Yellow-browed Warblers - I do love them and they seem to love me!

Today I was walking Max the dog up at Redwell Wood Farm and noting the complete lack of birds on the move!  Compared to some other recent visits, the skies were empty, the wind was dead still and very little was calling in the way of birdlife.  However, as I returned to the car I decided to check the hedgerow for Ring Ouzels and as I did a single high-pitched call came from behind me.

I knew immediately that it was a Yellow-browed Warbler but having only called once I immediately had doubts that I had really heard it.  However, I knew I had so I retraced my steps back to where I had seen the same species just a couple of weeks before - in the willows by the ponds.  The bird then called a few more times and showed very well along the edge of the bushes.  It even sat still long enough for me to get some 'classic' warbler shots - through the twigs.  A Firecrest also joined it briefly - an exact repeat of 2 weeks ago when both species were present!

It seems likely however that today's bird is a new one - after all I have walked past many times over the last few weeks without so much as a hint of a warbler.  To my mind, today's bird also appeared duller and had it not called I might have considered the possibility of a Hume's Leaf Warbler!  This is now the 3rd Yellow-browed Warbler I have found this year and the 4th ever that I have found within 5 miles of home.

After all the excitement of the previous day (Cornwall Delivers! - Day 1), I decided to walk from the house I was staying in and stick to the coastline immediate to me.  I knew the stretch of coastline well - after all it included one of our family's favourite swimming spots.  The circuit would take me out through Treleaver, along the mighty serpentine cliffs to Kennack Sands and then up a wooded valley before heading back across dairy farmland.

Of course, I hoped I might find a Yellow-browed Warbler with many being reported just the week before and the strong chance that some may have lingered.  I also dreamed of a rarer warbler - maybe in one of the wooded valleys along my path as I had noted the discovery of a Western Bonelli's Warbler further SW along the Cornish coast the day before.  But birds or no birds, it was going to be an enjoyable walk.

Halfway between Black Head and Kennack Sands I heard a wimpery bird call just ahead of me on the path.  I wasn't sure what it was but it recalled young Bullfinches or a young bird.  I turned the corner (probably too noisily) and saw a small bird fly into the one and only bush sticking out of the heather.  I got my bins focused and wow! A Wryneck!  Having never found my own Wryneck until just a month ago this was a real surprise not to mention a treat.

The bird stayed put just long enough for a quick 'record shot' before disappearing deeper into the undergrowth.  I waited for it to reappear but eventually had to move on leaving it to its disappearing act.

The walk through Kennack Sands produced very little else save a few Chiffchaffs and the ubiquitous Firecrests.  However, as I climbed out of the valley by Trevenwith Farm I encountered the first foraging flock of warblers and tits of the day along with more Goldcrests and Firecrests.  I began to hear what sounded like a Yellow-browed Warbler but very faintly.  However, as the flock moved through it called loudly a few more times and showed itself very well right in front of me!  I managed to capture one call in a short video.

The walk had indeed been a success as far as birds were concerned but the next day the weather closed in limiting my options.  However, in the evening I returned to Treleaver valley and was reward with my first Ring Ouzel of the autumn flying up the valley along with quite a few Blackbirds.

The following day (17th) saw me join local birder, Steve Wood, for a seawatch at the Lizard Point.  From 7.30 - 9am we witnessed the continuing (and extraordinary) passage of Cory's Shearwaters - at least 60 past - along with smaller numbers of Manx Shearwaters and a single Great Shearwater.  Seeing large shearwaters regularly off the Lizard has become expected in the last 5 years but prior to that they were very scarce so close in and certainly not as late as mid-October!  A group of 7 Choughs also left the roost noisily at first light.

After the seawatch I traipsed around the Lizard fields looking for rarer pipits but with no joy.  The highlight, however, was a group of 20+ Ringed Plovers roosting in a freshly ploughed field.

