Goldies

Despite the lack of posts I have been birding these last few months. Quite frequently. It's just been a bit ... well, you all know.

Anyway, some decent report from the high ground west of our village, and a promising wind/cloud combination, so I met up with Mike at the local cemetery and headed up to the 'hills'.

Mike had seen a few hundred Golden Plover from a local lay-by, so we were on the look out and soon a flock was seen in the air, about 160, wheeling away. They came down just over the brow. We carried on, and on gaining a vantage point we looked but could not see them. We carried on along the ridge with the soft piping still carrying on around us, and then I noticed in the ploughed field next to us a wing, briefly raised. 

We scanned, and there, about 70 yards from us, were Golden Plover. Almost invisible, their brown mottled backs perfectly matching the ploughed field, and the ridges and furrows meant quite a lot of backs just visible. But clearly, there was the flock, and as we scanned, the flock went on and on. 

We counted, compared, counted again, blocks of 50, blocks of 10, and together with the ones we had seen go down behind us came to our final total. 880. 

A spring Golden Plover is something to behold. That bold black underbelly, neck, and face. There were a few like that. Amazing, that here in rural England a bird as spectacular as this should be in our fields. What spring birding is all about.

Local lore has it that there always used to be flocks of Golden Plover up here, but now they've gone. I would contend that there were sometimes flocks of Golden Plovers up here, and there are still sometimes flocks of Golden Plovers up here. Particularly in hard weather, or in spring and autumn migrations. But this was without doubt the biggest I've seen. If I'm blessed with longevity and still here in ten years, someone will mention Golden Plover and I'll casually drop in the day I had a flock of 880 birds. And the memory of scanning across the flock, the birds lifting their wings, softly piping away, with a dash of jet black bellies, will come back.

Apart from that it was, well, when there is nothing on the high ground, with its expanse of precision-tilled fields and field edges of uniformly constructed ditches, there really is nothing. We managed 2 pairs of Grey Partridge, 4 Red Kites, the odd Yellowhammer and Meadow Pipit, and a couple of lingering flocks of Fieldfare. Make a note. Might be the last this spring.

I got to wondering how many other species in this area could muster nearly a thousand birds. I would guess Wood Pigeon. Maybe Jackdaw. But then what. A thousand wrens? Almost certainly no. My patch walk has never got above 20. House Sparrows? I'd be surprised, the colonies are discrete and well spaced. Really cannot think of any other species that could challenge that number. So, today, Golden Plover, possibly the third or second commonest bird species in the area.

Local Wheatears

With spring migrants now being seen all over the place I headed for the high ground west of Sawbridgeworth. A beautiful sunny day which meant I seemed to be on the wrong side of a lot of birds for photography

It was a quiet start with not much of note until I hit the big open field near Shingle Hall Farm. There was 10+ Yellowhammers in the bush by the chaff dump, and a pair of Red-Legged Partridges flew up. Then on the old airfield perimeter a male Wheatear. I spent a good half hour trying to get a decent photo, but distance and my continuing crapness with a camera resulted in these apologies for photos.

Walking a little further and I got to the top of a field by local farm Tharbies.  A Red Kite flew over, a couple of Grey Partridge flew out of the field, and on rounding the end of a hedge I found a small paddock with 4 Wheatears in it. I searched for more but never mind - Four spring Wheatears is a cracking local record.

three of the four Wheatears.

and that was nearly that. One of the pleasures of going off birding is bumping into people along the way. A highly entertaining and informative encounter with a nature-lover/shooter/photographer today was one-such. Now I know how to shoot a deer so it dies instantly, and how to avoid the possibility of a wounding and a lingering death, as well as some more detail on the local birds of prey.

Local Peregrines

I went back to the high ground to look for the Peregrine that had been three a couple of weeks ago. I had been back briefly mid-week and seen a Wheatear but not much else, but had a window of opportunity today to revisit. After a few blanks, a strange avian arguing revealed the presence of not one but two peregrines over the airfield memorial. The tussling continued for a while until the clearly larger one (presumably the female) drifted away over the Stort valley... the male cruised around victorious for a while before swooping down to its favourite clod in the centre of the field.

