GJS

Links:

• All my online nature photos.
• My online wildlife videos.
• Bishops Stortford Bird Group (including recent local sightings, local birding blogs etc.).
• Stort Valley Wild – online local nature group with discussion/photos/outings.
• Herts Bird Club.
• Birds and Wildlife UK – superb online photos, discussion and ID thread.

Sunday, 31st August 08:

The length of this spider (tip of abdomen to 'nose) was around 15mm or 3/5inch (not including legs) making it massive in my book!

Stortford Park Farm:

Today's mission was an insect-hunt with zoology student (and all-round star) Sarah... unfortunately we got utterly soaked in the thunderstorm, but managed to fit in a few sightings. Odd thing was that our great find-of-the-day had EIGHT legs and therefore didn't qualify!

• 22-spot Ladybird 1
• Pine Ladybird 7
• Wasp Spider 1 - Female. A lifer.
• [Pterostichus Madidus - a beetle]?
• Meadow Grasshopper
• Smooth Newt (i think) 2
• Hawthorn, Green and Nymph Sheildbugs
• Xanthogramma pedisequum - hoverfly (thanks to Colin for correct ID)

Saturday, 30th August 08:

Honeysuckle Close:

In the trap tonight

• Marbled Beauty 2
• Silver Y 1
• Double-striped Pug 1 (Thanks to Herts Moth Group for this ID)
• Square-spot Rustic 5
• Mother of Pearl 1
• Green Carpet 1
• Light Emerald 1

Friday, 29th August 08:

on way to IKEA with toothache :-(

• Kestrel 1
• Sparrowhawk 1
• Grey Heron 1

feeling a bit sorry for myself but have an appointment to get offending tooth removed on Monday. Field trips should resume then.... but for now mostly moths i'm afraid.

Leaden Roding:

Poker Game Intruders!

Old Lady

.

Square-spot Rustic, Common Wainscot

.

Small Square-spot, Angle Shades

.

Also noted (but no photos): [Spectacle]?, White Plume

Thursday, 28th August 08:

Stortford Park Farm from 1900 Hrs:

EAST:

• Goldfinch 19 - mostly juvs
• Spotted Flycatcher 3
• Chiffchaff 2
• Jay 2
• Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 juvenile
• Green Woodpecker 1 Juvenile

WEST:

• Grey Heron 1 - over north-east
• yellowhammer 1
• whitethroat 1

Wednesday, 27th August 08:

River Stort (around Pig Lane Lock):

• Kingfisher 1
• Blackcap 1 - singing male
• Chiffchaff 15+(8+ moving south with large flock of Blue, Long-tailed and great tits, 1 singing, 4, 2)
• Treecreeper 1
• Coot 1
• Swallow c.20 - resident from nearby farm? Never left the scene during my stay
• Whitethroat 2 - just south-west of metal footbridge
• Blue tit c.25(++)...............\
• Long-tailed Tit c.40(++).....} all together in one flock
• Great Tit 15(+)................./
• Spotted Flycatcher 5 (3 Juveniles) - breeding at exactly the same location as last year?
• Bullfinch 1 - calling
• Green-veined white 9
• Small White 2................... and another 10, or so, which may have been either Small OR G-V White

Tuesday, 26th August 08:

Stortford Park Farm (west):

• Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 - south-east
• Sparrowhawk 1 - seen hunting on both sides of the bypass
• Cormorant 4 - south-east

Monday, 25th August 08:

Fishers Green (a stroll around 70 Acre lake with Kate and Finn):

lots of:

Tufted Duck, Coot, Mute Swan, Canada Goose,

Black Headed Gull, Cormorant, Great Crested Grebe

a few scribbles in my notebook:

• Swallow 30+ south
• House Martin 18 south
• Greylag 2
• Common Tern 4 (2 Adults, 2 1st yrs)
• Pochard 2
• Little Grebe 1
• Chiffchaff 7 - 3 singing birds

Stortford Park Farm (east) East-edge pond with MH:

• Spotted Flycatchers 0
• Phyllo's 2 - calling but not seen
• House Martin 4(5)
• Swallow c.15
• Moorhen 3 juvs doing well

Sunday, 24th August 08:

Trims Green (1000 - 1115 hrs)

• Black-Headed Gull 37 (20 1st winters)
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 6 (1 1st win, 1 ad, 4 sub-ad)
• Canada Goose 16
• Greylag 1
• goldfinch c.15
• House Sparrow 7
• GREENFINCH 150-200 coming down to the north west edge of the borage field TL 450 188
• Jackdaw c.20
• Rook c.100

Stortford Park Farm (east) East Pond:

• Spotted Flycatcher 3
• Chiffchaff 3

Stortford Park Farm (west) Across bypass:

• Grey Partridge 3
• Lesser Black-backed Gull 13 south (5, 8)

Saturday, 23rd August 08:

Hatfield Forest (a quick walk around with PH)

Minimums:

• Small White 5
• Green Veined White 8
• Peacock 7
• Red Admiral 6
• Painted Lady 1
• Meadow Brown 8
• Gatekeeper 4 (many less than last week)
• Brimstone 2 - females
• Speckled Wood c.10 lots of these about today
• Skipper sp. 1
  
