What follows relates to my own "local patch" wildlife sightings for last year, 2009.

December 2009

Awalk on the morning of the 10th produced a good selection (37) of birds seen and/or heard, with the pick being at least 5 Corn Buntings in the Hatchpen Farm area. Yellowhammers were plentiful in the Reed/Therfield area, with at least 150 seen in a number of large and small flocks. At least 4 Sparrowhawks were seen, no doubt attracted by the "bonanza" of small birds in the area, and a flock of 60 Fieldfares was encountered on the Icknield Way, but again Redwings were in short supply. A series of sightings by others of a "ringtail" Hen Harrier in the area were reported during the month. Blizzard conditions on the night of 17/18th produced some spectacular, wintry conditions on the 18th with about 5 inches of snow very unevenly distributed on the ground and the north-east facing trunks of trees and bushes coated with a thin line of snow and ice (very picturesque!). The wintry conditions persisted to the end of the month, with further snowfall in the following week followed by a steady thaw but with a biting wind. Redwings and Fieldfares formed nomadic groups in the area as they fed on remaining berries. Coal tits were regularly taking sunflower seeds from my feeders, but Greenfinches were noticeable by their absence, not just in my garden but throughout the area. My final walk of the year, on the last day of the year, produced over 40 species seen and/or heard, including a flock of 13 Corn Buntings at Hatchpen Farm, where at least 50 Yellowhammers mingled with upwards of 200 Chaffinches, as well as Goldfinches and Linnets. Several Buzzards were seen along the ridge between Reed and Therfield and a Bullfinch seen on Therfield Heath was my first for several months. At the end of the year my annual list of birds seen within 2 miles of my home stood at 75, one better than last year's record. The full list of sightings for 2009 is as follows:

Blackbird, Blackcap, Brambling, Bullfinch, Common Buzzard, Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Cormorant, Carrion Crow, Collared Dove, Stock Dove, Turtle Dove, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Spotted Flycatcher, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Canada Goose, Greenfinch, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Hen Harrier, Grey Heron, Hobby, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Red Kite, Lapwing, Skylark, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, House Martin, Barn Owl, Little Owl, Short-eared Owl, Grey Partridge, Red-legged Partridge, Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Wood Pigeon, Meadow Pipit, Golden Plover, Quail, Redwing, Robin, Rook, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Pied Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Wheatear, Whimbrel, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Wren, Yellowhammer.

November 2009

The dry weather in October meant a dearth of fungi to identify and photograph, but rain towards the end of the month and in the first week of November finally produced a decent crop, with a particularly fine selection around Reed End pond. No exciting rare birds were found locally this autumn (unlike last), but a walk on the 11th produced my fourth Red Kite sighting in four visits to the Therfield area. A very vocal Little Owl was seen near the "Little Chef" restaurant in Royston on the 10th. A Red Kite was seen yet again at Grays Farm off the Icknield Way on the 24th, but little else of interest could be detected in the area during the latter stages of the month, although a few "displaced" partridges were seen in odd places, presumably having fled the many game drives that take place locally at this time of year. Some large coveys of Grey Partridge were also seen to the north and east of Therfield, close to the Icknield Way. 

.October 2009

Two Ravens and a Red Kite were seen at Park Farm, on the northern edge of Therfield, on the 1st. This was my second sighting of Ravens in the area and my first of the year. Good numbers of Grey Partridge (45 in 5 coveys) were also seen on my return to Royston down the Icknield Way. Skylark and Meadow Pipit movements were noticeable, with birds passing over my house in various directions. Seven House Martins seen on the 8th were determinedly heading south, however. Two Red Kites were seen off the Icknield Way between Therfield and Royston on the 7th, when I also disturbed a single covey of 17 Grey Partridge and heard a Chiffchaff. On the 16th I flushed my first "local" Snipe from the edge of Reed End pond. Short-eared Owl and Ringtail Hen Harrier were seen just off the Icknield Way north of Therfield by Tony Cobb over the following weekend (I've seen the videos!), but my only sighting of note in this area was another Red Kite at the Royston end of this path on the 22nd. A walk on the 30th produced over 40 species seen and/or heard, including my 4th sighting of Red Kite this month. A "fresh" Painted Lady butterfly was seen and several species of fungi were sprouting around Reed End pond. There was still no sign of winter visitors (Fieldfare, Redwing, Brambling etc.) in continuing mild weather.

