Herts Bird Club Bulletin, covering March and April 1999
Spring comings and goings
Black-necked Grebes are always a pleasure to see in breeding plumage so records of a single bird at Troy Mill in the Colne Valley and three birds at Amwell GP in the Lee Valley in April were particularly noteworthy.
Bitterns only lingered on at Cheshunt and Rye House until the early part of March but some other winter visitors, in the shape of five Whooper Swans, could be seen at Wilstone Reservoir, Tring from early April into May. Other wildfowl included up to three Garganeys at Amwell, a Red-crested Pochard at Tring, a female Ferruginous Duck, a drake Scaup at Amwell and up to two Long-tailed Ducks at Troy Mill.
Birds of prey feature well this issue with plenty of sightings of Red Kites, two Marsh Harriers, three Goshawks, around 36 Buzzards, and three Ospreys.
Of the 12 species of wader, one Oystercatcher, a few Dunlins, three Curlews and rather small numbers of Common Sandpipers were passage birds while Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers and Redshanks settled down at breeding sites. Meanwhile wintering birds made their departure, with a Jack Snipe at Rye Meads on 27 March and the last Golden Plovers being 49 over East Hyde on 18 April.
Larids included some last sightings of the adult Mediterranean Gull which has frequented Hilfield Park Reservoir this winter and a small passage of Little Gulls through the county in late April when there were six at both Wilstone and Hilfield Park Reservoirs on 26 April. Hilfield also managed another record of Kittiwake for the year. Although there were numbers of Common Terns noted at various sites, other terns were scarce, with 12 Arctic Terns at three sites and single records of Sandwich and Little.
Two Barn Owls were seen in the Lee Valley while the last of the three wintering Short-eared Owls at Beech Farm was seen on 25 March. Another of this species was seen at Amwell the next day.
There were only two records of Blue-headed Wagtail this spring, and a few more White Wagtails overshot from the continent. Three Nightingale reports reflect the sorry decline of this species in the county but three Black Redstart records were welcome. A single female Stonechat frequented Rye Meads in early March and the first of many Wheatears arrived on the 22nd of the same month. Fieldfares and Redwings were last recorded on the 5th and 2nd of April respectively.
A Cetti’s Warbler could be heard singing close to the county boundary in the Colne Valley, but more of this next issue. Three singing Grasshopper Warblers were an excellent find in the north of the county while a singing Firecrest graced the north pine plantation at Hilfield Park Reservoir for just a day. The Great Grey Shrike near Sawbridgeworth stayed on until 6 March while Tree Sparrows continued to thrive on provided seed, with a maximum of 40 counted near the feeding site.
First dates for common spring migrants, from records submitted to the Bulletin, were: Hobby, 22nd Apr, Wilstone Res (EG); Common Sandpiper, 14th Apr, Hilfield Res; Common Tern, 1st Apr, Hilfield Res; Cuckoo, 4th Apr, Highfield, St Albans (LM); Swift, 26th Apr, Rye House (Web); Sand Martin, 18th Mar, Tring Res (Web); Swallow, 1st Apr, Hilfield Res; House Martin, 1st Apr, Bedmond Lane (LM); Yellow Wagtail, 20th Mar, Broxbourne (RW); Wheatear, 22nd Mar, Blackbridge Landfill (LM); Sedge Warbler, 2nd Apr, Rye Meads (RMRG); Reed Warbler, 17th Apr, Maple Cross (HB); Lesser Whitethroat, 27th Apr, Stortford Park (HC); Whitethroat, 18th Apr, Stockers Lake (PL); Garden Warbler, 20th Apr, Maple Lodge (PL); Willow Warbler, 31st Mar, Stockers Lake (AM).
Please note Lee Marshall’s new address in the news section. All records for the next bulletin should be directed to him there.
After some seven years and 56 issues, I am looking to take a break from editing the Bulletin. Anyone interested in taking over can find out more by contacting Chris Dee on 01279 755637.
Jack Fearnside
Systematic bird sightings for Mar/Apr 1999