Local Wildlife Sightings, April 2024

 Winter continued into April, with more wind and rain and very variable temperatures. Over 30mm of rain fell in the first four days, although thankfully most of it came in the nights and early mornings. The latest and worst of many viruses that had hit me through the winter months left me both fatigued and out of breath during the first week of April (I averaged 10 hours per day in bed during this period). I should have stayed at home, but I managed to get out to do some wildlife watching during this time.

On a return visit to Coopers Green gravel pits on the 1st I again met up with local expert Rupert Evershed, who was very helpful in pointing out birds that I might otherwise have missed. I saw my first Hertfordshire Swallows of the year here, as well as White Wagtail (the Continental version of our Pied Wagtail) and three Little Ringed Plovers. A pair of plovers showed signs of preparing to mate and I managed to capture the process (before, during and after) with stills, whilst Rupert videoed the copulation. Interestingly, it was the male that initiated the process (Image 1, below), whereas in other species I have always seen the female doing the initiation (either that, or their copulation comes straight out of the Kama Sutra....).

Image 1: Little Ringed Plovers Preparing to Mate (Male, with the thicker dark Band between the Eyes, at the rear), Coopers Green Gravel Pits, 1 April

Image 2: Little Ringed Plovers Mating (Male on top)

Image 3: Little Ringed Plovers after Mating, Male on the right.

Male Swallows on Telegraph Wire, Coopers Green Gravel Pits, 1 April

White Wagtail, Coopers Green Gravel Pits, 1 April

A short spell of warm weather from the 5th saw many butterflies and other insects taking to the wing. Over-wintering species seen during this period were Brimstone, Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell And Speckled Wood. A couple of newly hatched (Small or Green-veined) Whites were also seen on the wing, but didn't settle in places where they could be identified. The Pasque Flowers put on a great display on Church Hill, no doubt helped by the regular rainfall (and occasional sun).

Peacock Butterfly, Jubilee Wood, 5 April

Speckled Wood, Jubilee Wood, 5 April

Hundreds (Thousands?) of Pasque Flowers on Church Hill, 5 April

Sadly, most of my local walks serve only to allow me to retain a thin veneer of fitness - no wildlife of interest is seen or reported. This was true of many of my walks in April, even though this can be such an exciting month of the year for bird watching, with summer visitors arriving and/or passing through. My walk up to Hatchpen Farm on the 10th was noteworthy, however, because three Egyptian Geese were seen at Hatchpen Pond, fraternising with the local (flightless) farmyard geese which included the sole remaining Barnacle Goose. This was just my second sighting of Egyptian Goose on my Local Patch. A Wheatear was seen nearby in a spring that has seen an excellent passage of this species through the local area. There was no sign of the Egyptian Geese or the Wheatear on two subsequent visits, although another Wheatear was seen at Reed End on the 12th, the same morning that I saw my first Lesser Whitethroat of the year (and the first reported in Hertfordshire) near Phillup's Lake.

Two of three Egyptian Geese seen at Hatchpen Pond (Reed) on 10 April, together with the sole remaining (flightless) Barnacle Goose from the farm collection.

Male Wheatear, Hatchpen Farm, 10 April

The week from 8-14 April was also good for butterflies, with warm weather producing the first sightings of newly hatched Orange Tip, Green-veined and Small Whites and Holly Blue butterflies, together with more sightings of over-wintering butterflies including two increasingly rare Small Tortoiseshells. I was thinking of getting my macro lens out of hibernation to photograph the insect life when the weather started to get colder and colder thereafter, so that by the 22nd, with daytime temperatures of 10-11C, there was no sign of butterflies and hardly any insect activity.