September 2009

Up to 12 Spotted Flycatchers were seen in two groups at either end of The Heath on the 1st, when Chiffchaff, Blackcap and several Willow Warblers were seen. A returning Wheatear was seen near Hatchpen Farm on the 3rd. Some fresh Comma butterflies and one Red Admiral were seen early in the month, but with the exception of Speckled Wood, butterfly numbers were tailing off rapidly. Very few nectaring flowers remained in pretty dry weather, although several patches of the late-flowering Devil's Bit Scabious were seen on The Heath. Two Whinchats were reported just off The Heath on the 11th, when a juvenile Marsh Harrier was still in the area. A walk on the 26th (after a fortnight on holiday) produced a few lingering Swallows and House Martins. A Chiffchaff was heard and Comma, Red Admiral and Peacock butterflies were still on the wing. A Cormorant flew over my house heading south-east early on the 29th, only my second ever sighting of this species in the area.

August 2009

Clouded Yellows were still present in good numbers on the 3rd, as well as fresh Brimstone, Peacock and Common Blue butterflies. A late evening walk on the 7th produced a Quail, calling from Newsells Park Stud Farm land at dusk, whilst nearby two Tawny Owls were very vocal. The following morning there was no sign of the Quail, but further up the hill towards Reed an extremely tatty "Ringtail" Harrier (confirmed as a Hen Harrier by experts after viewing the rather poor flight photos that I took!) flew westwards in the direction of Deadmans Hill (Sandon) where ringtail Montagus and Hen Harriers were later sighted on the same day. Some large finch flocks, incorporating up to 40 Linnets, were seen feeding on the abundant seeds available at this time of year. Clouded Yellow butterflies were spreading, with individuals seen in Therfield village, on Therfield Heath and in a Royston garden! On the 13th, after another photographic session on The Heath (probably my last of the summer) taking photographs of newly-emerged Common Blue and Brown Argus butterflies, I explored the area between Kelshall and Sandon, which has become a bit of a raptor "hot spot" recently. Four Marsh Harriers were seen between Coombe Road, Kelshall, and Deadmans Hill (eight were reported later in the afternoon). There was no sign on this occasion of other rare raptors that had been reported as being present in the area, but visits later in the month produced Red Kites as well as (on most occasions) Marsh Harriers and loads of Kestrels and Buzzards. I also had great views of a Fallow Deer Stag, which later lay down in a wheat field with just its antlers sticking up above the crop! On the 27th I had my first ever UK sighting of Quail as I flushed a couple from the bridalway that bisects (surprise, surprise) Hatchpen Farm, where hundreds of Red-legged Partridge had recently been released in readiness for the winter "shooting season". A Spotted Flycatcher was seen at Reed End, where Common and Ruddy Darter dragonflies were active. Speckled Wood butterflies were abundant throughout the region by the end of the month, but all other species (except for the common whites) were becoming very scarce.

July 2009

July began as June had ended, with very hot and muggy weather. The first Essex Skippers were noted on The Heath on the 4th and I also received a report and excellent photographic evidence of the presence of at least one colony of White-letter Hairstreak butterflies in the area. A total of eighteen butterfly species were seen on the Heath during photographic visits on the 6th and the 10th. A Common Blue Damselfly was seen on Church Hill and a Southern Hawker dragonfly was observed near the Rifle Range. Nearby, Kestrels were feeding young. By the end of the month Chalkhill Blues were widespread though not numerous across the Heath and its environs, and a small number of males and females were seen on Church Hill: an encouraging sign, given the disastrous years of 2007 and 2008. My first local Small Copper butterfly of the year was seen near Reed on the 28th, along with a Hobby. "Fresh" Painted Lady butterflies were everywhere. Yet again Hatchpen Farm produced my best bird record of the month on the 28th, when a Quail was heard calling several times from a field of oats there. On the 31st I received a phone call from Alan Beale, the local butterfly recorder for The Heath, to say that he had found a field full of Clouded Yellows. In fact, the local farmer had planted four fields with "Lucerne"/"Alfalfa", a cattle fodder crop and also a foodplant for Clouded Yellow caterpillars, and had told Alan that good numbers of Clouded Yellows (a normally rare migrant butterfly that arrives in varying numbers from the continent each year) were now in each of these fields! We were treated to the sight of several Clouded Yellow butterflies quartering one field, quite a surreal experience given the handful of local sightings that I have had over the years of this species. Given the size and number of the fields, hundreds of butterflies must have been involved: how they arrived remains an unanswered question!

