South Sawbridgeworth Patch Roundup

Some highlights from my patch (Pishiobury Park east to the railway line, south of Sawbridgeworth as far as Feakes Lock) from Oct to early November.

Little Egret 2 on 30th Oct
Buzzard max 4 on 1st
Little Owl seen occasionally.
Red Kite 2 on 4th October
Hobby last sighting on 9th Oct
Great Black Backed Gull 1 through on 28th
Magpie 22 in a field by Nursery Wood pre-roos 31st October
Ring-Necked Parakeet 6 seen in the Park Osier beds on the morning of 5th November
House Martin100+ N on 1st October
Swallow last was 4 s over the park on 14th Oct
Redwing 1st on 22nd Oct. 14 W on 30th Oct
Fieldfare 32W on 30th Oct
Starling 42W on 30th Oct
Stonechat female on 28th
Pied Wagtail 1 sous on 31st October was the first of the year
Hawfinch 2 seen in flight with a small finch flock on 28th
Lesser Redpoll 2 by Feakes Lock on 28th
Siskin 2 over on 9th Oct

patch list currently at 91 for the year.

South Sawbridgeworth 22 Sept

Patch walk with Mike Harris and David Sampson.

The list was:

Whinchat 1 in the chat field

Coal Tit 1 - common enough in the town but unusual on the patch

Long-tailed tit - 25, unless we saw the same group of 10 twice.

Blue Tit 9

Great Tit 8

Dunnock 12

Robin 20+

Wren 2

Blackbird 2

Chaffinch 6

Goldfinch 7

Bullfinch 3

Greenfinch 2

Magpie 3

Jay 7. The majority moving SE or E - migrants?

Starling 1

Rook NC

Carrion Crow NC

Jackdaw NC

LBBG 1

Willow Chiff 11 seen. Nearly all ChiffChaffs

Willow Warbler 1 on Brook Road

Collared Dove 1 on Brook road.

Blackcap 2

Green Woodpecker 3

Great Spotted Woodpecker 2

Nuthatch 1

Meadow Pipit c20

Skylark 4 minimum

Reed Bunting 1

Goldcrest 1

House sparrow 1

Sparrowhawk 1

Kestrel 3

Buzzard 3

Mallard 4

Moorhen 1

Swallow 1

House Martin 55

Stock Dove 1

Wood Pigeon NC 

Pheasant 1

A couple of photo's taken by David Sampson - the Whinchat against the light and a juvenile Green woodpecker.

And the following day 2 Grey Wagtails on Southbrook - the first here in the second half of the year

Tharbies Bird Observatory - two visits.

Two recent visits to Tharbies. I park in the loop road by the cemetery just north of Sawbridgeworth, walk south a couple of hundred yards, cross the road and up the public footpath one field north of Leventhorpe School, then carry straight on past the end of the wood up to the ridge and stand by the NE corner of the field by Tharbies. I had Swallows almost flying into me from here today.

17th. Some Pied Wagtails in the fields on the way up with Meadow Pipits, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 Grey Partridge, 1 Cormorant

21st.

Yellow Wagtail 2
Swallow c40 and House Martin 17 south
c100 Gulls of 4 species, mainly Black Headed
Common Buzzard 3
Sparrowhawk 1f in the large field
Red Kite 1
Linnet c30
Skylark 30+
Meadow Pipit c20
Yellowhammer 3
Starling c20

South Sawbridgeworth Update and List Latest

The latest addition to the list was a White Stork reported on Birdguides over Little Hadham on 10th August

The South Sawbridgeworth patch has been well watched. "Usual" birds on the patch have included Lesser Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Common Buzzard, Kingfisher, Nuthatch, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Cetti's Warbler, Bullfinch, Treecreeper, and Little Owl, Sparrowhawk, Red Kite. Visitors have included Common Tern on 8th June, Peregrine through from the south on 22nd August, and Hobby and Ring-Necked Parakeet on 29th August.

Passage has kicked off. Willow Chiffs have been present in decent numbers. Swifts have been moving through with a small flock seen on 29th August the latest date so far. 5 Yellow Wagtails flew over the patch - the first record for a couple of years, and Spotted Flycatcher seen on 20th August and 27th August.

Wheatears - 19th April

A walk round the high ground west of Sawbridgeworth produced a total of 5 Wheatears; one in the big field at Shingle Hall Farm and 4 together in a paddock in the NE corner of Tharbies. Otherwise Grey Partridge, Red-legged Partridge, Red Kite, Common Buzzard, and a sprinkling of the usual resident birds.

three wheatears in this shot.

