 The juvenile Goshawk over Potwells, North Mymms Park on 28th August 2024 It's been a 'Goshawk year' for me with several rare chance encounters rather than the usual sightings at well-known viewpoints in Yorkshire or the New Forest. This magnificent bird of prey with its near-mythical status thanks to its rarity and secretive habits had, until this year, eluded me locally. And yet, with reports of this species spreading nationally, it seemed only a matter of time before I would encounter one in Herts. And indeed, on 16th March this year I stood in the garden observing a particularly good passage of Buzzards overhead when I suddenly spotted a soaring Goshawk with 2 or 3 Common Buzzards. Immediately identifiable by its classic shape it appeared to be an adult bird with very white undersides and possibly a female given it was almost the same size as the Buzzards it soared with. Typically, no camera to hand it disappeared out of sight - a new species for the garden list and for my 5-miles from home local patch list.  View over Prae Wood, Gorhambury, St Albans A few days later I decided to check out a place that has for a long time been mooted as a possible sight for local Goshawks - Prae Wood in the Gorhambury Estate on the edge of St Albans. My first visit with another local birder gave us a few 'likely' sightings encouraging us but not convincing us 100%. A bonus bird took the form of a Woodlark flying up the valley but the Goshawk remains a real rarity and better views were needed before I could be sure!  Prae Wood from a southern viewpoint A few days later I tried another viewpoint which gave reasonable views over the main woodland and was rewarded quite quickly with 2 separate Goshawks soaring up on several occasions before quickly dropping back down and out of sight. The best view came as a Goshawk rose up only to be dived on by a Sparrowhawk - something I never thought I'd see in St Albans! The Sparrowhawk looked tiny compared to the Goshawk and I wished I had got my digi-scope setup ready in time. Sadly, all the views were too brief to secure decent shots of the birds so others would just have to take my word for it! Despite a couple of others seeing the birds in subsequent days it felt like a question mark remained for the doubting Thomas' of the bird-world. With a bird like the Goshawk, it seems seeing really is believing! A few later visits to the woods did not produce any further views and whether these birds bred or not remains to be seen. Some other shots of the juvenile Goshawk over Potwells, North Mymms Park on 28th August I had a number of other Goshawk encounters as the year went on with a bird soaring high over the New Forest and one that cut past almost at ground level when visiting the well-known hotspot that is Acres Down. Unusually, on a return trip from Cornwall, a bird cruised across the A303 on Salisbury Plain as I drove. Already, my Goshawk tally for the year was above average.
It was a real surprise therefore when one of my recent visits to Potwells in North Mymms Park on 28th August produced the best sighting of all - a local bird and one that soared long enough for me to capture some all-important photographs. A fresh juvenile bird, evident from it's orangery-buff plumage causing speculation that this might indeed be a locally raised bird. Of course, it may have just been passing through and sadly, to date, no further sightings have been made. That said, Goshawk is firmly on my local radar and hopefully it won't be too long before breeding in the county is confirmed.
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 I have been on the hunt for a good vantage point in St Albans (and within 5 miles of home) that would serve as a reliable 'vismig' or visible migration watchpoint. Based on some recent visits I think I may have found one! My hope is that if it delivers, it will become a key part of my local birding arsenal, perhaps connecting me to migrating passerines that I wouldn't otherwise get - like Crossbills, Hawfinch and, at this time of year, Tree Pipits. So, at 5.30am on 25th August I arrived at Potwells in North Mymms Park just to the southeast of St Albans. It is part of what is probably, at 130m above sea-level, the highest point around St Albans. It was a clear, still morning - perfect for Tree Pipits - and I had good views to the south and east with the woodland behind me. I was interested to note the lines of movement over the site so I could know best where to pick up migrating birds. The usual early morning southwards passage of larger gulls was evident in the valley but very little else seemed to be on the move. Just after 6am I thought I heard some faint calls that could pass as Tree Pipits so I played the Tree Pipit calls on my phone and waited. I heard the calls again faintly, sounding like 2 individual birds and began to get excited. I played the calls again and before I knew it 2 Tree Pipits flew overhead, just above treetop height calling as they went! They headed over the valley in a south-easterly direction having appeared from over the woods behind me. By 6.30am a further 4 had flown over on the same trajectory meaning that I had now witnessed 6 (possibly more) Tree Pipits migrating over my home patch! This was the highest count I had ever had in Herts but made me wonder what sort of numbers I might be able to get on a really good day when lots of birds are moving.  Spotted Flycatcher That said, birds were clearly on the move that day with 2 Spotted Flycatchers on the edge of Redwell Woods as I returned to the car - my first local birds for the year. Together with the Tree Pipits they took my 5 miles from home list to 143 species - just 7 species shy of my 150 annual target.