Green-veined White on Dandelion, Reed End, 12 April

Small Tortoiseshell, Reed End, 12 April

A number of local walks produced little of interest during the second half of the month, although I added Treecreeper (Burloes Farm) and Whitethroat (various locations) to my Local Patch year list. I'll comment more on some of the missing species at the start of next month's blog. Further afield in Hertfordshire, things were more interesting. A trip to the Tring Reservoirs on the 17th was rewarded with views of Reed Warbler and lots of Common Terns at Wilstone, whilst a Common Sandpiper was seen at Startops End. However, for me the star bird was the wintering Pink-footed Goose at Startops End, a bird that I had failed to find on two previous visits to the area. I felt a little sorry for this bird, as the other geese were paired up and (in the case of the Greylag Geese) already had young to feed, whereas the Pink-footed Goose looked rather lost. Hopefully it will be reunited with its kind in the future! On the way back from Wilstone, I stopped along the Baldock to Wallington road, walking down a tarmac track and then a footpath to reach the field where people fly model aircraft. An amazing 16 Wheatears were seen, mostly on the close-cropped grass of the model aircraft field: I've never seen so many in one area! However, the 'icing on the cake' was to see a Whinchat on the far side of this field.

Pink-footed Goose, Startops End Reservoir, 17 April

A return visit to Cooper's Green on a bitterly cold evening on the 21st was rewarded with views of upwards of 100 hirundines, including Sand Martins, two pairs of Mandarin Ducks, a Green Sandpiper and at least four Little Ringed Plovers.

UK Wildlife Sightings, April 2024

 Despite a viral infection, I got out to RSPB Titchwell Marsh on the 3rd and managed to walk along the beach to Thornham Point and back. The weather was pretty poor (worse than it had been forecast to be), but I saw 62 species in an afternoon and early evening, including my first Mediterranean Gulls and Tawny Owl (a roosting bird) of the year.

Mediterranean Gulls, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 3 April

On the 8th I visited Kingfisher's Bridge nature reserve, near Stretham in Cambridgeshire, on a reconnaissance trip for an RSPB Local Group walk that I was leading on the 11th. Of particular interest here was a Black Tern, present since the 6th, which showed distantly but well on the main lake. I have never seen a UK Black Tern so early in the year before. A visit to Dernford Farm Reservoir on the following day produced my first House Martins of the year, together with a few Swallows.

'Record Shot' of Black Tern, Kingfisher's Bridge LNR, 8 April

'Record Shot' of Black Tern, Kingfishers Bridge LNR, 8 April

The RSPB trip to Kingfisher's Bridge on the 11th went very well on a very pleasant, sunny day (easily the best weather of the year, but sadly not a foretaste of things to come), with Sedge Warblers, Sand Martins and Common Whitethroats being seen. However, the bird of the day was a Little Gull (1st winter / 1st summer), which apparently arrived on the main lake during the late morning and was seen by those of us who stayed on into the afternoon. Butterflies were very active, with several species (including Orange Tip) being seen. With the good weather holding until the following day, I paid another visit to RSPB Frampton Marsh. Strangely, both Black Tern and Little Gulls (an adult and 1st winter bird), the star species seen on my visits to Kingfisher's Bridge, were seen here too, showing well from the Reedbed Hide. Whilst I had been travelling to Frampton a Red-breasted Goose had been found here, and I was lucky to see this rare winter visitor in amongst a load of Brent Geese (the 'carrier species' for Red-breasted Goose). Oddly, I didn't see the female Black-winged Stilt that had been my main target species when I set out, nor the long-staying Lesser Yellowlegs.

Little Gull (1st Winter/Summer), RSPB Frampton Marsh, 12 April

Red-breasted Goose (Top Left) with Brent Geese, RSPB Frampton Marsh, 12 April

Male Ruff coming into Summer Plumage, RSPB Frampton Marsh, 12 April

My next trip outside Hertfordshire came on the 19th, when I visited Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve on the Colne Estuary (Essex), as preparation for leading an RSPB Local Group trip there on the 28th. By now the weather had deteriorated significantly, becoming much cooler and with heavy rain in the morning. Nightingales were singing loudly in the morning (always a joy to hear), but were much quieter in the afternoon - I failed to see any. At least three Lesser Redpolls were present in the woodland (a bit of a surprise), whilst Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats and Cetti's Warblers were common. However, I failed to record any Willow Warblers (an increasingly rare species in the south of England). Out on the estuary eight wader species were recorded, including good numbers of Grey Plover and Knot.