Sawbridgeworth to Old Harlow walk 18th

added Stonechat to the year list with 2 males and a female at Rowneybury opposite Old Harlow Meads. Probably 2 Barn Owls over the meads showing well for half an hour down to 10 years or so at the closest. Quite acceptable.

Some wildfowl on SLRS included 2 male Shoveler, several Gadwall and Teal.

Otherwise quite quiet.

It's an ill wind ...

Avoided the horrendous snarl up in Sawbridgeworth this morning by detouring round the back ... and got Grey Partridge in the field south of Blounts Farm.

A walk round a water-logged patch this morning. The field between the horse field and the osier bed below Pishiobury Park is flooded. Through the hedgerow bordering the field I managed to spot 4 Wigeon, 2 Shoveler, low tens of Teal and Gadwall, 2 Mute Swan and a Little Egret.

List updated and now on 73.

2000 Woodpigeons.

There's always something to see on the Patch, even when there's nothing to see. Today it was a sky filled with Wood Pigeons. I didn't see what put them up. There was some shooting in the area, so may have been that.

Counting was hard, but by the old technique of counting ten in singles, counting a hundred in tens, then counting hundreds, I got to 2000.

Here's a couple of pictures. I think the first has 800 in - this wasn't the only flock in the air - and the next shows some of the birds in the trees.

Flock of about 800 Wood Pigeons

Wood Pigeons in tree tops behind Pishiobury House

Other birds seen included several Yellowhammers, a few Meadow Pipits, a Reed Bunting, and a couple of Little Grebes on the river below Feakes Lock.

Sawbridgeworth to the old airfield Christmas Eve walk

Turned left out of my drive instead of the usual right. Followed Soutbrook up to the west of Sawbo, then up between the rivers Orchard and West Road, across to West road and back down to Tharbies - some really good trees and hedges here - through toward the high ground then up the very minor road/track that cuts across to the north end of Allen's Green. Right into the huge field, up to the piles of grain in the field, across to Shingle Hall Farm (SHF), down the road to Tharbies again but east into the north of Sawbridgeworth and then home.

Highlights were:
Golden Plover - 44 in the usual field south of SHF with c140 Lapwing.
Fieldfare - 2 flocks, 1 of c110 at Tharbies and one of 78 at SHF. Conceivably these may have been the same birds.
Blackbird. Odd ones and twos, eventually totalling 35 for the whole walk
Collared Dove 46 and Yellowhammer c50 at the grain piles.

Otherwise Kestrel 4, Buzzard 3, Meadow Pipit 16 at SHF, Song Thrush 6, Bullfinch 1m at Tharbies, Great-Spotted Woodpecker 1 called at Tharbies, Skylark 6 by the grain piles.

Also a distant smallish deer at Mathams Wood. Quite dark brown. No idea what species.

Stort - Sawbo to Old Harlow 22nd Dec

A walk to Pishiobury Prk to photograph some of the birds there turned into a walk down to the bridge at Old Harlow then back the other side.

Highlight was a pair of Stonechats behind Rowneybury. They flew over the river then back again, so were notable local records for both Essex and Herts. Otherwise:
Grey Wagtail by the brook on Southbrook
Green Woodpecker on the horse meadow
Meadow Pipit by the railway line
House Sparrow - 2 in the Park and a small group in the impenetrable forest.
Buzzard - 1 over Pishiobury House.
Little Grebe - 1 at Old Harlow

I've started the review of the year with some maps which show where some of the features referred to above on my blog. Rowneybury is just south west of Pishiobury House.

juvenile Mute Swan and Teal on the pond.

Sawbo Patch Blackbirds

A quick walk round the patch this morning to clear the head after a night out. About 15-20 Blackbirds around the hawthorns by the Stort the most noticeable feature this morning with similar number of Redwings, well above the usual handful of skulking birds on the patch. Otherwise a Cetti's Warbler from the reeds round the pond, a Green Woodpecker, and a Sparrowhawk over

Patch Barn Owl

A scarce opportunity to walk the patch at dusk. Down the Stort to Old Harlow Meads (opposite the back of Pishiobury House) where Barn Owl is practically nailed on. 10 Linnets in the Impenetrable Forest and a Kestrel on the way down. Then standing by the bridge at the N corner a female Sparrowhawk swooped low into the wood, and a Kingfisher belted across the meads. A couple of Meadow Pipits came over, but no Barn Owl. I turned back at 4:15.

