SS15 wildlife watching

This blog was set up in mid-March 2020 during the emerging COVID-19 health crisis in the UK. It initially aimed to provide records of wildlife sightings and photographs from sites within walking distance of my home in the SS15 postcode area of Basildon in Essex during lockdown travel restrictions. Even though the pandemic has largely subsided, this blog continues to include my local wildlife sightings, my trips away from home plus some personal thoughts and reflections on other issues.

Wednesday, 31 March 2021

Visit to Noak Bridge Nature Reserve – 31st March 2021

Date: 31st March 2021

Time: from 7:45 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 8°C to 16°C

After my last visit on 19th March 2021 which proved to rather quiet and uneventful, this morning was significantly better.

The summer warbler festival is well underway, as evidenced by the 3 singing male Chiffchaffs and 4 singing male Blackcaps around my St. Nicholas Church local patch site yesterday, and this was further confirmed by the conspicuous presence of both species on the reserve this morning.

During my visit this morning, I added 4 species to my site list for the year, bringing the total to 30 bird species. Chiffchaff and Blackcap were the most notable.

I recorded at least 9 singing male Chiffchaffs with 4 singles actually seen: 1 along the main track from the Spanish Steps to the storage shed, 1 in the area around the storage shed, 1 along the track between the storage shed and the Eastfield Road entrance and 1 in the area where the boardwalks start. Unlike those at my St. Nicholas Church local patch site, the Chiffchaffs this morning were singing prominently from treetops enabling me to get some photos.

Chiffchaffs have an instantly recognisable onomatopoeic and metronomic song ….

However, 2 of the males that I heard had slight variations on the typical song. One seemed to have been drinking since he got his “chiffs” and “chaffs” a bit muddled up whilst the other had either being taking legal highs or had too many Weetabix for breakfast since his song was extremely rapid 😀.

I saw 3 singing male Blackcaps: 1 along the main track from the Spanish Steps to the storage shed, 1 along the track between the storage shed and the Eastfield Road entrance and 1 behind the boardwalk at Meadow Pond.

The other 2 additions to my site list for the year were a single fly-over Greylag Goose and 2 fly-over Black-headed Gulls, both of the latter in full summer plumage.

The other bird highlights were an extremely noisy calling Green Woodpecker in the tall trees between the storage shed and the Eastfield Road entrance, 6 fly-over Mallards (3 single males and a group of 2 males and a female) and 7 fly-over Canada Geese.

In addition to the 4 additions to my bird site list for the year, I also recorded my first butterfly species with 2 Peacocks seen (1 basking on the southern boardwalk and the other flying around the vegetation adjacent to the track to Willow Pond).

I saw 6 Grey Squirrels during my visit: 2 in the wooded area around Fox Pond, 1 in the wooded area between the boardwalk and Puckles Pond and 3 together in the wooded area between Puckles Pond and the storage shed.

Finally, there were several bumblebees on the wing (species unknown) plus at least 10 bee-flies (possibly Dark-edged Bee-flies) in the Thorny Wood area.

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Wren

Dunnock

Blackbird

Song Thrush

Goldfinch

Green Woodpecker

Woodpigeon

Jay

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Mallard

Greylag Goose

Canada Goose

Black-headed Gull

Grey Squirrel

Peacock

Here are some photos from my visit:

Photo: male Chiffchaff

Photo: Robin

Photo: Long-tailed Tit

Photo: Carrion Crows

Photo: Carrion Crow

Photo: Magpie

Photo: Magpie

Photo: Bee-fly species

Photo: Bee-fly species

Site totals to date (2021 totals in brackets):

Birds = 40 (30)
Mammals = 2 (1)
Butterflies = 18 (1)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 9 (0)
Reptiles = 1 (0)
Amphibians = 0 (0)

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚

Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Record from my flat - first singing male Chiffchaff of the year

The summer warbler festival is well underway, as evidenced by the 3 singing male Chiffchaffs and 4 singing male Blackcaps around my St. Nicholas Church local patch site yesterday.

Therefore it was no surprise at all to hear my first singing male Chiffchaff of the year from my flat this morning at 7:30 a.m. just before I left home for a visit to my Noak Bridge Nature Reserve local patch site.

UPDATE: I have just returned home from Noak Bridge Nature Reserve where I saw 3 singing male Chiffchaffs and 3 singing male Blackcaps.

Spring has truly been announced with the arrival of our summer visiting warblers in recent days.

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚

Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Sunrise over SS15

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚

Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Tuesday, 30 March 2021

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 30th March 2021

Date: 30th March 2021

Time: from 7 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 5°C to 15°C

This was my second successive 7 a.m. start and I spent nearly 5 hours at the site on a beautiful sunny morning. It was chilly to begin with but temperatures had reached 15°C by the time that I made my way home.

I had my best site visit this year so far in terms of the species list recorded …. 28 bird species, 3 mammal species and 4 butterfly species ….and there were many highlights.

I accessed the site as usual via the track from Larkins Tyres where fortunately the wet and muddy swamp is starting to dry out. On reaching the clearing, I took the short track through the woodland to the fencing that provides a watchpoint to scan the field and the trees, hedges and scrub bordering it.

I had 3 separate stints at the watchpoint during my visit and the majority of my notable sightings were from here, including 2 new additions to my site list for the year, bringing the total to 37 bird species: 5 Cormorants and 1 Little Egret. Both species were flying over in an easterly direction and these were only my second records for each at the site.

Other notable sightings from the watchpoint included a single soaring Common Buzzard and a single displaying Sparrowhawk (clearly the warming temperature was working its magic), 2 fly-over Black-headed Gulls, 10 fly-over Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 4 fly-over Mallards.

I heard my first singing male Blackcap on 26th February 2021 and saw my first on 25th March 2021. I heard my first singing male Chiffchaff on 22nd March 2021 and again saw my first on 25th March 2021.

This morning it was quite evident that the summer warbler festival has now well and truly begun. I saw 3 singing male Chiffchaffs and 4 singing male Blackcaps (plus a single red-headed female). I saw both species at various locations around the site and heard several other unseen singing males. Chiffchaff song in particular seemed to be an almost continuous soundtrack to my visit.

I saw both woodpecker species this morning. There was a very vocal and conspicuous Green Woodpecker in the eastern and central section of the cemetery and I saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker at the very top of the church spire. I also heard calling Green Woodpeckers on several occasions from various points around the site.

There were 2 other miscellaneous highlights with regard to birds: a calling/singing male Greenfinch which I heard from the western section of the cemetery but failed to see and 2 Greylag Geese flying over the area south of the church.

With regard to mammals, I saw 3 Red Foxes, the first crossing the grassy strip heading south from the church car park down to St. Nicholas Lane and then 2 separate individuals from the watchpoint (the first emerging briefly from the hedge immediately opposite before turning back and a clearly lactating vixen which slowly crossed the field from right to left before disappearing in to the hedge).

I also saw 2 Reeves’ Muntjac: 1 from the watchpoint when I first arrived and then 1 crossing the grassy strip heading south from the church car park down to St. Nicholas Lane.

During this visit, I saw 2 Grey Squirrels: 1 from the watchpoint and 1 in the eastern section of the cemetery.

After recording my first Peacock and first Comma of the year during my visit on 22nd March 2021, I saw a further 3 Peacocks and a single Comma this morning. In addition, I saw my first Brimstone and first Small White of the year bringing the site list total for the year to 4 butterfly species.

There are still masses of daffodils in the cemetery, there has been an increase in primroses and horse chestnut buds are now emerging.

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Wren

Dunnock

Blackbird

Song Thrush