Yet More Waxwings! - 18.12.10

While walking round to the post office in the snow to post some Christmas cards I looked up at the top of a lampost and casually announced to my other half oh look theres 2 Waxwings sat up there!! Surely i'm not getting blase about seeing them or at the moment finding them?!!

I then had a call from my mate Bob Harris saying that he was watching around 85 Waxwings from his flat on the road around the corner from my mum!

WAXWINGS - 16.12.10

Well grass cutting in the rain in December when you feel like death warmed up isn't exactly the best way to spend a day at work but today it was. At 9.30 this morning I arrived to cut the grass in St.John's road play area opposite the Escourt Arms pub and on exiting the van I was greeted with the chorus of trilling. Waxwings!! Thinking it'll probably be another 7 as that seems to be as big a number I find at the moment (not that i'm complaining!!) but I looked up and the tops of the 2 biggest trees were covered in birds. First thing to do was count them as best I could and I finished on 133 birds with others that flew off it was probably nearer 150! This was far and away the biggest flock of Waxwings i'd seen not just in Herts but the UK and i'd found them! I phoned some local birders to let them know and put the news out on the pager. I popped back just after 2pm and found yes you guessed it just 7 left!! Len Goodman from strictly come dancing would have a field day!! SEVEN!

On arriving back at Cassiobury Park I once again heard that distinctive trilling and 2 more Waxwings flew over!

More Waxwings! - 15.12.10

Whilst walking from the mess room to the loo in the council yard in Cassiobury Park I heard the distinctive trilling of Waxwings overhead. I quickly looked up and saw 7 birds flying East towards the town centre. Also present were c.50 Siskins still around the new hide and 5 Great-Spotted Woodpeckers including 2 drumming. A Kingfisher was in a fallen Willow tree between the rustic bridge and the waterfall.

Wax A Day! - 13.12.10

7 Waxwings in the nearby tree, a close up of 2 of the birds and the Rowan tree.

Today was spent in Cassiobury Park and what a first couple of hours it was bird wise. Whilst in the council yard at 7.50am looming out of the mist at just above tree top height was a Raven with a mouthfull of something, only the 2nd ever record for the park! 10 minutes later a trilling call was heard and just overhead flew a Waxwing. This was the first record for the park since the 59 I found in 2005. Later on a Little Egret was on the river, 80 Siskins were in the Alders next to the new hide and nearby 2 Water Rails squealed away. On the cress beds were 3 Teal and a male Tufted Duck. The tufty was possibly the same bird seen on the fishing lake earlier in the year which was only the 9th record for the park. 2 Little Owls called to each other near the football pitches and just before lunch a Great-Spotted Woodpecker started drumming.

After work I tried looking for more Waxwings in Diamond Road but he 5 fully laden Rowan trees were birdless. I then thought i'd try my luck just around the corner from where I live where on Saturday I failed to locate Bob Cripps 2 Waxwings in a small yellow berried Rowan on the junction of Louvain Way and Poplar Close but as luck would have it as I approached the tree up flew a single bird and joined another 6 in a nearby tree. I rang Bob to let him know and after he'd seen them I raced home and dragged the missus out to see them as she'd been wanting to see one for a while now!! Unfortunately the photos I took were in fading light and so pretty rubbish!!

Watford Waxwing - 9.12.10

After my last post saying that it was unlikely that a Waxwing would be found in Vicarage Road cemetery, low and behold at 9.40am this morning while sharpening the pole saw we were using I suddenly realised that I was hearing the trilling call of a Waxwing and it was flying overhead!! I caught sight of it as it was heading away from me heading NW and was lost to view after flying over some houses. Shame it didn't want to stop off and eat some Yew berries!! It was my first of this species (my favourite) since 25 in Great Yarmouth 4 years ago.

Cemetary Sightings - 29.11 - 3.12.10

Well as you may have noticed theres not been an update for a while. Mainly due to the fact i've not been anywhere as it's either been dark once i've finished work or last weekend I had my son over and it was too cold to drag him anywhere!

This week i've been in Vicarage Road Cemetary every day clearing snow from paths and reducing the hedges at the front and back. With the weather as it's been the birds have flocked in to feed on the berries and numbers have been impressive (by cemetary standards anyway)!

4 species of thrush have been seen with at least 6 Mistle Thrushes and a couple of Fieldfares but Redwings are numbering in the 50's and Blackbirds into double figures. A few Goldfinch and Greenfinch drop in as do a few Jays. At least twice this week a Sparrowhawk has zoomed in and put everything up but then been mobbed by crows. But there have been no signs or sounds of any Waxwings and theres not likely to be as most of the berries have gone! Unless they eat Yew berries?!!

PIED-BILLED GREBE - 13.11.10

2 photos and a bit of video of the Pied-Billed Grebe.

After not going to Cornwall for the American Bittern for a variety of reasons I was just having lunch at work when the MEGA alert went off saying that another American species had been found in Greater Manchester. So Saturday morning myself and the missus set off for Hollingworth Lake NR near Rochdale. Only trouble was that the M1 was shut at junction 20 and the M6 was partially closed at junction 13!! So either way it was gonna take longer than expected. I chose the M6 and when we reached the accident we could see just why it was partially closed, an articulated lorry had left the road and ploughed through the hedge and into a tree and down an embankment. We arrived on site at 11.30 and walked around to the area where the bird was favouring and immediately got onto the bird. There sat out of the water was my first ever PIED-BILLED GREBE. Typically though it decided that an hour sat out of the water was enough and went off fishing no sooner as I was trying to get a photo hence why I managed just 2 slightly blurry photos!! It then showed well for the next 30 minutes before we headed off for the loo and a warm cuppa! Other birds of note were fly over Lesser Redpolls and Siskin and on the car park feeders 2 Coal Tits and a lovely male Bullfinch but a brief Marsh Tit was another year tick.

Cassiobury Park - 11.11.10

The only bird of note was a Little Egret that was forced down by a heavy shower at 2.30pm. The strange thing was though that it was about 1/4 mile from the river where they are usually seen. It was in the grass by the Stratford Road entrance but then flew off towards towards the river.

Beardies - 30.10.10

A pager message saying that 3 Bearded Tits were at Amwell NR had me panicking as I still need them for my Herts list. Unfortunately I couldn't go straight away and I eventually arrived at 12.45pm. At the viewpoint were Barry Reed, Graham White and another birder so I asked Graham if there was any news to which he replied 1 had flown off 5 minutes ago but your best bet is to go to the James hide and view from there. I only had around an hour before I had to be back home and in that time I didn't see or hear any sign of the other 2 birds.

4 Water Rail, Kingfisher, 3 Reed Bunting, 2 Siskin, Cetti's Warbler, Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard were seen while waiting.

The 2 remaining beardies were seen the next day! Bugger!!

Pink- Foot or Pink-Feet?! - 29.10.10

On arriving at work this morning I stepped out of the car and almost immediately heard the call of Pink-Footed Goose somewhere to the NW of the council yard. Unfortunately it was still dark and so I was unable to see how many there were and in what direction it/they were flying!! I've just checked the records for Cassiobury Park and this is the first ever record and becomes the 146th species recorded in the park and Whippendell Woods.