Male Blackcap, Fingringhoe Wick NR, 19 April

Gulls, Shelduck and Waders on the Estuary, Fingringhoe Wick NR, 19 April

I normally make my annual visit to see the Rutland Water Ospreys later in the year but, with little happening locally and the weather too cold for insect activity, I decided to visit on the 23rd. When I arrived at the viewing hide (Lyndon Reserve) the male was sitting on the three eggs in the nest - a somewhat unusual situation as I have been used to seeing the female doing all the incubation and feeding the young. However, I've never been so early in the year before! Anyway, they soon swapped over and the male proceeded to take several dips in the water, perhaps cleaning himself or practicing his landings and take-offs ready for catching fish to feed his family. I saw my first Swifts of the year here, presumably on migration to Scandinavia?

Female Osprey ('Maya'), Lyndon Reserve, Rutland Water, 23 April

Male Osprey Taking Off from the water, Lyndon Reserve, Rutland Water, 23 April

Local Wildlife Sightings, March 2024

 March began much as February had ended, with unsettled weather and rain. A few days of drier weather followed as the wind changed to a cold easterly, but normal service was resumed in the middle of the month with mild weather (temperature reached 16C on the 14th) and more rain. My wellies were employed again at times, although the chalk soil rapidly dried out given a day or two without heavy rain. The water table was, however, very high, leading to huge puddles and occasional flooding on the roads. I went on a long overdue walk round the villages on the 4th, recording 44 bird species and a single Comma butterfly. My best sighting came very shortly after I set off, with a male Blackcap (presumably an over-wintering bird) being seen in a neighbour's garden. Four Tufted Ducks were seen on Phillup's Lake.

Common Buzzard, Reed End, 4 March

Tufted Ducks, Reed End, 4 March

Reports of a White Stork near Hertford prompted me to drive to the village of Essendon, where the bird had been seen, on the 5th. On arrival, I was told that the bird (apparently a young bird from the Knepp breeding population in Sussex - see my July 2023 UK post) had flown further down the River Lea. However, as I chased after it the bird flew back and passed me, before landing on the far side of the river, behind some trees. I didn't have my camera ready to photograph the bird in flight, so my only record is of a distant speck on the ground (below). On the way back I stopped along the Baldock to Wallington road for a walk and was lucky to see a 'ringtail' Hen Harrier, flying across nearby fields - my first local sighting for two years.

'Record Shot' of White Stork, Essendon, 5 March

My walks up to Hatchpen Farm had proved uneventful this year and, with increasing disruption (and field destruction) caused by building work up there I decided to switch my attention to the section of the Icknield Way that leads eastwards out from Royston into Cambridgeshire. This quiet section is surrounded by arable fields but has produced some good birds in the past. There is a rather boring section that leads out from my house past Burloes Farm, so I decided to park in a large layby off the A505 and walk eastwards along the Icknield Way from there. There had been reports of a first winter Iceland Gull in the area of Flint Cross, which is close to my route. On my first visit, on the 7th, I saw a huge flock of around 200 Corn Buntings (just) on the Hertfordshire side of the border with Cambridgeshire and an even bigger mixed flock of gulls on the wing. I photographed this flock and, being a complete 'anorak', pored through them, looking for the Iceland Gull. Only the four 'common' species (Black-headed, Common, Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls) could be identified, along with a single Great Black-backed Gull (quite a rare species inland). The birds were too far away to say whether any Yellow-legged or Caspian Gulls were amongst the Herring Gulls. However, as I moved into Cambridgeshire I found the Iceland Gull alongside many other large gulls, 'following the plough' in a field. Numerous attempts to photograph this gull ultimately gave me just one poorly-resolved image of the bird in flight (below).

A few of the 200+ Corn Buntings seen on the Herts./Cambs. Border off the Icknield Way, 7 March

Fallow Deer off the Icknield Way near Royston, 7 March

1st Winter Iceland Gull (flying just L of Centre, intersecting with top of Field), near Royston, 7 March

A similar walk on the 11th was less stimulating, although hundreds of gulls were again to be seen as another field was being ploughed. One of the gulls had some of the characteristics (upright stance, 'gimlet eye') of a Caspian Gull (image below), but my photo is too poor to be certain of identification. Big flocks of Fieldfares, Corn Buntings and Starlings were also seen.

