UK Wildlife Sightings November 2024

 I spent an afternoon at RSPB Lakenheath Fen on the 1st, looking for Water Pipits and Common Cranes. A single Water Pipit was heard, but not seen, near the Joist Fen viewpoint. Also seen were three Whooper Swans, four Great White Egrets and at least two Marsh Harriers on a quiet day.

 

Two Whooper Swans and a Great White Egret on Washland, Lakenheath Fen, 1 November

My quest for cranes continued on the 6th, when I drove up to Willow Tree Fen, north of Peterborough, where Common Cranes had been regularly seen coming in to roost. I hadn't been to Willow Tree Fen for about 15 years and was surprised to find that, whereas before I had been able to walk out onto the fen, I was now restricted to a car park with a viewpoint looking out over the fen. However, that was all that I needed as 25 Common Cranes came in to roost at dusk, with several Marsh Harriers (including a leucistic individual) and seven Cattle Egrets also seen from the viewpoint.

Record shot of some of the 25 Common Cranes that roosted at Willow Tree Fen on 6 November

Staines Reservoirs have proved a happy hunting ground over the years, and particularly last winter when I had great views of some of our rarer grebes and divers. News of a Lapland Bunting on the causeway between the north and south reservoirs enticed me to visit again. I arrived on the 7th to find the bunting hopping on the causeway almost at the feet of the assembled birdwatchers (I suspect that somebody had put food down for it here). I knelt and waited as it came towards me, getting so close that I couldn't focus my camera on it! My images don't do justice to this characterful little bird, which is still present at the site as I write this on the 9th. Further along the causeway I counted five Black-necked Grebes on the South Basin. It is unusual not to see this species here during the winter months and they are sometimes joined by Slavonian Grebes.

Lapland Bunting, Staines Reservoirs, 7 November

Lapland Bunting, Staines Reservoirs, 7 November

Three Black-necked Grebes, Staines Reservoirs, 7 November

On the 12th I made another visit to the North Norfolk coast, spending time at Thornham Harbour before moving on to Titchwell. Once again I had a glimpse of a Water Pipit as it flew in front of the Parrinder Hide, uttering its distinctive, sharp, one note call. Several Meadow Pipits were also around. One pipit seen from the Parrinder Hide had a very distinctive eye ring, which didn't fit with any pipit species! I've included a somewhat pixellated photo of the bird below (it was a long way away). I assume that the bird is a Meadow Pipit. Fourteen wader species, including Ruff, were seen on the day.

(Meadow?) Pipit (nearest bird) with Conspicuous Eye Ring, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 12 November

Eleven Little Egrets, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 12 November

Sanderling on Titchwell Beach, 12 November

An RSPB coach trip on the 17th saw us spending the day at Rutland Water (Egleton Reserve). Slavonian Grebe, Great Northern Diver, Cattle Egret, Kingfisher and Scaup were amongst the species seen. Several Great Egrets were present on the reserve and two appeared to be courting, walking close together with bills pointing to the sky - behaviour that I haven't seen before. I took some photos at an angle through glass, which didn't come out at all well, so I'll include a more conventional image below.

Great Egret, Rutland Water (Egleton Reserve), 17 November

Blue Tit near the Feeding Station, Rutland Water (Egleton), 17 November

I left the UK on the 22nd for a wildlife holiday in The Gambia (West Africa). I will get back to writing my blog posts when I've recovered, in mid December.

 

Local Wildlife Sightings October 2024

 Many places to the west of Royston experienced their wettest ever September. However, for Royston (or, more particularly, my garden) September 1995 was slightly wetter - how disappointing! However, the elements hadn't finished and on the 1st well over an inch of rain fell. If September had had 31 days, it would have been the wettest month since I started recording in 1992! The impact of this horribly wet year on our wildlife has been very negative, and it was clear after all the rain that my macro lens would be of little use until next spring.

I eventually got out on the 4th, the second of two miraculously sunny days, walking up the Icknield Way (west of Royston) and later doing a 'there and back' section of the Icknield Way to the east of Royston. I didn't get as far as the Heydon Pig Farm, but saw plenty of gulls on recently ploughed fields along the way. Corn Buntings were starting to flock just over the Cambridgeshire border - I counted 13 on telegraph wires, with possibly more very distant birds. Red Admirals were the dominant butterfly, although I did see a single Meadow Brown near the house.

