Monday 26 June 2006

Area 1: reed warbler singing.
Area 24: green woodpecker feeding on the ground. Three jays: most I have seen for some time.
Lots of blackbirds: at least ten today. Two mistle thrushes back on the football pitch.

Sunday 25 June 2006

Arrandene Open Space, Mill Hill.
Checking out places to lead local trips for the RSPB Central London Local Group. Not sure if this is suitable: not really big enough to take more than two hours to get round.
Several blackcaps, pied wagtails, goldfinches singing on tv aerials above Mill Hill Broadway.

Friday 23 June 2006

Area 31: chiffchaff singing.
Area 1: reed warbler singing.

Thursday 22 June 2006

Last night I joined the committee of the RSPB Central London Local Group as Indoor Meetings Organiser. I get to arrange the series of meetings which begin in September 2007 (the next series have already been sorted). I'm looking forward to it.

Wednesday 21 June 2006

Area 29: chiffchaff singing.
Area 29: two great spotted woodpeckers (one female, one juvenile).

Tuesday 20 June 2006

Another quiet day. Adult wren with two juveniles, calling loudly for food.

Monday 19 June 2006

Quiet day. Blue tit fledglings feeding themselves.

Thursday 15 June 2006

Area 29: blackcap singing; great spotted woodpecker (male) on feeder. Also, jay, coal tit and two great tit fledglings on the other feeder.

Wednesday 14 June 2006

Area 24: male blackcap calling loudly, then visible in bush.

Monday 12 June 2006

A quiet day in Regent's Park.
Area 31: chiffchaff singing. Blue tit fledglings feeding themselves with adult near by.
Area 1: two white-faced whistling ducks engaged in mutual preening. Love the way they close their eyes while doing it.

Sunday 11 June 2006

Open day at Jenny Wood Nature Reserve. Went with Anna for a look round. Picked up some interesting leaflets. Shame it is only open on Thursday afternoons: not compatible with a full-time job.

Saturday 10 June 2006

RSPB Central London Local Group coach trip to Stodmarsh. 53 birds seen/heard including two new ones: spoonbill and little owl. My life list is now 147.
Several hobbies in the air, skylark displaying, identified a whitethroat by its song. Highlight was spotting a kingfisher, not once but twice! Listened to England v Paraguay on my radio but don't think I missed much.

Friday 9 June 2006

Area 29: no woodpecker activity today on my lunchbreak. Not much birdsong audible.

Thursday 8 June 2006

Area 31: chiffchaff singing.
Area 29: blackcap singing.
Area 29 (feeders): juvenile and female great spotted woodpeckers. Juvenile chased away an adult jay from the peanut feeder. Juvenile was wing-flapping.
Area 1: approximately 25 long-tail tits moving through in a flock. Some fledglings with the adults. The air was full of contact calls.

Wednesday 7 June 2006

Area 29: chiffchaff and blackcap singing. Adult blue tit feeding fledglings. Juvenile and female great spotted woodpeckers on the peanut feeder.

Tuesday 6 June 2006

Area 26: reed warbler singing.

Monday 5 June 2006

Area 26: reed warbler singing.
Area 25: kestrel calling very loudly and flying around the tree which I think contains the nest-box.

Sunday 4 June 2006

Arrandene Open Space, near Mill Hill Park, NW London. RSPB NW London Local Group birdwalk.
A pleasant afternoon walk in an area I've never been to before.
We started by guessing how many birds we would see or hear. I said '35' without having any knowledge of the local area, and was told this was too ambitious. We ended up as a group with 29, which was generally considered a respectable total. Of these, I saw or heard 24.
The total of 29 included: blackcap, chiffchaff, coal tit, green and great spotted woodpeckers, kestrel, swift and a nuthatch, which was the highlight for me. Unfortunately the whitethroat failed to put in an appearance, but you can't have everything.

Saturday 3 June 2006

MBS Coach trip to Minsmere. Great weather. One new species for me: little tern, of which I saw several. I can see why some people call it the sea swallow.
Memorable birds included: several bearded tits, excellent views of a garden warbler, great views of linnets, stonechats and swallows. Total of 48.

Friday 2 June 2006

Area 1: reed warbler singing.
Area 26: reed warbler singing. Two great tit fledglings being fed by adult.

