from sept onwards on new blog:

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Wednesday, 17th September 08:

Trims Green (and spellbrook):

I asked the Rhino fisheries manager, today, if there had been any unusual sightings of late... They've all seen Osprey fishing... prefering Mathams Pit to others.
Descriptions range from 'Giant Gull' to 'white buzzard', 'catching fish.'
OSPREY NOT SEEN TODAY
There have been quite a few birders ON Rhino land over the last few days and i've been asked to remind all that this is private land and not a public footpath.... . views of airspace above the 3 main pits can be obtained from; the farm entrance/laybys/ road .

Trims Green: 0630-0700, 1400-1630 (3hrs)
Spellbrook: 0705-0730, 1000-1015, 1310-1340 (1hr 10)

Highlights:

• Yellow Wagtail 4 (3, 1 ) all south.... Forgot this one on my E-mail.
• Black-headed Gull 960 (214 north, 213 west. Largest feeding flock c.150 birds, Mathams pit at one point had 237 birds IN the water with a minimum of 120 above! etc)
• Lesser Black-bacled Gull 67 - almost all north
• Collared Dove c.150 on the big dead tree on morris farm! I've got a photo so will be able to give a more accurate count when i've uploaded my photos.
• Red-legged Partridge 10 - east across road from Morris Farm
• Linnet (70-80) favouring north side of new barn... their flock are a real pain to count.
• Sparrowhawk 1 - managed a few lousy distant shots of bird in tree at morris farm. (i thought this was an Imm male bird but terrible light and great distance made me a little wary of calling it) Tho if the photos are any good i'll know later on
• Lapwing 59 - I was distracted by Buzzard so i've no idea if these birds left the site or not.
• WHINCHAT 1 - in the topsoil 'ridge' running north-east from barn along dirt track.
• Great Black-backed Gull 1 - adult on Mathams Pit.
• Grey Heron 2 (one in north airfield, other over Hayter at 0700 Hrs.
• Buzzard 1 - giving suberb close views above Mathams wood, from South side of Mathams Pit (no, it wasn't a HB)
• CROSSBILL 3 - LANDING IN TREES ABOVE THE PAINTBALLING ENTRANCE ON THE EAST SIDE OF MATHAMS WOOD. I'm not sure if these birds flew in from North OR flew in from a more northerly tree IN Mathams Wood. Another Herts first for me! I AM having a good September :-)
• Meadow Pipit 60+ south with a few grounded here and there.
• House Martin 3 - over south.
• Jay 2 - making return trips with acorns.
• Mallard 16 - on the small pond on the left between Spellbrook ant Trimms Green turning is my highers count in this puddle in over 6 years.
• Mistle Thrush 1 - south over Hayter.
• Kestrel 1 - usual female around new barn on North airfield.
  
  I'm more used to seeing summering OSPREY in N-E Scotland and am not used to their habits when on migration. Do they often spend so long on a single site? Surely there can't be more than one bird? There are suggestions that this bird has been present since Wed 10th Sept (or Thur 11th) before first confirmed sighting (MH).
  Last seen on Tuesday 16th (L.Drummond)

Tuesday, 16th September 08:

Trims Green:

• Golden Plover 34 landed in north field at 0720. Birds still on same spot at 1620 hrs! I could only find 24 but viewing was difficult. My first of the Autumn.
• Kestrel 3 (female hunting Rhino land, M+F sounding very concerned [1650] on South-East edge of Mathams Wood).
• Black-Headed Gulls 150+ (2 large feeding flocks)
• Meadow pipits c.25 (small groups throughout the day between South and West)

.

• OSPREY - Seen again by another observer [L Drummond]

Hayter, Spellbrook (west):

• Chiffchaff 5
• Cormorant 3 Immature over N-E
  

Monday, 15th September 08:

Stortford Park Farm (West):

0620 - 0700hrs

• Meadow Pipit 4 (3 South, 1 North)
• Linnet 5
• Yellowhammer 5
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 3 (2 AD South, 1 Juv North-East)

Trims Green:

(Four brief visits between 0710-1630hrs)

• Lesser Black-backed Gull 10 (7 Ad, 3J) - Grounded on north-west field on arrival
• Stockdove 26 (20 on borage field at 1630)
• OSPREY 1 - seen briefly hovering over pit shortly after 10 am (same one as seen here recently?), Tried to get higher ground to see if anything had been caught, by which time bird has vanished. This a great bird for me... the only other one i've seen in England was over Cambridge Hospital (sept07). On the north-east coast of Scotland i took them a bit for granted... a Jul/Aug trip to Spey Bay would usually bring a sighting within 30 mins tho they are still occasionally seen fishing the mouth of the river where i grew up (Lossiemouth)
• Common Buzzard 2 - South-West over Mathams Wood at 1320
• Kestrel 2 (male blounts, female at morris/rhino entrance still a permenant fixture)
• Grey Heron 1 - put down on edge of Mathams pit at lunch

Hayter, Spellbrook (west):

• Kestrel 1
• Chiffchaff 1(2) - still calling from around the main car park
• Grey Heron 1 - Standing in the middle of North-west field
• Fox 1 - In surprising proximity to the grounded grey heron

Sunday, 14th September 08:

Trims Green:

Checking site for passing Honey Buzzard... there have been a VAST number reported in the last two days in the South-East UK... the Rare Bird Alert map looks like a christmas tree!

