Hatfield Aerodrome

Had an nice walk around Hatfield Aerodrome with the highlight being the Bird of Prey with a low flying Red Kite catching the thermals and a Sparrowhawk and a kestrel hunting. Had a possible Yellow Wagtail but could't be 100% sure also around were lots of Green Woodpeckers and Jays, Reed Buntings and finch flock mainly Gold but a few Linnets as well. Also hints of autumn with a few funfi and mushroom around with a find of a few Earthballs.

Red Kite on the thermals

Red Kite drifting by

Pair of Earthballs

The two reservoirs

Headed off to Wiltstone Reservoir to start the day off had a good view of a sparrowhawk overhead from the carpark. Once up the main bank it very noticable about the lack of rain recently as it had dryed up quite alot so the wader had moved out a lot withthe waders resticted to 2 species of 13 Greenshank and 2 Green Sandpipers around the site but quite a few birds of prey with Hobby and Peregrine Falcon hunting the flock of Gulls (Black headed and 1 Lesser), Lapwings and Common terns and over head a single Red kite and just a few Swallows now left.

In the afternoon headed to Grafham Reservoir walked up the dam area where there must have been at least 100 mixed flock of Pied and Yellow Wagtails such a wonderful sight along with on the field areas Linnets and Meadow Pipits. Then headed to the fishing lodge late afternoon where I had good view of  2 young Black Terns and the long staying White-winged Tern fishing and occassion resting on the boom.

Yellow wagtail on the shoreline

Crop of the young Black Tern

Walk round Tyttenhanger

Had a walk around Tyttenhanger hightligh was a Willow Warbler on the way south and Red Kite, 4 Kestrel including 2 hunting together and a buzzard. Sadly no waders on the scrape but the geese seemed to have arrived with 200 + canada geese along with the Common Terns feeding the young ones, 150+  lapwings and 200+ plus gull manily Black-headed with a few herring gulls and a lone lesser-backed gull.

Small Blue at Butterfly World

Had a nice walk with Butterfly Conservation around Butterfly World though only sunny patchs this morning had quite a few butterflies where the new dome is going to go with Small White, Small Tortoiseshell and Common Blue feeding on the Sunflowers and various other flowers that had been planted.

Then we walked around the meadow were we found 2 Small Blues, a first for the site and rarely seen in the St. Albans district. Also around were Common Blues, Six-spotted Burnet Moths and 1 worn Essex Skipper.

Small Blue feeding

Small Blue out of the wind

Lastly we went into the Greenhouse where there was plenty of exotic butterflies with Blue Morpho, Owl Butterflies, Scarlet Swallowtail, Tree Nymph, Postman, Atlas Moth and many more on all the wing with the children seeming loving which hopfully will encorage many of them to get involved with the outside world.

Small Postman

Pink Rose Swallowtail

Orange Swallowtail

Out in Essex

Out at my Dads in essex had a walk around the fields near his house near Danbury Common mainly around were Butterflies with White-letter Hairstreak, Purple Hairstreak, Brown Argus, Brimstone, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Specked Wood, Red Admiral and Peacock seen.

In the afternoon went to Blue House Farm EWT Reserve in North Fambridge a first visit and a cracking reserve based around a working farm nice to see nature and bussiness working together. Around the reserve saw 10 Little Egret, 5 Ringed Plover, 2 Snipe, Green Sandpiper, 4 Curlew, 50+ Black-tailed Godwit, 7 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Pied Wagtail, 30+ Barnacle Geese, 15 Lapwing, 8 Common Redshank, 40 Golden Plover, 4 Stock Dove, Ruff, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel. 2 Hare, Fox, Adder.

Weekend birding

On saturday at Tyttenhangerhad a little wander around in the morning not much on the scrape with just lone Dunlin though a good bird for hertfordshire. Plus 2 Buzzard and 1 Kestrel over.

On Sunday when to Wiltstone Reservoir amazing a week with the water level as there had been quite a drop. Out on the Reservoir had 5 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper and a big family of 7 Great Crested Grebes. In the Fields 1 Small Copper, 2 Small Heath, 2 Red Admiral, Large White, Comma, Gatekeepers and Meadow Brown.