Tednambury Marsh - 2 May

Cuckoo - seen briefly, but it stayed in the area all the time I was there;

Common Tern;

Cettis Warbler - 2 x male very vociferous;

Lesser Whitethroat - heard only

Common Whitethroat 3 pairs

Sedge Warbler - 1

Reed Warbler - 1

Swallow (no other Hirundines or Swift)

list from David Sampson (blog here)

100 up

The 100th species has been found, but I'm not sure what it was. The list was at 99 when Steve and Paula Chanelle saw Common Tern and Reed Warbler at St Michaels Mead Lake. However I bumped into Colin Wills today at Abberton who had first seen the Black-Necked Grebe at SAL, and he mentioned that a couple of days later he'd seen Ruff and Redshank there so I think that pre-dates the Common Tern.

Whinchat and Garden Warbler today takes the list to 106. We are still missing Cuckoo, Swift, and Hobby from the list but we should get those next week, then fingers crossed Grasshopper Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher .

Black Necked Grebe at Stansted Airport Lagoons

There for its second day on the west-most of the three lagoons.

also 5 Sand Martin, a couple of singing Willow Warblers, and a Lapwing.

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.

Wall Wood, Hatfield Forest

Took a walk round Wall Wood this morning. I regularly go here not because its particularly good, but its a convenient size so you can compare repeat visits, and regular has Fallow Deer. Today was more complicated because there is quite a lot of tree-felling going on so you need to keep an eye where you are putting your feet. I failed to do this and ended up going flat on my front. Fortunately I had my camera and telephoto lens round my neck to take the impact.

Mainly the usual Wall Wood stuff. From the entrance a distant Red Kite, once inside Treecreeper, Nuthatch, two Marsh Tits, Coal Tit, Goldcrest, Great-Spotted Woodpecker, about 20 young/female deer, and the usual glimpses of things that might have been. The most notable sighting was a couple of Redpoll sp. my first for the wood. I saw them and immediately though they looked a bit big and well-marked, possibly Mealies, but they were against the light, then in the tops of some trees. Anyway here's a photo, much expanded and lightened, of a might-have been.

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.