June 2009

A Common Spotted Orchid was flowering on Therfield Heath on the 1st, when a few rather tatty Painted Lady butterflies were all that remained of the previous week's massive influx from the continent. House Martins were at last making their presence known. My second BTO/Herts Bird Club survey of NE Royston on the 8th again produced impressive numbers of House Sparrows, with a (conservative) estimate for the tetrad of 200 birds (there may have been far more). The birds seemed to be nesting almost exclusively under rooves and were particularly numerous in the streets near Meridian School. Good numbers of recently-fledged starlings were seen, along with family groups of Blue Tits and Great Tits. A singing Corn Bunting near Burloes was unexpected. Once again Hatchpen Farm came up trumps on the 12th, with at least 4 singing Corn Buntings and 2 other birds seen, whilst a Hobby hawked insects over Hatchpen pond. The first Meadow Brown and Large Skipper butterflies were on the wing, whilst Reed End pond held 4-Spotted Chaser and Broad-bodied Chaser dragonflies, Azure and Blue-tailed damselflies. A Garden Warbler was finally seen on the edge of my estate, a month after I had first heard it singing (it sounded very much like a Blackcap!). Hot weather later in the month brought out new butterflies seemingly every day, with the first Ringlets observed on the 23rd and Gatekeepers and Small Skippers on the wing by the 29th, when a fresh batch of Comma butterflies had emerged and Small Tortoiseshells were positively abundant after the drought of this species in recent years. Amazingly, Chalkhill Blue butterflies were seen on Therfield Heath on the 30th, two weeks ahead of schedule. A total of 16 species of butterfly were seen during a 12 mile walk to the west of Royston on the 29th, when Peregrine (unfortunately over the border in Cambridgeshire), lots of Corn Buntings, Fallow Deer (Deadmans Hill) and Common Lizard were also seen. Sadly, the Common Spotted Orchids on the Heath had all been picked by the month's end (morally indefensible), but Pyramidal and Bee Orchids were still in flower. Some late evening drives and walks in the second half of the month had very limited success in discovering owl territories (no new ones found and a couple of former Little Owl sites deserted), although a young Tawny Owl was heard in Church Wood. Amazingly, I then discovered a Little Owl calling at the bottom of my road! I could listen to it calling with the bedroom window open! So much for fieldcraft....

May 2009

Another long walk on the 1st again resulted in 45 bird species being observed. A Garden Warbler seen at the bottom of Church Hill completed the "set" of expected warblers on the Heath: singing warblers included 11 Willow Warblers, 9 Blackcaps and 4 each of Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat. No Chiffchaffs were apparent on the Heath, but birds were seen and/or heard nearby. A late Wheatear was seen on land to the west of the Heath and several Yellow Wagtails were identified on farmland between Royston and the villages of Reed and Therfield. Swifts were back over the town by the 8th. A BTO/Herts Bird Club breeding bird survey of NE Royston on this day produced nearly 50 House Sparrows, many with occupied nests (and I could have found many more), making it the most numerous bird seen during the survey....good news indeed! Fledged Robins and Blackbirds were also seen. A Barn Owl was seen just off the Heath on the evening of the 10th. A late afternoon walk on the 15th produced a purring Turtle Dove near Hatchpen Farm (where I saw a juvenile bird in September 2007) and 2 Hobbies near Reed, my first local sightings of this species for 4-5 years (it was perhaps no coincidence that large numbers of Swifts and House Martins were coming through the region as well!). There were a number of reports of Montagus Harriers in the North Herts and South Cambs areas in the first half of the month, as well as an unconfirmed report of Hoopoe near the "Little Chef" restaurant just off the A505 bypass. Spotted Flycatchers were back on the Heath on the 20th, when a significant colony of Brown Argus butterflies was found on Church Hill. Common Blue and Small Heath butterflies were also on the wing in the same area.

April 2009

A warm, sunny start to the month brought out the first Brimstone butterflies of the year. A Stoat was seen within 200 metres of the house and Tawny Owls were very vocal in the nearby Green Plantation. I saw my first local swallows of the year on the 6th, when several chiffchaffs were in full voice. Blackcaps and Willow Warblers were singing on Therfield Heath on the 9th and there was every indication that there was going to be an excellent show of Pasque Flowers on Church Hill, with some flowers already opening. I struck lucky on the 14th when I found a party of 5 Whimbrel (a passage migrant wader en route from Africa to Iceland or the Scandinavian Taiga) in a wheat field close to Hatchpen Farm. The party took off heading north as I passed them on the footpath, but I managed a few photographs of the birds in flight before they disappeared from view: this was another Royston "first" for me. Insects were much in evidence on the walk, with Peacock, Comma, Brimstone and "White" (Green-veined and/or Small) butterflies on the wing and large numbers of bumble bees and bee-flies (bombylius major) noted. The latter species has been seen in particularly large numbers this spring. I heard my first Lesser Whitethroat on Therfield Heath on the 18th, when at least 7 Willow Warblers were on territory and 3 pairs of Grey Partridge were at the Eastern end of the Heath. On a long walk on the 23rd which took in the whole of the Heath as well as Reed and Therfield I saw 45 bird species including Wheatear, Willow Warbler (10 males were singing on the Heath), Lesser Whitethroat and Whitethroat (all on the Heath) and a pair of Yellow Wagtails near Hatchpen Farm. A weasel seen near Therfield was a new mammal for me in the area. A Holly Blue butterfly was seen in the garden on the same day. Orange Tip butterflies were widespread by the end of the month.

