Spring walk along the Bulbourne & first Newt emerges!

The fantastic Kingfisher pair have been keeping photographers and wildlife enthusiasts entertained through the winter.
Bulbroune Meadow, January 2016

Grey, dull and wet: not quite the spring weather I was after on Thursday! However, in spite of the dankness, at every stage along the Bulbourne, there was something interesting to see. Mr Kingfisher made off with a decent prize for his good lady. A pair of Wrens were inspecting a nest hole, preparing to raise this year’s brood. The Grey Wagtail pair were together, foraging along the river bank on Bulbourne Meadow, and a couple of Little Egrets were lazily fishing the shallows. Great Tits and Mistle Thrushes were amongst those in full song. Goldcrests seemed to be on the move too, with single birds at separate locations, edging their way along the bank. Finally, on Blackbirds Moor, there were a good 15+ Redwing, darting between the soft ground and the safety of the trees. There were also flocks still at the Brickworks and at Roughdown Common this week.

A few Snowdrops are still hanging on. Primroses and Daffodils are blooming on Harding’s Moor and it won’t be long before the Grape Hyacinths also open up. The latter seem very early.

Full list of bird species seen 10/3/2016

1. Wren
2. Dunnock
3. Robin
4. Blackbird
5. Song Thrush
6. Mistle Thrush
7. Redwing
8. Woodpigeon
9. Feral Pigeon
10. Magpie
11. Coot
12. Moorhen
13. Mallard
14. Canada Goose
15. Black-headed Gull
16. Starling
17. House Sparrow
18. Jay
19. Carrion Crow
20. Little Egret
21. Grey Heron
22. Grey Wagtail
23. Kingfisher
24. Chaffinch
25. Goldfinch
26. Goldcrest
27. Great Tit
28. Blue Tit
29. Long-tailed Tit
30. Red Kite

Frequently seen but not noted on Thursday:

• Kestrel
• Sparrowhawk
• Greenfinch
• Coal Tit
• Nuthatch
• Green and/or Great Spotted Woodpecker

In other news

David K spotted the first of the year's Newts to emerge at Gadespring (HERE). In the coming weeks, we're hoping to survey a few sites and see which species the Trust land supports.

Spawning & Drumming

Signs of spring as we leap from February into March, HERE.

Lesser Redpoll pair still at the Brickworks

A pair of Lesser Redpolls, presumably the same birds that I observed through last month, is still at the Brickworks. A couple of record shots HERE.

A crisp winter's day & sunlit Buntings

Last Wednesday was one of those crisp, clear frosty days, bathed in sun light.

I came across a wintering Chiffchaff along the Bulbourne on Fishery Moor and, up in the little reed bed bordering Old Fishery Lane, there could have been as many 12 Reed Buntings. I counted at least 8 and photographed 5 of them. A couple were also ringed.

The Kingfishers (male and female) remain faithful to the Bulbourne and continue to attract admirers.

A group of 4 Crows were skittering on ice on Fishery Moor. They were stopping fairly frequently, though, to break off tiny protruding grass icicles, presumably to eat/drink. It seemed to require a great deal of concentration and effort for very little reward!

Amongst the other birds of note were 5 Grey Herons, spread across the Moors, and 3 Little Egrets (one of which was the colour ringed bird LAON(9);RAYN(D), in the Bulbourne west of Old Fishery Lane, last recorded here on 9/11/2015). The resident Kestrel on Harding’s Moor perched up briefly before taking flight to resume the hunt. A Goldcrest came through with a mixed Tit flock on Station Moor, a Song Thrush sang and it was hard to escape the rattles of numerous Mistle Thrushes (10+) favouring the moors east of Station Road.

Mixed ground-feeding flock at Roughdown

Throughout the winter, there is often a lovely mix of bird species feeding out in the open on Further Roughdown. One morning in October, I had Chaffinch, Green Woodpecker, Redwing and Mistle Thrush all feeding within one square metre. Today, a colourful flock of Greenfinches had joined the throng. For the full count, click HERE.

Warm enough?!

Meadow Buttercups flowering on Bulbourne Meadow 18th December 2015

I thought it was worth just noting the extraordinary weather we’ve had so far this December. On Saturday, temperatures reached 16°C at Northolt (the nearest observation site to Hemel). My car thermometer read 15°C. Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush and Great Tits have started their Spring songs. Robins and Wrens are singing (but do most of the year). Meadow Buttercups are flowering on Bulbourne Meadow and over at the Brickworks today, I came across leaf burst on Hawthorn (which shouldn’t happen for at least another couple of months!). It’s all rather worrying. If we’re going to get very cold weather this winter, it needs to happen asap before plants and flowers are too far along their springtime processes to recover. We’ll just have to watch and wait, I guess.

This will be my last post before 25th, so, I shall wish you all a very happy Christmas. Take care!

Lesser Redpolls at the Brickworks

Lesser Redpoll is not an easy species to see around Hemel Hempstead and, up until today, I'd not seen them at Bovingdon Brickworks either. For more on the sighting see HERE.