This time I was armed with my new camera adapter. It's nearly great, in that it nearly fits. With a bit of fiddling I can get a picture that fills the screen on the back of the camera, with the result below. It was a long way off blah blah and there was heat haze blah blah and the light meant I couldn't see the back of the camera properly but there it is, a Peregrine in a field.

Afternoon car trip

A gap in the afternoon. Wryneck at Stevenage? too far, particularly as I don't know the site and they tend to go missing for hours at a time. Osprey at Panshanger Park? Nearer, but Ospreys spend most of their time sat in trees, so unless you know the tree ...

So into the van with the optics, and drive slowly through the village and up onto the high ground at Trim's Green. Two miles in all as the Osprey flies. My first stop is a lay-by next to a large field, and it is empty until I find a Peregrine sat on a large clod of earth. Zoom up, and its a fine adult, barred chest, yellow claws and saddle on the beak, black hood, yellow eyering, deep blue back. I spend about half an hour watching it, and it just sits watching. Its head goes round the full 180 as it surveys the field, fully aware I'm sure of the woodies in the distant corners. It looks straight up, and keeps looking up. I follow its gaze and see a Red Kite drifting over. The kite drifts over the top field and is lost to view. The Peregrine keeps sitting on its clod of earth.

I move on to the entrance to the farm. From here there is a clear view over toward Stansted airport and Hatfield Forest. a few gulls moving, then some panicky wood pigeons and the peregrine is flying through them. It isn't really trying and at one stage a pigeon chases it. It twists and turns, tucks its wings in for a mini-stoop, and then cruises round for a while and drifts off.

On to stop three opposite Mathams Wood. Nothing but crows, jackdaws and pigeons, and about 20 or so Swallows and House Martins, which may be local, feeding over the recently cut fields. Just getting back in the van when some discordant crows alert me to a Common Buzzard drifting just over the car and then over the field. I know these are common birds now, but close up and low these are still mightily impressive birds, full of power. This one has pale feather edges on its upper wing, so probably this year's bird.

Last stop, a gate at the west edge of the big field, from where the concrete ribbon perimeter of the old airfield winds across the field. Again, it is empty until I find a Peregrine, presumably the same one, sat in the field. A passing pigeon draws it out and it menaces the pigeon on its way, not really engaging. Even so it covers the field in no time, and gives a few more glimpses of its speed and power as it flies up and round back toward the field where I first found it.

One last traverse with the scope of the hedge in the middle where the earth mounds are. A very blotchy common buzzard is sat there. Then that's it for the day and off for some last-minute shopping for D#3's birthday tomorrow.

Its only September, but if this peregrine hangs around we could have some fun this winter.

local round up

The pond at Lower Sheering is fuller than its ever been. Today it was host to a pair of Shoveler, a pair of Gadwall, and a few Teal. Recently its held a male Pintail, had a female Wigeon for a day, and a pair of Shelduck were reported from there too.

The Park held four Common Buzzards again, and plentiful singing Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. There were several Brimstone butterflies on the wing ("Cabbage Yellows" according to Mrs D), and a Comma and a Peacock butterfly.

There are still small flocks of Yellowhammer, Chaffinch, and Fieldfare around, but the Siskins that were here in number early in the winter have all departed.

The High ground held 35 Golden Plover this evening, looking spectacular in summer plumage as they wheeled over the field. Previously this flock was up to 250 birds, and a male Wheatear was here last weekend too

higher ground

Another evening run round the area NW of Sawbo. I did my usual 5 stop strategy.

Minsmere it isn't. The plus side of this area is clear views across a large area. The down side is for the most part its a large area with nothing in it. Its a struggle to get into double figures for the number of species seen. Most are heard and not seen.

Today there were Carrion Crows and Wood Pigeons, some Stock Doves, a few Yellowhammers, a few Whitethroats chuzzing away in hedgerows, a Corn Bunting in a tree, a Yellow Wagtail over, a pied wagtail, a swallow, and a Lapwing.