Local Wildlife Sightings January 2022

 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.

Fallow Deer, near Therfield, 19 January

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.

UK Wildlife Sightings January 2022

 My first bird watching trip of the year took me to the North Norfolk coast on the 5th. I visited Titchwell in the morning, followed by Holkham in the afternoon, adding 14 species of wader to my year list. Northerly winds had resulted in a surge tide which, although not particularly high, had flooded the fenced-off area at Holkham where the shorelarks normally feed. Consequently I missed them, although I did see a very tame cattle egret, feeding at the side of Lady Anne's Drive, as I made my way back to the car. Disappointingly, there was very little on the sea, although red-breasted mergansers were present at both sites. Perhaps the best bird at Titchwell was a wintering chiffchaff, which allowed good views, near the visitor centre. Although a 'Siberian' chiffchaff was around there at the time, this was one of 'our' sub-species, collybita. On the way home I stopped off briefly at Hunstanton to look for fulmars. None were seen, but I got a surprise when a male peregrine, presumably prospecting for a wader for supper, passed lazily a few feet overhead.

Cattle Egret, Holkham, 5 January

Chiffchaff, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 5 January

On the 7th I visited Lynford Arboretum, with the twin purposes of looking for hawfinches and doing some bird photography, using a lichen-encrusted branch and the parapet of a bridge. Fewer and fewer hawfinches are being seen here as the winter progresses, but I eventually saw a single, distant male. At least two bramblings and hundreds of siskins were also seen here. The woodland birds are used to being fed here and some (in particular blue tits which, I'm sure, would feed out of the hand) are quite tame, so I was quickly able to attract blue, great and marsh tits to my 'feeding station', as well as nuthatches, the occasional blackbird and even a mallard drake! A couple of the resultant images are shown below.

Blue Tit, Lynford Arboretum, 7 January

Nuthatch, Lynford Arboretum, 7 January

My first visit to Welney WWT reserve for over a year on the 12th provided me with first sightings in 2022 of pintail, short-eared owl, tree sparrow and (of course) whooper swan, whilst a trip to the Tring Reservoirs on the 13th provided first sightings of white-fronted geese (up to eleven in number from the eight seen in December 2021) at Wilstone, kingfisher, goldeneye, red-crested pochard and bittern. The last was seen at dusk at Marsworth reservoir, having constructed a platform to stand on in the reed bed there (is this to prevent it getting stuck in ice or to avoid possible attack from large fish, such as pike?).

Whooper Swan Taking Off, Welney WWT, 12 January

White-fronted Geese, near Wilstone Reservoir, 13 January

Hawfinches were again seen when our RSPB Local Group visited Linford Arboretum on the 16th. A busy January for bird watching continued as I went to Wicken and Adventurers Fens on the 17th (lots of barn owls and marsh harriers, but no sign of any hen harriers) and RSPB Rainham Marshes, where a spoonbill had taken up residence.

'Record Shot' of a Hawfinch, Lynford Arboretum, 16 January

Spoonbill, characteristically doing nothing, Rainham Marshes, 18 January

I returned to North Norfolk on the 21st, finally catching up with snow buntings east of Holkham Gap and also photographing rock pipits there. A female scaup was loafing on the lake at Holkham Park.

Rock Pipit, Holkham, 21 January

Snow Buntings, Holkham, 21 January

The reappearance of a great grey shrike at Comberton, near Cambridge, after several weeks' absence (where had it been, or was this a different individual?) was too good an opportunity to miss. It behaved impeccably on the 24th, allowing me to get some reasonably close views.

Great Grey Shrike, Comberton, 24 January

I added glossy ibis to my year list on a visit to Eldernell, on the Nene Washes, on the afternoon of the 25th. A barn owl was also seen and at least seven marsh harriers came in to roost, but there was no sign of the regularly reported short-eared owls or cranes. An opportunity to photograph sanderlings on an incoming tide in good weather in the afternoon at Titchwell (for another of my projects) on the 28th was too good to miss. On the way I stopped off at Milton Country Park, near Cambridge, to look (unsuccessfully) for a wintering yellow-browed warbler and at WWT Welney to see and photograph the nine bean geese that had taken up residence there in front of the main hide. I also saw a single Bewick's swan in amongst a big flock of whoopers, near the road on the way in. I took over 250 images of sanderling at Titchwell, but the only other 'year tick' on the day was fulmar, seen at Hunstanton cliffs on the way home.

Bean Geese at WWT Welney, 28 January

A very tame Muntjac Deer near the Bird Feeders, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 28 January

Female Red-breasted Merganser on the Tidal Marsh, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 28 January

Turnstone on the Beach, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 28 January