New Year’s Day, 2006

Since 1995 I have spent each New Year’s Day (NYD) trying to see as many species as possible within 10 km of home, which for the past three years has been the Bedfordshire village of Henlow. 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 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 this area, to the SW and NW respectively. The aim for 2006 was to beat the 65 species recorded in 2005 while driving fewer miles.

At 05:30 on NYD, I was questioning my sanity as I headed out into a mild, breezy, showery and very dark morning after less than five hours sleep. Not surprisingly, I seemed to be the only one up and about, but I told myself that this earliest ever start in the UK would give me more time to find any owls that might be about. So, I was more than a little chuffed when the first bird of the day was a ghostly Barn Owl (seen at 05:41), perched in a roadside tree near Clifton cricket ground. It did not hang around and soon disappeared over the fields towards Cliftonbury Farm. Buoyed by this early success, I drove past Stanford plantation, Keeper’s Warren and Old Rowney Lane, sites where Tawny Owls have been heard calling on previous nocturnal excursions – but not today. It was a frustrating hour. Wood Pigeons were silhouetted in roadside roosts, rabbits were numerous on the verge, quacking Mallards were heard near Southill and a Muntjac crossed Old Rowney Lane, but no owls. Pheasants were grumbling noisily in anticipation of the new day as I made a second circuit of Keeper’s Warren and Old Rowney Lane. A Little Owl was seen briefly in the headlights but the regular Tawnies were ominously quiet. With dawn approaching I made my way towards Swiss Gardens, seeing the silhouettes of Jackdaws perched on thatched rooves in the picturesque village of Old Warden.

In the overcast and drizzly conditions, it was taking a while to get light. As last year, I had decided to spend the first hour of daylight in the mixed woodland of Swiss Gardens. While waiting for the light to improve, I heard Blackbird, Greylag Goose, Robin and Carrion Crow. By this time I had just about given up hope of any further owls when a Tawny Owl hooted from the direction of the gardens. I was a bit worried this might have been a bird from the Shuttleworth bird of prey collection, so was very pleased to hear an answering too-whit-too-whoo from the direction of Ickwell village – the first time I had recorded three species of owl on a NYD bird watch. A yapping call over the woods flummoxed me for a while until I made out the flying silhouette of two small ducks and realised they were Mandarins. Coot, Moorhen and Heron were also heard but the smaller birds were noticeably quiet. It was still dark in the woods and little seemed to be moving. The white flanks of two male Tufted Ducks made them easy to pick out on the pond but I was still hearing more than I was seeing; the thin whistle of Redwing, harsh churr of a Wren, noisy chattering of a mixed flock of Rooks and Jackdaws and the weak song of a Dunnock (20th species at 07:57, some 20 minutes later than last year despite the earlier start). As the light slowly improved two Cormorants and a pair of Shoveler were noted at the far end of the pond and a Magpie flew over. Little was seen on a circuit through the woods, it was still a bit gloomy under the trees but Great Tit and Green Woodpecker were heard. Back at the pond 5 Mandarin Ducks (3 males and two females) swam out from under some overhanging branches and two Muntjac were disturbed from the track. In pond side trees a Goldcrest was heard and then watched from less than two metres as it foraged among some ivy growing up an oak tree. Also heard were a flock of Siskins in a stand of alders and Chaffinches called from the wood. The ringing call of a Nuthatch was heard from the far side of the wood and while trying to track it down I saw my first Grey Squirrel of the day. A second circuit of the wood was mostly unproductive until I was nearly back at the car when a winter-plumaged Black-headed Gull drifted over and a flock of Blue Tits foraged along the roadside hedge.

The weather had still not improved when I left Swiss Gardens at 08:55 with 32 species; it was mild but overcast and drizzly as I retraced my earlier owling route. Near the few houses known as Warden Street a mixed flock of thrushes included Fieldfare while nearby a pale-phased Buzzard perched in an oak. Just down the road at Warden Abbey a large flock of Wood Pigeons included a few Stock Doves. Along Old Rowney Lane a covey of 10 Red-legged Partridges raced for the cover of the hedge as I came round the corner and a flock of Reed Buntings flew regularly between the roadside hedge and a maize crop while my second Buzzard of the day flew over the fields to the east. At the south end of the lane two Jays foraged on the roadside verge and another Buzzard flew over the woods of Keepers Warren.

My next stop was Southill Park. The lake, as usual, seemed devoid of waterfowl save for a few Mallards and a single winter-plumaged Great Crested Grebe and there was no sign of the goose flock reported in recent days from the fields between the lake and the house. My fourth Buzzard of the day flew over the fields to the east of the lake (and road). On the edge of Southill village another maize crop was attracting a large finch flock consisting mostly of Chaffinches but including Yellow Hammer, and Goldfinch. While scanning the finch flock a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard and then seen in a nearby spinney and a single Lesser Redpoll was watched feeding in a silver birch. En route to Broom, I passed through Southill village, recording Collared Dove and my first House Sparrows of the day (45th species at 10:21).

