Red sky at night, shepherd’s
delight,
Red sky in the morning,
shepherd’s warning
This was not my most enjoyable new year’s day (NYD)
bird watch. December 2013 had been wet and windy, with parts of southern
Britain recording nearly twice the average rainfall and one of the stormiest
months on record. Early in the month strong winds and high tides resulted in a
storm surge causing extensive damage along the east coast. Further storms hit
in the run up to Christmas and again between Christmas and new year leading to
widespread flooding in many parts of the country with the south and south-west
being particularly badly affected. Fortunately, Bedfordshire escaped the worst
of the weather, although rivers were running high, the ground was saturated and
there was a lot of standing water in the fields. More than anything else the
inclement weather probably accounted for the all time low score of only 102
species in the Bedfordshire Bird Club’s Christmas Bird Hunt. The weather
forecast for NYD was for more of the same. This did not bode well.
Each NYD I try to record as many species as possible.
I limit myself to an area within 10km of home, currently the east Bedfordshire
village of Henlow, to both reduce travelling time and maximise birding time. This
area stretches 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. The A6 trunk road
between Luton and  |
| New Year's Day Sunrise, Poppy Hill |
It was still dark when I first ventured out at 05:45
on 1 January 2014, but mild with a cool southerly breeze. Stars twinkled
between the clouds as a Robin singing under the village street lights became
the first bird of the new year, as has been the case for each of the last three
years. Away from the lights it was still too dark for much to be moving. A
harsh croak revealed the presence of a Heron and a little later a Carrion Crow
cawed. No owls were heard nor seen and nothing further was recorded until I
approached Henlow Bridge fishing lakes when Moorhen, Coot and Mallard were
heard calling. Arlesey railway station was brightly lit prompting Blackbird to
sing as well as another Robin. Wood Pigeons crashed from lakeside trees while
in the poplar plantation north of the River Hiz, Jackdaws and Carrion Crows
were beginning to stir from their roost. Despite the proximity of the Poppy
Hill rookery, no Rooks were heard. Canada Geese, heard honking were my tenth
species of the day (at 06:39) and then, at last, a Tawny Owl hooted from the
woods behind the Grange, the only owl I recorded all day. By 07:04 the sky was
beginning to lighten in the east, the rising sun tinging the clouds with red.
Red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning.
More birds were becoming active, but despite the
lightening sky, most were still being heard rather than seen. The flight calls
of Redwing and Skylark were joined by the chuntering of Grey Partridges from
the fields, raucous calls of Rooks from the rookery woods and the mewing calls
of two Buzzards from the riverside trees.
The whistled call of a Kingfisher came from beside the River Ivel, which
after the recent storms and heavy rains, was running fast and deep and the
churring call of Wren was heard nearby. The slowly improving light was
accompanied by a brief shower of rain and two Blackbirds in silhouette were the
first birds seen on NYD. The conifer plantation on the banks of the Ivel can be
good for flocks of the smaller species but this early on NYD only a singing
Goldcrest was found and I could not rustle up a Coal Tit. A pair of Stock Doves
flying out of the woods were my 20th species (at 07:50), followed
shortly after by the yaffle of a Green Woodpecker and flyover Meadow Pipits and
Siskins. A winter feature of my regular walks round my patch is the flight of
Black-headed Gulls following the R.Ivel south; on NYD they were first noted at
08:00, accompanied by a lone Cormorant. In fields east of the Poppy Hill
fishing lakes stood a gaggle of six Greylag Geese. The number of waterfowl on
the lakes has been slowly dwindling since the highs of autumn (80+ Tufted Duck
with a supporting cast of Garganey, Scaup and other water birds). On NYD the
Tufted Duck flock remained (18 males and 14 females) accompanied by 1 female
Gadwall, three Coots, two drake Mallards and a family Mute Swans. While counting
the ducks, a Mistle Thrush sang from the trees beside the lake, both Great Tit
and Chaffinch were also heard and several Common Gulls (30th species
at 08:25) flew south among the Black-headed Gull flocks.
