My New Year bird lists started on the 3rd, when I went on a long walk round the villages to the south of Royston. Perhaps the best sighting was of a wintering male blackcap, at a garden feeder in Reed End. The mute swan remained at Hatchpen Farm and three corn buntings, 25-30 redwings and 45 fieldfares were seen along the ridge between Therfield and Reed. A few bramblings remained on Greys Farm. However, the field where they had been feeding was ploughed on the 6th, and they moved on elsewhere, together with the much larger flock of chaffinches with which they were associating.
Mute Swan (an unusual visitor to my 'local patch'), Hatchpen Farm, 3 January
A visit to Amwell NR (which, being 25 minutes' drive away, I regard as being 'local') on the 4th provided my first yellow-legged gulls of the year although, not for the first time, I couldn't find the wintering smew.
Yellow-legged, Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Amwell NR, 4 January
Adult (left) and 1st Winter Yellow-legged Gulls, Amwell NR, 4 January
Regular sightings of a Kumlien's gull at Heydon Pig Farm (presumably the same bird that I saw in February 2021) encouraged me to visit and, in order to recover the thin veneer of pre-Christmas fitness, I decided on the 10th to walk to the site - a 'there and back' distance of 10-11 miles. Of course I visited on a day when the gull didn't turn up, although hundreds of black-backed and herring-type gulls were present. On the way I passed flocks of corn buntings (40+) and linnets (200+), but the most spectacular sight was of a flock of around 150 stock doves - and not a single wood pigeon! I recorded 40 species on the day, including a raven at the pig farm. Future visits (made by car) on the 18th and 24th were again unsuccessful in locating the Kumlien's gull, although on the latter occasion I did see a near adult Caspian gull, kindly pointed out to me by a gull expert. At least one raven was present on both occasions, as were hundreds of lapwings.
A few of the Hundreds of larger Gulls at Heydon Pig Farm, 10 January
Some of the Larger Gulls at Heydon Pig Farm, 24 January
My annual visit to Lemsford Springs nature reserve on the 11th was rewarded with sightings of at least five green sandpipers, three little egrets, a grey wagtail and numerous ring-necked parakeets. A chiffchaff was heard. At one point one of the egrets ran after a green sandpiper, which had to fly away (image). I wonder whether little egrets include any birds in their diet? Grey herons certainly do.....
Little Egret and Green Sandpiper, Lemsford Springs NR, 11 January
Following six weeks of miserable weather, we finally saw some sunshine during the middle of the month. Whereas all the 'usual suspects' were seen on my local walks, there was little to get the pulse racing. Pairs of ravens were seen, both to the north of Therfield village and at Scales Park, where a tawny owl was heard and a single marsh tit was seen on the 20th.
Shortly after moving to Royston I planted some alder seeds in the garden. Over the years these grew into mature trees. Unfortunately, fast-draining, chalky soil well away from water courses is far from ideal for alders and two of the trees were on their 'last legs' when I decided to remove them a few years ago. The remaining tree stands at the bottom of the garden and produces plenty of seeds. I had hoped to attract wintering siskins and redpolls, which feed preferentially on alder seeds, but failed miserably, although the occasional siskin was seen on my feeders in very wintry weather. I was therefore surprised and delighted to see two lesser redpolls feeding in the alder tree on the 19th - the first new addition to my 'seen in the garden' list for several years. I had expected this to be a 'one-off' sighting, but the birds were seen again, this time on my sunflower heart feeders, on both the 22nd and the 23rd when I was able to take some photographs through my double-glazed windows. How long will they stay?
Lesser Redpoll, My Garden, 22 January
Lesser Redpoll (left) and Greenfinch on a Garden Feeder, 22 January
This winter has seen large numbers of hawfinches coming in to the country and it was no surprise that they turned up at Bramfield, near Hertford - a traditional hawfinch wintering site - in January. I went to see them for myself on the 27th, when at least two individuals were seen.
Hawfinch, Bramfield, 27 January
The redpolls continued to visit my garden regularly, and visited whilst I was doing the RSPB 'Big Garden Birdwatch' on the 29th.
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