When winter becomes summer

A new UK record high temperature for January has been set in the Scottish Highlands according to provisional figures from the Met Office. It recorded a peak of 19.6°C at Kinlochewe on 28th January 2023 breaking a record set in 2003 by more than a full degree celsius. It is also the highest winter temperature ever recorded in Scotland.

Meanwhile, Spain has just preliminarily set a European record high temperature for January with 30.7°C recorded in Gavarda in the Valencian Community.

When winter becomes summer, can you imagine what summer will be like?

Humanity is relentlessly trashing our planet, our only home, yet despite this there is seemingly an increase in support for politicians and political parties (including here in the UK) who are opposed to even minor actions to mitigate the climate emergency let alone the radical and imaginative solutions and step changes required to save our species and all the biodiversity that we share our planet with.

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St. Nicholas Church local patch site - "drumming" Great Spotted Woodpecker

I did not have a planned visit to my St. Nicholas Church local patch site today but I did walk up Church Hill as part of an exercise walk.

As I did so, I heard but failed to see my first "drumming" Great Spotted Woodpecker of the year in the wooded area adjacent to the Laindon Park School playing field.

This is a sound that I can expect to hear regularly over the coming weeks as male Great Spotted Woodpeckers try and secure their territories and attract females for the breeding season.

Photo: Great Spotted Woodpecker at EWT Warley Place, Brentwood, Essex

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Record from my flat - Red Fox

I have seen numerous Red Foxes from my flat over a long period of time but not for the last few months. However, most of my sightings are by chance and doubtless they are in the immediate area most, if not all, nights.

Last night at 8:30 p.m., whilst waiting for the Ocado delivery driver to unload my groceries, I saw a Red Fox casually trot past us before walking round to the rear car park.

This morning at 8:30 a.m., I heard the same or a different Red Fox briefly barking before seeing it disappear up the grass strip at the end of my road and into the wooded area behind the houses opposite my flat.

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Trip away from SS15 – Staines Reservoir, London – 27th January 2024

Today, following my last visit on 15th December 2023, I again visited Staines Reservoir, a site that I am able to reach by public transport, albeit requiring a long trip to west London. 

Officially called Staines Reservoir (in the singular), the site is actually 2 reservoirs (North Basin and South Basin) separated by a narrow causeway. They lie just north of Staines and Ashford and south west of Heathrow Airport. Open access is provided via the causeway that bisects the 2 reservoirs. There is strictly no access to any other part of the reservoirs.

Staines Reservoir is hardly the most scenic birding location and there is the constant sight and sound of aircraft from the adjacent Heathrow Airport but nonetheless it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is particularly noted for its wintering wildfowl. It has also attracted an impressive list of species over the years including a number of rarities.

My most notable sighting at Staines Reservoir is a vagrant American Horned Lark which I saw there on 17th February 2018.

The main reason for my visit today was to hopefully again see the long-staying Black-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver and Black-necked Grebe. I was successful in seeing all 3 species taking my 2024 UK year list to 114 species.

The most notable sightings of my visit were as follows: Black-throated Diver (2), Great Northern Diver (1), Black-necked Grebe (1), Great-crested Grebe (4), Goldeneye (2 males and 3 females), Tufted Duck (c.500), Wigeon (c.150), Shoveler (1 male), Gadwall (c.15), Mallard (c.10), Coot (c.100), Mute Swan (3), Linnet (c.10),  Meadow Pipit (1), Pied Wagtail (5), Ring-necked Parakeet (1 flying over the houses opposite the reservoir)

I did not take my camera with me since I knew from previous visits that photography opportunities are very limited and with a telescope being a more essential bit of kit to scan the large reservoirs for birds.

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Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 22nd January 2024

Date: 22nd January 2024

Time: from 9 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, moderate/strong wind, 9°C to 10°C

Due to my trip to Lee Valley Country Park on 17th January 2024 and 2 further visits to Heybridge to see and photograph the Northern Waterthrush on 15th January 2024 and 19th January 2024, this was my first visit to my local patch site for some time.

It was a lovely sunny morning and significantly warmer than the very cold weather with sub-zero temperatures that have been evident for some time now. It was also very windy although the worst of Storm Isha had passed through overnight.

I had a full walk around the site including the northern section of the site, the cemetery and the wooded area in the south of the site on my way home.

It was a typically quiet mid-winter day but I was able to record 2 species to add to my 2024 bird site list: Redwing and Wren.

I also added Grey Squirrel and Reeves’ Muntjac to my 2024 mammal site list.

The main highlights during my visit were the 6 Redwings, 2 very vocal and active Green Woodpeckers, a single Red Fox and a single “barking” but unseen Reeves’ Muntjac, all in the northern section of the site.

I also recorded my first Hazel catkins of the year …. spring is coming!

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

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Wren

Redwing

Blackbird

Green Woodpecker

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Woodpigeon

Herring Gull

Red Fox

Reeves’ Muntjac

Grey Squirrel

Here are some photos from my visit ....

Photo: Grey Squirrel

Photo: Hazel catkins

Photo: Hazel catkins

Site totals for 2024 to date (2023 totals in brackets):

Birds = 17 (47)

Mammals = 3 (3)

Butterflies = 0 (23)

Dragonflies and damselflies = 0 (12)

Reptiles = 0 (0)

Amphibians = 0 (0)

Total species list for the site:

Birds = 65

Mammals = 7

Butterflies = 25

Dragonflies and damselflies = 13

Reptiles = 1

Amphibians = 0

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Trip away from SS15 – Heybridge, Maldon, Essex – 19th January 2024

I returned for a third helping today of the extremely rare Northern Waterthrush at Heybridge Hall sluice and ditch after my visits on 9th January 2024 and 15th January 2024.

Photo: Heybridge Hall sluice and ditch

Photo: Heybridge Hall sluice and ditch

See here for more information regarding this extremely rare vagrant species and the story behind its discovery in an unlikely spot in my home County of Essex.

Apart from seeing the bird again, my main hope was achieving some better photos.

I arrived at the location at 11 a.m. in sunny and marginally warmer temperatures than my previous 2 visits and I finally left at 4:15 p.m.

The Northern Waterthrush finally appeared at 12:45 p.m. for just a few minutes.

My first efforts constituted record photos at best ....

Photo: Northern Waterthrush

Photo: Northern Waterthrush

Photo: Northern Waterthrush

.... but then I managed 2 photos that I am quite pleased with, especially the second .... 

Photo: Northern Waterthrush

Photo: Northern Waterthrush

My list of other notable sightings during my stay of over 5 hours was also better than on my 2 previous visits and included the following: Common Snipe (1), Lapwing (1, 5 and 2 birds flying over), Mallard (male and female), Moorhen (1), Common Buzzard (1 being harassed by a Herring Gull), Kestrel (1 flew over), Sparrowhawk (1 flew rapidly down the length of the ditch), Cettis Warbler (at least 2 singing males), Reed Bunting (1)

The Reed Bunting was my first record of the year, taking my 2024 UK year list to date to 111 species.

Other common birds included the following: Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Magpie and Herring Gull.

Apart from the Northern Waterthrush, I also managed to get some other photos ....

Photo: Common Buzzard

Photo: Kestrel

Photo: Kestrel

Photo: Kestrel

Photo: Common Snipe

Photo: Common Snipe

Photo: male and female Mallard

Photo: Moorhen

Photo: Dunnock

Photo: Robin

Photo: Robin

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