• Kestrel 1 - male
• Yellow Wagtail 1

I hardly spent any time on site as I was just passing through on way to Ware with Kate and Finn.

Another day with no moths to ID :-(

Saturday, 13th September 08:

Trims Green:

In search of an Osprey which had been reported earlier today from the fishing pits. [Thanks for the heads-up MH]

North-West Field (borage) being prepped, bringing in some interest:

• Lesser Black-backed gull 25 - only 5 first-winter birds
• Stockdove 7
• Linnet 15+
• Greenfinch c.25
• Woodpigeon, Rook and a few Jackdaw

Morris Farm/Rhino Fisheries entrance:

• Yellow Wagtail 2 - Two heard but only one seen

Hatfield Forest Lake:

• Tufted Duck 1 - Male. circled but did not land. left north.
• Canada Goose 31
• Gadwall 3
• Kingfisher 1 - Male
• Nuthatch 2
• Chiffchaff 3
• Coal Tit 8
• Blackcap 1
• Grey Heron 2 - North end
• Great Crested Grebe 5 (3 juv)

Friday, 12th September 08:

Trims Green:

0630-0700

• Meadow Pipit 20 (3, 14, 3) all south

Hayter, Spellbrook (west)

• MARSH HARRIER sub ad male - plumage as female except light primary window contrasting with dark wingtips, pale tail. Sat in recently cut field immediately NORTH-WEST of hayter land (NOT North-East... as I e-mailed everyone). Flew west at 1010hrs.
• Cormorant 1 - Imm. over SW
• Bullfinch 3
• Swallow 3 - south
• Chiffchaff 4
• Red-legged Partridge 3
• House Martin 12 south

Trims Green (1340-1400)

• MARSH HARRIER - Relocated at 1340 over south-east Trims Green field: TL 474 170. This bird was looking for a meal and headed north-west toward Rhino Fisheries land. We drove along to the next viewing point (morris farm/rhino fisheries entrance: TL 469 174) and waited a few mins before we saw bird to the north-east. Last seen putting down in field at 1355 hrs somewhere around TL 475 175.
• Yellow Wagtail 2 (morris frm)
• Red-legged Partridge 5 (Blounts Frm)
• Meadow pipit 6 grounded with yellow wags
• Kestrel 1
• Sparrowhawk 1 female over north-east

another evening with no moths in my trap to ID :-(

tho on a brighter note, Marsh Harrier is a new Hertfordshire bird for me... considering i 'never' stray far from home, this and last-weeks herts-lister; whinchat, is the nearest thing i get to a purple patch!

What's next for me at Trims Green?

Answers on a postcard...

:-)

Thursday, 11th September 08:

Stort Park Farm (west):

0630-0700

• Dunnock 6
• Wren 3
• Linnet 4
• Yellowhammer 2
• Swallow 3 - south
• woodpigeon 321 (151 South, 63 Local, 56 South-West, 26 West, 21 North, 6 South-East, 4 East)
• Stockdove 7 (5 south, 2 west)
• Rook 17
• Meadow Pipit 3 - south
• Jay 1
• Greenfinch 5
• Goldfinch 6
• Pied Wagtail 1 south
• Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
• Magpie 4
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 (1N, 1S)
• Blue Tit 4

Trims Green:

• stockdove 26 (20 grounded on Blounts Frm, 6)
• Collared Dove 129 - around farm cottages... a marked increase

Hayter, Spellbrook (west):

• Swallow 3 south
• Lapwing 28 south-east (1300hrs)
• Chiffchaff 3 (2 singing)
• Kestrel - female twice seen hunting in field to north
• Stockdove 1 south

Wednesday, 10th September 08:

Stort River (Pig Lane to Spellbrook):

Doctors Apt at Herts n Essex meant a 'run' back to work along the river

• Chiffchaff 7 (2 singing)
• Spotted Flycatcher 3 - a good distance south from thin metal foodbridge (where there are usually bullfinch present)
• Bullfinch 2
• Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 - one was male
• Green Woodpecker 1
• Cormorant 1 - Imm south. Later again North
• Jay 6
• Willow Warbler 2 (both) wallbury

with at least another 4 unidentified leaf warblers (phyllos')

Hayter, Spellbrook (west):

• Kestrel 1
• Chiffchaff 1

Tuesday, 9th September 08:

Honeysuckle Close:

waiting to be picked up for work

• Swallow 4 - South
• Fox - giving very close views in the middle of oriole way

Trims Green:

