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River Stort 2011 (1 Viewer)

markpie

Well-known member
United Kingdom
Hi all,

Thought I'd revive my updates on the River Stort this year, as I intend to visit this place regularly. My reports will mostly be for the stretch between Bishop's Stortford and Sawbridgeworth; however, there will probably be occasions where I travel down to the other end where it joins the River Lee, or even times where I decide to walk the whole way.

I'll start this off with my first visit, and in fact first birding session, of the year.

9/1/11

The sun had finally come out! The sky was a smooth bright blue as opposed to the glum overcast conditions we've had since the New Year. The glorious sun was even blinding me a little as I made my way through the town to the river. The first bird I saw was a little Wren flittering amongst the shrubbery on the other side of the water, followed soon afterwards by some House Sparrows, Collared Doves, Feral Pigeons and a Woodpigeon (where was the Stock Dove I wonder?)

As I passed Southmill Lock and the pretty cottage there, I realised that quite a lot of other people had decided to take advantage of the gap in the bad weather, taking their screaming kids and barking dogs out for a not-very-peaceful Sunday afternoon stroll. Unsurprisingly, the first part of my walk turned out fewer birds than normal, with just the usual Mallards and Moorhens sighted on the water adjacent to the nature reserve Rushy Mead, and Great Tits and Blue Tits hopping about in the trees overhead.

Having gone beyond Twyford Lock, however, things started to pick up; a flock of around 15 Redwings made themselves known in the tall trees, as well as a small flock of Goldfinches, one of my favourite birds to view with their funny red faces and gorgeous soft golden bodies. A pair of Collared Doves were perched romantically near the top of a tree, and some Black-headed Gulls flew overhead.

A little further on I heard the horrid screeching sound of a Jay some way off, and managed to see the silhouette fly down a few branches of a large bare tree as the sun was descending, turning the light from a pale yellow to a rich gold. I decided to swiftly walk to the next lock at Spellbrook and then to start heading back. A few other birds added to the list were a group of 4 Coots, a couple of Blackbirds and Magpies.

The return journey in the fading light produced some more interesting species, including 2 Little Grebes (I often see these in the Winter here but was starting to think they were absent as they weren't in their usual place near Spellbrook), a few Fieldfares overhead, a single Grey Wagtail at Twyford Lock showing off its handsome lemon-yellow belly, and some Pied Wagtails.

All in all an average turn-out. Sadly no Kingfishers were seen, maybe next time when it's a little quieter. Some pictures are to follow.

List total: 21

Little Grebe
Mallard
Moorhen
Coot
Black-headed Gull
Woodpigeon
Feral Pigeon
Collared Dove
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Jay
Redwing
Fieldfare
Blackbird
House Sparrow
Wren
Grey Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Goldfinch
 
9/1/11 Pictures of the Collared Doves and a Coot.
 

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1/2/11

Today, I walked from Sawbridgeworth to Stortford along the river after catching the train from London. Weather was mainly dull and overcast, although there were gaps in the clouds which created a few peach-coloured clouds along with patches of blue sky.

At first things were pretty quiet. There was a medium-sized flock of Long-tailed Tits fluttering around me, all making their high-pitched call, along with a few Woodpigeons. Heading out of Sawbridgeworth, the usual group of Feral Pigeons were hanging out under the railway bridge, and a few Moorhens were on the river's surface.

From here to Tednambury Lock, species seen included Great Tits, Carrion Crows, Black-headed Gulls flying quite high overhead and large flocks of Woodpigeons and Jackdaws. In the field next to the lock was a group of around 40 Canada Geese wandering about casually, with a couple of Carrion Crows for company.

THe next stretch to Spellbrook Lock produced a few more birds including a couple of Blackbirds, a flying Grey Heron and Blue Tits. At Spellbrook, a pair of Jays flew from behind me and over to the trees on the other side of the river.

Slightly further along, the Little Grebes were busy diving under the water; one daren't even stay up for a second when it kept seeing me on the bank, so I made my way swiftly onwards. A Green Woodpecker flew into the trees on the other side, and some Blue Tits and Moorhens were on spotted on my side (there's quite a bit of water under the trees here). Next birds of note were a Kestrel perching on the wires as I've often seen it doing and some Fieldfares in the bare tree tops. Approaching Twyford Lock, other birds added to the list were Magpie and Wren.

On to the final stretch, both Mistle Thrush and Song Thrush were seen; the former in a small group calling out their rattle sounds in the woods, the latter singing out from its perch as the light was fading fast. The usual Mallards, Moorhens and Coots were on the water, and Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen.

Total: 24

Little Grebe
Grey Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Coot
Moorhen
Kestrel
Black-headed Gull
Woodpigeon
Feral Pigeon
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Fieldfare
Wren
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Jackdaw
Jay
Carrion Crow
Magpie
 
5/2/11

I fancied a longer walk today, despite the windy and dull conditions.

