Inset Images: Steve Blain's CASPIAN GULL and Richard Bashford's PINK-FOOTED GEESE
SUNDAY 21 FEBRUARY
The snow that fell overnight was followed by a light frost, making driving conditions hazardous first thing. Temperatures slowly increased during the day and by late afternoon had risen to 6 degrees C. It remained dry throughout, with some long clear periods. The wind was very light.
Much of my day was spent birding in Bedfordshire, where I concentrated on a number of target species. Apart from disappointment with Tree Sparrow, it was a very rewarding day.
COLNEY HEATH (HERTS)
My only foray into Hertfordshire today was first thing when I retraced my steps at Colney Heath. This time things went to plan, but most likely because I got the timing of my visit right.
In rather gloomy, grey conditions, a single LITTLE EGRET heavily contrasted, roosting at the side of the River Colne just upstream from the bridge.
The large SISKIN flock was quickly located and although highly mobile, were eventually pinned down in the long line of Alder trees running south from the bridge on Coursers Road. The flock consisted of a total of 76 birds, with just 2 LESSER REDPOLL amongst them. The latter represented my first in the county this year (111).
MARSTON VALE MILLENIUM PARK (BEDFORDSHIRE)
Fortuitously, driving north up the M1 close to the Brogborough turning, Steve Blain relocated the second-winter CASPIAN GULL that had been roosting intermittently at Stewartby Lake. I quickly contacted him, and he very kindly kept on it before I arrived.
Just pipping WeBS counter Bob Hook to the site, I was delighted to find the bird still present on the Millbrook Pillinge Pit at midday. It was showing very well and was a striking bird. Steve was busy making the most of it and taking image after image. It was craftily waiting for Tufted Ducks to emerge after diving with beakfuls of weed and was then 'stealing' it from them and eating it - the first time I had ever seen such piratical behaviour in this manner.
Once I realised that the bird was 'settled', I got much closer, and was eventually able to obtain views at just 80 yards. There was only one area of the pit that was ice-free and this was where all of the wildfowl and other species were congregating. The Caspian Gull was a large bird with a brutish appearance and a long neck and a long, sloping forehead. The bill was thick and clumsy looking, black and bitty at the base and pink towards the tip. The head was completely clean white, with strong brown streaking on the hindneck and a contrastingly apparent dark eye (surrounded by dark smudging). The mantle was solid pale grey, with grey of the same tone also on the median coverts, whilst much of the wing coverts were brown and cream, strongly barred on the flight feathers and predominantly dark brown with isolated internal markings on the tertials. The long primaries were very dark brown. The legs were pale pink. In fact, it was a classic individual, and Steve did excellently in locating it. It was my first in Bedfordshire this year and a bonus considering the poor roost at Stewartby this winter.
The other big bonus at the Pillinge Pit was the presence of at least two very vocal CETTI'S WARBLERS - thankfully both surviving the long cold spell and proving just how hardy these Mediterranean ditch-dwellers are.
At least 112 Tufted Ducks were on the Pillinge but I left Bob to count the other wildfowl present.
CROW HILL FARM AND WILDEN AREA (NORTH BEDFORDSHIRE) (TL 087 551)
Following up on Nigel's discovery of yesterday, Jim Gurney and I spent several hours searching in vain for the Tree Sparrows. I walked miles of farmland but they were just nowhere to be found. I located a very nice area of game crop but this harboured just 2 Yellowhammers and 12 Chaffinches. House Sparrows were fairly abundant in the area, with at least 35 noted, and Red-legged Partridge was commonplace, A single Eurasian Sparrowhawk was the only other species of note.
Bob and Lol visited later and they too drew a blank.
RADWELL A6 GP (NORTH BEDFORDSHIRE)
Retracing Richard Bashford's footsteps of earlier, the flock of 290+ Greylag Geese feeding to the west of the southernmost pits in the complex (and viewable from the Sewage Works compound adjacent to the A6) continued to contain the 2 PINK-FOOTED GEESE, two adult EURASIAN WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and a single BARNACLE GOOSE.
HARROLD COUNTRY PARK (NORTH BEDFORDSHIRE)
At long, long last, I finally connected with EGYPTIAN GOOSE - just the adult male begging for food in the SW corner closest to the restaurant and Information Centre (the female was nowhere to be seen, although RB had seen both birds on the main island earlier). Suspect origin or what!
The main lake also yielded 9 Great Crested Grebes, 12 Mute Swans (including four first-winters), 193 Wigeon, 45 Common Teal, 92 Tufted Duck, 24 Northern Pochard and 4 Common Goldeneye (2 adult drakes).
Nearby, west of the bridge, a single Greylag Goose was with 114 Atlantic Canada Geese.
STEWARTBY (BEDS)
At 1549 hours, the male PEREGRINE was sat on a lamp standard within the Stewartby Brick Company complex - a belated first for the year for me Beds-wise.
EVERSHOLT LAKE (BEDS)
(1600-1624) No sign of any Woodcock, Lesser Redpoll or Siskin, but 7 GOOSANDER showing very well on the part-frozen lake (3 adult drakes) and a Common Treecreeper in the Alders.
SOUTHCOTT VILLAGE, NEAR LINSLADE (BEDS)
The RING-NECKED PARAKEET of somewhat dubious origin flew in to roost at its favourite tree hole at 1645 hours.
