SS15 wildlife watching

This blog was set up in mid-March 2020 during the COVID-19 health crisis in the UK and aimed to provide records of wildlife sightings and photos from sites within walking distance of my home in the SS15 postcode area of Basildon in Essex during lockdown travel restrictions. This blog continues to include my local wildlife sightings, my trips away from home plus some personal thoughts and reflections on other issues. NOTE: Format best viewed on a laptop/desktop PC rather than a mobile phone.

Saturday, 11 May 2024

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 11th May 2024

Date: 11th May 2024

Time: from 6:45 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 12°C to 16°C

This was my first visit to the site since 21st April 2024 and it was really noticeable that the oak trees had finally come in to full leaf.

The main purpose of my visit was to hopefully find and photograph some Red Fox cubs (as in previous years at this time) but, despite patiently waiting at 2 different and potentially likely locations, I failed to see even an adult.

However, it was still a successful visit given that I had my first record of Swift for the year for the site. Unfortunately, it was just a single bird that flew over the church and the top of Church Hill. It seems that the days of seeing up to 20 Swifts around the church are sadly long gone.

I also added 4 butterfly species to my site list for the year: Holly Blue (1), Orange Tip (1), Speckled Wood (1) and Small White (1). In addition, I saw 2 Commas, a species that I had already recorded this year.

The singing male Willow Warbler seen on my last 2 visits to the site had evidently moved on but both Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were still present in good numbers. I saw a single singing male Chiffchaff and heard at least 6 other singing males plus I saw 1 singing male Blackcap and heard at least 5 other singing males.

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

Swift

Chiffchaff

Blackcap

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Wren

Dunnock

Blackbird

Starling

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Woodpigeon

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Here are some photos from my visit ….

Photo: male Blackcap

Photo: Robin

Photo: Dunnock

Photo: Small White

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

Birds = 36 (47)

Mammals = 3 (3)

Butterflies = 7 (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

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world

Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Friday, 10 May 2024

Record from my flat - Red Foxes

Last night at 12.45 a.m., I was woken up by the excitable vocalisations of at least 2 Red Foxes in the street outside my flat .... although I was too tired to get out of bed to look out for them!

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world

Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Wednesday, 8 May 2024

Trip away from SS15 – Essex, Sussex, Suffolk, Wales and Somerset – May 2024 (part 8)

On 7th May 2024, I visited the following site:

RSPB Ham Wall, Somerset

RSPB Ham Wall has become one of my favourite birding locations in the UK in both spring and winter. It is a 265-hectare site at the heart of the huge area known as the Avalon Marshes in Somerset.

Previously owned and worked by the peat industry, it was born in 1994 when the land was acquired by the RSPB. The principal objective was to re-create vital reedbeds and wetlands and help the struggling Bittern population in the UK.

The habitats that have been created are now a mature and thriving wetland made up of extensive reedbeds and open water, grassland and woodlands and, in addition to the now healthy population of Bitterns, the reserve is important for new species colonising the UK including Great White Egrets, Little Bitterns and Cattle Egrets all of which have bred in recent years.

I arrived at RSPB Ham Wall at 6 a.m. and had a very successful visit, especially the sightings of 3 Glossy Ibis and a single Common Crane plus multiple sightings of Bitterns.

The highlights from my visit included the following (heard only records in italics): Glossy Ibis (3), Common Crane (1), Bittern (4 birds seen but possibly some duplication plus 2 “booming” males), Great White Egret (at least 5), Grey Heron (3), Lapwing (2), Garganey (1 male), Gadwall (c.20), Common Pochard (c.30), Mallard (c.30), Tufted Duck (5), Shoveler (1 male), Little Grebe (1 calling bird), Great Crested Grebe (5 including a pair at a nest site), Mute Swan (c.10), Canada Goose (c.20), Greylag Goose (12), Coot (c.20), Moorhen (2), Cormorant (6), Cuckoo (1 calling male), Garden Warbler (1 singing male plus 2 other singing males heard), Willow Warbler (2 singing males), Blackcap (2 males and 1 female plus at least 10 other singing males heard), Chiffchaff (2 singing males plus at least 6 other singing males heard), Reed Warbler (3 singing males plus many other singing males heard), Cetti’s Warbler (2 singing males plus at least 8 other singing males), Reed Bunting (2 males plus another singing male heard), Swift (at least 10), Swallow (1), Hobby (1), Marsh Harrier (1 male and at least 5 females), Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 plus another calling bird heard), Goldcrest (1 singing male), Orange Tip (1), Green-veined White (1)

The other notable sighting that I had was of Mike Dilger, naturalist, TV presenter and writer. He was leading a group of birders at RSPB Ham Wall but I did have the opportunity to speak to him for several minutes.

Here are some photos from my visit ....