I got to the river at around 11am, and soon saw a Blackbird, Great Tits, Collared Doves and a Moorhen. At Southmill Lock, several Mistle Thrushes and Woodpigeons flew from the field to the left up into the trees, in which I also saw a flock of lovely Long-tailed Tits a few minutes later. The usual Mallards, Moorhens and Coots were present on the water. No Kingfishers seen yet again.

Past Twyford Lock, a mixed flock of Chaffinches and Goldfinches were seen underneath the shrubbery on the other bank washing themselves in the small puddles. A little further along, I saw another finch on my side of the river, but this one was streaky on its breast and nape - a female Siskin. This was a nice surprise as I hadn't seen any this winter. A whole group of them took to the air and landed in the tree opposite me. I viewed them with my binoculars whilst they fed themselves; there were some rather dashing males in the flock. After these, things fell pretty silent for a while until I reached the brick footbridge situated a bit before Spellbrook Lock. In between these, I managed to see a flock of 8 Redwings fly to several trees along the bank before departing the area altogether, and a quick glimpse of a Little Grebe before it dived.

Beyond Spellbrook Lock, the Canada Geese were present on the field opposite me, right next to the river, as opposed to the field leading up to the cottage. I counted 64 individuals, which was a lot more than it looked at first sight.

Further along, past Tednambury Lock and approaching Sawbridgeworth, a Robin was singing away right next to the path. It wasn't phased at all when I walked straight past it; I decided not to stop, so it could go on uninterrupted. I saw a few urban species when I reached Sawbridgeworth, including House Sparrows, Feral Pigeons and a small flock of Starlings flying over some rooftops, performing their marvellous display despite the low number of individuals.

Coming out of Sawbo, I made my way along the path adjacent to Pishiobury Park. I scanned the bit of water in the field on the opposite side of the river, and saw a Mute Swan and some Black-headed Gulls. As I continued to look through my bins, a flock of small ducks entered my view and landed on the small lake - Teal! That was unexpected. Quite a good number of them too, though I couldn't hazard a guess. Their visit was breif, as they took to the air again towards the Lee Valley. I ventured into Pishiobury Park only for a little bit, and saw some Rabbits but not very much birdwise. I soon rejoined the Stort and continued towards Harlow.

Having walked past Feakes Lock, I walked along the path without seeing anything of interest. When I came out into the open, I looked out onto the waterlogged vegetation and spotted 6 hunched Grey Herons. Then all of a sudden a big white bird flew up from where they were standing, giving me my third nice surprise of the day. I followed the Little Egret in the sky as it flew round towards me and met up with another Egret that came out of nowhere. They both made a quick exit, but I was still thrilled with what I saw. A few seconds later a Lesser Black-backed Gull flew overhead.

Having reached Harlow Mill, I decided to end the walk on that high note (my legs were aching!) and so I caught the train back to Stortford.

Total: 30

Little Grebe
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Mallard
Teal
Moorhen
Coot
Black-headed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Woodpigeon
Feral Pigeon
Collared Dove
Blackbird
Mistle Thrush
Redwing
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Magpie
Starling
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Siskin
Robin
Wren
House Sparrow

Heard:

Skylark
Pheasant
Great Spotted Woodpecker
 
Pictures from the above outing.

1. Cottage near Tednambury Lock
2. Canada Goose in Sawbridgeworth
 

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12/03/11

Walked along the river from Sawbridgeworth to Stortford yesterday. Was pretty overcast but quite a few birds about.

At first, I saw a lot of common species, including Magpie, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Blue Tit and House Sparrow. As I was heading out of Sawbridgeworth, a Green Woodpecker flew close beside me and settled in a small tree.

From Sawbridgeworth to Tednambury Lock, plenty of Jackdaws were flying high overhead, as were a few Black-headed Gulls and a Herring Gull. At the lock, as if on cue, a gorgeous Grey Wagtail flew in and hopped around.

The next stretch to Spellbrook didn't show much apart from a Wren, a Blackbird and some Canada Geese, but shortly after the lock I managed to get great views of a singing Song Thrush and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. A Pheasant was heard but could not see it.

As I neared Twyford Lock, a cyclist stirred up a pair of Green Woodpeckers from the horse's field next to me which I had not seen until then. A mixed flock of Goldfinches and Chaffinches were also present.

The final stretch of the river produced a large flock of Redwing feasting on a field as well as some Mistle Thrushes.

Total: 27

Canada Goose
Mallard
Moorhen
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Woodpigeon
Feral Pigeon
Collared Dove
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Redwing
Robin
Wren
Grey Wagtail
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Starling
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
 
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