11:45am to 12:45pm. Weather: bright, hot & sunny - hottest day of the year!
Very quiet mid-summer visit in fantastic weather. Hardly any birds even singing but several regulars still active around the cemetery.
Entrance:
Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Chaffinch, Wren - all heard.
Swift, Magpie, Woodpigeon.
South-side:
Blackbird, Crow, Dunnock.
Great Tit - juvenile.
Goldcrest - two gleaning amongst an oak tree, one waited for the other & the other apparently drank from the water collected in a leaf. I have very rarely seen two together & it was good to see after reports of their demise due to the harsh winter.
Blue Tit, Blackcap, Robin - juvenile.
Great-Spotted Woodpecker - heard.
UCL Sports Grounds-side:
Jay, Greenfinch - over.
East-side:
Goldcrest.
Sunday, 27 June 2010
Thursday, 17 June 2010
WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, 13/06/2010
Weather: bright & hazy, breezy. 3:50 to 5:00pm.
Being in the area I decided it was too good a chance not to visit the hallowed ground of Slimbridge after hearing & reading so much about it from my membership publications. I was also inspired to see the reality of Peter Scott's great project, again after reading so much about it. The centre was very impressive & the grounds initially felt a bit like a zoo but I walked out to Holden Tower for views across the vista of the River Severn estuary & its meadows which I imagined would throng with wildfowl in the winter. After that I walked back to the entrance & down to the South lake observatory which overlooked a lively scrape, before heading off back to London.
Carpark:
Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, House Sparrow, House Martin, Moorhen.
To Holden Tower:
Shelduck, Greylag Goose, Coot, Black-Headed Gull, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Mute Swan.
Chiffchaff - heard.
Lesser Black-Backed Gull.
Wren - heard.
Reed Warbler - heard.
Swallow.
Dunnock - heard.
Blue Tit - heard.
Herring Gull, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Robin.
South Hide:
Shoveler.
Little Grebe - heard.
Redshank, Common Tern, Cormorant, Great-Crested Grebe, Oystercatcher.
Out:
Buzzard.
31 species.
Being in the area I decided it was too good a chance not to visit the hallowed ground of Slimbridge after hearing & reading so much about it from my membership publications. I was also inspired to see the reality of Peter Scott's great project, again after reading so much about it. The centre was very impressive & the grounds initially felt a bit like a zoo but I walked out to Holden Tower for views across the vista of the River Severn estuary & its meadows which I imagined would throng with wildfowl in the winter. After that I walked back to the entrance & down to the South lake observatory which overlooked a lively scrape, before heading off back to London.
Carpark:
Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, House Sparrow, House Martin, Moorhen.
To Holden Tower:
Shelduck, Greylag Goose, Coot, Black-Headed Gull, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Mute Swan.
Chiffchaff - heard.
Lesser Black-Backed Gull.
Wren - heard.
Reed Warbler - heard.
Swallow.
Dunnock - heard.
Blue Tit - heard.
Herring Gull, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Robin.
South Hide:
Shoveler.
Little Grebe - heard.
Redshank, Common Tern, Cormorant, Great-Crested Grebe, Oystercatcher.
Out:
Buzzard.
31 species.
RSPB Nagshead, Gloucestershire, 13/06/2010
Weather: bright & sunny; more clouds & haziness. 11:15am to 2pm.
Another attempt to see my hoped for woodland trinity, in particular I hoped to see the elusive redstarts I'd heard from the day before.
Great Tit, Blue Tit, Song Thrush, Nuthatch - all seen &/or heard as yesterday.
Bullfinch - two flew in front of the car as I drove up the road to the car-park, flashing distinctive white rumps.
Lower Hide:
Spotted Flycatcher - in the same place as yesterday, busy catching flies & visiting its nest.
Mistle Thrush - one scraggy bird preening itself in a tree next to the dead spotted flycatcher's tree; later I heard a mistle thrush singing for the first time.
Wood:
Pied Flycatcher - after leaving the lower hide & heading up the path I joined a small group of birders that were looking intently into the trees from the path. It didn't take long for me to also connect with another pair of wonderful 'pied flies' as they busily foraged through the low-levels of the woods, at one point the pale perched on the fence posts & the fence wire that lined the path providing great views.
Meadow:
Garden Warbler - in the shrubs next to the small meadows I spotted a couple of nondescript warblers active in one of the bushes, one feeding the other; later the distinctive song confirmed the sighting.