  No Commas, Ringlets or Small Toirtoiseshells today tho

also:

• Spotted Flycatcher - along butterfly transect
• Blackcap 1 male still singing
• Chiffchaff 2 singers
• Canada goose 44

Storford Park Farm (East):

• Spotted Flycatcher 3 - Still hanging about
• Chiffchaff 5
• Tawny Owl feathers left again under trees beside pond
• Green Woodpecker 1 juvenile
• Moorhen - 3 juvs still alive and kicking

Storford Park Farm (West):

• Great Spotted Woodpecker - alarming almost continuously from the wood, South
• Yellowhammer 5 (3 adult males)
• Stockdove 1
• Little Owl pellets at usual roundabout
• Linnet 0 - usually I'd expect 5+ birds present

Friday, 22nd August 08:

Stortford Park Farm (east pond):

• Spotted Flycatcher 7 - Favouring the bushes [Hawthorn] overhanging water AND fence

Hatfield Forest:

• Goshawk 2 - over south. Adult and Juv. (prob both female)
• Chiffchaff 1 - still singing
• Tufted Duck 0
• Greylag 0
• Canada Goose 20+
• Bullfinch

butterflies on the cafe buddleja:

• Painted Lady 1
• Green-Veined White 4
• Small Tortoiseshell 1
• Peacock 4
• Red Admiral 5
• Small White 2
• Gatekeeper 1 (nearby)

Thursday, 21st August 08:

Stortford Park Farm (east pond):

• Spotted Flycatcher 3 - Still favouring the bushes overhanging water

Wednesday, 20th August 08:

Stortford Park Farm (the pond on the east edge of grounds):

• Spotted Flycatcher 3 - Showing off above the water
• Moorhen - Have somehow managed to hide the presence of a 3rd chick
• Willow Warbler 5
• Tawny Owl feather below the dead tree

Tuesday, 19th August 08:

Trims Green

Morris Farm/Rhino fisheries entrance:

• Linnet 4
• Goldfinch c.25
• Lesser Black-Backed Gull 9
• Swallow 4
• House Sparrow 2

Blounts Farm:

• Swallow 13
• Kestrel 1 - a tatty, moulting adult male
• Greenfinch 30
• Goldfinch 3
• Linnet 2
• Stockdove 1

Mathams Pit:

• Bullfinch 5 (3, 2)
• Muntjac 1
• Goldfinch 3
• Mallard 12 [2 female, 2 eclipse male, 8 juvenile (2 'old' brood, 6 'new')
• Tufted Duck 12
• Wren 2
• Yellowhammer 2 - One was a male carrying food.
• Swift 7 - stopped to feed for a while and left South
• House Martin c.40-45 - Most filtered north towards Stortford
• Lesser Black-Backed Gull 3 - Two flew straight over South -East, while another heading in the same direction stopped for a wash.
• Black-Headed Gull 1
• Coot 5
• Little Grebe 1
• Moorhen 3 - 1 juvenile
• Speckled Wood 1
• Stockdove 2
• Starling 2
• Greenfinch 6

Michaels Mead Pond (Southern Park):

• Green-Veined White 1
• Bullfinch 1
• Goldfinch 18

Monday, 18th August 08:

Blounts Farm:

• Swallow 15+ locals
• Linnet c.25
• Greenfinch 18 - mostly juvs
• House Sparrow 2
• Lesser Whitethroat 1 - with food

Trims Green:

• stockdove 5
• Black-Headed Gull 52
• Lesser Black-Backed Gull 32 (28 on fields and 4 over south-west)
• YELLOW-LEGGED GULL 1 ADULT Sharing northern field with LBBGulls
• Kestrel 1
• Whitethroat 1
• Goldfinch 12+
• Linnet c.20
• Corn Bunting 1 (hanging around Morris Farm entrance gate but no song today)
• Yellow Wagtail 2
• WHEATEAR 1 - on the black pile for a few seconds
• House Sparrow c.20 beside new farm buildings is a site record for me
• Hare 2

Sunday, 17th August 08:

Stortford Park Farm (west):

• Green Woodpecker 3
• Stockdove 2 - over West
• HOBBY 2 - catching insects over Stocking Wood
• Kestrel 1 - male
• Grey Heron 1 - over South
• Lesser Black-Backed Gull 7 (5 South-East, 2 South)
• Little Owl - A few more feathers for my collection beneath favoured perches
• Linnet 1 - usually many more
• Yellowhammer 0 - I usually get a few

Saturday, 16th August 08:

Hatfield Forest:

Stort Valley Wild butterfly outing

A walk along one of the butterfly survey walks with a good number of species (15 i think)

Details/Photos/Species noted:

http://hornbeam.proboards102.com/index.cgi?board=insects&action=display&threa...

My highlights:

• Common Blue - unbeleivably my first of the year!
• Painted Lady - only a single on the large Buddleja Davidii beside the shell house.
• Common Lizard 2 - My 2nd and 3rd record of this species.