After a very quiet vismig session at Potwells early this morning I headed back to the car at Redwell Wood Farm.  Vismig can be very hit and miss and given my good run of birds recently I wasn't too disheartened by the lack of passage over head.

As I walked along the track past the overgrown ponds I noticed quite a few Chiffchaffs active in the willows with one singing.  With the recent influx of Yellow-browed Warblers into the country I thought nothing could be lost by playing its "tswee" call.  I played a couple of calls but no response however, as I turned to walk on I suddenly heard two quiet and unmistakable calls!  I knew immediately I had a Yellow-browed Warbler!

I put the news out and others found it later in the morning and into the afternoon, calling well and occasionally showing.  Local birder and photographer, David Hutchinson, managed to get a great shot of it which is a lovely record of the moment.  A Firecrest was also found with it so definitely some new arrivals today.

Even more pleasing is that the Yellow-browed Warbler takes me to #148 for my Five Miles From Home List and is also a new bird for my 2024 British Year List.  It becomes the 3rd Yellow-browed Warbler I have found in Herts, the first being at Tyttenhanger in Jan 2019 and the second, a very special bird, being the 100th species for my garden in Oct 2020!  I think they are probably one of my favourite birds to find and this year seems to be a good one to go looking.

My recent visits to Potwells in North Mymms Park have helped me 're-imagine' birding in Herts and begin to believe that good birds might be found, more regularly...if we look!  The temptation is always to look and travel outside Herts for the best birding, or just to wait for others to turn something up, but I think the best rewards come from doing the legwork and discovering some local birds.

My decision to regularly 'do vismig' or observe visible migration from Potwells was long overdue and regular recent visits have rewarded me with a great selection of birds that I just wouldn't normally see in Herts, at least not every year - Goshawk, Tree Pipit, Woodlark & Hawfinch.  Usually I have to wait for a trip to Dunwich Heath in Suffolk or to Wykeham Forest in North Yorkshire but not only have I now seen these birds locally but also more than once!

Today I arrived at 6am - perhaps a bit too early as it was properly dark but I did get several Tawny Owls calling!  For the first hour, even hour and a half, passage was slow to non-existent but eventually Chaffinches and Meadow Pipits began to call and suddenly a Brambling was flying around overhead!

Siskins were plentiful but just after 7.30am I caught a glimpse of a large finch flying up the valley.  Unfortunately it disappeared before I could really confirm what it was but it made me think "Hawfinch".  I played the call and listened and realised I could hear a ticking call - it grew louder and I picked up the 'tseep' flight call too.  I knew it must be perched somewhere on the edge of the wood and, sure enough, there it was, a nice male Hawfinch!  At the same time I thought I could hear another bird but couldn't see it.

Once a Herts speciality, the Hawfinch is now a very rare breeder in Herts and scarce winter visitor.  I don't usually see them every year in Herts and only got to grips with their various calls during the big influx of the winter of 2017/18 when many birds were around in local woods.  It is still a real treat to find a Hawfinch - something I do every year when I visit a known stronghold at Lynford Arboretum in Norfolk - but this was extra special being in woods local to me.

I kept alert and 2 more Hawfinch flew over headed southwest soon after 8am and a further Brambling too.  Despite otherwise low numbers of passage birds the quality had not been lacking.  Swallows and House Martins also continued to make their way south but otherwise the skies were quieter than in previous visits.  I plan to visit again soon - surely Crossbill and Ring Ouzel must be likely potential additions...?