Herts Bird Club Bulletin, covering September and October 1998
Manx Shearwater tops a great autumn!
Weather summary for the period
The weather throughout the period was dominated by a series of westerly tracking fronts bringing plenty of rain and high winds. Towards the end of September things improved for a while, with high pressure bringing some easterly winds, but at the end of the first week of October it was back to more of the same.
Bird summary
There was quantity as well as quality in the birds recorded in the county this period.
Seven Black-necked Grebes included reports of juveniles - are these the locally bred birds from Hilfield Park Reservoir?
Pride of place goes to a Manx Shearwater which spent most of one day on Wilstone Reservoir, Tring. It received a fair beating-up from the local Coots (because its plumage resembled a young Coot?) but fortunately (for the bird, unfortunately for me amongst others) it was able to re-orientate that night and had gone by the morning. Why did it have to turn up mid-week? The last Manx Shearwater, of 18 county records, was back in 1991, so it is quite a blocker.
Amongst quite a collection of fence-hopping wildfowl, two Bewick's Swans were seen. Will Wilstone Reservoir attract a wintering party again this year? Also a single Brent Goose at this site and the first returning Goosander here on 30th October. Other ducks of note around the county included a scattering of Shelducks, a couple of Pintails, at least five Garganeys, a smart female/immature Common Scoter and some late broods of Ruddy Ducks at Hilfield Park Reservoir.
It was a particularly good period for raptors in Hertfordshire. A long-staying Red Kite provided a county tick for those who needed it and two ring-tailed Hen Harriers passed though Tring Reservoirs. Records of Buzzards were again high and five Ospreys (three from the Lee valley) were excellent though none stayed. An influx of four Merlins and two Peregrines in October was unusual.
Sixteen species of wader were seen in the county. Of these, three or four Oystercatchers and one, possibly two, Knot were all at Tring. Little Stints were more widespread with birds seen at Amwell GP, Maple Lodge NR, Tyttenhanger GP, Tring Reservoirs (with a maximum of five) and a private site near St Albans (max of four). Curlew Sandpipers are always good to see in Herts so one at Tring, two at Amwell and an amazing six at Beech Farm GP were welcome. Five Ruffs were seen and the first Jack Snipes of the winter appeared at Rye Meads and Tyttenhanger GP. Wood Sandpipers occurred at two sites in September: singles at Amwell GP on 3rd and 5th, and two at Rye Meads on the 5th and a single there on the 12th. There was a late Common Sandpiper at Bury Lake, Rickmansworth on 11th October.
Only second-winter plumage was missing from the Mediterranean Gulls at Hilfield, with the juvenile there the first for this site. A first-winter was also at Amwell GP. A few Little Gulls were seen and a couple of Yellow-legged Gulls appeared at Hilfield Park Reservoir amongst a heavy passage (over 500 at times in the roost) of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. More were seen at Amwell GP in October with singles on two dates and two from the 18th to the end of the month. A first-winter Kittiwake appeared briefly at East Hyde and an adult joined the gull roost at Hilfield for one night on the last day of October. The last Common Tern was reported on 13th September and, although a few Black Terns were seen at a couple of sites, no counts compared to the 39 seen at Hilfield Park Reservoir on 5th September.
Two Ring-necked Parakeets were seen on opposite sides of Watford on the same day and could possibly have been one bird. The same may be true of Short-eared Owls seen at Tyttenhanger GP and nearby London Colney a few days later. A Wryneck was found in a St Albans garden and another appeared at Rye Meads.
There was quite an influx of Rock Pipits in the county with at least six birds involved and possibly more. One was identified at Tring Reservoirs as a Scandinavian bird and possibly more were of this sub-species. Three Water Pipits at Rye Meads was a welcome return in numbers, which were down to a low of one at this regular site last winter. Some migrant White Wagtails were noted at Tyttenhanger and Tring.
The last chats and warblers left and winter thrushes arrived. Stonechats were particularly prevalent with seven birds seen. Perhaps some will over-winter this year. A female Cetti's Warbler was ringed at Tring Sewage Farm and Pied Flycatchers were seen at Tyttenhanger and Great Hormead. Our last remaining regular flock of Tree Sparrows remained at a reasonably stable level and a good numbers of Brambling records were received including one flock of 100 at Lynsters Farm on 16th October.
Jack Fearnside