Long Nature Trail:
Willow Tit - heard at a few points along the path from the thick trees, though unfortunately I didn't see any.
Long-Tailed Tit - a couple flitted through some saplings.
Wood Warbler - a loud piping call alerted me to something in one of the large oaks next to the path & after a few minutes a warbler moved out into view & then another, again one was apparently feeding the other. They were both in silhouette & I was not familiar with the call however a little later on I heard the wonderful & distinctive call of wood warbler & along with it the same call I had heard earlier.
Raven - just after seeing the wood warbler I heard a distinctive & familiar 'grok' call, soon followed by the bird itself as it flew over & away. A quite unexpected sighting from the middle of a wood though I was aware they nested in the Forest of Dean.
Fallow Deer - as I made my way back I heard a shuffling from the leaves of the understorey & was rewarded with a sighting of three deers moving discreetly through the woods, which I found evocative of earlier times when forests such as these covered much of the country & which must have teemed with the biodiversity a fraction of which I'd experienced in the last 24 hours.
Stock Dove - a pair flew away through the trees.
Wren - buzzed away from the path.
Chiffchaff - heard as I approached the carpark.
Buzzard - another scraggy specimen overhead this time as I left the meadow for the carpark.
Another attempt to see my hoped for woodland trinity, in particular I hoped to see the elusive redstarts I'd heard from the day before.
Great Tit, Blue Tit, Song Thrush, Nuthatch - all seen &/or heard as yesterday.
Bullfinch - two flew in front of the car as I drove up the road to the car-park, flashing distinctive white rumps.
Lower Hide:
Spotted Flycatcher - in the same place as yesterday, busy catching flies & visiting its nest.
Mistle Thrush - one scraggy bird preening itself in a tree next to the dead spotted flycatcher's tree; later I heard a mistle thrush singing for the first time.
Wood:
Pied Flycatcher - after leaving the lower hide & heading up the path I joined a small group of birders that were looking intently into the trees from the path. It didn't take long for me to also connect with another pair of wonderful 'pied flies' as they busily foraged through the low-levels of the woods, at one point the pale perched on the fence posts & the fence wire that lined the path providing great views.
Meadow:
Garden Warbler - in the shrubs next to the small meadows I spotted a couple of nondescript warblers active in one of the bushes, one feeding the other; later the distinctive song confirmed the sighting.
Long Nature Trail:
Willow Tit - heard at a few points along the path from the thick trees, though unfortunately I didn't see any.
Long-Tailed Tit - a couple flitted through some saplings.
Wood Warbler - a loud piping call alerted me to something in one of the large oaks next to the path & after a few minutes a warbler moved out into view & then another, again one was apparently feeding the other. They were both in silhouette & I was not familiar with the call however a little later on I heard the wonderful & distinctive call of wood warbler & along with it the same call I had heard earlier.
Raven - just after seeing the wood warbler I heard a distinctive & familiar 'grok' call, soon followed by the bird itself as it flew over & away. A quite unexpected sighting from the middle of a wood though I was aware they nested in the Forest of Dean.
Fallow Deer - as I made my way back I heard a shuffling from the leaves of the understorey & was rewarded with a sighting of three deers moving discreetly through the woods, which I found evocative of earlier times when forests such as these covered much of the country & which must have teemed with the biodiversity a fraction of which I'd experienced in the last 24 hours.
Stock Dove - a pair flew away through the trees.
Wren - buzzed away from the path.
Chiffchaff - heard as I approached the carpark.
Buzzard - another scraggy specimen overhead this time as I left the meadow for the carpark.
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
RSPB Nagshead, Gloucestershire, 12/06/2010
Weather: bright, sunny & warm. 2 to 6pm.
A first visit to a site I'd long hoped to visit, in search of woodland specialities. An easy walk to the hides from the small visitors' centre but with much longer walks through the woods if desired. The oaks were magnificent & at a couple of hundred years old probably quite young with more magnificence to come!
Car-park:
Crow - several around including a number of recently fledged juveniles.
Song Thrush - several singing repetitively around the reserve then I later spotted two seemingly courting.
Woodpigeon, Blackbird.
Woods:
Redstart - crossing the meadow as I approached the trees I heard one singing but though I waited for a good period of time I couldn't connect with the bird through the thick foliage though a couple of shadows flitting amongst the trees may have been what I was searching for. I later heard another right outside the hide but again did not sight it.