March 2009

By the beginning of the month Lapwing flocks were breaking up and a few birds were already establishing territories at the usual sites. Singing skylarks were much in evidence. On the 2nd three Buzzards soared over Royston town centre before heading south over my garden, with one bird calling loudly. At least two Tree Sparrows were seen at Hatchpen Farm on the 11th. Three Corn Buntings were singing on the adjacent farmland, and a further three Corn Buntings were seen in Therfield on the same day. I saw the first of our summer visitors, a male Wheatear, nearby at Ashwell on the 14th, the earliest date that Wheatears were reported in the county. A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly visited my garden on the 16th, during a period of warm, sunny weather. Two Reed Buntings were seen in Therfield on the 20th and a walk down the Icknield Way to Royston produced 6 Corn Buntings, at least 20 Linnets and 25 Yellowhammers: the latter establishing territories with many males in good voice! A flock of at least 250 Black-headed Gulls was "following the plough" near Church Hill. Canada Goose is not a species to raise too much excitement, but a pair seen at Hatchpen on the 30th were my first in the area since 2007.

February 2009

The snow that fell early in the month actually made walking about the area easier (no thick mud to glue me down)! A long photography/wildlife walk on the 3rd took in the whole of Therfield Heath before I went up to Therfield village, where I heard a Nuthatch whilst taking photos in the churchyard (I have regularly encountered Nuthatch in Therfield, but never in Royston although there was one sighting last year). I added Linnet and Bullfinch to my Royston year list. There was a report of 3 Barn Owls seen following a game drive off the Icknield Way, but unfortunately I missed them. On the 6th I ventured out into the snowfields of Reed and Therfield (there being little else to do as Royston was virtually cut off by snow). I found a female Brambling at Hatchpen (in amongst 250+ chaffinches!) and, as dusk approached, disturbed "my" Short-eared Owl from its usual roost site on the Icknield way between Therfield and Royston. A Barn Owl was seen nearby on the same afternoon (though not by me) and there was a report of Peregrine at this "notorious raptor hot-spot" on Sunday 8th! A further walk on the 10th produced male and female Brambling at Hatchpen and over 30 Grey Partridge in various coveys along the way, but the best I could manage on the raptor front was 4 Buzzards seen together near Reed and 3 separate Sparrowhawk sightings. A walk on the 26th produced 40 species, including my first local Jay of the year.

January 2009

 A flock of 21 Corn Buntings seen near Hatchpen Farm on the 2nd got 2009 off to a cracking start. Also seen in the area was a mixed flock of Lapwings (90+) and Golden Plovers (55+). Further, smaller flocks of Golden Plovers were seen in fields near the Heath: 38 species of bird were seen and/or heard on my walk. Little Owls were present at their usual site off the Barkway Road. A few Golden Plover were still around in fields off the Icknield Way on the 15th, when a Green Woodpecker and 6 Mistle Thrushes were seen on the Heath. Although Royston Town is not the most exciting area for birdwatching, there are several colonies of House Sparrows, of varying sizes, still present. In view of the continued national decline of this species I am surveying these colonies to try to identify their habitat requirements on my "patch". One very obvious observation is that colonies spend a lot of time in, and presumably roost in, large "untidy" shrubby bushes, brambles, hedges etc. which look as if they have been just left to go wild for many years. They are also invariably close to houses (of course!) and the birds on my estate nest under the eaves of these buildings. If everybody in Royston tidied up their gardens and the surrounding land I guarantee that we would quickly lose our House Sparrows..... I found a Short-eared Owl hunting just off the Icknield Way between Royston and Therfield on the 21st. My second BTO/Herts Bird Atlas winter survey of East Royston (TL34Q) threw up two Grey Herons near Meridian School and some encouragingly large numbers of Starlings.