Possible Caspian Gull (right hand Bird), east of Royston, 11 March

Three noisy male Siskins, seen in Fox Covert on the 7th, were presumably migrating back north to their breeding sites. On the same day a Chiffchaff was again seen in exactly the same area of woodland where one had been seen in late January, so presumably this was the same over-wintering bird. However, following warm southerly winds from the 13th, summering Chiffchaffs started arriving back in the Royston area in big numbers soon afterwards. A bird was singing on Church Hill on the 14th and on the following day I heard (and, in some cases, saw) no fewer than six singers on a walk on to The Heath. One bird on The Heath hadn't got its song quite right, replacing the 'chiff' with its normal call! Four Brimstone butterflies were flying around in the woods on The Heath during one of the occasional sunny intervals on the 15th.

This winter has been an excellent one for Waxwings, with birds being seen at a variety of locations, including Royston. However, I hadn't seen any in 2024 until the 14th, when I visited a flock of birds that had been showing regularly at an industrial estate in Letchworth. The birds were spending most of their time in a tree, occasionally flying down to feed on the copious red berries in a nearby (pyracantha?) bush. I managed to get a few photos of the birds (below) - it could be a few years before I get another chance to see them locally.

Waxwing, Letchworth GC, 14 March

Waxwing, Letchworth GC, 14 March

On the 15th I paid my first visit of the year to Coopers Green gravel pits, just off the A1 near Welwyn Garden City. The extraction of sand and gravel is still going on there, and the newly excavated pits prove attractive to migrant birds, in particular Little Ringed Plovers, which also nest in this habitat. Up to six of these birds, newly arrived from Africa, had been reported there in the preceding days but, in failing light, I managed to see just one.

Meanwhile, things were happening in my back garden. No fewer than 17 very noisy frogs were counted in the garden pond up to the 13th, when the first clumps of spawn were laid, with more frogspawn appearing on the following two days. A newt was also seen in the pond. After the first appearance of Feral Pigeons in the garden for 38 years (see my February blog), more and more appeared alongside the resident Woodpigeons and Collared Doves, feeding on sunflower hearts dropped from the feeders by the rather messy finches. Then, on the morning of the 21st, a Stock Dove appeared as well. It would be a slight exaggeration to say that my garden resembled St. Mark's Square in Venice! This or another Stock Dove (a species which has occasionally visited the garden before) turned up regularly over the following few days. I guess that it would be too much to hope for a Turtle Dove to turn up in the summer to complete the set?

Frogspawn in the Garden Pond, 15 March

Stock Dove in my Garden, 21 March

Warm, southerly winds in the middle of the month brought up not just lots of Chiffchaffs, but also other 'early-arriving' summer visitors, with numerous Wheatears and a handful of Garganey being reported in the county. A few Willow Warblers and Ring Ouzels, which normally arrive in April, were also reported in the Home Counties. On a walk from the Wallington to Baldock road to the Baldock model aircraft field on the 23rd I saw at least three Wheatears, including a nice male on the aircraft field itself. However, the final days of the month saw a change to very unsettled weather, with rain and/or strong westerly winds, and migration from the south appeared to dry up.

Brimstone, Red Admiral, Peacock and Comma butterflies were all seen on the wing on the warmer, sunnier days in March and other insects, including bee-flies, hoverflies and ladybirds, also emerged as the month wore on. Hundreds, possibly thousands of Pasque Flowers were blooming on Church Hill by the end of the month. Due to illness, my walks were short and restricted, but I did manage to get up to Phillup's Lake on the 26th (six Coot, three Canada Geese and a single summer-plumaged Little Grebe). I also saw my first Swallows of the year at Marsworth Reservoir, when I visited the Tring Reservoirs on the 29th. By the end of the month, Blackcaps were singing all across my 'local patch'.

