Cassiobury Waxwings - 11.1.11

A day out marking footy pitches around the borough saw nothing very exciting with 3 Rooks at KGV playing fields being unusual. It was only when going to lock the toilets in the park around 3pm that I noticed a couple who I bump into now and then looking up at a tree just North of cha cha cafe. They had asked me the day before if i'd seen anything good so I told them about my 40 Waxwings that had flown over me that morning and told them that they seem to head over the park in the morning and evening so maybe try and see if any come past. Low and behold there infront of them were at least 120 Waxwings which were annoying the local Mistle Thrushes by eating all their berries!! Other birders had at least 10 more from noon onwards.

1st for Cassiobury Park! - 10.1.11

I was in the park all day today so whist doing my job I had the chance to try and find some year ticks. Nearly the first bird of the day was a flock of around 40 Waxwings that flew over the tennis courts and my head calling at 8.20am heading NE! The first year tick of the day was 4 Stock Doves near the cafe. Other birds of note were 8 Ring-Necked Parakeets, a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, 5 Cormorants, 40+ Goldfinches with 80+ Siskins, Sparrowhawk, a calling Tawny Owl at 10am was a surprise and a year tick as was a Little Egret on the cress beds. Also on the cress beds was a brief Water Rail and a Little Grebe.

As for the 1st for the park at around 10.30am I heard the call of and then saw a Greylag Goose flying North following the canal. It was only when i got home and checked my park records that I realised that it's never been seen before!! A strange but welcomed record and the 4th year tick of the day. Also the 147th species for the park and Whippendell Woods and follows closely the last addition also a goose (Pink-Footed).

Watford Waxwings - 8.1.11

I went to the football today with my brother and my son (Watford v Hartlepool United) and after an awful 1st half we were losing 1-0. During the half time break I noticed a flock of birds fly up from the area around Cardiff Road/Wiggenhall Road and I hoped they were what I thought they were. Thankfully they flew in the direction of the ground and straight infront of the stand I was in. 25 Waxwings!! They certainly brightened up a dull day but the 2nd half was much better with us winning 4-1.

Watford + And Oxhey - 6.1.11

Whilst marking out the footy pitches in Cassiobury Park 11 Waxwings flew over heading towards the town. A Nuthatch was added to the year list then later just before lunch when driving past St.John's road around 70 Waxwings were back in the tree I found the 130+ last month. Then whilst at the depot in Oxhey a Sparrowhawk flew through and onto my year list.

Watford - 5.1.11

Just 1 addition to the year list when 2 Cormorants flew over Vicarage road cemetary. It wasn't until back at the yard that something good turned up when c.35 Waxwings flew over towards the met line station.

Cassiobury Park - 4.1.11

Well back to work today but only 3 year ticks seen. Those being Goldcrest, Wren and Song Thrush (species no.54). 7 Ring-Necked Parakeets flew over the council yard aswell.

County Tick - 2.1.11

The male and female Bearded Tit and the reedbed at Southern CP.

On the way back from Norfolk on new years eve news on the pager broke of 2 Bearded Tits at Southern CP near Bishop's Stortford. Not knowing where it was I decided to head on home and try at the weekend. This morning I arrived on site at 10.40am and walked round the other side and waited. After 10 minutes or so I caught the 2 birds fly from one side of the reed bed to the other. Another birder was viewing from the other side so I went and joined him but after only seeing 6 Reed Buntings and having a Siskin and 2 Skylarks overhead and a Water Rail squealing I went back to the other side. After another 15 or so minutes I noticed some movemet low down at the bases of the Reedmace and there about 25 feet away were the 2 Bearded Tits (a pair and my first in Herts). I beckoned the other birders over from the other side and together we watched them flitting around and every now and then they showed out in the open where I managed to grab the 2 photos above.

New Year - 1.11.2011

Well that one year gone and another starting. Not many species were seen today the main lot were seen from the garden where the highlights were a fly over Skylark, Grey Wagtail and a Green Woodpecker. Dinner was around my mums so just before we went there I drove past the Bruce Grove/St.Alban's road junction and there was the flock of Waxwings sat in a tree. I drove round into Grove Road and counted 93 birds. After 5 minutes they flew off and a few minutes later I re-found them just up the road at Maude Crescent feeding on a small Sorbus tree.

Norfolk, Suffolk And Herts - 31.12.10

Photos of 1 of the 3 Scaup and the 3 Scaup, the leucistic Pintail and Wigeon, 66 of the Waxwings and the extent of the fog at Breydon Water.

I was up early to make the most of the lack of fog that had been around the day before. I started off just down the road at Gorleston-on-Sea and almost immediately a flock of birds appeared from inland and heading out to sea. Thinking they would be geese I was amazed to see they were Cormorants. 5 large groups headed over and I counted at least 472 birds! Easily the most i've seen at one time. In the car park 11 Turnstone were looking for food and an adult Mediterranean Gull flew past.

I then decided to go to Lowestoft harbour in the hopes of seeing the juv Iceland Gull that ha dbeen around for a while. No sign of it there so next stop was my first visit to Leathes Ham. Again no sign while I was there but the 2nd year tick of the trip was. 3 Scaup (1 male + 2 females) were on the ice free section where I managed to get a couple of crappy shots! Also present were 3 Pintails (the male bird being leucistic), a pair of Wigeon where the female was also leucistic and a Kingfisher was heard. Back in the car 3 Water Rails suddenly appeared 20 feet from the car in the waterside foliage.

Next port of call was Breydon Water but on arrival the fog had returned and all that was seen was a couple of Redshanks. The geese I wanted to see could be heard but not seen!

Finally a quick detour to Chiswell Green before going home saw 70 Waxwings on the Watford Road feeding in a small Sorbus tree.

Norfolk - 30.12.10

As I had to take my dads xmas presents up to him in Norfolk I decided to try and make the most of it and try to get a further 7 species for the year to reach 200. Unfortunately due to the weather and lack of information only 2 were seen! A Little Egret flew over Flitcham on the way and my first stop was Brancaster Staithe where the previous day a Northern Harrier had been seen. I arrived at 9.30am and 2 hours later the only birds of note were a female Marsh Harrier, 2 Little Egrets and many 100's of Dark-Bellied Brent Geese and Pink-Footed Geese. It was only when another birder turned up in the hope of seeing Hen Harriers that he informed us that the Northern Harrier had been showing well at Thornham Marsh for the last 2 hours! Off I went and then stood around for another 3 hours! Just after 1pm I saw a harrier sp fly through but didn't get much detail on it. 2 other birders decided to head back to Brancaster and we swapped mobile numbers incase either of us found it. They were half way down the track when from nowhere my first NORTHERN HARRIER flew into view. The other 2 birders car suddenly stopped and out they got to view it. This was at 1.25pm 5 minutes before I had to leave!! Due to the fact that it had taken 5 hours to see it my other plans didn't happen and off I went to my dads.