Local Wildlife Sightings March 2022

 If February was a very quiet month for local wildlife, March certainly started with a bang. In order to retain a veneer of fitness I try to get in a walk of at least an hour every day. Recently I have been walking up to Hatchpen Farm on the Greenwich Meridian trail 2-3 times per week, looking mainly for rarities amongst the good variety of gulls that favour this area in the afternoons. On the 1st I finally had some luck when, in amongst a large mixed flock of gulls on the ground at Hatchpen Farm, I spotted a very pale individual about 400 metres away. It was close enough to get some rather blurry photographs and also flew further away at one point, confirming that it was a 'white-winged' gull. Examination of the images at home confirmed my suspicion that this was likely the wide-ranging, third winter Kumliens gull (the Canadian sub-species of Iceland gull) that has been seen several times this winter at Heydon Pig Farm. My images, as well as a description of the bird, have been sent to the Herts. Bird Club rarities committee for confirmation (or otherwise!). A great black-backed gull (an uncommon inland species) was also seen in (typically ponderous) flight.

Third Winter Kumliens Gull (upper bird) in Flight, Hatchpen Farm, 1 March

Third Winter Kumliens Gull (central bird) with Common Gulls, Hatchpen Farm, 1 March

Having concentrated on the Reed area for my walks in February I then switched to walking along the Icknield Way and also on to Therfield Heath. I had my first local views of golden plover in flight (about 125 birds) on the morning of the 8th - some were already showing spotty breasts as they started their moult into summer plumage. A raven, 25 lapwings and 50+ fieldfares were also seen at Greys Farm. The golden plovers were still present on the 9th (late afternoon), but there was no sign of any of the rarer raptors and owls that used to be seen in this area. As the weather warmed up on the 10th I saw at least two brimstone butterflies in flight near Royston town centre.

Golden Plovers in Flight, Therfield, 8 March

Warm weather, with southerly winds, in the middle of the month brought an early arrival of summer visitors (singing chiffchaffs were recorded from the 9th locally) as well as Saharan sand, which was dumped on my car. Chiffchaffs were recorded in Royston (in the hospital grounds), Therfield and Reed when I went on a walk round the villages on the 14th. Lapwings were displaying on two areas of Greys Farm, where a flock of around 50 fieldfares was feeding on the ground. Five chiffchaffs were singing as I walked across The Heath on the following day and an early blackcap (or was it a late winter visitor?) was singing in dense scrub near Heath Farm. A treecreeper was seen briefly in Fox Covert on the 17th, whilst a few pasque flowers were already in bloom nearby, on Church Hill.

Chiffchaff, Therfield, 28 March

Pasque Flower, Church Hill, 17 March

Corn buntings returned to their breeding sites later in the month, a pair of bullfinches near Wicker Hall on the 24th was my first local sighting of this species in 2022 and a raven flew over the garden, also on the 24th. All five of our 'hibernating' butterflies (brimstone, comma, peacock, red admiral and small tortoiseshell) were seen locally in unusually warm and sunny weather.

At the end of a hard week I decided to relax with a walk round the RSPB Fowlmere reserve (my first visit of 2022) on the 25th. Not expecting to see anything of interest I didn't bother bringing my camera, which was a big mistake because four garganey (a summer visitor and our only migratory breeding duck) were showing beautifully in evening sunlight on the mere, from the reedbed hide. I came back with my camera at 7.00am the following morning, but they had already departed after a very brief stay. Male frogs were busy in the garden pond and the chorus of croaking got louder and louder until 'all hell was let loose' on the 26th when three clumps of frogspawn were laid. At one stage a 'frog ball' of one female and up to four males was thrashing about in the water - as far as I'm aware, there were no casualties from all this rather brutal activity. The spawning took place on exactly the same date as last year's event. A few images, taken on the day, are below.

Frogs and Frogspawn in the Garden Pond, 26 March

"Frog Ball" in the Garden Pond, 26 March

Frogspawn in the Garden Pond, 26 March

After a long spell of warm, settled weather we were plunged back in to winter from the 29th, to such an extent that there were snow showers on the morning of the 31st. Needless to say, spring bird migration was put on hold.