My final day on the Lizard saw me walk a long circuit of Kynance Farm and the surrounding moorland.  While the Bluetail appeared to have well and truly gone I was rewarded with another Ring Ouzel that dropped in near the ruins at Kynance Farm along with a flock of 60+ Golden Plover circling over Predannack Airfield.  Walking out across the moor and I encountered a couple of Dartford Warblers scolding me from the scrub along with 5 late Swallows heading south.  I finished the day with a late afternoon seawatch from Porthoustock that turned up very little save a steady flow of Mediterranean Gulls, a few Manx Shearwaters and a single Great Skua that I managed a distant photo of.

I love visiting The Lizard in Cornwall - I have a long history there and many happy memories.  Lots of those memories are connected to birds and this recent trip from 13th to 19th October 2024 made a few more!  I had noted the arrival of a few exciting birds in the previous few days - notably, The Lizard's first Red-flanked Bluetail and a Lapland Bunting just a short drive from where I would be staying.

En route to Cornwall I realised that to get the Bluetail (a potential lifer for me) I would be arriving at dusk with a long walk to the site and no guarantee that the bird would still be there so instead I eased off on the gas and made a pit-stop at Davidstow airfield.  The airfield is an intriguing mix of wild, windswept beauty and the remnants of an abandoned, hilltop airfield now grazed by sheep.

This combination means the site often attracts rarer passage birds and my target today was a long-staying Great Grey Shrike.  I followed the road to the dropped pin and sure enough, there were a group of assembled birders all staring gratefully at the Great Grey Shrike.  I joined them and enjoyed cracking views of this smart bird along with 20 or so Crossbills in nearby pines.

I left as other birders went in search of a reported Hawfinch and continued towards The Lizard but not before clocking a smart Yellow-legged Gull amongst the sheep!

Arriving at Goonhilly Downs on The Lizard and you know you are in a special place - the wide open grassland surrounding the former 'Earth Station' with its huge satellite dishes makes for a unique vista.  My target bird a Lapland Bunting, reported over the last few days along the central track from Traboe crossroads.

I parked up and walked slowly along the track a few hundred metres until I spied a small brown form picking around at the edge of the track.  I set up my scope and, sure enough, a Lapland Bunting!  I moved closer and the bird seemed unbothered by me allowing views down to about 10 yards!  I was able to see its lovely chestnut wing coverts, facial markings and observe its low hopping movement as it fed discretely along the track.

At one point the bunting flew up with some Meadow Pipits, calling as it went and I soon found the cause of its alarm - a hunting Merlin!  The Merlin cut across the moor towards me and sat up in the wind like a Kestrel just above my head.  I wondered if it had noticed the bunting but as I walked on I turned to see the bunting hoping ever closer to me - perhaps finding security in my presence.  The Merlin perched up by a small pool and I left both birds to work things out!

While I had been watching the bunting news came it the the Red-flanked Bluetail had shown again in the fading light!  A pang of angst went through me as I questioned my decision not to trek out to see it that evening.  I now had a dilemma as my accommodation for the night included a full breakfast in the morning.  Should I rush out early to see the Bluetail and miss breakfast or enjoy breakfast and arrive in a more leisurely fashion, trusting that it would not leave?

Not being a real twitcher I chose the latter option, figuring that in the poor weather the bird was unlikely to up and leave and anyway, it takes far more than a bird to persuade me to skip breakfast!  I slept well and, the next day, after a fantastic breakfast headed out to Kynance Farm in search of my quarry.

The weather was 'moist' on 14th October in the way that it so often is in Cornwall with a fairly stiff breeze too.  I arrived at 'Jolly Town' - the apparently unofficial name given to a group of cottages at the top of the valley leading to Soapy Cove just north of the better-known Kynance Cove.  A few other birdwatchers were already searching but, as yet to no avail.  I joined them, circuiting the cottages before trying my luck down the valley towards the cove in case it had moved location.

Drawing a blank and finding the valley even more windy and wet I figured the best bet was to stake out the sheltered side of the cottages where I would go if I was a small migrant bird from the East.  Waiting patiently for quite some time the inevitable thoughts began to creep in that maybe it had gone after all.  Another group of birders arrived and, with fresh enthusiasm went off looking for the bird the other side of the house.  I remained alone standing near the sheltered stone wall surrounding the cottages' gardens weighing up my options.

