Lovely town reserve dawn walk (1 Viewer)

Lovely town reserve dawn walk - Essex

Warning: you won't read about unusual or rare birds in this posting... if you're after shrikes, shearwaters or cattle egrets then you might want to look elsewhere.

I took a dawn walk into Chelmsford town (Essex, south-east England for those that don't know) to the Chelmer Valley nature reserve this morning, partly to try out my new binoculars that I got yesterday, partly because I wanted to take advantage of the good weather and get some fresh air after a couple of days feeling rough and also because I really wanted to see what I'd find at the reserve before many people started appearing. It was a good decision as I had a great time!

Walking into town I saw lots of regulars, carrion crows and magpies, wood pigeons and collared doves, but as I reached Tesco at Springfield Road in town a kingfisher flew out from by the bridge and headed along the river northwards! I've seen kingfishers here a few times, even though it's in town and a lot of people use the footpaths here there are plenty of overhanging trees that they like. A good start!

Heading northwards and keeping an eye out for the kingfisher I passed lots of the usual mallards, a white duck, moorhens, a robin in the bushes singing madly and at the weir more mallard and a pair of mute swans feeding on plants growing in the fast-moving water coming over the weir. Crossing the footbridge and passing through a wooded area where I'd seen a possible nightingale last time, I heard a chiffchaff and lots of blue tits were calling in the trees overhead (the horse chestnuts all seem to have some kind of rust though, not good to see) and seemed to be feeding on buds on small twigs taken from the tree - at least I think they were, they were stripping something from the twigs but I couldn't quite see what (didn't think they did that but it was definitely a twig). Grey squirrels scurried through the branches overhead and I spent a little time watching some rabbits that let me approach very closely as they munched on grass beside the path. I got a very good view through my bins, really nice.

Passing more rabbits and walking under the railway viaduct and entering the reserve proper, I paused to watch more blue tits and some great tits in a tree they always seem to hang out in, then headed into the main wooded area and found myself surrounded by singing robins. There were lots of other birds hidden high up amongst the foliage whose songs I couldn't identify (am hopeless at bird song, just starting). Walking through the woods amongst the willows and poplars I paused under a big oak to watch carrion crows and magpies feeding on the playing fields next to the reserve, and more rabbits feeding under cover of the edge of the treeline. More unknown birds overhead, really need to work on my song 'ear'!

All through the reserve I could hear the yaffling of green woodpeckers, although this visit I didn't see them. It's one of those sounds that instantly brings me out in a grin though - same with the hammering of great spotteds that I hear near work sometimes. A small warbler flew into a white poplar nearby and then flew off again, I think it was a Chiffchaff but it didn't sing. I managed to grab a photo, although it was partly obscured by a branch (see attached).

Walking the mown riverside path it was too cool and shaded for the dragonflies to be out but I did see a warbler off in a hawthorn across the river and some of the resident long-tailed tits at the top of a white poplar. Very dewy there, I got soaked feet but was good to be beside the river. Struck off into the strip of wood along a rough path, lots of cut branches piled up, I think it's one they're clearing as I found fallen trees partly blocking the way and overgrown hawthorns made it a very nature'y' walk as I pushed past them and the nettles. ||

Starting to flag I headed back along the woodland paths towards the viaduct, passing all the robins and tits again and I paused for a white on a bridge near the viaduct, where I saw a kingfisher dart along the river southwards (probably the same one), scared off probably by the two canoeists who followed a short while later, forcing their way through some fallen willows that were in the river. Walking on back into town I had one last good moment when I saw a jay with an acorn up in a willow, looking for a crevice to stuff it into.

