Wilstone - 21.5.25

Wood Sandpiper

With the water level having been lowered to allow for upcoming works on the banks of the reservoir lots of mud was now exposed and bringing in the odd wader. Today’s bird that’d been enticed was a nice Wood Sandpiper. It was found mid morning and was still present when I finally arrive about 7pm. Just my 5th ever in Herts but my 3rd here it was a most welcome addition to the year list especially as I’d not been able to get over to Rye Meads a few days earlier for the one there alongside a Temminck’s Stint.

As I walked back to the car a Cuckoo started cuckooing loudly from the car park poplars before flying out into the trees on Drayton Bank.

Wilstone - 14.5.25

Avocets

The previous day 3 Avocets were found at Wilstone Reservoir but sadly I couldn’t get up there. This wasn’t a problem as they were still there the following day and so once dinner was finished I headed up and wandered round to the hide. From here I found 2 of the 3 birds showing well on the left of the spit. For some reason I thought they were a Tring tick but I checked my records and found they weren’t as my only Herts bird was also at Wilstone way back in November 2003 so no wonder I’d forgotten!

2 Shelduck and a Hobby were also noted.

More Firecrests - 13.5.25

The last few years has sen the number of local Firecrests increasing. I’ve now found numerous birds while at work and today I found another 3. I won’t put where purely because 1 of the birds had food in its bill so possibly/hopefully breeding there.

Beds + Cambs - 5.5.25

A rubbish nights sleep saw me up stupidly early and despite trying to get back to sleep I didn’t so I thought I’d just get up and head into enemy territory or better known as Bedfordshire. As I drove past Luton I did have a little chuckle at their second successive relegation but I soon arrived at Stewartby Lake.

I walked down a footpath and quite quickly I heard the rattle of a Lesser Whitethroat followed a minute or so later by the beautiful song of a couple of Nightingale. I eventually caught a glimpse of one albeit just the head as it belted out its fluty song. A female Marsh Harrier drifted past and a Garden Warbler was heard too.

As it was still early I checked the sat nav and saw that Grafham Water was less than 30 minutes away so off I headed for just my second visit to the site.

Spotted Sandpiper

I arrived in good time and parked up in the Plummer car park only to see a message that my intended target had flown off 10 minutes earlier. The wind was strong and making it feel cold despite it being the start of May and after 20 minutes of searching it was still missing. I wandered over to the dam and thankfully found it feeding along the waters edge of the south bank. Good views were had in the end and my fifth Spotted Sandpiper was in the notebook. It was my first since the brief Hilfield Reservoir bird in 2012 and only my second spotty one. The only other one was my first one back in 2002 on the Durham/Northumberland border.

It was still early so I then headed to Fen Drayton RSPB. I parked up and walked for less than 5 minutes before I heard the purring of a Turtle Dove. I finally managed to pick it out but just after I got my binoculars on it it flicked up and vanished into the trees. Another couple of Lesser Whitethroat were heard.

Another check of the sat nav showed I wasn’t too far from Ouse Fen RSPB reserve. I’d only been there the previous weekend but as there was something else to see I headed over. The first bird of note was the Great Reed Warbler that was still croaking in its favoured reeds. As I rounded the bend further west of the GRW I picked up a couple of Hobby for the year list. As it was there were at least 40 birds present a number I’d never seen before. 

An Arctic Tern was a nice surprise as it flew over the marsh and the pinging of Bearded Tits was heard but just a split second view of one. After scanning the Hobbies for what seemed like forever I finally managed to pick out the orangey breast of one of the two female Red-footed Falcons on site as it banked. A 3-4 second view is all I managed but it was nice to get in on the National influx of this species.

My quick morning out had turned into a 6.5 hour multi site visit but 7 year ticks were had.

Ouse Fen RSPB - 27.4.25

Bittern

I joined Matt and George Moreton on a trip to Cambridgeshire with my first ever visit to Ouse Fen RSPB reserve. Upon arrival we scanned over a pool to look for a pair of Garganey that’d been see the previous day but no joy. We then walked up the footpath but we didn’t get too far before I spotted a Bittern flying towards us. It landed out in the open and we got it in our scopes. George then said it’s walking left but the one me and Matt were watching wasn’t. There were 2 Bittern and both out in the open! 2 more were heard booming too.

Great Reed Warbler

After our fill of those we continued up the path being serenaded by at least 2 Cuckoo’s. All of a sudden I heard the deep croaky song of our main target. After a quick wait we picked it out from amongst the reeds and there it was my second ever Great Reed Warbler. My last was in Surrey in 2002 but wasn’t as showy as this bird. The Cuckoo’s were still cuckooing and then I heard the bugling of a Crane somewhere out towards the north.

Before we left we had another scan of the original pool and Matt immediately picked out the pair of Garganey to end a fantastic morning. Such a shame Hertfordshire doesn’t have a site like this.

Wilstone Yet Again - 26.4.25

More often than not any Whimbrel that appear at the Tring Reservoirs are either brief or fly through so with the current water levels being low one appeared and stuck around so I popped up and thankfully it was still present and showed well from the hide. 

My first Swift of the year was seen high above the reservoir and in the NE corner 2 Egyptian Geese took off from the water and headed NE. 

Whimbrel

200 Up - 25.4.25

A quick after work trip to Croxley Common Moor saw me add Whitethroat and Garden Warbler to the year list. The Whitethroat was my 200th species of the year so far. A female Bullfinch was also seen.

Cassiobury Mega - 24.4.25

There I was in work on a normal Thursday. After a morning of Green Flag work we headed back to the yard in Cassiobury Park and I was about halfway between the van and the mess room when I heard the spinning coin trill of a Wood Warbler! Surely not I thought but it continued to sing and it then showed well in the garden of the neighbouring cottages. 

I put the news out but then had to return to work but once back I walked out the back of the yard to see a handful of familiar faces and thankfully photos had been taken to prove I wasn’t hallucinating! 

This bird was the 2nd record for the park with the previous one seen way back in May 1986. It was also my first in Herts since 2015 and anywhere since 2016. 

Wood Warbler courtesy of Rupert Evershed

Wilstone Again - 21.4.25

Rain had dropped in quite a few Arctic Terns on Marsworth but as I had things to do I didn’t arrive until mid afternoon by which time the rain had stopped and the Arctic’s had gone. But I was rewarded with 3 Black Terns instead which are always a joy to see. The Baikal Teal was seen again and as it turned out was its last day on site which can only help its chances of acceptance.

Black Tern

Herts Mega! - 20.4.25

Female Baikal Teal

There I was sorting through my bags, putting a wash on and enjoying a bit of a lazy day when a message pinged up on my phone saying BAIKAL TEAL still from the hide at Wilstone! Wait what! I’d missed the original message 30 minutes earlier so I quickly grabbed my optics and car keys and 20 minutes later I was on site and to my surprise there were still spaces in the car park. 

At the top of the stairs I year ticked Common Tern followed by a quick power walk round to the hide. Again to my surprise there was room in the hide with just a few familiar faces present. Mike Illet kindly allowed me a view through his scope to get my eye in and I then found it in mine and took the above photo. This female bird was quite well camouflaged against the rocks but the facial pattern was obvious. 

If accepted it’ll become the 1st record for Herts and my 3rd in the UK. 

My 3rd year tick of the visit was a Little Ringed Plover on the right hand side of the spit.