And then it happened!  A pale little bird hopped down by my feet just like a Robin would and hopped around before flying up to the top of the wall again.  In that moment, binoculars weren't need for I had clearly seen the Red-flanked Bluetail up close and personal!  I immediately nipped around the other side of the cottages and alerted the other birders who all rushed back.  We lined up and before long the Bluetail appeared, shy at first but eventually giving all of us outstanding views.  The local Robin, however, was not so impressed and chased the Bluetail back and forth, letting the visitor know who was boss!

The Bluetail was a truly beautiful bird with its pale orangery flanks and subtle blue tail.  Like so many birds it twitched its tail constantly but unlike many birds just in a downwards movement.  It was quite something to think that this bird had come so far - possibly from Siberia and certainly far from its wintering quarters in SE Asia.  Thankfully the weather cleared enough to get some pleasing shots and Jolly Town felt just that little bit more, well, jolly!

I headed back to the car and back into the Lizard village where I finally caught up with the over-wintering Rose-coloured Starling on wires by The Green.  I say finally because it has eluded me for several years but actually, being a juvenile each year, it cannot be the same bird.  It was nevertheless pleasing to observe this pale bird with a yellow beak perched with its cousins on the telephone wires.

My first evening and full day in Cornwall had certainly delivered and it made me wonder if the rest of the week would be a big anti-climax!  Or maybe there'd be more?  As if to point me in the right direction an evening seawatch off Porthoustock gave me good views of a pale-phase Pomarine Skua as it flew out and landed on the sea.  A pod of at least 8 Common Dolphins also went by to conclude an epic day.

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...?

I have resolved - weather & diary permitting - to do a vismig session every weekend first thing at Potwells in North Mymms Park during October.  As a trial run I arrived there this Sunday gone (29th Sep) at 6am just before first light to see how things were shaping up.  The forecast was for some cloud cover and a relatively gentle southeasterly breeze.  As the day dawned the forecast appeared fairly accurate and I witnessed a beautiful sunrise before comprehensive grey cloud got the better of things.

Walking through Redwell Farm from the car to the Potwells viewpoint I could hear one, possibly two, Little Owls calling.  A Skylark also called in the dark - oddly the only one of the morning - while a few Song Thrushes 'ticked' from the surrounding hedgerows.  I arrived at the viewpoint just as the first glow of light was appearing in the east, set-up and began to wait in expectation.

By 7.20am I was beginning to lose heart a little as nothing much seemed to be on the move save for a trickle of Meadow Pipits and the odd Chaffinch.  I did however note a fair few Swallows headed eastwards along with some House Martins.  I reminded myself that birds often don't move until later, depending on conditions so worth the continued wait.

I needn't have worried as, come 7.30am, a sudden increase in passage became apparent with Meadow Pipits, Siskins and Chaffinches moving over in a more definite NE to SW trajectory.  It was at that point I began to hear what might be a Woodlark but blended a bit with the Robin song.  As it drew nearer I could hear the repeated "tit-looee" call as it made its way up the valley and knew I had a Woodlark!  A hasty scan and there it was, heading SW up the valley just above the treetops.

I could easily see its short tail - like a young lark with no tail - and hear its regularly spaced call as it flew in a steady undulating flight past me.  A fantastic record and a Herts rarity although I am convinced we miss many more of them - after all, how many people are daft enough to stand on a hillside in the dark on a Sunday morning?!  It was yet more confirmation that I had found a good 'vismig spot' and that the birds would appear if I was there to look.

The Swallow & House Martin passage continued but shortly after 8.00am another target bird of any vismig session started calling right above me - a Hawfinch!  It disappeared over the tree line and I wondered if it might settle in the woods.  I wasn't able to locate it however but it did become #147 for my Five Miles From Home List - just 3 to go to my target 150!

By the end of my vismig session I'd witnessed over 100 Swallows and 50 House Martins head southeast and just shy of 50 Meadow Pipits and Siskins move mainly southwest.  Other highlights included my first 5 Redwings of the autum, a Hobby, a single Sand Martin and at least 10 Song Thrushes dropping into the hedgerows.

