C.20 SWIFTS around Corner Hall / Two Waters

C.3 WHITETHROATS E of Howe Grove, Highfield

C.2 Juvenile GREY WAGTAILS with Adult at Water Gardens, Town Centre

1+ Juvenile PIED WAGTAIL with Male at Water Gardens, Town Centre - 1st of the year.

2 (Pair) MISTLE THRUSHES at Hemel Cricket Club

C.25 HOUSE MARTINS & GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER at E. Boxmoor

20+ SWIFTS at Two Waters / E. Boxmoor

HEDGEHOG at W Gadebridge Park near G'bridge Lane

KESTREL at Two Waters / Boxmoor

GREEN WOODPECKER at Keen's Field

GREAT TIT feeding chicks in nest hole in Horse Chestnut, Gadebridge Park.

2 (Pair) MISTLE THRUSHES at Keen's Field

2 MALLARDS NE over Keen's Field again

More MOORHEN chicks near Police station, Town Centre

Juvenile BLACKBIRD near Police station, Town Centre - 1st of the year.

2 (Pair) PIED WAGTAILS at Water Gardens

2 MOORHEN chicks at Water Gardens, Town Centre - 1st of the year.

COMMON TERN around Corner Hall / Two Waters

RED KITE over Boxmoor & GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER flying from Two Waters to Boxmoor

C.15 SWIFTS over Two Waters

RED KITE over Town Centre

WILLOW WARBLER singing at SW side of Keen's (Kings) Field, Adeyfield

WILLOW WARBLER - the first I've had in the Keen's Field area.

There seem to be more Willow Warblers around Hemel this Spring than usual, & all I've found have been singing.

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Quite a few HERRING GULLS & LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS around Corner Hall today, often calling & showing territorial behaviour.

2 (Pair) COMMON TERNS still around Boxmoor / Corner Hall / Two Waters, often perching on lamp post near B&Q.

LAPWING flying around fields between Bridens Camp, P.E.Pools & Water End

C.2 Male YELLOWHAMMERS, 2+ WHITETHROATS & C.4 SKYLARKS around Rape field b-w P.E.Pools & Bridens Camp

Yellowhammer in Rapeseed field at Thrift Wood, between Piccotts End Pools & Briden's Camp.

Peacock Butterfly at Thrift Wood.

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2 (Pair) of GREY WAGTAILS around the old Noake Mill at P.E.Pools

GARDEN WARBLER singing at Piccotts End Pools around green next to Gaddesden Hall

GARDEN WARBLER - 1st of the year & not often recorded in the Hemel area, though I'm sure there are more than we realise, particularly as their song is often very similar to that of the very common Blackcaps.

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3 BUZZARDS at P.E.Pools

2 (Pair) STOCK DOVES, RED KITE & SKYLARK at P.E.Pools

RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE singing & STOCK DOVE at P.E.Pools

Almost trod on a COMMON FROG!

Small Common Frog on the back of my hand at Piccotts End Pools.

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SPARROWHAWK & BUZZARD sharing a thermal at P.E.Pools, then Buzzard displaying.

YELLOW WAGTAIL at Piccotts End Pools

YELLOW WAGTAIL - possibly the Male from Wednesday (15/05/13) sticking around?

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REED BUNTING, LINNET, WHITETHROAT & GREEN WOODPECKER at Piccotts End Pools

KINGFISHER & KESTREL & Piccots End Pools

RED KITE over Town Centre

MUTE SWAN Cygnet at Water Gardens - 1st of the year.

Road casualty HEDGEHOG at Piccotts End Village

HEDGEHOG - definitely don't see as many hedgehogs compared to 15 years back, & when I do they are usually squashed!

Here is a photo of a Hedgehog in Leverstock Green I took back in 2010. A least this one remembered to 'Stop, look, & Listen'...

Why did the Hedgehog cross the road?
Hedgehog, Leverstock Green, 23/04/2010

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2 LITTLE OWLS calling / singing to one another across fields at Piccotts End, NE of village, 19.25

2 LITTLE OWLS - not seen or heard for a good while near the Piccotts End Pools probably due to disturbance by work carried out at Gaddesden Hall & the actual fish farm pools, L. Cura & Sons. Maybe these birds are the same individuals & have moved to this location?

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Male KESTREL around P.E.Pools

2+ YELLOWHAMMER (1 singing), WHITETHROAT & RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE singing at NE. Piccotts End

Adult HERRING GULL N over P.E.Pools

GREEN WOODPECKER & GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER at P.E.Pools

KINGFISHER & 2 (Pair) STOCK DOVES at P.E.Pools

LAPWING calling at Piccotts End Pools

Male YELLOW WAGTAIL, & REED BUNTING singing at Piccotts End Pools

Total of Wagtails included...

• Male YELLOW WAGTAIL
• GREY WAGTAIL
• 2 PIED WAGTAILS

WHITETHROAT singing close to Corner Hall offices

WHITETHROAT singing at E. Boxmoor

2 (Pair) COMMON TERNS often perching on lamp post near B&Q & 2 (Pair) GREY WAGTAILS, at E. Boxmoor.

E. Boxmoor alive with aerial feeders - C.15 SWIFTS, C.20 HOUSE MARTINS & C.4 SWALLOWS.

Including a HOUSE MARTIN with white in its tail feathers & a SWALLOW with rusty toned underside.

This is my highest count of SWIFTS so far this year.