Do experienced birders still enjoy these experiences? Seeing the kingfisher is probably something that most birdwatchers would enjoy, but do you get to a stage where you've seen so many tits and crows that you just ignore them completely? Before now I always used my camera to look at birds with the telephoto lens fitted, but I tended to not really watch birds that closely, especially common birds like tits and starlings and crows, just fire off a few shots at them, but watching through binoculars now that I have a usable pair was a revelation as the clarity meant I could see details I hadn't seen before, and when I saw small birds in the trees I could stand a much better chance of identifying them. It was so good to watch the blue tits hopping around the branches and the rabbits, squirrels and thrushes on the grass. Perhaps not an outstanding 'birding' day in the sense that I didn't see anything unusual or particularly notable, but a very, very satisfying walk indeed! :t:

Yes, F - we experienced birders still enjoy days like these.
Thanks for sharing.
Nice Chiffchaff BTW.
H

Yes, agree with H, this is great bread and butter birding, something we should never tire of! Nice report and I definitely never tire of seeing Kingfisher or Jays. (Great photo btw)

Thanks halftwo and Deborah. :hi:

I guess that when you only really hear about experienced birders talking about rare or special birds you kinda get the impression that those are what experienced birders watch. It's good to know that the everyday bird and wildlife experiences are still enjoyed - interest in them does need reinvigorating sometimes, I think that finally getting a usable pair of binoculars has done that for me, it was wonderful to watch the starlings and blue tits so closely through them.

That's because, on the rare occasions we see rare birds we tend to talk about them. But that doesn't happen nearly as often as I'd like - so I report about the usual (and sometimes unusual) patch stuff.
Despite several hours in the field today the best I could muster was a Green sandpiper and two Ravens (plus the "usual" Hobby or two.)
Despite seeing the same stuff almost daily I'm rarely not enjoying myself.
Had the weather been a little more inspiring I might have felt compelled to write about it.

Don't think I've seen any of those yet... may have seen ravens about somewhere but not recognised them though. The only place I've been that is a wader 'spot' is Cley Marshes, but didn't see any sandpipers there... that I recognised. Saw so much there that I was overloaded though - someone said I'd jumped in at the deep end and in terms of quantity and quality they were probably right but boy it really got me hooked!

I guess the good thing about writing about things you see regularly is that because everyone's patch is a bit different there may be birds you find common (Hobbys perhaps) that others would give their eye teeth to see, and vice versa. It means that someone would enthuse about how good it must be to see such-and-such and you might realise that a bird you almost take for granted (well, not quite... you know what I mean I'm sure) would maybe be seen fresh again as something special.

Looks like you had a nice day fozzy I've seen kingfishers in different places for the last 3
days don't think i will ever tire of them
if your looking for wader spots in Essex Mistley walls is an excellent spot and has the advantage that you don't have to walk far another good spot is the rspb reserve stour estuary near wrabness although there is a bit of walking required and although i've never been old hall marshes is supposed to be good
cheers

Have intended to visit Mistley for a while - I've been up that way, I did some walking around the Stour and Copperas woods near Wrabness some time ago and saw lots of birds out in the distance but haven't really been to the estuary area there yet, other than looking out from the train!

I don't think I'll be lacking places to visit just yet! :t:

Great tale that thanks Fozzy :t:

Love your writing style by the way, although 'not there' I feel as if I've had the walk with you.

Appreciated - obviously a great Birding Day.


Neil.

Thanks Neil, it really was a good day but then I don't think I've had a bad trip there yet.

Last weekend I went there early in the morning and spent quite some time watching a green woodpecker down on the path probing away at the grass at the path edge while another called and flew around overhead - wonderful! I didn't manage to photograph him/her as I didn't want to disturb the bird by getting my camera out of my backpack (but it was too early and dim under the trees for photography anyway).

I walked out onto some rough ground beside the reserve and the sun was just rising through a very thin mist, turning this unloved area into a beautiful sight, the teasels backlit by the sun and showing off their decoration of cobwebs. I walked through the footpaths here, watching crows rowing overhead and wood pigeons dart across like hawks, with the chattering of tits in the hawthorns bordering the reserve. At the end of the footpath a broken tree line edges playing fields, a place where I've watched magpies and crows feeding on the football pitches and in the under brush a sprawling rabbit warren can be found, the rabbits often seen feeding under the cover at the edge of the woods. I secreted myself in amongst the trees and watched a group of five or six rabbits feeding, only one bold enough to venture out into the open. Two blundered out of the woods near where I stood and quickly headed back again, but the others were not bothered, nor the song thrush and the dunnock and robin feeding nearby.

