Haynes and Clophill, a Kestrel moved from telegraph pole to telegraph pole as we slowly followed it. Carrion Crow was the only other species we saw along this stretch.
We reached Clophill at 08:00, donned our wet-weather gear and set off along the footpath towards Cainhoe sand pits. The rain had abated (a bit) but it was still a grey and murky day. As the light and weather slowly, very slowly, improved birds were becoming active. We heard Great Tits from a village garden, Redwings flying over and, more distantly, a honking flock of Canada Geese was on the move. Magpies, Jackdaws and Chaffinches fed on the ground in the horse paddocks behind the houses while a flock of Siskins (estimated at 100+) fed in the alders growing alongside the River Flit. Black-headed Gulls and Lapwings drifted over on the wind, like us heading towards the sand pits. By now the rain had stopped and I was no longer wiping the drops from my glasses every 5 minutes. A Wren burst into song as we crossed the swiftly flowing Flit on the narrow footbridge and then we had our first view of the pits; the nearest bordered with steep sand cliffs. This first pit was largely devoid of bird life but there was a solitary Great Crested Grebe in its breeding finery, a few Coot and a lone Cormorant glided in, to land on the water. Many of the gulls and Lapwings we had seen earlier had congregated on a marshy area between this first pit and another further east. We counted 300 Lapwings plus 3 Gadwall (our 20th species at 08:31) and c.30 Mallard. We followed the footpath that is routed along the western ‘cliffs’ to get a better view of the marshy area and eastern pit. A mixed flock of Skylark and Starlings were feeding on the open expanse of ploughed field. At the southern end of the pits, the mound of a ruined motte and bailey gives views over the whole complex. In scrub at the base of the mound, we saw our first Blue Tits while a mixed thrush flock feeding on the sheep-cropped sward included Fieldfare and Song Thrush. Herring and Common Gulls were found among the Black-headed Gulls on the marshy area where there was also a flock of 12 Wigeon and 22 Teal feeding on the shallows. There were many more waterfowl on the eastern pit, including rafts of Tufted Duck, among which were a few Pochard. As we turned to head back to the car we faced another wintry squall of rain and did not enjoy our trudge back towards the village. We did hear Meadow Pipits calling and see them perching on the wire fence but they were not much more than blurred shapes through my rain-spotted specs. A brief detour to the small sewage farm produced 4 Pied Wagtails and our first Moorhen of the day plus a noisy flock of Long-tailed Tits and a quieter Dunnock in the riverside scrub. In the village we saw Collared Doves and our first House Sparrows (39th Species at 10:05), but we were intent on reaching the comfort of the car and did not linger.
From Clophill we retraced our route of earlier, seeing Greenfinch visiting a feeder, a flock of Rooks in a stubble field and a Jay flying across the road. To the north of Keepers Warren, Andrew spotted a Buzzard on the ground. When we stopped the car for a better look it lumbered into the air and landed on a nearby telegraph pole. For a while the rain had again stopped and we took the chance to again venture out of the car. A flock of 50+ Fieldfare flew across the road and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew into a roadside oak. Nearby a male Kestrel, looking very wet and bedraggled, perched on a dead snag – trying to dry out in the weak wintry sun – we knew how he felt! On the edge of a stubble field we found a covey of Red-legged Partridge and among a mixed flock of Chaffinches and Greenfinches were a few Yellow Hammers.
Our next stop was the deciduous woodland at Swiss Gardens, alongside the Shuttleworth Collection. As we got out of the car, a pair of Mistle Thrushes flew over and perched in the top-most branches of a bare tree. Goldcrests were fairly numerous in the undergrowth of the woods where Robins sang, Blackbirds foraged in the damp leaf-litter and Grey Squirrels were only our second mammal of the day. At the small ornamental lake we were treated to a double bonus. First, a pair of Mandarin Ducks, (50th species at 11:27), were swimming close to the bank, remaining under the over-hanging branches. While we were marvelling at the splendour of the male with his strange orange sail-like plumes, we heard a high-pitched whistle and two Kingfishers streaked low across the water, coming to a stop and perching a mere 10 m from where we were standing. They gave us ample time for a good look before they both flashed away down the length of the lake. Two bonus birds and the highlight of the day for all of us. Our visit to Swiss Gardens ended with a Tree-creeper spiralling up the trunk of an oak tree.
En route to Broom sand pits, we were detained by bird activity in the plantation beside the Old Warden- Southill road. Most of the birds turned out to be Goldcrests, but including a few Coal Tits. While searching through the Goldcrests, we heard the distant calls of a Nuthatch and Andrew spotted a Sparrowhawk soaring high overhead. When we eventually reached Broom, a charm of 12 Goldfinches was feeding on the dead-heads of some teasels and thistles and a Grey Wagtail flew over to land on the roof of the big house. There were few birds on the wash-out pit, but on the more over-grown pits to the east we saw Snipe and Mute Swan, before the rain returned and prompted us to dash for the car. It was time for lunch we decided. On the way back to Henlow, we saw a flock of Greylag Geese by the landscaped pond just north of Broom, a few Feral Pigeons among the 60 Collared Doves perched on overhead wires near in Stanford and a Heron, hunched up against the weather, standing in a flooded field near Clifton cricket club. We were well satisfied with our morning total of 62 species given the inclement weather and that we were not yet familiar with our new home range.
Over lunch of delicious home-made tomato soup and home-baked bread-rolls the weather deteriorated and by the time we came to go out again it was raining heavily. Still, accompanied this time by Brian Bond, venture out we did. A flock of Golden Plover was seen north of Caldecott but nothing else was added to our list. We drove around for another hour but with no sign of the weather improving gave it up as a bad job at 15:30. This was the first time we had finished our New Year’s Day birdwatch before dark.
On our first New Year’s Day in Bedfordshire we had recorded 63 species of which the undoubted highlight was the Mandarin Ducks and Kingfishers at Swiss Gardens. There were several species we had expected to see including Stock Dove, Little Owl and Green Woodpecker. With the exception of Wigeon, I had recorded all species on previous NYD birdwatches around Codicote, Hertfordshire. Given better (at least drier) weather we hope to improve on our total next New Year’s Day.