Gulls (Three Species) in flight near Royston, 4 October

There has been a big influx of Yellow-browed Warblers, blown by easterly winds, into the country this autumn. Whilst most have stayed on or near the east coast, at least three have been sighted in Hertfordshire. I was (ambitiously) hoping to record one on my local patch this year, but was unlucky. However, I did notice lots of Chiffchaffs on all my walks until well into October, including birds on two separate dates in the back garden. More and more of these birds are wintering in the UK as our winters become milder. Last winter, one was present on The Heath. I wonder whether any will stay locally again.

 I finally put my macro lens away for the winter after the 4th, but not before snapping an intriguing little fly near Royston Hospital. It appeared to have something in its mouth - a much smaller insect, perhaps? I couldn't identify it using 'Brock' - I must get an insect identification App (if one exists) or find a helpful web site.

Mystery Fly, Royston, 4 October

In an effort to retain a veneer of fitness and lose some weight, I have been going on my 8-9 mile 'round the villages' walk roughly once a fortnight this autumn. It is interesting to compare October's walks on the 8th and 23rd. On both walks I recorded 40 species of bird (37 seen). Whilst around 15 Chiffchaffs (including three together along the Icknield Way) were recorded on the 8th, just three were recorded on the 23rd - a sure sign that these birds were mainly passing through on migration. Four House Martins were seen over Therfield village on the 8th, but by the 23rd no summer visitors (other than the Chiffchaffs) were recorded. However, some Redwings were feeding on berries in Reed village on the later date and a flock of about 90 Golden Plovers (my first local sighting of the year) flew over the Icknield Way. A couple of Common Gulls, seen on the 23rd, were the only other sign of winter visitors on either date.

Chiffchaff, Therfield, 8 October

Long-tailed Tit, Royston, 8 October

Seven species of butterfly, including Comma and Speckled Wood, were seen on the 8th, whilst on the 23rd (a warm day with sunny periods) only Red Admirals (lots) and a single Small White were recorded. The presence of so many Red Admirals, most in good condition, strongly suggests that individuals are hibernating during our mild winters, rather than migrating. The warm, sunny weather of late October also brought out two male Brimstone butterflies in Jubilee Wood on the 24th.

Comma Butterfly, Therfield, 8 October

A Little Grebe was on Phillup's Lake on the 8th, and one was heard there on the 23rd, when four Tufted Ducks were also seen. One of the (female) Tufted Ducks had a large patch of white at the base of the bill. This is not unusual for this species, but it did make me wonder whether it could be the offspring of the presumed Tufted Duck x Scaup hybrid, which was seen here on a couple of occasions last winter - maybe 3/4 Tufted, 1/4 Scaup, perhaps? Just speculation. Hawker and Darter dragonflies were seen here on the 8th, but by the 23rd only a few Common Darters remained. These will continue to fly until we either get the first frosts of the winter (if that ever happens) or the weather becomes too cold for them to fly.

Female Tufted Duck (with a bit of Scaup??), Reed End, 23 October

Multiple Raven sightings were noted on both walks, although I never saw more than two together. With hundreds (possibly thousands) of Red-legged Partridges having once again been released on Hatchpen Farm for shooting, Ravens in this area have another potential food source. I haven't identified any nest sites on my local patch yet, but surely it won't be too long before I do.

Raven in Flight, Reed End, 23 October

Ironically, the last ten days of October produced probably the longest dry spell of the year (if you discount a bit of drizzle), with above average temperatures - if only we had had this weather in the spring! There was a bit of sunshine about, but under high pressure the weather was largely cloudy.

UK Wildlife Sightings, October 2024

 I was back on the North Norfolk coast on the 2nd, researching for an RSPB Local Group trip to Holme NWT (see later), which I would be leading. There wasn't a great deal to see here - a Yellow-browed Warbler had been sighted near the car park before I arrived, but must have moved on. There was lots of activity on the lovely beach, but no rarities. I moved on to RSPB Titchwell Marsh, a few miles down the road, and was rewarded with a brief sighting of a Yellow-browed Warbler there (too dark for photography). Two others were heard at Titchwell. This species has a number of loud, distinctive calls: people usually mention the disyllabic, Coal Tit like call, but these birds were using a loud, single note call - higher pitched than the call of a Chiffchaff (of which there were many). Most of the migrating waders had moved through, but I still saw twelve species, including the Black-winged Stilt 'escape'.