As I approached the gravel pits at Broom an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull headed south in the company of several Black-headed Gulls. Making my way towards the G&M pits, I flushed a Snipe from the pond beside the track (and later found another 10 around the pits) and heard a Skylark calling. There were several species of waterfowl on the G&M pits (those closest to the Caldecote – Biggleswade road), including Teal, Canada Goose (50th species at 10:37), Pochard and Little Grebe. A small flock of Meadow Pipits were busy around a pile of gravel and a flock of 18 Lapwings flew north. I added nothing new on my way through the moat house wood, but on Peacock’s Lake were Mute Swan, a single adult Great Black-backed Gull, dwarfing the other gulls, Common Gull and numerous Wigeon. As I made my way round to the south, Broom village, side of the pits, flock of 20 Golden Plover flew east and three Gadwall (60th species at 11:20) were located on the landscaped lake closest to Broom village. In the SW corner of the same lake, I found the pair of Stonechat that had been present for much of the winter (assuming all the Broom records refer to the same birds). They perched on the tall, dead stems of waterside sedges, flying down to feed on the shorter grass around the lake. As I made my way back to the car along the western side of the pits, a male Merlin dashed low across the fields, causing panic among a flock of Meadow Pipits and being briefly mobbed by a Carrion Crow before disappearing across the Caldecote – Shefford road. That was two species I had not previously recorded on a NYD birdwatch in the space of 10 minutes. Shortly after a flock of c. 300 Greylag Geese descended on Peacock’s Lake and among their number were single Barnacle and Pink-footed Geese, the provenance of both of which must be doubtful. The Barnacle Goose presumably originated from the expanding feral flock that winters at Willington but could the Pink-foot be a genuine wild bird? Linnets feeding on thistle heads were my last new birds at Broom.

Snow between Christmas and New Year had tempted Andrew and Matthew, my teenage sons, out for a snowball fight with their mates. They returned several hours later cold but happy and reporting a ‘large snipe’ flushed from woodland near Henlow Grange. It was New Year’s Eve before I could follow up their sighting and confirm that they had stumbled on a wintering Woodcock, a species I had not previously recorded on NYD in Bedfordshire. So after my wander round the gravel pits I headed back towards Henlow, picking up a few species along the way. A flock of Starlings over fields near Langford Lakes and a Greenfinch at a feeder in Broom village were surprisingly my first of each species for the day. Brief stops at both Holme (Jordan’s) and Langford Mills failed to conjure up a Grey Wagtail, a species that has so far eluded me on all my NYD bird-watches in Bedfordshire. A male Kestrel, hovering over fields beside the Langford – Henlow road was the only one I recorded all day while my first Pied Wagtail was on the Pyghtles, Henlow’s sports field. The Woodcock was in much the same area as seen on New Year’s Eve (thanks boys), but despite a careful approach was only seen when as it zig-zagged away low through the trees.

Flushed with success, I returned to the car and headed for Stanford plantation; on the edge of the woods a mixed flock of thrushes included a Mistle Thrush (70th species at 13:57) while among the conifers I found a Song Thrush and eventually a Coal Tit which had been elusive up until then. Little was seen in the remaining couple of hours of daylight: another Buzzard, my fourth of the day was seen over Ickwell and a flock of Long-tailed Tits was in the hedgerow along Old Rowney Lane.

With 73 species recorded (75 if the two dodgy geese can be counted) this was my best NYD in Bedfordshire so far. As last year I had recorded 60 species by late morning but had then only added a further 13 species during the afternoon. A better plan is still required. As in previous years I had stayed within Bedfordshire and as usual in the area mostly to the north and west of Henlow. I did drive fewer miles than last year (59 compared to 70) but would like to reduce it further. A NYD bird-watch on bike might be a better way to do it – I’ll have to get fitter!. As ever there were several species that I had hoped to see but missed including Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon. Having missed this species last year, I kept an eye open for it this year and still failed to record it – I think I must have a blind-spot for this species. Only eight species recorded on previous NYD bird-watches in Bedfordshire were not seen this year, these were Sparrowhawk, Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon, Tree Sparrow, Green Sandpiper, Shelduck, Treecreeper, Herring Gull and Grey Partridge. Four species, Merlin, Woodcock, Stonechat, Redpoll and Reed Bunting and Pink-footed Goose (if the latter can be counted) were recorded for the first time on a NYD big birdwatch in Bedfordshire. taking the NYD total to 81 species.

