A follow-up trip to Wilstone, fingers crossed for hobbies.
In the car-park & same as the last time with blackcap in good voice but not visible this time, although Swift, Pied Wagtail & Goldfinch were seen.
Cresting the embankment & scanning the water revealed Grey Heron, Coot, Common Tern & Great-Crested Grebe.
Continuing along the embankment path a Kestrel over the trees, Canada Goose, Cormorant & Shoveler all flying over the water, Starling & Carrion Crow flying over the nearby trees & fields.
My attention turned back to the reservoir & the terns foraging over the water, & I soon noticed a slightly different bird to the common terns. It was one I had hoped to see after checking the Friends of Tring Reservoirs' website where many sightings of flocks had been reported, but for me here was a lone Black Tern, a new species for me. It was smaller than the common terns & obviously of much darker colour: blacker on its head, fading to grey on the underparts. The website states that it has been a good year for these terns at the reservoir & I watched for a while before moving off along the path, hoping to see it again when I rejoined the reservoir later in the walk.
Further along the path either on the reservoir or in the hedgerow by the side of the embankmant were Gadwall, Robin, Mistle Thrush, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Greylag Goose, Tufted Duck.
A Skylark was heard before I picked it out over the fields just before entering into the small woods for Blue Tit & Great Tit. As I continued into the woods I glanced out onto the adjacent fields thinking I had spotted a hare only it was much larger & was in fact a Chinese Water Deer complete with fangs that are its equivalent of antlers. Further into the woods for a Wren which was apparently in exactly the same place as last time, this time with a beak full of moss presumably for its nest.
Into the reservoir hide revealed an additional Mallard, Pochard & Mute Swan, then leaving the hide & continuing through the woods & onto the pasture & hedgerow, picking up Long-Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Great-Spotted Woodpecker & Jackdaw.
Further along the path, & just before the ascent to the old canal a very vocal bird caught my attention sounding similar to a blackcap. It took some time to pick out as it flitted about amongst the dense foliage but eventually I identified a Whitethroat, my first for some time. As I watched I also heard the distinctive loudness of Cetti's Warbler but as usual didn't see it, unlike the Treecreeper which alighted on a branch nearby. A few yards further along & another vocal warbler, this time a Sedge Warbler which also took some time to show itself as it flitted between amongst the hedgerow rather than the reedbeds where I was focusing my attention.
Rounding the corner of the field to begin the small climb, a Blackbird flew along the hedgerow & then overhead a Buzzard received some unwanted attention from a crow, then back to the hedgerow where I picked out a surprise pair of Yellowhammer skulking about.
After walking along the dry canal bed & spotting nothing new I turned downhill & into another small wooded area where I finally picked out Blackcap. Then heading to rejoin the embankment path around the reservoir, a bird flew into the nearby field of rape where it became quite difficult to pick out, but nevertheless a clear male Reed Bunting with his partner calling plaintitively from the trees into which a Song Thrush flew.
Back on the reservoir embankment & with the temperature having risen throughout the morning had seemed to enliven the reservoir with plenty of activity from the terns, both common & black (although I could still only see a single bird). By this time however another bird had joined the others because as I scanned the water I picked out a largish, scythe-winged bird which first skimmed low over the water & then up over the trees in the middle of the reservoir. It was joined by another which skimed over the reeds. Here, finally, were the Hobbies I had hoped to see & they didn't disappoint! In certain aspects of their profile they looked like giant swifts, as they dashed about catching insects with ease, a very charismatic bird with slate-grey upperparts, distinctive moustaches & a flash of reddish-orange on the underparts. I watched for a while before reluctantly having to head back to the car, & by this time their numbers had gone up to at least five.
As a nice bonus to watching the hobbies, a Red Kite lazily soared over & a Lesser Black-Backed Gull also flew towards the other reservoirs, to the east of Wilstone.
A good day, & although I would have liked to pick up the cetti's it was a first for the black tern & a definite first (only a previous possible at Titchwell) for hobby.
45 species, 2 new species.
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| Wilstone Reservoir, Tring, Hertfordsh |
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