On Thursday last week I walked across the Baddow Meads into Chelmsford and found the area around the road bridge to Chelmer Village stuffed with Reed Buntings, Meadow Pipits, Redwings, Fieldfares, Magpies and Starlings. Heading away from town the ground was still covered with snow but the grass here closer to town was mostly clear and so the birds had gathered in large numbers to take advantage of it. The town parks were also full of Redwings, even in the busier areas which these shy birds might otherwise avoid.
Not so much around on the Baddow Meads on Sunday morning after the general thaw, it was pretty quiet there really although I disturbed two Jack Snipe near the road bridge! The first time I've seen those and since I'd seen Snipe in the same area recently too (which had also been first sightings for me) I was pretty pleased to see them here. When I got home I had to look up Jack Snipe in my Collins Bird Guide and then check photos on flickr of them flying to be sure though. It's still possible they were something else, I know my limits with ID, but I'm pretty confident they were Jacks. Certainly not more Snipe - the bill was long, but quite a bit shorter than the Snipe I'd seen there recently, which had amazingly long bills compared to their bodies!
A few Redwings in the trees by the road bridge, nothing like the huge numbers I saw there earlier in the week though. At Springfield Lock I saw there were still a fair number of Tufted Ducks, lots of BH Gulls, Moorhens and Coots, a Cormorant, a number of Little Grebes and, sitting on some low branches nearby, a Little Egret. I spent a little time attempting some recordings on my camcorder (the breeze really shook my dodgy cheap tripod and it was difficult to use it to line up the shots - should have taken my big manfrotto really). Saw a female Goosander but she didn't stay long - there were a lot of canoeists using the river (there's a canoe club nearby) so the birds were rather disturbed.
I walked on up to the automatic sluice, passing a Reed Bunting in a bush and crossing the river at the Essex Record Office and then walking back down to Springfield Lock along the little stub of the canal, still frozen over. I stopped on the bridge there to watch the Little Grebes (looking down on the river from the other side from where I watched the Tufted Ducks/Little Egret...) then walked on along the footpath to Chelmer Village, spotting a Fieldfare flying overhead as I crossed the rough grass. In the middle of the area some trees and bushes held a number of Blackbirds, a female Chaffinch and House Sparrow both wet from bathing, a male Chaffinch and some Magpies.
Through the tunnel under the main road, I spotted a Sparrowhawk flying over the retail park. Then, turning off at the Harvester down Mill Vue Road, I passed Barnes Mill and took the footpath through the horse paddocks ("Morning lads!") to the river and continued east beside the river to Sandford Lock, a Grey Heron standing in the fields off to the south and lots of Great and Blue Tits in the Willows. I could see Cormorants and Gulls flying over the fishing lake at Manor Farm off to the south and decided to head there. I crossed the little footbridge to Sandford Mill Road and took the footpath on the right past the cottages that leads to Manor Farm and the little reservoir there. The reservoir was iced over but I saw a bird fly across to a willow, just a glimpse but it really looked very much like a Kingfisher. Unlikely given the ice and that I've not seen any around Chelmsford for a few months but it did really give the impression of one... very intriguing!
I saw a Wren in the trees as I circled the reservoir, this spot is a favoured territory I think as I often see Wrens in this little area, but otherwise very quiet, no Yellowhammers today. Great to see the tiny Wren had survived the cold though. As I walked along the farm track across the field from the fishing lake I could see sixteen Cormorants at the far bank, many holding out their wings in the sunshine. On the near bank a number of Gadwall were feeding on the field edge, a male Wigeon amongst them (first one I've seen in the local area). Also on and around the lake I could see lots of Coots, Moorhens, BH Gulls, some Tufted Ducks, a Grey Heron, a Little Egret and a pair of Red Crested Pochard! I only recently saw some captive Red Crested Pochards on the wildfowl pond at Blakeney quay but had never seen them in the wild before. I had to take some shaky footage on my camcorder to check at home since they were so far away and having watched it: yes, definitely Red Cresteds!