 One of the great joys and frustrations of birding is that every year is different! Come August, I am out looking for autumn migrants - flycatchers, warblers, redstarts and chats - walking the fields, scanning the hedgerows and checking the local gravel pits for waders too. I check dates from previous years when I discovered birds and the frustration grows if those dates pass and still no birds! This August has proved fairly quiet so far with a trickle of expected waders - Greenshank, Ringed Plover and Dunlin - and, while foraging tit flocks have grown, nothing out of the ordinary has revealed itself. I have had to content myself instead with the usual fayre of Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Lesser and Common Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Garden Warblers. Of course, watching these flocks is enjoyable and I recently watched group of perhaps a hundred birds pushed this way and that through the trees by a stealthy Sparrowhawk.  A female Blackcap - a bird very likely to be encountered in any foraging flock Half the fun is searching but truth be told the other half is more fun - finding! Finally on 20th August a little bird flew up in front of me and landed atop a tall tree. On initial impression I was convinced it was a Whinchat but it remained silhouetted against the bright sky. Knowing their preference for perching lower down on prominent scrub I waited. Suddenly it had vanished from the treetop and after a hasty scan, there it sat, right in front of me, on a tall thistle as they are wont to do.  Whinchat While not rare at all by most people's standards, this little bird, at least for me, constituted the first 'proper' autumn discovery and my first for the year anywhere in the UK. I'm sure there'll be plenty more this autumn but for the moment my 'birding battery' was recharged! Thankfully I didn't have to wait long for the next boost as the headline photo suggests. A call yesterday from a local friend alerted me to his discovery of a Pied Flycatcher along the River Ver near his house. This is a truly good migrant bird to catch up with and one that I don't always see every year so without hesitation I was there, bins in hand, camera at the ready! Thankfully the bird gave great and prolonged views as it sallied for insects and grubs low down in the scrub by the river. Many of my previous encounters with these birds have been all too brief as they are masters of disappearing and, when active, can flit fast and furiously within the canopy, denying good views. This one, however, gave some of the best view I've had to date and took my "Five Miles From Home" year list to 141.
 This is one of my favourite walks and only a couple of hours drive from home. The views are immense - across The Channel to France - and the mighty white cliffs are as dramatic as they are rich in wildlife. For me, it is one of Britain's best-kept secrets - a stretch of beautiful coastline right next to Dover's busy ferry terminal. My visit wasn't wildlife-focussed but instead a pleasant walk with good friends, however, nevertheless I encountered a new (for me) species of butterfly - my first ever Chalk Hill Blue. I stressed to my friends that these were scarce butterflies but it was hard to believe as they were everywhere! Clearly the chalk downland above the cliffs suited them perfectly.  Chalk Hill Blue Polyommatus coridon The males are a beautiful pale blue - a chalky-blue in my mind - lacking the rich depth in colour of Common or Adonis Blues. Their wings are surrounding by a darker border while the females, as is typical with the blue butterflies, are a more discreet brown. They were by far the commonest butterfly on the cliffs and, at times, I almost trod on them as they settled on the path by my feet. Just past South Foreland lighthouse another wildflower-rich meadow held another gem in the form of the also-scarce Adonis Blue butterfly. Unlike the faded-looking Chalk Hill Blue the Adonis Blue jumps out at you with a stunning deep, rich blue.  Adonis Blue Polyommatus bellargus My photo doesn't quite capture the intensity of the blue and this is a battle-worn individual having lost a chunk from its left wing - perhaps from a bird. The little black marks that cross the white wing-border separate this species from other blues and confirm it as an Adonis Blue. Both the Chalk Hill and Adonis Blues are butterflies that I am very unlikely to encounter on my rambles at home so seeing them in abundance was very special. Of course, being August and being on a headland just across from France meant that my 'bird antennae' were also up. However, I didn't encounter too much save a lone Wheatear on passage. There also seemed to be a steady passage of birds out to sea but without a scope I could only identify a few Gannets and Mediterranean Gulls by way of interest. A dark bird headed west looked tantalisingly like a Brown Booby but at such distance it had to be relegated to the 'in your dreams' category of 'ones that go away'!  A passage Wheatear - evidence of autumn migration Aside from the fact that this walk is book-ended by two National Trust cafés, this short stretch of coastline is well worth a visit. The area has precedence for good birds and if you want inspiration for a visit check out - Perdix Birding - a blog by local birder Jamie Partridge.
 An Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola It's not been a great year for butterflies in the UK but my garden, as far as I'm concerned, seems to have bucked the trend. Perhaps not in terms in quantity but definitely in terms of quality with 2 new species recently added to the garden list. The first - an Essex Skipper - is easily overlooked, partly due to its small size but also because it closely resembles a commoner cousin - the Small Skipper - a butterfly that has occurred in my garden before. I find that both species are difficult to pin down (maybe with poorer eyesight) as they 'skip' across the long grass. However, once located, it's all about the antennae! Esses Skippers' antennae appear to have been 'dipped' in black ink whereas the Small Skipper's are a butterscotch orange.  A Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris In my experience too, Essex Skippers usually appear a fresher, paler yellowy-orange while the Small Skippers appear a darker orange. Some have pointed out that this difference may simply be due to Essex Skippers emerging later than the Small Skippers and therefore do appear 'fresher'. Now into August and the garden is being regularly visited by butterflies and dragonflies so I keep checking to see what's about. Today, I was rewarded with another new species for the garden - a Small Copper Butterfly. Sadly it didn't stay put for long enough for me to get a decent photo but here's one from elsewhere, a while back.  Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas My garden is definitely benefiting from the area of lawn I've left uncut along with the weedy margins. The garden also undoubtedly benefits from the large wild-flower areas created in the last few years on the playing field behind our house by St Albans Council. The added interest these simple developments have brought to the garden is incredible!
My garden butterfly list now stands at 22 species! The full list can be seen here. |
Rupert’s BlogHere you'll find my observations and musings on the wildlife I encounter - usually locally but sometimes further afield. Archives
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