When dog walkers put an end to the rabbit's breakfast I walked back into the reserve and into a stand of willows near the river, surrounded by the sound of robins and blue tits and other birds, with the breeze gently ruffling the leaves overhead. Then, as I stood still on the path, a wren flew down to a low branch nearby, bobbed back and forth a little and flew away... but not before I took a couple of photos - yes! My first wren photo and a real buzz to get a good view of a lovely tiny little bird.

I walked around the mown riverside paths, getting very wet shoes and watching another wren in amongst the thistles before I started walking back. I chatted briefly with a guy about the birds here and he said he'd seen great spotted woodpeckers tapping on the metal of the electricity poles! I've not seen spotted's here yet but hope to at some point and pretty cool to hear they are metal tappers, something I'd seen on Springwatch.

Carrying on through the woods, I leant against a hawthorn under a wide canopy of trees and listened to the sounds around, just chilling out really and waiting to see if anything would show itself. After a few minutes a robin flitted down to sit on a branch in the tree right in front of me. I'd thought a little earlier upon hearing all the robins that I hadn't actually ever taken a photograph of a robin and vowed that I really must do, and here I was with my camera and an agreeable subject right in front of me! The only problem was the light, being so dim under the trees, but I had a go anyway and the image stabilisation of my lens was a godsend, cancelling out the camera shake. The motion of the robin as he bobbed about was a problem, but I managed to get one pretty sharp shot before he flew away. Brilliant! Big grin!

I walked on through the woods, a green woodpecker flying down to land on an electricity pole (which I noticed has a fair amount of pecking damage - obviously a pole to keep an eye on!) so I tried for a photo, but the bird was backlit and partly obscured by tree foliage that I couldn't get around so you can't see much. I guess it's atmospheric though and 'a' shot is far, far better than no shot at all... it's a start!

After that I carried on, watching some big garden cross spiders rebuilding their webs (and accidentally blundering into one... sorry Mr. Spider!), and headed back into town, pausing at the edge of the reserve to photograph a very friendly song thrush that seemed pretty unconcerned about my presence compared to most thrushes that I see. He stood still in a lovely pose for me to take a photograph, the stabilisation again saving my bacon in the dim light under the trees. Then it was back into town and the bustle of modern life... but with a little more of a spring in my step!

And also, yesterday I visited the reserve early afternoon and although it was fairly quiet (the middle of the day doesn't seem a brilliant time for watching birds in wooded areas from my experience) I spent some time watching common hawker dragonflies, a brown hawker-like dragon with small areas of red, especially at the base nodules of the wings and as I watched magpies on the playing fields a grey heron flew overhead, calling once - actually the first one I've seen in the local area, although I know lots at around and many people I know have seen them around.

It's always frustrating when you've not seen a bird that most people have and is fairly common, so it's rather exciting when you finally do, both for the wow factor of seeing it for the first time (although I've seen herons around elsewhere in the country) and the joy of knowing you've finally seen a local one. Walking along the river watching the common hawkers there the heron flew over again, looking like it was dropping to the meadow where some horses are grazed. I carefully walked through the trees towards where I thought it would be and could glimpse a white 'stick' off in the distance behind the teasels. Finding an angle with a clear view I could see it fairly well through my binoculars, very distant but clearly a heron and not a stick. Lovely to see them here, another bird I'll have to keep an eye out for. ||

I always 'wow' when I see a Grey Heron Fozzy, especially when in flight - such striking and intense looking birds!

Enjoying reading this thread - and the Robin photo is excellent!

:t:

Keep it going.

Neil.

Thanks Neil. I actually visited the reserve again on Sunday as it was a lovely day and after seeing good close views of Common Hawker dragonflies on Friday I wanted to try for a photo if I could before they all disappeared. I didn't get lucky with the hawkers, although there were certainly a number around. Walking along the river near the Canoe Club in town I heard a "zweei!" call and saw a little yellowish warbler. I managed to get a few photos of it when it wasn't in the midst of the thicket or on the river side and I think it's a chiffchaff but certainly much yellower than I realised they can be!