Black-winged Stilt, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 2 October

Great White Egret (one of a pair), RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 2 October

A 'lifer', in the form of an Asian Desert Wheatear, turned up on the Norfolk Coast near Winterton over the weekend of the 5-6th. I was sorely tempted to 'twitch' it on the 7th, but just had too many commitments to go. Unfortunately, the bird left overnight on the 7/8th. As a consolation I decided to visit the same area on the 9th, getting great views of a very tame Hoopoe at North Walsham but missing out on Richard's Pipits at Happisburgh later in the day (they had been reported in the morning but were not subsequently seen). However, as I walked back to the car I did see yet another Yellow-browed Warbler!

Hoopoe, North Walsham, 9 October

Hoopoe, North Walsham, 9 October

A long-awaited return visit with my partner to Spain (this time Bilbao) saw me out of the country for the first time this year, from the 11th to the 15th. Whilst the bird life of other cities has been rich, Bilbao was disappointing. Of course, we weren't (thankfully) there for the birds, which is just as well as I didn't see a single raptor or 'black' crow on the whole trip. Highlights, such as they were, were of Black Redstarts on a coastal walk (Bilbao lies a few miles from the coast), a juvenile Cuckoo and a (possibly wintering) Common Sandpiper. Butterfly sightings included Clouded Yellow (my first of the year) and a smallish fly-by orange species, which I assume was a member of the copper family. A few Dragonflies were also seen, but the only one identified was a Ruddy Darter. I know that this is not the UK, but here are a couple of images from the trip.

Yellow-legged Gull on the Guggenheim Building, Bilbao, 12 October

Female Speckled Wood Butterfly, Bilbao, 14 October

The RSPB Local Group trip to Holme NWT in Norfolk on the 20th went off surprisingly well, considering that 'Storm Ashley' was passing through the region. There was some squally rain and strong southerly winds were blowing, but the sun came out in the afternoon, in time for our return journey. I missed out on a Red-necked Grebe (needed for my year list and seen by a few), but did see (from the coastal path) the moulting juvenile male Scaup, which was on Broadwater (part of the 'rival' NOA reserve). Waders included two Greenshank, one on the reserve and the other at Thornham Harbour. Several Cattle Egrets were in fields towards Thornham. Between us we recorded 83 species (78 seen), including a 'booming' Bittern!

Greenshank, Thornham Harbour, 20 October

Juvenile Male Scaup, Holme, 20 October

My love for the North Norfolk coast knows no bounds, and I was back there two days later, spending a long afternoon at RSPB Titchwell Marsh and again trying out my new zoom lens. I saw the (apparently) resident Snow Bunting (my first of the year) and had a very brief view of a Water Pipit as it flew in front of the Parrinder Hide, calling. Spoonbills, Great White Egrets and 14 wader species were seen.

Bar-tailed Godwit, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 22 October

Chinese Water Deer on the Freshmarsh (it put up all the Birds!), RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 22 October

Golden Plovers, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 22 October

Snow Bunting on the Beach, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 22 October

On the 30th I nipped up to Broom Gravel Pits (Bedfordshire) to see a male Green-winged Teal (an American duck, which is their equivalent of our common Teal), which was reported there on and off towards the end of October and the beginning of November. The bird was somewhat distant and kept disappearing below a low bank, but I eventually managed to get a 'record shot' photo of the bird, before it disappeared for good.

Record Shot of Male Green-winged Teal, Broom Gravel Pits, 30 October

Local Wildlife Sightings September 2024

 After a dry August (the first 'dry' month for nearly a year), September started unsettled, with a few rain showers and very variable temperatures, which peaked at 28C on the 1st. Royston is in one of the driest areas of the country, and this was emphasised as we missed torrential rain to the south in the first week and the constant battering of wind and rain that was endured in north-west Britain at the end of August and early September.

September sees bird migration through the country, as passerines head south towards warmer climes. Whinchats and Wheatears were reported locally in the first week, but no rarities were recorded. I was still busy photographing invertebrates, so relied on bird calls more than sightings during this period, although I did see at least three Spotted Flycatchers sallying forth from dead trees in Fox Covert to catch insects. Were these the family of birds that I saw in June and July or others passing through? I'll never know. Chiffchaffs were everywhere, sometimes appearing in parties of up to four individuals, but no Willow Warblers were heard or seen. A Raven was heard over Fox Covert on the 3rd, whilst a Green Woodpecker called nearby, the first time I've heard this species on The Heath for well over a year. A Bullfinch was heard near Royston Hospital on the 8th.

