Archive for the Bird sightings in the Vale Category

Bittern in the Millennium Country Park (image Martin Green)

Our annual early February bird walk always has a title with a cold theme because we hope that it will coincide with a period of extreme cold and possibly snow which will bring  unusual species to the Park. In the past we have often been disappointed with the weather, but not this year. At 8am a group of hardy souls met in the car park and it was cold, very cold, a terrifying Arctic minus seven! 

We set off on our walk with lots of extra layers of clothing, gloves, hats etc. with hopes of some unusual sightings. We were not to be disappointed and the group was soon admiring a bittern that was catching the early morning sun along the edge of Stewartby Lake. In past years during extreme cold weather up to six of these rare herons have been seen around Stewartby Lake. (Last year Neil Wright helped the bitterns survive by supplementary feeding with sprats). Paul Wright then identified a little gull which flew from Stewartby Lake to the sewage works where it fed with a couple of hundred black-headed gulls. Little gulls are very unusual in winter in Bedfordshire, more usually seen during the spring and autumn migrations.

We needed to keep moving to keep warm and started to make our way to the Pillinge in the wetlands. On the way we saw a number of species including fieldfare, redwing and chaffinch although small birds were difficult to find, probably because the cold conditions had sent them all to our garden feeders.

The redwing - a winter visitor to the Country Park (image Don Morris)

The pillinge had a good variety of grebe, gull and duck species on it: pochard, wigeon, tufted, mallard, teal as well as herons, cormorants and coots. I counted twenty-four moorhens which had been frozen out of their normal reedbed habitat. What we were looking for were two species that had been first recorded earlier in the week. Tony somehow managed to find the first; a female common scoter which was fast asleep. This is a drab grey looking bird with off white cheek patches which should have been bobbing up and down somewhere around the coast. The second was just as difficult as they spend most of the time diving for food. Three female smew had arrived on site about the same time as the scoter. They belong to the sawbill family; the bill has a small hook at the tip and teeth along the sides which gives a better grip of their fish prey. The females are very smart birds with grey upper parts, a red brown head and brilliant white cheeks.

Breakfast was beckoning so we made our way back to the Forest Centre. On the way we flushed a woodcock and had some good views of snipe which again had been forced out by the cold to look for food.

The walk, for once had lived up to expectations. The rest of the day was just as exciting with a whole panoply of unusual species putting in an appearance. Thirteen Bewick’s swans, Mediterranean gull, forty-four pintail, common sandpiper, redshank and four Egyptian geese, what a day!

Bob Hook, Volunteer

Bearded tit at the Country Park, it's possible! (picture Martin Green

It may be frozen and gloomy but you can’t cower inside until until May; can you?

What might lift the spirits and get the blood pumping is to come to the Country Park for a walk. We have a fantastic network of paths including 5 miles of surfaced trails for cycling if you’re feeling really active. From a long hike to the shortest stroll the Millennium Country Park offers wonderful views and a variety of meadows, woods and water. At the end of a walk the Lakeside Cafe is the place for a cake, hot soup and coffee.

If you’d like to join others, why not come to one of our guided walks? This weekend there are two.

Feathers in the freezer – a bird walk

The Bird walk   will happen on Saturday 4 February 2012, 8am – 11am and costs £3/adult, £2/child. £1 reduction for Volunteers and Friends.  Life’s tough at this time of year and there’s always a chance of rarities in the Country Park. Our volunteer leaders are the people to tell you what you are looking at or listening to.

No experience of birdwatching is necessary because leaders know everything necessary to introduce you to the wonderful world of birding.  Bring binoculars if you have them although these are not essential as there are usually some spares and often the chance to look down telescopes.

Wrap up warm- birders often spend ages rooted to the spot waiting for something to happen! There are some rough paths and short lengths of gradient over 1:6. Please book in advance but pay the leader on the day. Call 01234 767037 to book a place.

Sunday Stroll, a Gentle Sunday Walk 

5 February at 10.30am
Come and join us in the Country Park for a gentle walk to hear how the Park was set up and a little about the surrounding area.

The walk will keep to hard surfaced tracks in the Park which are mostly level but have short sections of gradient up to 1:9.

Call 01234 767037 for more details.
Cost £1, payable on the day – no need to book. Meet at reception. Walks last approximately 2 hours.                              

Why not finish the morning off with lunch in our Forest Centre Restaurant? Call 01234 767037 for details.

The video was taken on 4 January 2012. The first of the two divers appeared on the lake on 9 December 2011, a second was seen briefly on 24 December, and two have been present continuously since 3 January 2012.

Great northern divers are now the most regularly seen of the divers in Bedfordshire with a few being present in the county during most of the recent winter periods. These birds breed in Canada, the northern part of the US, Alaska, Greenland, Iceland and very occasionally in Scotland. In the British Isles great northern divers are mainly winter visitors and most are found on the coast, with a probably increasing number wintering inland on large lakes.

Martin Green (Volunteer)

Martin Green appeared in the office this morning having got some good footage of great northern divers on Stewartby Lake. These birds overwinter in the UK, more commonly around or off the shores of the Northern and Western Isles as well as Cornwall, before returning to breeding grounds in Iceland and Greenland in the spring.

Although they aren’t seen frequently on inland freshwater lakes at this time of year, it’s not unheard of. Indeed, I see there are records posted today at www.birdguides.com at Grafham, Cambridgeshire and Rollesby Broad, Norfolk.

Martin promised to get his video on Vimeo. When he does, I’ll get a link up here.

Kingfisher in winter (image-Don Morris)

Tuesday 27 December, 8am – 11am.

Shake off the Christmas excess and find out how birds fare at this time of year on a guided walk in the Country Park.

Winter can be a rough time for birds. When the ground’s frozen, worms are difficult to get at and should lakes and ponds freeze, the likes of kingfishers can suffer. However, many species are here to enjoy our relatively mild climate, having flown south to escape the Arctic winter.

Many species arrive in the UK to overwinter and feed in our hedgerows, fields, lakes and wetlands. We should see a good range of these during this walk, given some luck. If anyone can find them, our volunteer bird walk leaders can.

Talk to the experts

You’ll be in good company, with people who really know what they are talking about. But don’t be put off by their great expertise – there’s no point-scoring here (well maybe a little between the experts). However much or little you know about birds, you’ll be made very welcome. If you have binoculars, bring them along but that’s not essential as there are usually some spare pairs and often a chance to look through a telescope. But beware – catching a good view of a beautiful bird through a high quality telescope is a glorious experience and might just be the beginning of a life-time passion.

Binoculars or not – make sure you wrap up warm. This isn’t a hike that will get the blood pumping. These guys are prepared to stand still for long periods to get the view they want. There are some rough paths and short lengths of gradient over 1:6.

£3/adult, £2/child. £1 reduction for Volunteers and Friends

Please book in advance but pay the leader on the day. Call 01234 767037