The chances of finding or seeing good/rare/scarce migrant birds in Hemel Hempstead or, indeed, on the Box Moor Trust (BMT) land that I spend a lot of my time monitoring, are pretty slim, unfortunately. That’s not to say that it’s impossible, and there are a few hot-spots in the surrounding countryside which fuel my hopes for local surprises. When Wheatears can turn up on your suburban-housing-estate doorstep (as one did in Oct 2012), you can’t really rule anything out! And, never let us forget the Turtle Dove that spent a day at the BMT Brickworks in 2009. Anyway, it’s been a good 24 hours for birding within range of Hemel.
Water End/Nettleden Rd: Having recently remarked on the lack of passage
Whinchats, it felt quite surreal to find 4 of them in a corn field, just north of Hemel, this morning. Add to that a
Wheatear, 2
Yellow Wagtails, a well marked
Lesser Whitethroat, more than a dozen
Swallows, a couple of
Yellowhammers and a sprinkling of
Linnets, Meadow Pipits, Goldfinches, Starlings and
Pied Wagtails, all without moving an inch, and you’ve got a mighty decent spot to plant your scope. The Lesser Whitethroat was a nice surprise and I was just about to check it wasn’t anything more interesting when a couple of walkers arrived, curious as to what I was doing. Of course, by the time I got back to the bird, it was nowhere to be seen.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOlAHLFY_V6mVQaEkWstIGSGs2lhkFumegCmotNLuXvk69HvVt80tAR9Z9YZySpc_PIMOd2r7KI-FzpNhr_3R6ra8gCKVOKRBV8oRxlC7cY0rWiwwvU8iBE-xJyPfAO2sjHazwte8OyctI/s1600/P2040938%2528ANI%2529.png) |
Yellow Wagtail, horse paddock, Nettleden Rd |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwOk1SeHv4rZH9lx5CoK2r07QeFII6gQESWZ-fLciYbPZW49-sP0_EVF5yH15lPIIPmP14gReM-M86-bodhS5Z_2rCAP_fYjIE5buwvRTIH28p8rHVSAZxgyAgj6HXmK6p2ChfqZAJW5Y/s1600/P2050126%25283ANI%2529.png) |
3 of the 4 Whinchats in the corn field adjacent to the horse paddock on Nettleden Rd |
All this was on the back of seeing my first Hertfordshire
Wryneck yesterday evening, in
Wheathampstead. Wrynecks are extraordinary looking birds, a member of the
woodpecker family, but I have yet to get a really good view of one. Still, I did manage a record shot this time, which is an improvement on the Ivinghoe bird I saw a couple of years ago.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4BNQYYTAKlvZ2VINDlVU5QgdtSbS0F2a8Wcs4_DSzlWRyrUGhdMSSZKR91xUJiPs3iEb9kS7Gl6AaNoJFtspR7qDs9PewI4C3us8Mfa7FZhKaJOS7xMTE6SUPn0FBorgLuZQuVeeJTQA/s1600/P2040916%2528ANI%2529.png) |
Wryneck, Wheathampstead, skulking in the bushes! |
Wow! You've been busy. What a great set of birds! We've had a spotted flycatcher, willow warbler and hobby down at ML this week, (I missed them) and 11 Common sandpipers and 2 green last week. ( I did get to see those) - lots going on! Now where's that osprey!
ReplyDeleteIt's great to hear the headlines from ML, Martin. I shall be crossing my fingers for your Osprey ;o)
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