Heavy rain and an easterly wind serve Hertfordshire well when it comes to turning up rarer birds.  Expectations were therefore high this last weekend and the news of a Yellow-browed Warbler in the county was encouraging.  Coastal sites were also experiencing big movements of hirundines and rarer warblers were turning up along the east and southeastern coasts.

However, the usual check of sites on Sunday morning produced nothing out of the ordinary and not even a passage of birds overhead.  A visit to Potwells mid-afternoon did result in my first flyover Siskin of the autumn but, while plenty of Chiffchaffs were vocal, nothing else.  However, an alert from a fellow-birder suggested he might have found a Knot at Coursers gravel pits just below the hill I was on.

Time for birding was running out so a quick dash down to the site confirmed that it was indeed a juvenile Knot or Red Knot as per its full name.  Not only a welcome #146 for my Five Miles from Home List but a new species for me in Herts.  Here's a short video taken on my phone through my friend's scope:

Since late July (!) I have been on the hunt for a local Redstart but to no avail.  In 2022 I had a bright male as early as 4th July so it feels like it's been a long wait to get one.  This year the first Herts bird turned up not far away on the edge of Hatfield on 11th August but, despite further county records, none appeared locally.

As part of my search, I targeted Potwells and Redwell Farm on the hill above London Colney and have visited almost every day.  I was of course rewarded with a Goshawk, Tree Pipits and Spotted Flycatchers but my real quarry - a Redstart - remained undiscovered.  That was until today when I entered one of the sheep fields at Potwells and out of the corner of my eye saw a shadow flit up into the bush overhanging the fence-line.

I almost dismissed it as one of the many Robins and Chiffchaffs that were omnipresent but this time, sat on the top wire of the fence, was a female Redstart!  A very welcome #145 for my local 2024 5 miles from home list.  I should add that, just a couple of days before, I had added #144 to the list - an adult Mediterranean Gull that had made a brief appearance at Tyttenhanger GPs.

The Redstart was very elusive so afforded no photo opportunity but I did watch it for a little longer flitting around in the middle of the hedgerow.  Instead, my header photo is of a similar bird at the same site last year.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to find my own Wryneck and recently I did on a visit to Cornwall!  Sadly, my camera continues to play-up and this was really the only shot I managed, the others all too blurry to share.

We were staying just outside St Agnes on the north Cornish coast and just a short walk from St Agnes Beacon - a small tor that, once climbed, gave far-reaching all round views of the area.  The surrounding farmland, hedgerows and scrub all made for excellent Wryneck habitat and it was the perfect time of year for one to pop up.

The Beacon also looked like a good vismig spot so I scheduled an early morning visit on 6th Sep to see what might be there and watch the sun rise.  At the top, I was rewarded with breath-taking views as the mist hung in the valleys and the sun began to rise.  Quite a few Meadow Pipts were mobile around the beacon and one of my target birds then called overhead - a Tree Pipit!  It settled further down the Beacon so I made a mental note to look out for it later.

As I walked the path along the Beacon ridge a lark flew up and landed just a few metres away - a Woodlark!  It didn't stay long enough for a photo but flew off across the nearby field and out of sight.  I continued on a loop down to St Agnes Head to check out the headland scrub and the back up to the Beacon.  I didn't add much on my loop save the local pair of Choughs and a Whinchat with the many Stonechats.  A Ringed Plover and Dunlin flew over - typical passage birds at this time of year.

As I walked along the lower path round the Beacon a small bird flew up and across the gorse.  I put my bins to my eyes and bingo!  There sat a Wryneck and the very first one I had found myself.  I was amazed at how small it looked in flight - just like a large warbler really.  They are peculiar, cryptic birds with their unique camouflage and habit of twisting their neck like a serpent.  They also - at least to me - possess a 'larger than life' quality as when observed in binoculars or in a scope they seem a fairly significant bird and yet the moment they fly or start flitting around the resemble a bird not much bigger than a House Sparrow.

The Wryneck remained in the area and eventually disappeared into a small holly bush not to be seen again.  However, the Tree Pipit did reappear in the same bush!  My next target must surely be a new camera!!

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.

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!

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.

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.