Canada Geese, Phillup's Lake, Reed End, 26 March

 

 

UK Wildlife Sightings, March 2024

 I returned to the Staines Reservoirs on the 6th, hoping to see the reported Slavonian Grebe, as well as (a) Water Pipit(s). I found the grebe easily enough, as it showed quite well on the south basin, close to at least three Black-necked Grebes that were moulting into their summer plumage. However, I could only find Meadow Pipits along the causeway that separates the north and south basins. Black-throated and Great Northern Divers showed intermittently and distantly on the north basin. I've enjoyed my visits to these reservoirs this winter and have some decent photos to show for it, although travelling on the M25, particularly the clockwise section between junctions 14 and 16, is invariably a nightmare.

Two Black-necked Grebes, Staines Reservoirs (South Basin), 6 March

Slavonian Grebe, Staines Reservoirs (South Basin), 6 March

I visited the Hawk and Owl Trust's reserve at Sculthorpe Moor (Norfolk) on the 8th, as a reconnaissance visit for an RSPB trip that I would be co-leading. Thankfully, the flood waters had receded and most of the reserve was accessible although the 'wet woodland' looked more like a swamp and any attempt to leave the boardwalk would have likely led to drowning! Nothing special was seen, although good numbers of Siskins, Marsh Tits and Bramblings were on the reserve. A Rustic Bunting had been found nearby, at the village of Helhoughton, but it was not showing during brief visits that I made either side of my visit to Sculthorpe. However, I had more success second time around with finding the Great Grey Shrike at Weeting. The bird showed distantly but well (telescope views) and was seen to catch and consume two large beetles during my stay.

Poor 'Record Shot' of a Distant Great Grey Shrike, Weeting, 8 March

Male Siskin, Sculthorpe Moor NR, 8 March

The following week I spent a couple of days in Yorkshire. There were various reasons for going, including visiting old school friends (I was born and brought up in Yorkshire), but of course I managed to do some bird watching there. On the 12th I drove right up the beautiful Nidd Valley (unfairly overlooked in favour of more 'popular' Yorkshire Dales) and on to the moors above Leighton Reservoir, where I encountered Red Grouse, Curlews, Oystercatchers and lots of 'proper' Greylag Geese. On the way back I stopped off at Gouthwaite Reservoir, where a large flock of 94 Whooper Swans were hanging out. A Barn Owl was seen both on the way (at the side of the road) and on returning.

Whooper Swans, Gouthwaite Reservoir, North Yorkshire, 12 March

On the following day I visited the Yorkshire coast, visiting Filey (where I walked out onto The Brigg at low tide) and RSPB Bempton Cliffs. Birds seen at Filey included Purple Sandpiper, Common Scoter and Shag, whilst hundreds of Gannets, Razorbills and Guillemots were already occupying nesting locations on the cliffs. A local also pointed out to me a couple of surprisingly early Puffins on the cliffs, a few minutes after I had, in my 'wisdom', told a couple of ladies that it was too early in the year to see Puffins here - oh dear!

Bar-tailed Godwit, Filey Brigg, 13 March

Gannet in Flight, RSPB Bempton Cliffs, 13 March

Two Puffins, RSPB Bempton Cliffs, 13 March

Razorbill, RSPB Bempton Cliffs, 13 March

I was back at Sculthorpe Moor on the morning of the 17th, leading the RSPB Local Group round the reserve in pouring rain. Fortunately, all the key species (Brambling, Marsh Tit, Bullfinch, Siskin etc.) put in an appearance, before we went off for an afternoon at Sandringham Park, which I had never visited before.

Roe Deer, Sculthorpe Moor, 17 March

On the 20th I visited Cley NWT, with my main target species being the Long-billed Dowitcher, a vagrant American wader which had turned up there again. I duly saw the dowitcher, as well as my first Wheatear of the year. A bigger surprise was to see three Spoonbills on Pat's Pool (where the dowitcher was seen) actually feeding and interacting before flying off (normally they just seem to sleep during the day). On the way I stopped again at Helhoughton, this time not to see the Rustic Bunting (which, although still present, was virtually impossible to find) but to look for Mealy Redpolls and an Arctic Redpoll, which occasionally flew up into some birches on the far side of a set-aside field. Even through the telescope, the birds looked quite small. However, I definitely saw at least three Mealy Redpolls although the Arctic Redpoll proved elusive.