Thursday 1 June 2006

Area 1: very close view of blue tit fledgling being feed by adult. Lots of wing-flapping and calls.
Area 1: 16 long-tail tits flying between trees.
Area 26: reed warbler singing.

Wednesday 31 May 2006

Area 26: reed warbler singing.
Area 24: great spotted woodpecker on feeder.
Near area 2: discovered a nest-box. Adult blue tit bringing food regularly. One fledgling would poke its head out of the hole for a look round. Lots of noise coming from inside.

Tuesday 30 May 2006

Area 26: reed warbler singing.
Area 1: two reed warblers singing.

Monday 29 May 2006

To Cheshunt by train with Anna. Focussing more on walk than birds, but managed 37 birds!
Identified by its song a blackcap and found it in a tree. Highlight was a quick flash of kingfisher not far from the Bittern hide.

Saturday 27 May 2006

Wedding Day! Played Dawn Chorus CD at the civil ceremony, and again later at the spiritual celebration.

Friday 26 May 2006

Afternoon walk around Northwood.
Heard two yellowhammers. Several swifts catching insects low over the fields. Solitary swift. Heard a chiffchaff. Buzzard overhead.

Thursday 25 May 2006

Walked the length of Cockleton Lane.
Heard a whitethroat sing, and found it on an aerial cable. Did its display flight over the cable. Also, swallows and pied wagtails around the farm. This area will be worth exploring more in the future.
Afternoon walk around Medham.
Buzzard being mobbed by crows. Kestrel, green woodpecker; two little egrets on riverbank; swallows around Medham Farm; and my first whitethroat in this area, in a patch of brambles, followed by another in a tree.

Wednesday 24 May 2006

Morning walk around Northwood.
Buzzard overhead; pied wagtail, swallows and goldfinch on or above Pallance Lane. Highlight was my first whitethroat, which I heard first, then saw briefly, then heard again singing behind some bushes.

Tuesday 23 May 2006

Afternoon walk around Medham.
Buzzard being mobbed by crows: not very far above my head. Rather exciting. Heard chiffchaff. Pied wagtail, green woodpecker.

Sunday 21 May 2006

Saw my first swifts in Northwood while walking home from St Mary's.

Saturday 20 May 2006

RSPB Central London Local Group coach trip to Lakenheath/BTO HQ.
Morning in Lakenheath. The golden orioles were audible but not visible. Blackcap, cuckoo, hobbies (my first ever), many house martins, kestrel, marsh harrier, reed and sedge warblers, many swifts, whitethroat.
Afternoon visit to the BTO HQ (the Nunnery) at Thetford. Talk by man in charge, followed by guided walk around the nature reserve. A few Egyptian geese. Red-legged partridge, willow warbler singing.

Northwood bird map

Thursday 18 May 2006

Area 1: two reed warblers singing.
Guardian fungi wallchart today.

Wednesday 17 May 2006

Area 24: great spotted woodpecker on feeder, plus coal tit and jay.
Area 26: reed warbler singing.
Area 31: chiffchaff singing.
Guardian butterfly wallchart today. Birds yesterday.

Monday 15 May 2006

Area 26: reed warbler singing.
Guardian publishing free nature wallcharts all week. Sharks today.

Sunday 14 May 2006

Not much time for birds today. Did hear blackcap singing again in trees outside flat. I'm glad to have learnt its song.

Saturday 13 May 2006

RSPB Central London local group visit to Amwell Gravel Pits and Rye Meads reserve.

Amwell Gravel Pits

Station: blackcap singing, screaming swifts.
Canal: sedge warbler showing very well. A few whitethroats also showing.
Viewpoint: little ringed plovers, common sandpipers, redshank, common terns, cormorants, cuckoo, lapwings, reed bunting, reed warbler singing.
Highlight of the day: spotted two kingfishers chasing, then one flying back and landing. Brilliant flash of orange and blue. Very exciting to see them for myself and not have them pointed out for me.

Rye Meads

Another kingfisher, long way from hide.
More common terns, swifts, cuckoo.
Good view of whitethroat and great spotted woodpecker from Otter Hide, then a spotted flycatcher. Originally thought to be a garden warbler, but it turned round and revealed pale streaked breast. Typical flycatcher behaviour: seemed to be on a piece of string.
Stock dove. Reed and sedge warblers singing. Solitary willow warbler singing.