A hectic 5 minute pit-stop at Morris Farm/Rhino Fisheries

• Whinchat 1 (1st year bird) A Herts first for me!
• Yellowhammer 1
• Meadow Pipit c.45 - south
• Merlin - following straight after meadow pipits
• Linnet 7 - local
• Mistle Thrush 1 - south

Monday, 8th September 08:

Stortford Park Farm (East + West):

50 mins

• Green Woodpecker 3 - One Juvenile
• Starling 33
• Moorhen - All still present and correct
• Collared Dove 2
• Chiffchaff 6 (5 around the playpark, 1)
• Pyllosc. Sp. 2
• Goldfinch 41 [eastSPF (17, 8, 1), westSPF (8, 5, 3)]
• Robin 6
• Blackbird 3
• Woodpigeon 172 - Most of these were local (93) with the remainder very evenly spread over the compass.
• Wren 5
• Willow Warbler 1
• Rook 5 (1, 4 south)
• Blue Tit 6
• Long-tailed Tit 3
• Greenfinch 3
• Dunnock 3
• Stockdove 3 (1N, 1N, 1Local)
• Jay 2
• Yellowhammer 1 - a single calling male
• Magpie 2
• Linnet 3
• House Martin 2 - south

Bishops Stortford Town Centre:

• Starling 57 - on one of the large orange cranes
• House Martin - 25 over south-west while counting starlings
• Magpie - I spent a few minutes watching a magpie trying to conceal an egg in the rooftops. He wasn't happy with his first few choices (a couple of buildings around, and including, the police station)... finally deciding instead to wedge it between the guttering and slates on the hairdressers roof. Watching this birds actions i could almost see him thinking. A good view of an interesting behaviour

Sunday, 7th September 08:

Much Hadham:

A few notes from our family meal at 'The Bull' (all notes from grounds)

• Mistle Thrush 4
• Chiffchaff 1
• Chaffinch 2
• Robin 7 - 5 singing
• Swallow 7 (m, f ,5 juvs) - over South
• House Martin c.30 over south with a few lingering over houses
• Blue Tit 3
• Great Tit 2
• House Sparrow 3(+) chirping next door
• Rook c.10 - over west
• Woodpigeon - loads, with a single unbroken egg from this species in the middle of the lawn (magpie?)
• Dunnock 1 - calling
• Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 - calling but not seen
• Jackdaw 4
• Greenfinch 2

also noted:

• 7-spot ladybird 1 - my first for ages
• Green-veined White 7(9) - Two may been Small Whites
• [Small White (2) - These may have been G-V Whites]
• Red Admiral 1

Saturday, 6th September 08:

Rye Meads RSPB outing with Rivertay and Rooster:

(both also StortValleyWild members)

• (Barnacle X White-fronted) or (Lesser Whitefront X Canada) Goose - Still waiting for confirmation on ID of this Hybrid which bares an uncanny resemblence to a bird i saw at Amwell on 19th March 07 (same one?)

Click here for a gallery of photos of the Amwell bird on 18th March 2007

• Little Grebe 12 (3 juvenile, 9 Ad)
• Cormorant 5
• Grey Heron 4
• Mute Swan 7 (4 Imm, 3 ad)
Canada Goose c.200 [81 from the 2nd hide]
• Gadwall c.80+
• Teal c.20
• Mallard
• Shoveler 13 (4, 5, 4)
• Tufted Duck c.70
• Ruddy Duck 5 [YL#153]
• Buzzard 1 - seen on way there with rooster. This bird was getting no-end of trouble from a rook
• Pheasant 2 - below feeders
• moorhen - lots
• coot - lots
• Ringed Plover 1 - 1st winter bird
• Green Sandpiper 4
• Common Sandpiper 1 - Juvenile
• Black headed Gull c.15 (very low count indeed and no other gulls noted)
• Feral Pigeon c.20 over south
• woodpigeon - lots
• Collared Dove 2 - at entrance
• Sand martin 20++
• House Martin c.200 (80-90 seemed a permenant feature but the majority passing south)
• Wren 4(5)
• Dunnock - only a single calling
• Robin - very numerous calling birds (15+?) with at least 4 singers
• Chiffchaff 5 (3 singers still)
• Blue Tit 4(5) - 3 around feeders
• Great Tit 2 - male and female on feeders
• Jay 1
• Magpie 2 - from moorhen hide
• Rook c.10 - 1 Imm down for a drink was the only grounded bird
• Chaffinch 5 (3 at feeders and a further 2 more calling just around the corner)
• Greenfinch 3 (2 Ads and 1Juv at feeders)Goldfinch 2 - overhead going into the main building
• Bullfinch - only a single calling
  

A few of today's other digiscoping efforts:

Common Sandpiper (1st Yr):

A drake Gadwall and 1st-winter Ringed Plover.

Grey Heron, Shoveler (eclipse male), Ruddy Duck

there are more shots in my flickr gallery