I was most surprised to see both Woodpigeons and Common Magpies feasting on the berries, the latter hiding them in the grass
Friday, 30 November 2012
The fruits of Windmill Road (Hemel Hempstead)
It was a feeding frenzy - several heavily-laden berry trees bordering Windmill Road, attracting a wealth of birds...........
The Tanners Crescent WAXWINGS
The location - two Pink Sorbus trees in front of numbers 7 and 9
The birds - 4 in total, including a first-winter
The Bengeo WAXWINGS
This is the set up: Pink Sorbus tree in front garden of 49 The Avenue
A flock of 18 Waxwings was constantly present, along with the odd Continental Blackbird
York Road, Stevenage, this morning
Most likely a returning pair. This Pink Sorbus in York Road has been a traditional site for Waxwings for many years
WAXWING jamboree
FRIDAY 30 NOVEMBER
Another sharp frost and another glorious day but with temperatures really struggling to get beyond 3 degrees C. Superb light conditions and many photographers out trying to make the most of it
WAXWINGS really have arrived in earnest in our area now and I made every effort to see those present in HERTFORDSHIRE today..........
Following an early morning call from Darrel Bryant, I started off in STEVENAGE, where two adult WAXWINGS were performing incredibly well in the lone Pink Sorbus tree at 99 York Road - a regular stop-off for this species. Along with the finder, I was able to get some nice images of the two birds, both of which were still present at 1005 hours when I departed.
It was then off to BENGEO, where no less than 18 birds were performing extraodinarily well in the Pink Rowans in the front garden of 49 The Avenue. There were quite a few photographers present and one kind resident even offered us tea and coffee. In fact, many local residents were interested in what was the attraction. And then, when driving away from the site, I located an additional 12 birds in the berry-bearing shrubs by 133 The Avenue - so 30 birds in total.
Less than two miles away, in TANNERS CRESCENT, HERTFORD, a smaller party of 4 birds was also showing well, again favouring Pink Sorbus at the front of numbers 7 & 9; one of these was a first-winter.
So, 36 WAXWINGS encountered in total, the first of many hundreds I suspect - although not one was colour-ringed.
Over in WINDMILL ROAD, HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, the 3 or 4 heavily-laden berry-bearing trees at the Lower Yott junction were bustling with birds, including 9 Woodpigeons, 11 Common Blackbirds, 1 Mistle Thrush, 6 Common Magpies, 4 Chaffinches and 22 Common Starlings all feasting on the fruits. Nearby, on the River Gade, a single Little Egret feeding.
Still no more to be found in areas closer to my home though, just a single Little Egret on the CHESS, and an adult Sinensis Cormorant
Another sharp frost and another glorious day but with temperatures really struggling to get beyond 3 degrees C. Superb light conditions and many photographers out trying to make the most of it
WAXWINGS really have arrived in earnest in our area now and I made every effort to see those present in HERTFORDSHIRE today..........
Following an early morning call from Darrel Bryant, I started off in STEVENAGE, where two adult WAXWINGS were performing incredibly well in the lone Pink Sorbus tree at 99 York Road - a regular stop-off for this species. Along with the finder, I was able to get some nice images of the two birds, both of which were still present at 1005 hours when I departed.
It was then off to BENGEO, where no less than 18 birds were performing extraodinarily well in the Pink Rowans in the front garden of 49 The Avenue. There were quite a few photographers present and one kind resident even offered us tea and coffee. In fact, many local residents were interested in what was the attraction. And then, when driving away from the site, I located an additional 12 birds in the berry-bearing shrubs by 133 The Avenue - so 30 birds in total.
Less than two miles away, in TANNERS CRESCENT, HERTFORD, a smaller party of 4 birds was also showing well, again favouring Pink Sorbus at the front of numbers 7 & 9; one of these was a first-winter.
So, 36 WAXWINGS encountered in total, the first of many hundreds I suspect - although not one was colour-ringed.
Over in WINDMILL ROAD, HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, the 3 or 4 heavily-laden berry-bearing trees at the Lower Yott junction were bustling with birds, including 9 Woodpigeons, 11 Common Blackbirds, 1 Mistle Thrush, 6 Common Magpies, 4 Chaffinches and 22 Common Starlings all feasting on the fruits. Nearby, on the River Gade, a single Little Egret feeding.
Still no more to be found in areas closer to my home though, just a single Little Egret on the CHESS, and an adult Sinensis Cormorant
Thursday, 29 November 2012
At last - twitchable WAXWINGS in the county (tomorrow I come)
WAXWINGS today included 2 in Long Marston, 17 at 45-47 The Avenue in Bengeo and 4 in Tanners Crescent in Hertford, whilst elsewhere in the county, a juvenile COMMON SCOTER, 2 adult MEDITERRANEAN GULLS and an adult Yellow-legged Gull at Hilfield Park Reservoir (LGRE) (Scoter found by SM and later seen by JT, DT), the fw drake GREATER SCAUP at Amwell Tumbling Bay Lake, pair of Common Stonechats at King's Meads, Hertford, and the GREAT GREY SHRIKE, SHORT-EARED OWL and Barn Owl at Therfield Heath.
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