Monday Walk & Tuesday Talk

Tuesday 29th January
Ray gave a talk to the Royston Wildlife Group this evening about our Naturetrek birdwatching trip to Kazakhstan (and I read one of my poems).  Highlights were numerous, but include Pallas' sandgrouse, Himalayan snowcock, Himalayan rubythroat, lammergeier, Eversmann's & Guldenstadt's redstarts (just for their names alone).


Monday 28th January
The milder temperatures and rain over the weekend have thawed almost all the snow, but the wind is very cold.  This morning we walked up on to the heath, down to the sports club, up to the high point where the square metal seat is, across the golf course and back via the wooded strip.

Going down Lancester Hill we were entertained by the sight and sound of many skylarks, getting ready to nest as soon as spring arrives.  Some of them soared upwards singing their hearts out, others flew about much closer to the ground.  They like to nest in the long grass that grows on this hillside, although they are at risk from dogs running off the lead.

Where the line of trees runs down towards Ivy Farm, where the new houses are being built, we saw fieldfares and redwings in the trees, then on the ground, about 30 in all, about 18 fieldfares and 12 smaller redwings. These migratory thrush family birds have been around since late autumn, but it is still good to see them here - they like feeding on berries.  We checked a flock of chaffinches but couldn't see any bramblings amongst them. 

There are still small patches of snow on northern slopes of the heath where the north-east wind blows very coldly.  However there are a lot of mole hills all over the place so the ground can't be too frozen for them to be active, searching for earthworms and insects - apparently they do not hibernate.  The beech leaves and mast lie thick on the woodland floor, deep bronzy brown, gold and dusty grey as they slowly rot.

RSPB Garden Birdwatch

Yesterday's forecast snow materialised around 11pm as sleet, so didn't settle on the ground.  This morning dawned bright and sunny, dazzling off the snow still lying in the garden.  It's Murphy's law that as it's slightly warmer, fewer birds came into the garden just on the day we want to do a count for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.  However, it is more of a regular scene rather than one of many extra birds coming in because of the cold, so more realistic.  We had no pheasants, no starlings, no thrushes, but we did have a house sparrow.  The massive flock of linnets were flying around the field behind and lots of them landed on the trees at the end of the gardens - 30 on the ones in our own garden - we can't count the others.

Recent Activity

Friday 25th Jan
A sudden panic in the garden as the local sparrowhawk swooped through, but it didn't appear to catchanything this time.

Thursday 24th Jan
On my way back from my keep fit class I saw a red kite circling above Echo Hill, it's forked tail twisting as it flew.  At Mahjong, I heard that neighbours had also seen fieldfares and bramblings in their garden.

Wednesday 23rd Jan
I was in London today, and Ray saw a brambling in the garden and two red-legged partridges - they often visit in the winter months.  He later walked up towards Therfield, the snow is still thick on the ground here, quite soild and icy.  He spotted a great grey shrike, then immediately after in the opposite direction saw quite possibly another individual, which dropped down and up, then down and up again, flying off across the field with something in its claws, maybe a mouse.

Tuesday 22nd Jan
Very cold with snow lying on the ground and on the branches of the trees.  In the front garden 4 fieldfares are perching on the branches of our big tree.  They stayed a while then flew away over the roof, joined by another 2 we hadn't seen.   Ray walked up past the farm and then towards Therfield, where he saw lots of hares and grey partridges.  The farmer here farms sympathetically for grey partridges in particular, so it's good to see so many of them.  Ray met another birdwatcher (a bird ringer from Stevenage) who said he had seen 2 long-eared owls near to where we saw the short-eared owl last week.

Just a Linnet!

A huge flock of 100 linnets have come across to the trees at the end of our gardens for two days now.  The male pheasant brought 4 females today, they feed underneath the bird table and feeders, scratching at the snow with their feet to find the seeds that have fallen.

It has snowed all day today and we went out in the afternoon up onto the heath, where lots of people were out having great fun sledging down the hills.  We walked along the path towards Therfield, and all around lay a monochrome landscape of white snowy fields and black vegetation, except where the ginger stubble poked though the snow.  I used my walking poles and tried some Nordic walking - they were very helpful.  We saw filedfares again, and two redpolls in the same place as before.  Some of the sheep had been left in the top field, restrained by an electric fence.  Hares stood out like large dots in the fields until they looked up, showing off their long ears.  Smaller dots were partridges.  We decided to walk until 4pm before turning back and at that exact time we saw a tiny goldcrest, not 3 yards from us, low down, searching for food on the bark of the trees, where we could easily see the yellow stripe on its little head.