There were lots of gulls gathered on a nearby field but those were the last birds I really saw on the walk... I headed home very pleased indeed - two lifers and three new species I'd not seen around Chelmsford before.
Not so much around on the Baddow Meads on Sunday morning after the general thaw, it was pretty quiet there really although I disturbed two Jack Snipe near the road bridge! The first time I've seen those and since I'd seen Snipe in the same area recently too (which had also been first sightings for me) I was pretty pleased to see them here. When I got home I had to look up Jack Snipe in my Collins Bird Guide and then check photos on flickr of them flying to be sure though. It's still possible they were something else, I know my limits with ID, but I'm pretty confident they were Jacks. Certainly not more Snipe - the bill was long, but quite a bit shorter than the Snipe I'd seen there recently, which had amazingly long bills compared to their bodies!
A few Redwings in the trees by the road bridge, nothing like the huge numbers I saw there earlier in the week though. At Springfield Lock I saw there were still a fair number of Tufted Ducks, lots of BH Gulls, Moorhens and Coots, a Cormorant, a number of Little Grebes and, sitting on some low branches nearby, a Little Egret. I spent a little time attempting some recordings on my camcorder (the breeze really shook my dodgy cheap tripod and it was difficult to use it to line up the shots - should have taken my big manfrotto really). Saw a female Goosander but she didn't stay long - there were a lot of canoeists using the river (there's a canoe club nearby) so the birds were rather disturbed.
I walked on up to the automatic sluice, passing a Reed Bunting in a bush and crossing the river at the Essex Record Office and then walking back down to Springfield Lock along the little stub of the canal, still frozen over. I stopped on the bridge there to watch the Little Grebes (looking down on the river from the other side from where I watched the Tufted Ducks/Little Egret...) then walked on along the footpath to Chelmer Village, spotting a Fieldfare flying overhead as I crossed the rough grass. In the middle of the area some trees and bushes held a number of Blackbirds, a female Chaffinch and House Sparrow both wet from bathing, a male Chaffinch and some Magpies.
Through the tunnel under the main road, I spotted a Sparrowhawk flying over the retail park. Then, turning off at the Harvester down Mill Vue Road, I passed Barnes Mill and took the footpath through the horse paddocks ("Morning lads!") to the river and continued east beside the river to Sandford Lock, a Grey Heron standing in the fields off to the south and lots of Great and Blue Tits in the Willows. I could see Cormorants and Gulls flying over the fishing lake at Manor Farm off to the south and decided to head there. I crossed the little footbridge to Sandford Mill Road and took the footpath on the right past the cottages that leads to Manor Farm and the little reservoir there. The reservoir was iced over but I saw a bird fly across to a willow, just a glimpse but it really looked very much like a Kingfisher. Unlikely given the ice and that I've not seen any around Chelmsford for a few months but it did really give the impression of one... very intriguing!
I saw a Wren in the trees as I circled the reservoir, this spot is a favoured territory I think as I often see Wrens in this little area, but otherwise very quiet, no Yellowhammers today. Great to see the tiny Wren had survived the cold though. As I walked along the farm track across the field from the fishing lake I could see sixteen Cormorants at the far bank, many holding out their wings in the sunshine. On the near bank a number of Gadwall were feeding on the field edge, a male Wigeon amongst them (first one I've seen in the local area). Also on and around the lake I could see lots of Coots, Moorhens, BH Gulls, some Tufted Ducks, a Grey Heron, a Little Egret and a pair of Red Crested Pochard! I only recently saw some captive Red Crested Pochards on the wildfowl pond at Blakeney quay but had never seen them in the wild before. I had to take some shaky footage on my camcorder to check at home since they were so far away and having watched it: yes, definitely Red Cresteds!
There were lots of gulls gathered on a nearby field but those were the last birds I really saw on the walk... I headed home very pleased indeed - two lifers and three new species I'd not seen around Chelmsford before.
