List update + Osprey

An Osprey seen heading south over Bishop's Stortford on 1st October gives me a chance to update the list.

also in there are Greenshank and Common Sandpiper taking the list to 121.

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.

Accident Narrowly averted at Allen's Green

A car breaked sharply near Allen's Green on Monday 11th June almost causing a car travelling behind to crash into it. The driver, who declined to be named, said " I realise I should have checked in my mirror and it was a bit reckless, but there was a Grey Partridge right by the side of the road and it's not every day you get a close up of one of those."

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 .