Blue butterflies became much harder to find in September, although several tatty Common Blues, a couple of Brown Arguses and a single male Chalkhill Blue were seen on the north side of Church Hill, mainly feeding on late-flowering Devil's-bit Scabious, on the 6th. No second generation Adonis Blues were seen at any time to the west of the Therfield Road: it seems very likely that this colony has, sadly, died out. Second generation Holly Blues have been few and far between this year. Perhaps the parasitic wasp (Listrodomus nycthemerus) that attacks their larvae had a successful season: these two species exist in equilibrium. The two butterflies that have done very well throughout the summer on The Heath, Meadow Brown and Small Heath, were still much in evidence: I must have seen about 50 of the former, many in good condition, on the 6th.

During September, my photographic interest turns towards grasshoppers, bush-crickets and spiders, all of which become far more evident as other insects disappear. I have only ever been able to find two species of grasshopper, Field Grasshopper and Meadow Grasshopper, on The Heath, whereas five species of Bush-cricket have been identified locally. This year Dark Bush-crickets and a single Roesel's Bush-cricket were the only ones seen on The Heath at the time of writing, although I am hopeful of finding more. Lots of Orb-web and female Wasp Spiders were seen, with Wasp Spiders particularly abundant at the bottom of Church Hill, where the specimens shown below were photographed.

Meadow Grasshopper, Church Hill, 3 September

Female Wasp Spider, Church Hill, 3 September

Female Wasp Spider on her Web, Church Hill, 6 September

During September I went on two long 'round the villages walks, on the 11th and the 25th, either side of a week's holiday with my partner (14-21st). These walks are largely aimed at improving my fitness (I'm still putting on weight), but of course I am always on the lookout for birds and invertebrates. Co-incidentally, I saw 38 bird species on each walk. The star bird on the first walk was Willow Warbler (two sightings, ID by call), my first local sightings of the year of a species that used to breed in good numbers in the Royston area but is now only seen as an occasional passage migrant. At least two Ravens were flushed from a dead tree at Reed End (Therfield) and five species of water bird, including two Little Grebes, were seen at Phillup's Lake. On the second walk I saw no fewer than five Ravens in the same dead tree at Reed End: is this a family group or a place for Ravens to socialise? Two Ravens, presumably different birds, were seen earlier heading north as I was walking up the Icknield Way. A single Wheatear was seen near the 'Raven Tree'. Five Tufted Ducks (four females) were on Phillup's Lake, but there was no sign of Little Grebes on this occasion. My biggest shock came on the way back through Newsells Stud Farm, when I saw my first local Green Woodpecker for two years! I have heard them 'yaffling' on many occasions this year (more so than in 2023), but they had always been 'in the next field' or 'just over the hill' - the latter a bit like me, I guess.

Gulls Following the Plough, Therfield, 11 September

Five Ravens in a Dead Tree, Reed End, 25 September

Tufted Ducks at Phillup's Lake, Reed End, 25 September

Lovely weather on the 13th prompted me to look at both ends of The Heath for invertebrates. Large numbers of Ivy Bees were taking nectar from Ivy flowers, both off and on The Heath, being joined from time to time by other bumble bees, Honey Bees, hoverflies and Red Admiral butterflies. A few rather jaded Common Blue butterflies were seen at both ends of The Heath and it was reassuring to see, in addition to 6-8 male Adonis Blues on Lankester Hill, a single female. Migrant Hawker and Common Darter dragonflies were still on the wing. These were all in an area where the vegetation had been machine-cut last year whilst this year a swathe of vegetation lower down the hill has been cut. Vegetation on both sides of Church Hill was cut later in September. This will hopefully do the job that Rabbits are supposed to do (but there are too few to do it) and sheep are now not allowed to do (apparently due to dog attacks), encouraging the growth of wild flowers and the vegetation that supports Therfield Heath's special invertebrates. This was, apparently, a very expensive job, but well done to all concerned for doing it.