We walked back against a slightly stronger wind with the snow in our faces, and returned down Briary Lane as dusk fell, along with happy sledgers.

View and path towards the heath looking north

View and path (Icknield Way) towards Therfield
looking south

New Birds for January

Today on our usual walk we stop at the right hand corner above Heath Farm and see a flock of sheep in a field on the right where we've never seen them before, and then the farmer driving across the field with excitable dogs in the back of his truck, one of which is let out and expertly coralls the sheep into a pen on the other side of the field.  The other dogs are allowed tojoin in for the final funneling in.

Along the lane we see two redpolls (finch family), a first for 2013, feeding in the hedgerow, with their bright red caps the same colour as the rosehips.

At the bottom corner of the field, the farmer drives off towards the farm with the first lorry load of sheep, presumably taking them closer to the farm for protection from the forecast snow.

Down the Icknield Way lane we see a large brown and white bird dart out of the hedge and back in a couple of times, then fly off with its round, flat face and wing markings giving away its identity as a short-eared owl.  Another first for January.

Not in a large flock as they would normally be found, but alone, we see several single fieldfares (thrush family) with lovely views of their striking plumage.  The cold wind is blowing today from a southerly direction, so we can hear the sound of the traffic on the A10 - last week the wind was more from the west, and the sounds were from the A505 and the railway line.   Around 10.30 it starts to snow as we head home.

Here Come the Girls

Female pheasants, that is! Since Monday's snow, the number of birds in the garden continues to grow, and as usual in the winter, the local pheasant has brought his harem into the garden - they visit all the neighbours too.  Both the male and female blackcaps are regular visitors still.  These photos were taken through the window in falling light levels.

Yesterday's Walk

Click here to see:  map of walk

You can zoom in for more detail.
Thanks to Tony for the route map and to Jim for organising the walk.

Hertford to Ware and back

Link to the Riverside Trail Leaflet:  http://www.hertslink.org/cms/content/15488274/16532575/handwrt.pdf

Today we've been on January's walk with Ray's Rotary club, back to our old stomping grounds of Ware and Hertford.  We met at Hartham Common, put on our walking boots and set off.  It was cold and cloudy all morning but the visibility was fine, and the company good.  We followed the River Beane, then crossed the fields to reach King's Meads and followed the New River all the way to Amwell End.  Opposite the Saracen's Head in Ware we dropped down onto the towpath and walked beside the River Lea all the way back to Hertford, ending at The Old Barge on Folly Island for a very good lunch.

As we were chatting all the way we didn't see as many different birds as we might have hoped, and there were a lot of people out and about on this fine Sunday.  However we did see 22 different species, namely:  Buzzard, Kestrel, Black-headed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Shelduck, Mallard, Gadwall, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Blackbird, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Robin, House Sparrow, Wood Pigeon, Feral Pigeon, Common Crow.

Mapped on a mobile phone app as 5.5 miles or thereabouts, the walk took us 2½ hours.

Misty Morning

Following the mild spell, today is misty and murky, we can hardly see across the fields and it gets worse as we walk around our favourite route.  The pigeons sit at the tops of the trees, still and ghost-like, and we can't even see the power lines where the linnet flock normally congregate.  Big groups of chaffinches feed from tree to tree, and a large number of yellowhammers.  On the heath, at the top of Lankester Hill, we stop and watch a lovely flock of goldfinches feeding on the seed heads of knapweed.  Eventually they fly up into a tree, then chase off a kestrel!

In the Garden

Interesting behaviour in the garden - many birds coming in to feed as it's winter, but the blue tits have been investigating the nest box today as it's so mild.  A big group of chaffinches, plus a reed bunting, were spooked out of their tree by a sparrowhawk which swooped into next-door's garden then up and over the house.  We've had lots of blackbirds - up to 8 at a time, some of which are black with a blackish beak - scandinavian visitors I believe.  It's a long time since we've seen one in the garden but today there were two song thrushes, beautiful, I hope they stay around.  4 yellowhammers perched in the trees, never been seen here before, and an over-wintering male black-cap fed on the fat balls, but the female wasn't here today.  Also around were great tits, dunnocks, a robin, greenfinches and a collared dove.

