Documenting surprising sightings, fascinating findings, & exciting encounters, with birds, wildlife, & other nature,
around Hemel Hempstead...

Explore & find out more about wildlife in this West Hertfordshire town. To return to the full homepage just click the banner above...

NEW SOCIAL MEDIA, & BLOG COMING SOON


Regular visitors will have noticed a decrease in posts to the HEMEL NATURE
blog - this is because I have been living & working out of the area, & due to the job my time out
& about with nature in Hemel is limited. I am working on a new blog to come soon & hope that the work that has gone into HEMEL NATURE will prove useful & interesting to those still visiting it.


In the mean time you can follow me at my new accounts on the following social media platforms...

Instagram @DanFWildlife > https://www.Instagram.com/DanFWildlife

Twitter @DanFWildlife > https://Twitter.com/DanFWildlife

Facebook I am still building on but you can still follow me none-the-less
by 'Likeing' the @DanFWildlife Page > https://www.Facebook.com/DanFWildlife

Many thanks for your support,

Dan.

Thursday 31 January 2013

Tuesday 22 January 2013

C.45 FIELDFARES S over Boxmoor & 2 feeding near Station Road bridge


COMMON GULL at Boxmoor


GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER at Boxmoor


2 CORMORANTS flying round Boxmoor & more FIELDFARES over S


RED KITE over Hemel Cricket Club


2 STOCK DOVES at Boxmoor


10 FIELDFARES SE over Boxmoor


3 CORMORANTS W over & 1 on canal at Boxmoor


11 FIELDFARES S over Boxmoor


RED KITE over Roughdown Common


LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at Corner Hall offices - first for some time.


SISKIN singing quietly (subsong?) in Alders at college near Old Town


Female PEREGRINE at Winter roost on BT building, Town Centre


2nd Winter HERRING GULL at Water Gardens


Sunday 20 January 2013

REED BUNTING at Great Gaddesden


KINGFISHER, & MEADOW PIPIT in river, at Water End near Red Lion


C.35 TEAL, C.10 SNIPE, C.20 LAPWINGS, C.15 MEADOW PIPITS & GREY WAGTAIL at Great Gaddesden


5 TEAL (3 Drakes) at Water End flood meadows


WATER RAIL calling at Water End on river S of 'S-bend' bridge


LITTLE EGRET & LAPWING at Water End flood meadows


GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER & BUZZARD at Gadebridge Park


WATER RAIL squealing at Water End S of 'S-bend' bridge - 2nd time heard calling there today.


REDWINGS at Gadebridge Park


REED BUNTING, YELLOWHAMMER, 5+ MEADOW PIPITS & 2 SNIPE at Water End


MEADOW PIPIT in river at very busy Gadebridge (Winter Olympics) Park


Sunday 6 January 2013

HEMEL MEGA: MERLIN at Piccotts End Pools!


At about 14.50, stood on the footpath at Piccotts End Pools trying to pick out anything interesting from the grey scene before me, I was alerted by the rather desperate calls of a GREY WAGTAIL. I needed Grey Wag for my Hemel Year List so I scanned across the pools to try & find the bird. As I scanned the horizon left to right, looking for the Wagtail in the air, I noticed a fast moving bird enter my field of view from my left, which in that instant appeared to be a Thrush, in fact I expected it to be a Fieldfare. At this moment small birds that I hadn't noticed were scattering everywhere, alarm calling, & as the bird snapped into HD in my binoculars I instantly realised this 'Thrush' was infact a MERLIN!

It was flying very fast & straight along the hedgerow heading S downstream, over the far edge of the pools. It flew with almost constant, very quick, 'hurried-looking' wing-beats the whole time, & only very short glides, quite unlike the Male Sparrowhawk's more controlled wing beats & long glides. It appeared incredibly small for a raptor, very much larger-Thrush-sized, looking more compact overall in comparison to a Male Kestrel, appearing more stocky-bodied (more like a mini-Peregrine in build but more 'sharp-edged'), less long-tailed & less long-winged, in fact the wings looked very triangular, appearing to almost stick straight out from the body with next-to no wrist, almost like a Starling or Skylark! Unfortunately the poor light meant that colour-wise it just appeared overall grey/brown & a bit paler below but judging by the very small size & compact shape of the bird it had to be a Male.

It carried on S at about hedge-top height, then lower as it flew over the rough grass of the sheep field to the S, up over the Three Valleys Water water treatment site, then out of view. It was heading straight for the rough fields to the S which has potential be a decent hunting area for a Merlin, but on searching I had no more luck. The sighting was in all only about 10 seconds, but they were 10 brilliant seconds & a fantastic addition to my local list.






13 COMMON GULLS S over Piccotts End Pools


8 STOCK DOVES at Piccotts End Pools


2 LITTLE EGRETS & 1 SISKIN at Piccotts End Pools


C.40 COMMON GULLS heading S towards Gadebridge Park with many circling over flood


C.7 COMMON GULLS on flood at Gadebridge Park


Unusually bold JAY down to a few Metres on Queensway opposite Jet garage