Robin, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wren, Coal Tit - seen and/or heard amongst the trees as I strove to see the redstart.
Nuthatch - a squeaking hubbub alerted me to a group of fledgings moving overhead with their parents in attendence; there were maybe 10 or so & I also saw another adult visit a nesthole several times from a tree next to the hide.
Lower Hide:
Spotted Flycatcher - flying back & forth from a dead tree & bushes nearby in typical fashion; apparently it was nesting in the dead tree.
Grey Heron - a lone juvenile skulking in the woodland pond visible from the hide, slightly out of place. At one point it flew up to perch high on the spot-fly's dead tree.
Blue Tit, Great Tit - several groups of fledglings moving around the area.
Mallard - a pair on the pond.
Pied Flycatcher - after being advised that I was due a wait before seeing them I was not disappointed however after waiting for the best part of an hour a stunning male appeared on a low branch at the far end of the pond clearing. It flitted around in textbook fashion, staying low & often disappearing onto the ground amongst the bracken. The male was joined by a female & they both soon spread their foraging across the whole of the pond clearing amongst the oak trees & bracken before eventually melting away into the woods. They did reappear again not too long after but for a shorter length of time, before I finally departed (from the somewhat uncomfortably designed hide).
Woods:
Siskin - two flew over perching on branches as they went, one a juvenile calling persistently.
Towards Campbell Hide:
Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff.
22 species, 2 new species.
A first visit to a site I'd long hoped to visit, in search of woodland specialities. An easy walk to the hides from the small visitors' centre but with much longer walks through the woods if desired. The oaks were magnificent & at a couple of hundred years old probably quite young with more magnificence to come!
Car-park:
Crow - several around including a number of recently fledged juveniles.
Song Thrush - several singing repetitively around the reserve then I later spotted two seemingly courting.
Woodpigeon, Blackbird.
Woods:
Redstart - crossing the meadow as I approached the trees I heard one singing but though I waited for a good period of time I couldn't connect with the bird through the thick foliage though a couple of shadows flitting amongst the trees may have been what I was searching for. I later heard another right outside the hide but again did not sight it.
Robin, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wren, Coal Tit - seen and/or heard amongst the trees as I strove to see the redstart.
Nuthatch - a squeaking hubbub alerted me to a group of fledgings moving overhead with their parents in attendence; there were maybe 10 or so & I also saw another adult visit a nesthole several times from a tree next to the hide.
Lower Hide:
Spotted Flycatcher - flying back & forth from a dead tree & bushes nearby in typical fashion; apparently it was nesting in the dead tree.
Grey Heron - a lone juvenile skulking in the woodland pond visible from the hide, slightly out of place. At one point it flew up to perch high on the spot-fly's dead tree.
Blue Tit, Great Tit - several groups of fledglings moving around the area.
Mallard - a pair on the pond.
Pied Flycatcher - after being advised that I was due a wait before seeing them I was not disappointed however after waiting for the best part of an hour a stunning male appeared on a low branch at the far end of the pond clearing. It flitted around in textbook fashion, staying low & often disappearing onto the ground amongst the bracken. The male was joined by a female & they both soon spread their foraging across the whole of the pond clearing amongst the oak trees & bracken before eventually melting away into the woods. They did reappear again not too long after but for a shorter length of time, before I finally departed (from the somewhat uncomfortably designed hide).
Woods:
Siskin - two flew over perching on branches as they went, one a juvenile calling persistently.
Towards Campbell Hide:
Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff.
22 species, 2 new species.
Friday, 11 June 2010
Hampstead Cemetery, West Hampstead, London, 05/06/2010
Weather: hot, muggy but cloudy. 3:45 to 4:45pm.
Afternoon patch visit with Kim; shorter walk than usual.
Robin.
Wren - heard.
Chiffchaff - heard.
Dunnock - heard.
Great Tit, Blackbird, Magpie.
Song Thrush - singing well & from a tree close to the path but though we lingered it didn't show.
Woodpigeon, Great-Spotted Woodpecker, Jay.
Afternoon patch visit with Kim; shorter walk than usual.
Robin.
Wren - heard.
Chiffchaff - heard.
Dunnock - heard.
Great Tit, Blackbird, Magpie.
Song Thrush - singing well & from a tree close to the path but though we lingered it didn't show.
Woodpigeon, Great-Spotted Woodpecker, Jay.
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