STOCKGROVE COUNTRY PARK (BEDS)
Despite visiting the lake at dusk, not one Mandarin Duck was to be found.
The snow that fell overnight was followed by a light frost, making driving conditions hazardous first thing. Temperatures slowly increased during the day and by late afternoon had risen to 6 degrees C. It remained dry throughout, with some long clear periods. The wind was very light.
Much of my day was spent birding in Bedfordshire, where I concentrated on a number of target species. Apart from disappointment with Tree Sparrow, it was a very rewarding day.
COLNEY HEATH (HERTS)
My only foray into Hertfordshire today was first thing when I retraced my steps at Colney Heath. This time things went to plan, but most likely because I got the timing of my visit right.
In rather gloomy, grey conditions, a single LITTLE EGRET heavily contrasted, roosting at the side of the River Colne just upstream from the bridge.
The large SISKIN flock was quickly located and although highly mobile, were eventually pinned down in the long line of Alder trees running south from the bridge on Coursers Road. The flock consisted of a total of 76 birds, with just 2 LESSER REDPOLL amongst them. The latter represented my first in the county this year (111).
MARSTON VALE MILLENIUM PARK (BEDFORDSHIRE)
Fortuitously, driving north up the M1 close to the Brogborough turning, Steve Blain relocated the second-winter CASPIAN GULL that had been roosting intermittently at Stewartby Lake. I quickly contacted him, and he very kindly kept on it before I arrived.
Just pipping WeBS counter Bob Hook to the site, I was delighted to find the bird still present on the Millbrook Pillinge Pit at midday. It was showing very well and was a striking bird. Steve was busy making the most of it and taking image after image. It was craftily waiting for Tufted Ducks to emerge after diving with beakfuls of weed and was then 'stealing' it from them and eating it - the first time I had ever seen such piratical behaviour in this manner.
Once I realised that the bird was 'settled', I got much closer, and was eventually able to obtain views at just 80 yards. There was only one area of the pit that was ice-free and this was where all of the wildfowl and other species were congregating. The Caspian Gull was a large bird with a brutish appearance and a long neck and a long, sloping forehead. The bill was thick and clumsy looking, black and bitty at the base and pink towards the tip. The head was completely clean white, with strong brown streaking on the hindneck and a contrastingly apparent dark eye (surrounded by dark smudging). The mantle was solid pale grey, with grey of the same tone also on the median coverts, whilst much of the wing coverts were brown and cream, strongly barred on the flight feathers and predominantly dark brown with isolated internal markings on the tertials. The long primaries were very dark brown. The legs were pale pink. In fact, it was a classic individual, and Steve did excellently in locating it. It was my first in Bedfordshire this year and a bonus considering the poor roost at Stewartby this winter.
The other big bonus at the Pillinge Pit was the presence of at least two very vocal CETTI'S WARBLERS - thankfully both surviving the long cold spell and proving just how hardy these Mediterranean ditch-dwellers are.
At least 112 Tufted Ducks were on the Pillinge but I left Bob to count the other wildfowl present.
CROW HILL FARM AND WILDEN AREA (NORTH BEDFORDSHIRE) (TL 087 551)
Following up on Nigel's discovery of yesterday, Jim Gurney and I spent several hours searching in vain for the Tree Sparrows. I walked miles of farmland but they were just nowhere to be found. I located a very nice area of game crop but this harboured just 2 Yellowhammers and 12 Chaffinches. House Sparrows were fairly abundant in the area, with at least 35 noted, and Red-legged Partridge was commonplace, A single Eurasian Sparrowhawk was the only other species of note.
Bob and Lol visited later and they too drew a blank.
RADWELL A6 GP (NORTH BEDFORDSHIRE)
Retracing Richard Bashford's footsteps of earlier, the flock of 290+ Greylag Geese feeding to the west of the southernmost pits in the complex (and viewable from the Sewage Works compound adjacent to the A6) continued to contain the 2 PINK-FOOTED GEESE, two adult EURASIAN WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and a single BARNACLE GOOSE.
HARROLD COUNTRY PARK (NORTH BEDFORDSHIRE)
At long, long last, I finally connected with EGYPTIAN GOOSE - just the adult male begging for food in the SW corner closest to the restaurant and Information Centre (the female was nowhere to be seen, although RB had seen both birds on the main island earlier). Suspect origin or what!
The main lake also yielded 9 Great Crested Grebes, 12 Mute Swans (including four first-winters), 193 Wigeon, 45 Common Teal, 92 Tufted Duck, 24 Northern Pochard and 4 Common Goldeneye (2 adult drakes).
Nearby, west of the bridge, a single Greylag Goose was with 114 Atlantic Canada Geese.
STEWARTBY (BEDS)
At 1549 hours, the male PEREGRINE was sat on a lamp standard within the Stewartby Brick Company complex - a belated first for the year for me Beds-wise.
EVERSHOLT LAKE (BEDS)
(1600-1624) No sign of any Woodcock, Lesser Redpoll or Siskin, but 7 GOOSANDER showing very well on the part-frozen lake (3 adult drakes) and a Common Treecreeper in the Alders.
SOUTHCOTT VILLAGE, NEAR LINSLADE (BEDS)
The RING-NECKED PARAKEET of somewhat dubious origin flew in to roost at its favourite tree hole at 1645 hours.
STOCKGROVE COUNTRY PARK (BEDS)
Despite visiting the lake at dusk, not one Mandarin Duck was to be found.
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