I often wander over to the weir near Victoria Road at the south end of the reserve for a look as you frequently see ducks, moorhens or mute swans there but was amazed to find instead a grey wagtail! It was very unexpected to find one there and fantastic to see. I managed to take some photos of it feeding on the weir, one of which I posted in the gallery and I'll add another to this post. Mr Waggie got a little camera shy and flew off after a bit though, heading downstream towards the town in that lovely bounding flight that is so typically wagtail.

I walked on into the reserve and stopped to photograph a young rabbit in a grassy sward beside the footpath, it was completely unconcerned by the steady stream of people passing by and was happily sat munching the grass. I took some photographs from a bench at the edge of the grass but when I tried to get a little closer the rabbit quickly bounded away with a flash of it's white fluffy tail. I carried on into the wooded part of the reserve, slowly strolling along the mown grassy path winding along beside the river, just unwinding from work and enjoying the sound of the wind in the trees and the shifting dappled light - one reason I love to visit this place is the way it relaxes me: I always feel so refreshed after walking here. More towns should have places in their hearts like this - they are so good for the well-being of the inhabitants!

At the end of the first part of the mown path is a seating area at a footbridge and another, more natural-looking, weir... where a grey wagtail was bobbing about on the boulders! The same one returning, or could it be another individual? I don't know but it headed off upstream away from the town as I approached. Knowing there were no more weirs nearby I decided to wait and see if it would return, so I sat down on the river bank in a fairly unobtrusive place a little way from the weir. I sat there for about an hour, just listening to the water and the rustling of the trees. A very calming time indeed... but no more wagtail sightings. Another species to look out for in future.

I followed the next section of mown path along the river, not really seeing much just enjoying the atmosphere and the peace, which is lessened in the week when more people are around and the noise of the nearby university campus and industrial units invades the reserve a little. I spotted a few robins, great tits and blue tits around and heard crows calling in the distance but for once the green woodpeckers were pretty silent, only once did I hear a distant sound that 'may' have been a greenie, but I couldn't be sure. I certainly found plenty of woodpecker activity, I saw lots of holes in trees and in some of the electricity poles that cross the reserve and I know that great spotteds are supposedly seen here too.

At the north end of the reserve I passed some workmen who were installing electrical cables in a very small trench, not in the reserve I think though... it's a pretty large natural area here but only part of it is an actual nature reserve. Walking through the wooded area where I'd previously had a wren close encounter and onto the path by the river where the main dragonfly activity is found I was dismayed to see not a single one. Past an alder where I'd seen a beautiful common hawker sat on a thistle on Friday and around the corner towards where the grey heron had stood across the other side of the river I did find a beautiful common darter sitting on a leaf in the middle of the path, brown bodied with red down the middle of his abdomen and red spots at the wing bases. I used my macro lens to get some close shots and even managed to get a reasonable face shot - he was very unconcerned, taking a look at me and just flying a couple of times and returning to the same leaf. As I moved away he flew onto my backpack, which I'd set down nearby and sat there for a little while. Wildlife seems to like that bag, I've already had a shrew searching for food in it! :t:

I walked back through the other open wooded part of the reserve, seeing a jay, some more robins and other small birds (what was that?! Oh, it's gone...) and then back into town, checking the weirs one more time... just in case.

Another great 'episode' there Fozzy - I really do enjoy reading these - you've a great writing style and it does feel like you 'are actually there' - James Herriott had that knack - I'm not trying to flatter here, just to say that these are good reads!

Love the photos too by the way - excellent! :t:

Neil.

Thanks Neil, glad you like the posts and the pics. I wrote that last one in a bit of a hurry as I made dinner so I've just gone through and tidied up some parts of it, mainly where the language suggested I'd seen things on Sunday but actually was referring to previous sightings.

No probs. Fozzy - I put a link to this thread on my forum (hope you don't mind) - Click Here To View - and yes... I DO really like this thread, otherwise I wouldn't have forwarded this - but I'm happy to share it with folk on that forum because they are all 'bird nuts' too, so I'm happy to see what they all reckon.


