Mega - LITTLE BITTERN at Stocker's on Sunday

Paul Leppert found and photographed this first-summer male LITTLE BITTERN on the River Colne adjacent to Stocker's Lake on Sunday 10 June - hopefully it is still present in the vicinity

Mega - LITTLE BITTERN at Stocker's

Joan and I went straight over to Stocker's Lake and walked the River Colne in its entirety in that vicinity but without any success. If possible, can we ask Peter EXACTLY where he photographed it


We recorded a nice selection of species though, proving both CETTI'S WARBLER and LITTLE EGRET as breeding species......

Also, 8 Great Crested Grebes, 5 nesting pairs of Black-headed Gull (5 chicks seen), 9 pairs of nesting Common Tern, 2 singing male Western Reed Warblers, a male Sedge Warbler, 1 singing male Garden Warbler, 3 singing male Common Chiffchaffs, a family group of Common Treecreepers, 90 Common Swifts and a singing male Reed Bunting

The habitat on the Colne and on neighbouring Stocker's could easily hold a male Little Bittern for weeks but locating it will be a different thing

Recencies

It has been very quiet in the county of late with just a few COMMON CROSSBILLS on the move, a number of nesting pairs of SPOTTED FLYCATCHERS and the pair of TURTLE DOVES at Knoll Common, Bygrave. This first-summer drake GOOSANDER pitched up at Amwell briefly last week (picture by kind courtesy of Alan Reynolds)

'Hepatic' CUCKOO at Stockers

This female rufous morph COMMON CUCKOO was recently photographed at Stocker's Lake. Such plumage makes up about 1%

Tyttenhanger's resident exotica (WHITE-CHEEKED PINTAIL)

I frequently get emailed about this little chappie - a drake WHITE-CHEEKED PINTAIL now resident at Tyttenhanger's Fishing Pits for the past three years. It is an escapee and was photographed just recently by Chris Hinton 

Nesting LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKERS

A pair of LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKERS is feeding young at a regular site in the county and showing exceptionally well - the male visiting the nest at least 8 times every thirty minutes. It may be possible for me to show birders these birds in this coming week - email me for information LGREUK400@aol.com

The recent WOOD WARBLER (the images)

Just look at these outstanding images of the recent singing male WOOD WARBLER at Frogmore Lakes taken by ANDREW MOON. They are exceptional, especially considering how dark it was inside the Birch wood. One of the birds of the year in Herts.