Sunday, 5 December 2010

BITTERN at Tyttenhanger

A EURASIAN BITTERN is present at Tyttenhanger Main Pit for a second day, showing intermittently in the small reedbed in the NE corner of the pit (per Steve Blake, Ricky Flesher)

Graham Knight has also discovered a HAWFINCH in the Harpenden area, but Waxwings all seem to have moved on from the county (although 2 were seen in Hitchin yesterday)

JACK SNIPES at Lemsford Springs





































Up to 4 JACK SNIPES have been taking advantage of the cressbeds at Lemsford Springs Nature Reserve at Welwyn Garden City since the arrival; of the cold weather and have been showing incredibly well from the hides. Graeme Leckie obtained these amazing images published above.

Saturday, 4 December 2010

Amwell today

Today at Amwell:

2 Pintail (pair), 3 Red-crested Pochard (female, Hollycross), 2 Goosander (male + female: female first at Tumbling Bay, pair present for about 30 min on Great Hardmead Lake before flying north), 4 Smew (female), 1 Little Egret, 1 Yellow-legged Gull (adult, roost), 2 Cetti's Warblers.

No sign of Bitterns at all (Jan Hein Steenis)

King's Meads BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS

16 WAXWINGS again present on rowans on Merchant Drive, Mead Lane Industrial Estate, Hertford. The flock flew east at 9:35am and I relocated them at 9:55am on Kings Meads in the small group of alders north of New River near A10 viaduct feeding on hawthorn. After 10 minutes the flock departed north towards Ware Park (Simon Knott)

Friday, 3 December 2010

Amwell today

This afternoon- 2 Northern Pintail, 3 Mandarin, RUFF, BITTERN, SMEW and 2 Yellow-legged Gulls (Graham White)

Wednesday, 1 December 2010

WAXWING at King's Meads

17 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS on Tansy Mead feeding on hawthorn at 8:20am. The flock flew west as the first train passed. I relocated them fifteen minutes later and 1/2m west on the Mead Lane Industrial Estate feeding on the rowans in Merchants Drive. They stayed for 30min until they gave chase to a small raptor and flew to the treebelt adjoining Park Mead. I followed and was pleasantly suprised to find that the raptor was a little owl, now perched on a security light. The Waxwing flock then departed east. Just to wrap up a good morning Woodcock flying over Kings Mead and landing in Hertford Cut.

There are four decent rowans plus a yellow-berried Sorbus on Merchants Drive and Waxwings may revisit this site (Simon Knott)

Four EURASIAN CURLEWS make brief touchdown at Tyttenhanger

I was at Tyttenhanger GP briefly this morning and decided to have a quick look at the main pit. Walking towards the viewpoint I heard a EURASIAN CURLEW calling at about 11:20 AM and saw 3 birds circling the pit which eventually landed on the sand where it turned out that they had been joined by a fourth bird. However they all flew off after 5 minutes high to the north so it is very unlikely they will return (Alan Gardiner)