Thursday 28 April 2011

No sign of Ashridge Tree Pipit this afternoon

THURSDAY 28 APRIL

Another very cold day with the wind remaining ENE and quite strong at times. Very cloudy and grey early on but then much brighter this afternoon. Everywhere still very dry, with the ground baked hard. BAR-TAILED GODWITS were the order of the day with 9 birds locally, four of which lingered to allow many birders to connect.......

ASHRIDGE FOREST (HERTS)

Dave Bilcock phoned me to say that he had seen Ian Bennell's Tree Pipit up by Clinkmere Pond but that it was extremely elusive. Apparently Ian had relocated it, allowing DB, Francis, Mike Campbell and Graham Knight to get on to it. Not once did it call or sing - just skulk in the vegetation or perch low down in the Birch scrub. With Tree Pipit being the local mega that it has now become, I made my way over and spent at least two hours this afternoon searching in vain for it. I could not relocate it, despite it being fairly quiet and undisturbed.

WILSTONE RESERVOIR (HERTS)

A single BLACK TERN and 4 ARCTIC TERNS were all of note on a very cold and windswept North Bank

Lee G R Evans

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