Spotted Redshank at Wilstone Reservoir

A visit to Wilstone Reservoir before work this morning, 25 August 2005, was rewarded with views of the juvenile Spotted Redshank, reported earlier on HertsBirding. I had been in the hide for 10-15 minutes before the Spotted Redshank, accompanied by a Greenshank, landed on the shingle spit in front of the hide. The Greenshank promptly went to sleep, balancing on one leg. The Spotted Redshank immediately began feeding, patrolling the shallows on the west side of the spit, often in water up to its belly so that its legs were rarely visible. It seemed to be picking small items from, or just below, the surface of the water – whatever they were too small to see through a X22 telescope. It then caught a small, about ⅔ length of bill, dark (brownish or dark olive, I think) fish which it spent nearly a minute manipulating and ‘washing’ by shaking vigorously in the water before swallowing it head first. Another similar fish was caught almost immediately and treated in the same way.

The Spotted Redshank was only seen briefly in flight as it came into land and not long enough to note any details. It was slightly smaller than the accompanying Greenshank, with a similar graceful build as opposed to the ‘chunky’ juvenile Ruff also on the spit. The bill was long but noticeably finer than the Greenshank and black with some red at the base (less than ⅓ length of bill. The books say this should only be on the lower mandible but I did not notice this. The legs, when visible, appeared pinker than those of the Redshank seen earlier, but this may have been an effect of back-lighting. Colours and fine detail were not easy to see looking into the bright morning sunlight. The Spotted Redshank was slightly darker than the Greenshank, not so grey-and-white, with a pale supercilium, more marked in front of the eye and only faint behind the eye. Underparts seemed uniform grey, with no hint of white. Upperparts were mottled and slightly darker than the Greenshank. The rump was not seen.

When I left at 08:45 the Greenshank and Spotted Redshank were still in front of the hide. Also seen at Wilstone this morning were:

Shelduck 1
Barnacle Goose 1
Ruff 1
Redshank 1
Kingfisher 2
Grey Wagtail 4 on bank near car park.

Pied Wagtail Behaviour

Gardening has never been one of my favourite pastimes. On the evening of 13 May 2005 I was easily distracted from the task in hand, weeding the front garden, by the behaviour of a pair of Pied Wagtails Motacilla alba yarrelli. A female landed on the road less than three metres from where I was supposedly weeding and began walking, occasionally running, to and fro, picking something small from the surface of the road. Whatever she was gleaning was too small for me to see with the naked eye, let alone identify, even at close range. After a short while a male Pied Wagtail landed close to the female and began following her, almost beak to tail. The female continued to feed, seeming to completely ignore the male, who made no attempt to feed. The male must have followed the female in this way for more than a minute and for more than 10 metres across the road before giving a display that I had not seen before. He seemed to flatten himself into the road, spreading his tail and left wing wide while the right wing was kept folded close to the body. He took on a most unbird-like, startlingly black-and-white shape. The female continued feeding, walking away from, and still apparently ignoring, the male. He held the display posture for 5-10 seconds before standing up, shaking himself and then running after the female. Once behind her, he again flattened himself into the road. Sadly at that point a car came round the corner, disturbing both wagtails which flew away over the houses. I returned to my weeding.

A Six Warbler Walk

A fine, clear, calm night had caused the temperature to plummet and when I woke at 06:00 there was a crisp frost. The cold had not deterred the birds: Goldfinches and Greenfinches were breakfasting at our seed feeders while Wood Pigeon, Collared Doves and Dunnock fed on the ground below. After my own breakfast, I headed out on my regular walk (although not as regular as I would like) which takes me from Henlow via Henlow Grange to Langford then north alongside the River Ivel to Langford Mill before turning south-westwards and crossing Langford Meadows to Stanford Lock and then home by way of Clifton. Overnight the Collared Dove nest in our silver birch tree seems to have succumbed to the local moggies, as there was broken shell under the tree and the flimsy nest looked even more fragile. The Pyghtles, Henlow’s playing fields was white with frost, except for the close-shaved strip of the cricket pitch, prepared for the opening game of the season later today. A flock of 40 Starlings were the only birds but on the nearby school fields was a group of four Stock Doves and a lone female Mallard. My first warbler of the day was a Chiff-chaff, rendering its name from the plantation on the bank of the R. Ivel. In the cold morning air the fishing lakes were steaming, hiding any but the closest waterfowl that might have been present. I only saw Coot and Mute Swans but Blackcap and Willow Warblers sang from the scrub surrounding the lakes. Beside the northernmost pond, a water-side tree rising above the mist provided a perch for four Cormorants. Even though the sun was now up, the frost still remained. On the edge of Langford village a male Whitethroat was an incongruous sight as moved through the dense tangle of a frost-rimed bramble. Further Whitethroats and Blackcaps were seen and heard in shrubbery beside the R. Ivel. Now the sun was higher, the frost had disappeared from all but shaded areas and as I crossed Langford Meadows my boots got a soaking from the now very wet grass. Faint at first, the reeling song of a Grasshopper Warbler, often likened to the sound of fishing line being reeled in, was heard on the still morning air. The Gropper was eventually located in the middle of a large bramble on the bank of a stream but I never saw it, not even a flicker of movement. While I was in the area, for nearly 20 minutes, it reeled almost continuously with only short pauses, none longer than a minute. Nearby by in another streamside bush was a much more obliging Sedge Warbler, which was not only heard but also seen, bringing my warbler tally for the morning to six. Near Stanford Lock, I saw my only Swallow of the morning, a single bird following the R. Ivel north-westwards. Many summer visitors, including Swallow seem later arriving and/or less numerous than in previous years. Later perusal of the web suggested that Swallow numbers were down 90% compared with recent years (BTO’s Bird Track, www.bto.org/birdtrack/index.htm). Theories for this include problems in sub-Saharan Africa where large amounts of pesticide, used to quell last year’s locust plague, could have seriously reduced the insect prey available to migrant birds heading for Europe. Near Clifton I heard the unmistakable call of a Cuckoo, my first of the year. I was back in Henlow about 3-hours after setting out having recorded 47 species on my local patch.