The wind was picking up from the south and cloud cover
increasing as I headed across the open fields where a flock of Magpies gathered
in a remnant hedgerow and a Grey Partridge flushed, flying low over the fields
on whirring wings. Smaller species, though, were proving harder to find in the
deteriorating weather. Over the autumn, the market garden strips have hosted
numerous birds feeding on the weedy edges including flocks of Linnet, Skylark
and Meadow Pipit. On NYD, a Pied Wagtail flew over and a couple of Dunnock
chased along the edge but I could only find a single Linnet although a Corn
Bunting gave itself away by singing. The horse paddocks beside the railway
attracted a mixed flock of c.300 Starlings, c.30 Fieldfare and a few Redwings while
a Sparrowhawk circled over the woods in the Ivel Valley, but it was not until I
arrived at the north end of the Poppy Hill sewage treatment works, protected
from the southerly wind by the surrounding woods, that I started to pick up
some of the smaller species. A charm of Goldfinches fed on some thistle heads, a
couple of Song Thrushes flew from the field edge into the woods and a startled
Rabbit, my first mammal of the day bolted for cover. In the lee of the woods a
mixed tit-flock worked its way along a hedgerow and included Blue Tit,
Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest and at least one Chiffchaff while a male Bullfinch
called from some scrub inside the works compound. A Pheasant called from the
woods and as the rain began to fall (maybe I should have listened to that
shepherd) a Great Spotted Woodpecker popped into a hole in the trunk of an oak.
The sewage settling tanks and surrounding lawns were attracting a good numbers
of birds including at least 50 Pied Wagtails, c.20 Meadow Pipits, several Reed
Buntings (50th species at 10:01) and one Grey Wagtail. And then it
began to rain in earnest. Heading home along the banks of the R.Ivel, I flushed
a Woodcock for my last species of the morning. I had scored well on my local
patch but had missed some, most notably Coal Tit and Yellow Hammer.
By 10:35 I was back home, warming up, drying out and
tucking into a bacon and egg roll (thank you Mrs Hicks!). Collared Dove,
Greenfinch and House Sparrow (55th species at 11:10) were seen in
the garden.
 |
| Flooded meadows, Langford Mill |
If anything it was raining even heavier
when I headed out (that shepherd knew what he was talking about). First stop
was Stockbridge Farm, where a Little Egret was feeding in the muddy pool in the
very muddy field. In the driving rain I forgot to check the rooves of the barns
and so missed Feral Pigeon and did not note another all day. From there it was
onto Langford Mill. The meadows immediately west of the mill were flooded and
looked very promising. I quickly
found Lapwing and Snipe among numerous ducks and geese and at one time had
four species of thrush, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Redwing and Fieldfare in the
same field of view, feeding at the base of a hedge. A walk through
the flooded common produced more Snipe and a single Jack Snipe (it wasn't there
when I had tried the same trick for the Christmas Bird Hunt). Returning to the
car, I decided to have another look at the flooded meadows and there was a
Water Rail (60th species at 12:09) feeding in the open, a nice
bonus.
Next stop was Broom Gravel Pits. The Gypsy
Lane East complex was mostly flooded and will become one lake should the rain
continue. It was disappointingly almost devoid of birds with the only
waterbirds being a few Mute Swans, Coot and a male Shoveler, but no gulls or
waders. There were more birds on the deeper Gypsy Lane West lake including my
first Pochard and Great Crested Grebes of the day. A very wet circumnavigation
of Peacock’s lake added Wigeon, Little Grebe and eventually a pair of Teal but
again no gulls or waders. A screeching Jay was found in the Moat House woods
and a small flock of Lesser Redpolls in the silver birches alongside Gypsy Lane
rounded off my visit to Broom.
Nothing new was found at Swiss Gardens
where they are dredging the lake, although a strange crow-like call attracted
my attention. It turned out to be a Harris Hawk, perched in a lakeside tree
and, presumably an escapee from the nearby Bird of Prey Centre. The dredgings
from the lake are being spread over fields behind the cricket ground and in the
wet conditions have the appearance of estuarine mud flats, although only
attracting a flock of c.30 Lapwing on NYD. A potter along Old Rowney Lane was
not productive, although my only Kestrel of the day was seen back near Old
Warden. By now the light was beginning to fail, so a quick stop at Warden
Warren got me the hoped for Coal Tit (70th species at 15:50) but neither
Treecreeper nor Nuthatch. I did hear a call that was tantalisingly
crossbill-like, but I only heard it the once and could not locate any birds.
I finished the day at Broom Quarry South
where a covey of partridges included two Greys and six Red-legs (71st
species at 16:04) but again there were no gulls, nor any Golden Plover. By the
time I got home it was dark and raining even more heavily.
My New Year’s Day total was 71 species (five
lower than last year), 52 of which had been recorded on my home patch. All were
species that I have previously recorded on NYD birdwatches. I had visited 10
sites but driven only 24 miles. There were nine species that I had hoped to
find but which had eluded me: Red Kite, Golden Plover, Green Sandpiper, Lesser
Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Little Owl, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Yellow
Hammer. It is the first time I have not recorded Yellow Hammer on NYD since
moving to Henlow.
Despite the weather and the shepherd’s
warning, it had been a good day in the field.
Originally published in The Hobby 132:7-9