Common Darter, Therfield Heath, 13 September

Ivy Bee on Ivy Plant, Royston, 13 September

Red Admiral Nectaring on Ivy, Royston, 13 September

This proved to be probably my last productive visit of the year to The Heath to photograph invertebrates. Having arrived back from holiday on the 21st (and found a Speckled Bush-cricket and a Hawthorn Shield Bug in the garden), the following week produced dull weather with frequent rain. On the few occasions when the sun shone, the only butterflies seen were the 'cabbage whites' and a few Red Admirals and Meadow Browns. Migrant Hawker dragonflies were still active and I saw a few Dock Bugs (on Dock leaves, of course) and grasshoppers. Craneflies were very common and a few hoverflies were still buzzing around, but it looks like the end of September will be the time to put my macro lens away for another year. 

UK Wildlife Sightings September 2024

 When I visited Titchwell on the 4th I decided to replace the macro lens of my relatively new Nikon full-frame mirrorless camera with a brand new 100-400mm zoom lens, to check whether I would get better results photographing birds than those that I had been getting for the past 3+ years from my APS-C Nikon DSLR camera with 100-400mm zoom lens. The answer was a definite 'yes!' The birds look further away in the new combination (as expected for a full-frame camera), but heavier cropping reveals significantly more detail in the birds' feathers and a cleaner image. Further improvements could no doubt be reached by replacing the zoom lens with a very large fixed focal length lens (say 600mm F4), the only problems being a combination of an extra 2Kg of weight and an extra cost of around £12,000! Since I'm a bird watcher who just likes to take decent photos of birds every now and again, I'm very happy with the new (and, to be fair, the old) combination.

Titchwell provided me with plenty of good photographic material, particularly from inside the Island Hide, where several species of wader could be seen and glimpses of a Water Rail (my first sighting of the year) could be had. At one point a Hobby came by, causing most of the waders to fly up, before they later landed only a few feet in front of the hide - giving wonderful views for a minute or two. A Little Stint, in particular, was a very popular subject for the assembled photographers. A White-rumped Sandpiper was rather more elusive but did reveal itself later in the day, when I became marooned in the Island Hide in the middle of a thunderstorm. Elsewhere a Black-winged Stilt became the 19th wader species to be seen on the day, allowing for its rather dubious origins (apparently it was an 'escape').

Curlew Sandpiper, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 4 September

Dunlin, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 4 September

Little Stint, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 4 September

White-rumped Sandpiper, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 4 September

My next expedition of any note was to Shelley, in Suffolk 'Constable Country', on the 12th. This turned into a rather embarrassing flop as my target bird, Purple Heron, eluded me. I found the 'flash' where it was reported to be lurking, but didn't look from the right place (a hole in a hedge, about 500M south of where I had been looking from). I should study the maps on 'Birdguides' more carefully! Still, it was a pleasant afternoon and a surprising number of species could be seen from my viewpoint.

I spent a week on holiday with my partner near Halifax from the 14th. Wildlife watching was very low on the agenda, with highlights limited to seeing a Kingfisher fly past along the River Aire in central Leeds and having a split-second view of a Dipper, again in flight, on the stream that ran past our delightful hotel.

The day after our return I visited Rye Harbour (East Sussex) by coach with my RSPB Local Group. Whilst central England (including Hertfordshire) was enjoying atrocious weather (120mm of rain over the weekend in Woburn), we were extremely lucky to spend the day walking round the reserve in dry and often sunny weather. Highlights included Spotted Redshank, a flyover Osprey, lots of Wheatears and a constant stream of Swallows, heading for Europe and thence Africa (an amazing 120,000 were recorded in the morning, nearby at RSPB Dungeness). A few of my images, taken on the trip, are shown below.

Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin, Rye Harbour SWT, 22 September

Wheatear A, Rye Harbour SWT, 22 September

Wheatear B, Rye Harbour SWT, 22 September

Starling Roost, Rye Harbour SWT, 22 September. Do the birds prefer to be near the Ukrainian Flag?

The appearance of a juvenile Red-backed Shrike at Houghton Regis, near Dunstable, encouraged me out of the house on an otherwise appallingly dull and wet week, on the 24th. This time I came armed with an exact knowledge of where the bird was showing, and was rewarded with good views as it moved around between bushes, close to a stream. A couple of Stonechats were also present here - I wonder whether they would be too large for the Shrike to catch.....

Juvenile Red-backed Shrike, Houghton Regis, 24 September

Juvenile Red-backed Shrike, Houghton Regis, 24 September

Stonechat, Houghton Regis, 24 September