Brambling in Henlow

Since we moved to Henlow in June 2002, the first week of the Beds Bird Club Summer Garden Bird survey has seen a new species added to our garden list. In 2003 it was a pair of Grey Partridge feeding on our front lawn and in 2004 it was a male Siskin visiting the peanut feeder. This year it was a male Brambling which joined the local Chaffinch flock and fed on seed that had been put out on the shed roof. It was first seen on Saturday morning (26th March) and was present regularly throughout the day, usually in the company of Chaffinches but once on its own for 10 minutes. It even fed during the heavy rain in the afternoon. At one point we had four species of finch feeding in the garden, Brambling, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch). The Brambling also visited other nearby gardens that put out food for the birds. It was seen briefly on Sunday 27th March.

It was a male Brambling, moulting from winter to summer plumage. It was noticeably larger than accompanying Chaffinches. The bill was pale with a dark tip and its head was mostly black but heavily mottled with brown/grey. The breast was pale orange and clearly separated from the white belly. This was a very noticeable feature when the bird was perched facing you. The upper scapulars were a similar colour to the breast while the lower ones were paler but not quite white. The back was mottled like the head. The rump was a large white oblong and the most noticeable feature when the bird flew.

It seemed to favour the stripy sunflower seeds, which it picked up flat. With a flick of its head, it turned the seed until it was held on its thin edges and then cracked the husk between its mandibles. The seed was then dropped and the seed heart eaten.

Waxwings in St Albans, continued

I drove into work via Mayne Avenue, St Albans, at 08:30 this morning. TheWaxwings were again present and behaving in a more ‘typical’ Waxwing-like manner. 22 were perched in one tree beside Mayne Avenue, making quiet trilling calls. I checked through the flock, but could see no rings on any of the birds that showed their legs. After a while the trilling calls became more insistent (louder?) then half the flock circled over the houses to land in a small tree on the north side of Glevum Close where the other 11 birds joned them shortly. From this perch the birds flew across the road in ones and twos, to a berry-bearing tree (identified as a Sorbus, by Alan Gardiner in an earlier email to HertsBirding). I could happily have spent all morning watching the Waxwings, but when I left to continue on my way towork all the birds were in Glevum Crescent. Some were perched in the tree on the north-side of the street while others fed on the Sorbus berries (fruit?)There was a regular movement to and from the two trees .I have driven home via Mayne Avenue each evening (at about 16:30) since first seeing the Waxwings on Monday (31/01/2005), but have not seen them on eitheroccasion.

Waxwings in St Albans

While on a lunch time mission (13:30-14:00), I was lucky enough to come upon 11 Waxwings perched in tree tops along Mayne Avenue where it runs alongside Bedmond Lane in NW St Albans (map ref: TL128064). The Waxwings were not in a flock but rather one or two perched in each tree, none of which was berry bearing. Indeed there were no berry bushes in the immediate vicinity.(although various berry-bearing ornanmental shrubs were seen when I later drove further into the estate). All the Waxwings were apparently fly-catching, flying out from their perch before turning and gliding back to the same perch, or moving along to the next tree. It was mild at lunch time, about 11oC and calm, but I could not see, even with binoculars, what the Waxwings were catching (if anything). I have not seen too many Waxwings previously but all have been feeding at berry-laden bushes and usually in a flock.