Lots of Redwings dropping into roost and a few Blackbirds too. about 200 Jackdaw in a tree disturbed by a Common Buzzard, then cutting across from the three bridges area to the NE corner of Pishiobury Park a Barn Owl came flying across and took up residence in a willow for a couple of minutes. It set out across the boggy field and did that smart turn-and-dive, and wasn't seen again. finally on the year list for the patch-proper, not just on the patch "extension".

Sawbo patch October 24

usual walk: Springhall Lane -> river -> Feakes Lock -> Railway line -> river -> Pishiobury park -> home

selected highlights:
Stonechat 1f. (on 22nd there was a pair) 89th bird for the patch this year.
Snipe 1 - 90th for the patch this year.
Kingfisher 1
Common Gull 2 over
Magpie 12
Meadow Pipit 1
Yellowhammer 5
Redwing c20
Green and Great-Spotted Woodpecker.

Sawbo patch update

short walk today down to Feakes Lock, up to the railway line, then back along the NE edge of the park.

Kingfisher 1
Little Grebe 1
Red Kite 1 over Sir Rod's place.
Buzzard 4
Bullfinch 2
GSW 1
Goldcrest 1
Long-tailed tit 1 flock

And now for the all-important Accentor count:
Hedge - about 5
Radde's 0
Alpine 0
Siberian 0

Sawbridgeworth Patch

usual walk, 7:30-9 am. From Springhill Lane to the NE corner of the park, down to the river, Feakes Lock, up toward the railway line, along to the public footpath, back down to the bridge, then up to the  park again from the three bridges area.

Nothing remarkable but some record patch numbers.

Mute Swan. 8! 2 ad + 3 cygnets on the river then 3 ad of N.
Mallard 5
Moorhen 5
Sparrowhawk 1
Green woodpecker 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Nuthatch 1
Jay 2
Magpie 5
Jackdaw NC
Crow NC
Woodpigeon NC
Robin 14
Dunnock 25! patch record.
Wren 13
Blackbird 2
Song Thrush 1 over
Great tit 12
Blue tit 7
Long Tailed tit 11
Chiffchaff 8, with two singing
Blackcap 1 male
Grey Wagtail 1
Meadow Pipit 4 plus 10 over S
Swallow 5 S
House Martin 10
Reed Bunting 2f
Yellowhammer 1
Goldfinch 12
Chaffinch 7
Bullfinch 2 heard.

Red Admiral 1

Sawbridgeworth patch walk 15th August

very quiet today. A Nuthatch in Nursery Wood in the NE corner of Pishiobury Park, and 4 Chiff Chaffs along the river (brown, not a particularly prominent eye-stripe, so I'm guessing ChiffChaff).

South Sawbridgeworth patch count Mon 8th

inspired by Graeme Smith's Redstart at Stortford Park yesterday I did my patch today. Hard work in the afternoon, with birds keeping to the middle of bushes.

Patch is the bounded by the allotments on Southbrook at the north, Pishiobury Park at the west, Feakes Lock to the south and the railway line to the north. Occasionally I wander outside these bounds and today I went east up across the railway line and up toward Sheering.

Moorhen 3
Pheasant 1m
Lesser Black-Backed Gull c10
Black Headed Gull 1
Sparrowhawk 2 including 1 recently fledged juvenile
Buzzard 2
Green Woodpecker 2
Magpie 9
Crow c30 in one flock, + others
Jackdaw NC
Jay 1h
Collared Dove 3
Wood Pigeon NC
Stock Dove 2,
Blue tit 1
Great tit 1
long-tailed tit flock h
Wren 1
Willow-chiff 2(h)
Whitethroat 11
Goldfinch c60
Chaffinch 1h
Linnet 2
Bullfinch 2
Yellowhammer 2
Swallow 1
House Martin c20
Robin 2

Red Admiral 2, Comma 2, Whites NC, Gatekeeper 20+, Ringlet 2, Speckled Wood 2, Banded Demoiselle, Brown Hawker.

h = heard only. NC = present but not counted.

Sawbridgeworth Gull Flock

a large flock of gulls was present in freshly ploughed fields just north of Sawbridgeworth opposite the cemetery on 31st July.

Mediterranean Gull - 1 immature
Yellow Legged Gull - at least 2 adults seen
Black-headed Gull - hundreds
Lesser Black Backed Gull - several tens.
Herring Gull - tens
Common gull c10