In Search of Owls

Yesterday evening we heard an owl hooting near the house, a tawny owl hoot.  Neighbours have seen a barn owl hunting over the field behind.  This evening we went out just before dusk to see if we could find any.  We met the farmer's wife who had watched the barn owl recently over the fields of Heath Farm, and then another birdwatcher who had seen or heard reports of short-eared owls and a barn owl over the fields on the path towards Therfield.  All good news, but we drew a blank, just got a good view of a buzzard.

A Morning at Fowlmere

It's Thursday, so that's volunteer day at the RSPB Fowlmere Nature Reserve, and so Ray's off to work.  As I'm still on holiday from my keep fit class, I tag along to have a walk around the reserve.  This morning is dry, with high cloud obscuring the sun.  There's a good number of volunteers in the car park, all in good spirits for the new year.

The water level is very high all over the reserve and the mossy woodland tree trunks bend over large pools.  Near the Spring hide I see three of our most beautiful british birds, long-tailed tits, feeding in the trees, very close to me.  A great tit and chaffinch are on the path to the hide.  Viewing from the hide windows, the springs are bubbling up vigorously and a little grebe bobs along the edge of the reeds.  I can hear a woodpecker drumming a little way off.  Pat comes in to clean the hide, so I leave him to it and move on to the Reedbed hide.

From the sheet in the hide I see that some lucky people have seen a kingfisher, but I'm not in luck today.  I know a bittern has been around for some time so I ask one of the other birdwatchers if it has been seen this morning, but no.  A few mallards fly off, and a grey heron flaps around close to the hide - someone saw it swallowing a huge fish recently.  Now the peace & quiet is disturbed as the volunteers start their work *.  A small party emerges through the reeds and pushes a boat across the far side of the mere and up a channel, one of them is the warden, Doug Radford.  A chain saw buzzes in the distance and smoke from a bonfire curls up.

Outside the hide a wren sits in a tree calling a warning.  Back on the main path I look at the owl nesting box, which has been used with success again last year, and hear birds calling in the reeds - not sure, but they might have been bearded reedlings, but I didn't see them.  A little stoat runs up the muddy channel towards me, get very close before it spots me and stops dead in its tracks before darting off.

A last visit to the Drewer hide where there is another little group of long-tailed tits, and some gold finches.  A wonderful reserve, a good place to patiently sit and see what turns up.  http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/fowlmere/index.aspx

In the afternoon Ray sees a red kite fly over.  Below is the view from the spring hide.

* An objectionable man was vociferous in his annoyance at being disturbed by the work party, and I couldn't just sit there, so, politley, asked his to be less critical and appreciate that they give up their free time to keep the reserve in good order so that he could enjoy it.

New Year, New Diary

New Year's day, 1st January 2013, Royston, Herts.

Noon, and the sun is shining brightly right into our eyes as we walk south and up the hill above Briary Lane.  The hedge has been trimmed and, turning round, we have the best view ever of Ely Cathedral, 33 miles away.  A red kite flies over our heads and flaps towards the town, tail twisting as it goes.  In the hedge near Heath Farm are lots of twittering house sparrows, and up the lane chaffinches, blue tits and great tits.  Pausing at the right turn, we scan the fields and find pigeons and a magpie.  At the junction with the Icknield Way footpath we see a big flock of linnets on the overhead lines, and mixed flocks of finches fly round.  So many pigeons, so much work for the farmers, who are clearly leaving wide field margins to benefit the birds.  Heading north again toward the heath, and looking back at the very tall tree we recently passed, are pleased to see a great grey shrike sitting at the very top, and glad it is back in Hertfordshire again.  A buzzard glides past.  Two kestrels patrol the heath and must have been seen by many of the people out enjoying the sunshine.

2nd January 2013

This morning is dry but overcast with a flat low grey cloud, and no sign of Ely Cathedral from Briary Lane.  First we see the sparrows at the farm, then a buzzard flies over.  The path is very muddy & slippery from all the recent rain, and there are fewer people out today.  A mixed group of blue tits, chaffinches, yellowhammers and linnets feed in a tree over our heads.  Lots of golfers are out on the course this morning.  We walk a little way along the Icknield Way then return towards the heath where we see the kestrels again.  We take the top path on the right today and again watch the big mixed finch flocks.

Therfield Heath is always a joy, a breathing space next to the town, the industrial estate, the roads and the railway.  There's always some wildlife to see, and we plan to record as much of it as we can.