 

 

UK Wildlife Sightings March 2022

 After more than one failure I finally saw my first smew of the year (a male), when I visited Eyebrook Reservoir (Leicestershire) on the 2nd. A Slavonian grebe was also present near the Stoke Dry parking area. On the 7th I went on an organised Royal Photographic Society Nature Group trip to RSPB Titchwell Marsh. I arrived well before the arranged meeting date, to look for birds on or over the sea, at high tide. There was nothing doing here, but on the way back to the visitor centre I saw a water rail. The rest of the day (I stayed for over six hours) was spent photographing birds. I ended up with over 300 images, a few of which are shown below. My favourite (if not the best) was the capture of a first winter Caspian gull in flight (below). Bar-tailed godwits are becoming one of my favourite photographic subjects and several birds posed for me here.

Bar-tailed Godwit, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 7 March

First Winter Caspian Gull, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 7 March

Grey Plover, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 7 March

Young Male Marsh Harrier, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 7 March

Oystercatcher, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 7 March

The White-tailed Lapwing, a mega-rarity that I saw last year at RSPB Blacktoft Sands, in East Yorkshire, arrived at another RSPB reserve (Frampton Marsh) on the 9th, within range for me to have a second look on the 11th. However, although I saw the bird it was distant (too far away for photography) and often hidden from view - a far cry from the great views that so many of us had of this 'mega' rarity at Blacktoft. High pressure for once brought sunshine and warm weather during most of the rest of March. Sunny late mornings in March are ideal for watching displaying goshawks, and so it proved on the 15th when I visited Cockley Cley. At least four goshawks were seen, including a pair that spent several minutes together. A woodlark was singing near the watchpoint and both red deer and roe deer were seen.

On the 18th I visited St. Albans, walking round the Verulamium Lake a couple of times and then visiting the small and delightful Watersmeet reserve on the east of the city. This is an excellent place to see siskins and redpolls in winter and both species were present, visiting feeders. A male blackcap was also visiting a feeder, but perhaps my best sighting was of a pair of bullfinches - my first of the year!

Grey Wagtail, Verulamium Park, St. Albans, 18 March

Male Blackcap, Watersmeet NR, St. Albans, 18 March

Lesser Redpoll, Watersmeet NR, St. Albans, 18 March

Male Siskin, Watersmeet NR, St. Albans, 18 March

On the 23rd it was back to the seaside! Firstly I parked in Wells, walking along the beach towards Holkham where, at my third attempt this year, I caught up with the four wintering shorelarks that had been present since last autumn. The shorelarks were in a roped-off area and, whilst I was watching them, a female wheatear briefly landed nearby. I moved on to RSPB Titchwell, where a little ringed plover was present on the freshmarsh, as were several Mediterranean gulls. Red-breasted mergansers and common scoters were on the sea. I had hoped to get more practice at photographing waders in flight from the beach, but at low tide most of them had shifted up to Thornham Point, about a mile away, and they were also silhouetted against a still strong sun, so I failed in that respect. Nevertheless, I recorded 81 species on the day and, as always on my trips to the Norfolk coast, had a lot of fun.

Shorelarks, Holkham Beach, 23 March

Female Bearded Tit, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 23 March

Dunlin, Titchwell Beach, 23 March

Male Teal in Breeding Plumage, RSPB Titchwell Marsh (Freshmarsh), 23 March

Much cooler, dull weather returned towards the end of the month. Despite this I made an afternoon visit to the Tring reservoirs on the afternoon of the 29th, hoping to see my first hirundines of the year (none present). However, I did manage to get a brief glimpse of my first Hertfordshire green-winged teal at Wilstone and saw a curlew (a Hertfordshire rarity) fly over Marsworth reservoir. A pair of mandarin ducks were at Startops End.

Male Mandarin Duck, Startops End, 29 March