STARLING with food mimicking Jay alarm call whilst alarm calling at MAGPIE near nest site at Corner Halll offices.

3 (2 Ad. & 1 Imm.) HERRING GULLS, 2+ SWIFTS, & 2 MALLARDS E over at Keen's Field, Adeyfield this morning.

KINGFISHER, 2+ LINNETS, MISTLE THRUSH & SKYLARK at P.E.Pools

LAPWING calling & Male KESTREL at P.E.Pools

8 SWIFTS, REED BUNTING, LINNET & 2 (Pair) STOCK DOVES at P.E.Pools

HOBBY, RED KITE, BUZZARD & SPARROWHAWK at Piccotts End (Hobby heading towards Gadebridge)

Record shot of Hobby at Piccotts End.

HOBBY hunting low out of sight along the river at Piccotts End village then crossed then came over the hedge, crossing Leighton Buzzard Road, & continuing across the fields towards Gadebridge main. I was alerted to its presence a while before I could see it by the alarm calls of the SWALLOWS in the area.

Record shot of Hobby at Piccotts End.

The Hobby was 1 of 5 Raptor Species seen around the area over an hour or so.

• HOBBY
• KESTREL
• SPARROWHAWK
• BUZZARD
• RED KITE

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Possible 2nd Summer YELLOW-LEGGED GULL with LBB GULL N over Piccotts End 18.35

Possibly the same Possible YELLOW-LEGGED GULL seen on the 8th of April (see > HERE <) in the same area, also heading N with an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL.

KESTREL & RED KITE over Corner Hall / Boxmoor

SWIFT over Corner Hall

2 COMMON TERNS around Corner Hall, Two Waters & Boxmoor - often perching on lamp post near B&Q at Two Waters Way.

COMMON TERN W along canal at Corner Hall / Boxmoor

2 HERRING GULLS (1 Ad. & 1 2nd Sum.) over Corner Hall offices

STOCK DOVE flying between Two Waters & Hemel Cricket Club

WHITETHROAT heard from Corner Hall offices

2 COMMON TERNS over Two Waters / Corner Hall

4 SWIFTS & 2+ HOUSE MARTINS over Two Waters

WILLOW WARBLER singing at Two Waters

This is the 4th time I have heard a WILLOW WARBLER singing here over almost 3 weeks since the 23th of April - details > HERE <.

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TREECREEPER singing heard from Corner Hall offices

BRIMSTONE Butterfly at Hemel Cricket Club

WILLOW WARBLER & BLACKCAP singing at Hemel Cricket Club

WHITETHROAT & CHIFFCHAFF singing at E Boxmoor

WHITETHROAT singing at Hemel Cricket Club

This WHITETHROAT is probably the bird I was expecting to return to the few bushes near the reeds at Hemel Cricket Club, between the Two Waters Way canal bridge & the cricket nets, where they appeared to breed last year.

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RED KITE low over Corner Hall offices

WILLOW WARBLER singing at Two Waters

BUZZARD hovering extremely high over Boxmoor

WHITETHROAT singing heard from Corner Hall offices from direction of canal

KESTREL at Corner Hall / Boxmoor

MAGPIE actively hunting Male BLACKBIRD without success at Water Gardens opp. Premier Inn.

Seeing this MAGPIE chasing & trying to catch a Male BLACKBIRD today makes it the third time I have seen it actively hunting other adult birds, after seeing it in pursuit of Feral Pigeons on two occasions recently!

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ORANGE TIP, SMALL WHITE, LARGE WHITE & SPECKLED WOOD Butterflies at Keen's Field, Adeyfield

WHITETHROAT at Keens's Field, Abeyfield

3 SWIFTS near Queensway & Nickey Line, Highfield

3 SWIFTS - 1st of the year.

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2 (Pair) Adult HERRING GULLS at Pennine Way sports fields

This Pair of HERRING GULLS could possibly be breeding nearby & if so this would be the first confirmed record of Herring Gull breeding in Hemel.

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4 LINNETS (2 Pairs) at P.E.Pools

RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE singing & 2 (Pair) STOCK DOVES at P.E.Pools

3 YELLOW WAGTAILS at P.E.Pools

2 (Pair) YELLOW WAGTAILS, C.2 REED BUNTINGS & LAPWING at Piccotts End pools

WHITETHROAT singing at rough field near Warners End Wood, Gadebridge

3 SWALLOWS at Leverstock Green opp. Travel Lodge

RED KITE over Corner Hall offices

HOUSE MARTIN at Corner Hall offices

BUZZARD over Boxmoor / Apsley

Plenty of fish... at Hemel Cricket Club.

Noticed quite a few fish in the canal near Hemel Hempstead Cricket E of the Two Waters bridge this afternoon including...

3 COMMON CARP of around 1½ foot long,
C.15 BREAM between 8-12 inches long
& lots of small CHUBB.

Also in the last week there have been good numbers of what looked like ROACH near B&Q just W of the bridge.

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3 HOUSE MARTINS at Two Waters

BUZZARD over Boxmoor / Apsley

CHIFFCHAFF singing at K.Field, Adeyfield

BLACKCAP singing at K.Field, Adeyfield

WHITETHROAT singing at Keen's (Kings) Field, Adeyfield

2 CANADA GOOSE Goslings at Water Gardens - 1st of the year.

1st CANADA GOOSE Goslings of the year.

HERRING GULL mobbing SPARROWHAWK over Corner Hall offices

CHIFFCHAFF singing near Nickey Line at Queensway