Long-billed Dowitcher, Cley NWT, 20 March

Two Spoonbills, Cley NWT, 20 March

 I visited RSPB Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk, which is less than an hour's drive away from Royston, on the 25th. My target birds were Garganey (up to six had been reorted there in recent days) and Water Pipit. I was lucky with the former, seeing all six birds (including four beautiful males), but the Water Pipits appeared to have left. Common Cranes had been regularly seen in flight (they have bred here in previous years), but there was no sign of them on this occasion.

Male Garganey (on the right) with Tufted Duck, Hockwold Washes, RSPB Lakenheath Fen, 25 March

Local Wildlife Sightings, February 2024

 The first few days of February were very dry, if rather windy. However, heavy rain arrived from the evening of the 6th and paths once again became extremely muddy and fields waterlogged. With health mainly restored, I started local walks again. I made a couple of visits to Briary Lane in the hope of seeing Royston's first reported winter Waxwing, but without success. However, a walk on the west side of The Heath on the 2nd provided a surprise in the form of a Chiffchaff. Wintering Chiffchaffs are increasing in numbers in the UK, but they are almost always found close to water and there was none where this bird was found. Was it moving through the area or wintering here? Royston Sewage Works (now off-limits) has regularly harboured wintering Chiffchaffs (including a 'Siberian' sub-species one year), but this is only the second bird that I have seen on my Local Patch in February. Nearby, a male Stonechat was holding winter territory. This is a much more regular winter visitor to The Heath.

I can see the folly at Wimpole Hall from the rear bedroom windows, so I decided to go for a walk there, for the first time in two years, on the 6th. Mandarin Ducks winter on the main lake there - I saw seven on my visit. A good range of water birds on the lake included Great Crested and Little Grebes, Wigeon, Shoveler and Egyptian Goose. A look through the flocks of 100+ Greylag Geese that were feeding on the parkland failed to produce any rarer species (I've seen Barnacle Goose, Russian White-fronted Goose and Tundra Bean Goose here in previous winters).

Retreating Mandarin Ducks, Wimpole Hall Lake, 6 February

A smallish murmuration of perhaps 500-700 Starlings was noted at Hatchpen Farm on the late afternoon of the 8th. With more birds arriving as I left, it is possible that numbers might have reached the 1300-1600 that I saw here two winters ago.

A few of the several hundred Starlings seen at Hatchpen Farm on 8 February

After a few days of dry weather, rain returned with a vengeance in the middle of the month and wellington boots once more became essential for getting around the muddy and, in places, waterlogged footpaths and bridleways. Incredibly mild weather accompanied the rain, and I saw a couple of Peacock butterflies in flight during sunny intervals, the first being encountered on the 2nd. On the 14th I was surprised to encounter a very early Pasque Flower on Church Hill. It is not unusual to see this beautiful and rare wild flower appearing at the end of February, but this particular bloom was exceptionally early!

A very early Pasque Flower, Church Hill (Therfield Heath), 14 February

A local walk on the 19th produced a pair of Ravens over Burloes Farm and a pair of Stonechats in fields less than one kilometre south of my house. I didn't have a camera with me at the time, and the birds were gone when I next visited. A female Sparrowhawk was flying over my estate when I returned, and this or another bird was later seen flying over the garden. Other walks on my local patch were uneventful. One unusual sighting in my garden was of a pair of Feral Pigeons, which seem to have taken up residence on my estate. Hundreds of Feral Pigeons live in and around Royston town centre, but this is the first time I have encountered them in the garden! One of the birds was particularly aggressive towards the ever-present Woodpigeons, head-butting one at one point, much to its surprise! The presence of Collared Doves in the garden as well provided an interesting size comparison, as the sunflower hearts that I put out in feeders for the smaller birds disappeared at an alarming rate.

The multiple storms during the winter months brought down lots of trees and branches across the region. The continuously wet weather combined to produce some interesting fungi on this dead wood, an example of which is shown below. The February rainfall record for my back garden had already been broken with six days of the month to go and further rainfall on the 'Leap Day' made this the wettest February in East Anglia and the South-east since meteorological records began back in the 1850s. My own reading was 4.28 inches (109mm).

Fungus and Lichens on Dead Wood, Therfield, 27 February