:t:

Neil.

Brilliant!!!!!!!!

I have just subscribed to this thread! I can walk with you all the way!

halftwo said:

That's because, on the rare occasions we see rare birds we tend to talk about them. But that doesn't happen nearly as often as I'd like - so I report about the usual (and sometimes unusual) patch stuff.

Click to expand...

It's the patch stuff that keeps me going too Fozzy. Had two new birds on my patch last month, osprey and raven, pleased about both.

Keep those eyes peeled and keep up the reports too.:t:

Joanne

Thanks Neil, wetlandswedge and Joanne. I remember watching a Bloddie 'How to Watch Wildlife' episode all about his local patch at Hampstead Heath and thought that was quite cool, to keep going back time and again to really get to know a place well - I didn't think I'd find somewhere that I could do that here in Chelmsford... but I was wrong of course! ||

I didn't get to the reserve last week but made a dawn trip there this morning in the heavy mists, leaving at 6.30am to the sound of robins singing in the trees. I took my usual route into town, along the river past the canoe club where last time I saw a chiffchaff in the shrubs. I watched some blue tits there for a little while and then as I moved on I heard a loud 'PLOP!' in the water nearby... just a fish or could it have been a water vole? Difficult to tell although I think it was a little early for fish to be taking food from the surface and it sounded not quite like the usual fish surfacing... I'll never know for sure but would be nice to think there are still water voles here, despite there being mink in the area.

I carried on along the river, keeping a hopeful eye out for kingfishers but not seeing any today. I stopped to watch the ducks and squirrels near the swimming pool and then as I crossed the main road I saw a rabbit nibbling grass in the verge, much closer to the road than I'd seen any before. I rested on the railings for a minute or two, a robin flitting about around the rabbit before flying off, followed by the rabbit soon after. Checking the weir (no grey wagtails today) I crossed over the river at the footbridge, hearing the usual blue tits in the trees off to the right. At the railway viaduct I paused to watch a robin in a tree and a green woodpecker flew overhead and into a nearby black poplar tree, yaffling from his high perch on the trunk.

Under the viaduct and on into the reserve I passed a tree full of long-tailed tits and as the path turned left into the wooded area some blue and great tits were calling in their usual favoured tree, beneath which a rabbit was sitting but fled at the approach of a dog and walker. I passed into the woods, taking a track through the trees and by another flock of long-tailed tits - another sign that winter must be drawing closer. Leaving the woods and walking into the rough open ground to the east I decided to explore the area at the old reservoir, which sits in a raised earthworks. Lots of wild rose bushes and scrubland are found here and I saw crows and pigeons overhead while blackbirds, dunnocks, blue tits and great tits fed on the ground beneath the bushes.

Circling around the reservoir I entered a small track that meandered through the deep thicket of bushes and lots of small birds flitted about. One in particular caught my eye and raising my binoculars to check... YES! a Goldcrest! A tiny bird that I'd not seen before, one that I particularly wanted to see too! An almost unbelievably tiny speck of feathers with a bright yellow stripe on her head, she twitched back and forth for a few seconds and then was gone in a flurry of tiny wings. Superb!

I walked on in high spirits, closely watching the bushes for more sightings, but although there were plenty of tits I didn't see the Goldcrest again. I walked on past a long row of conifers (the reason for the Goldcrest's presence maybe) where a jay was burying nuts and also, I think, rose hips. On through a gap in a hedge and into the neighbouring park and across the football pitches, circling around to the reserve again. No rabbits to be seen under the trees today but a robin was heard chip-chipping it's alarm call as I approached.

Under the old oak and back to the riverside path, passing another rabbit I strolled along the mown footpath and watched the horses grazing in the meadow across the river, wondering at the huge number of thistle seed heads they all carried in their manes and tails, giving them a curly-haired look from a distance. I stood looking around at the misty light through the trees and took a few photos of the horses and the trees before walking back towards town along the main path, pausing once or twice to watch great tits and robins up in the poplars.