Cassiobury Park - 31.7.09

2 fledged Dunnocks hopping around the council yard this afternoon were a nice surprise though 1 of them trying to perch on a bicycle wheel and ending up spinning upside down was funny. Tried to get a picture but they ran into cover. 2 Swallows were in with House Martins and Swifts.


Yesterdays best bird was my first returning Common Gull at the local gull roost.

Cassiobury Park - 29.7.09

Just one of the Painted Lady Butterflies.

A very quiet week so far with todays highlights including 2 Nuthatches a GS Woodpecker and another RN Parakeet over the bowling green. Non avian highlights for the week were plenty of Painted Lady butterflies at various sites around Watford including one perched on a dog poo bin!

Amwell NR - 25.7.09

2 photos of the RC pochard, 2 of the juv LRP and Mute Swan and 5 Mallard chicks. (top 2 taken by my partner Barbara)

A couple of hours this afternoon saw 2 year ticks added in the shape of an eclipse Red-Crested Pochard and a colour-ringed Green Sandpiper. Other highlights were a Little Egret and a juvenile Little-Ringed Plover.

Cassiobury Park - 24.7.09

5 Mistle Thrushes, just 1 RN Parakeet, and a juv Grey Heron.

Cassiobury Park - 23.7.09

4 Ring-Necked Parakeets over the bowling green this morning.

Cassiobury Park - 22.7.09

A Green Woodpecker, Ring-Necked Parakeet and a few House Martins around the park were the highlights.

Oxhey Parakeets - 21.1.09

5 Ring-Necked Parakeets over Oxhey Village green was the highest count of this species i'd seen in a while.

Dorset - 19.7.09

Another 12+ Manxies off the bill were seen and a fly over Turtle Dove and Little Egret near Dorchester on the way home. The dove took the tally to 6 year ticks for the weekend.

Portland Bill - 18.7.09

An hours sea-watching in the evening off the bill racked up 4 year ticks. These were Guillemot, Razorbill and 3 Puffins but the best birds were the 2 Balearic Shearwaters that flew West fairly close in. Only my 2nd and 3rd of this species in the UK. My 1st was in Oct 2002 off the Scilly Isles! Another 65+ Manxies was a good count.

Watford and Portland! - 17.7.09

The 3 juv LBB Gulls.

I started off the day at work in KGV playing fields in West Watford where there was yet another Sparrowhawk this time with prey, a Great-Spotted Woodpecker and 2 Green Woodpeckers (1 ad + 1 juv) near the community centre. But around 9.15am 2 adult Lesser Black-Backed Gulls flew in with 3 juveniles. These were the first young locally for me this year and no doubt were born nearby.

Then around noon me and my partner went for a spa break on Portland. Just a shame on arrival we found a vintage steam fair camped outside the hotel!! Not very relaxing!

I managed a few minutes of birding albeit from our room and picked up a few Gannets and half a dozen Manx Shearwaters.

Another Sprawk - 16.7.09

Another Sparrowhawk this time over Cassiobury Park along with a calling Ring-Necked Parakeet. Another 2 RNP's were at Paddock Road Allotments in Oxhey aswell as several family groups of Jackdaws.

Sprawk - 15.7.09

A Sparrowhawk flying along the A41 was the days best bird.

Watford - 14.7.09

2 juv Grey Wagtails still around St.Mary's church in Watford this morning and at Goodwood rec in North Watford a family party of Jays (2 ad + 3 juvs) were present along with a singing + calling Chiffchaff and a juv Blackbird.

Watford High Street. 13.7.09

Whilst working at St.Mary's Church on the high street in Watford, birds noted were 2 juv Grey Wagtails flitting around the buildings looking for insects and a Great-Spotted Woodpecker calling briefly from one of the trees. Oh and of course loads of Feral Pigeons

More Photos

Robin sunning itself on my Mums kitchen windowsill!

Sparrowhawk on Hilfield Castle.

2nd Winter Glaucous Gull at Donna Nook, Lincs

Steppe Grey Shrike at Grainthorpe Haven, Lincs

Here are a few more photos i've taken that i've just managed to get onto my computer. These are from my camera phone.

Garden Tick - 7.7.09

The day started off with an adult Lesser black-Backed Gull that flew in and out of my garden at 6.40am! A different type of garden tick! Later in the day a Sparrowhawk at Callowland Rec and 7 Mistle Thrushes, 2 Green Woodpeckers and a juv Robin in Cassiobury Park were todays highlights.

Welney WWT - 4.7.09

Adult Caspian Tern. Photo digiscoped using my girlfriends camera phone.

I'd only had my new RBA pager for 2 days so when news broke mid morning on Saturday of a lifer at Welney WWT reserve I was looking forward to hopefully adding it to my UK list. Unfortunately I couldn't leave straight away as my girlfriend was picking up her new car! So around 2pm we set off and were just 19 miles away when news on my pager told me it had just flown off! We stopped off at a petrol station for some food but there was no further news so I made the decision to go home.

25 minutes down the road and the bird was back! So we turned round and arrived on site around 5.20pm. A brisk walk to the hide followed and thankfully it was still on show. There infront of the hide was an adult CASPIAN TERN. I knew it was the biggest tern in the world but I was amazed at how big it actually was and with its carrot for a beak aswell! I managed to get 1 photo but just 5 minutes after laying eyes on it it flew off and wasn't seen again until 9am on the Sunday.

1 of 2 1st winter Ring-Billed Gulls at Helston Boating Lake, Cornwall Dec 08

My 220th and last year tick of 2008

Snowy Owl and Twitch at Sperris Quoit, Cornwall Dec 08

Black-Headed Gulls and Lapwings at Wilstone Reservoir,Herts

Siberian Stonechat at St.Margarets at Cliffe, Kent Nov 08

Kingfisher at Amwell NR, Herts

Male Ring Ouzel at Batford, Herts Apr 08

Little Owl and Female Kestrel at Portland, Dorset Oct 08

Alder Flycatcher and Twitch at Nanjizal Valley,Cornwall Oct 08

Photos

Here are some photos of birds and scenery i've taken over the last year or so. But be warned i'm no David Bailey so don't go expecting prize winning photography! And if your interested the Squacco Heron at the top of my blog was taken (by me!) at Courtenay Park near Newton Abbott, Devon in 2007.

Watford - 3.7.09

Todays highlights included 3 Common Terns flying NW over KGV playing fields aswell as a group of 30+ Swifts and 3 juv Pied Wagtails, while this morning driving to work I noted a Swift flying into an air vent brick on one of the buildings at the junction of Watford High Street and Rickmansworth Road!

Cassiobury Park - 1.7.09

3 Ring-Necked Parakeets and a family party of 7 Treecreepers (reported to me) in Cassiobury Park being todays highlights.