Hobbies hunting along the valley 30th april Thursday.

Two Hobbies were feeding over the Stillwell Lake this afternoon and then continued along the Valley they were still there when I left.    Also at the Lake were dozens of Swifts and Hirondels.    A number of Green Hairstreaks were tussling in their usual place at the Ingrebourne Hill.

Tuesday 28th april Ingrebourne Valley

2 more Whinchats this morning at the hill,   with plenty of Skylarks and some Meadow Pipits,  hope they don't plant any trees there. also 30 House Martins and 10 Swifts over the Stillwell Lake, Shaun had a Hobby at the hill this afternoon, other birds were; Buzzard Les Harrison.  At the Scrape were 2 LRPs,  5 Common Snipe, pair Gadwall, 6 Swallows.    Probably 2 male Cuckoos about,  1 right at the far end towards the A1306, and the other from Berwick to the Scrape.    I was sitting on the seat on the little hill a couple of days ago and thought I heard the start of a Nightingale song, just a few notes that was all, never heard it again so thought it must have been a Thrush,   today Pat told me he heard a Nightingale there Friday evening and his wife heard it Saturday morning,  a few other people have said the same,  so lugholes open.

Whinchats

Swift, what a shape!

Ingrebourne Valley Whinchat and Wheatear monday 27th

Today the Ingrebourne Hill produced the usual suspects as Dick would put it,  2 beautiful birds a cracking male Whinchat and a cracking (lovely word) male Greenland Wheatear.   Those Wanstead boys were getting too many of them, and I knew that a couple would have to peel off  sometime.      Other birds about today;.. 2 Snipe, 2 Sedge Warblers, (Garden Warbler) (Dave Mo) all the other Warblers,  no Gropper yet,  Cuckoo, Skylarks.

     Beginning to get very noisy over there (Great sound).

Thursday 23rd April Ingrebourne Valley

2 Lesser Whitethroats, numerous Common Whitethroats, loads of Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs everywhere,  5 Willow Warblers dotted around the Glades giving it all (that)!  Cetti's Warblers every 50 metres belting out a burst of sudden song,  and it is at this time when the female is building a nest that they are at their most vulnerability to the camera.  A few Reed Warblers are singing their stuttering but beguiling  songs hidden from view in the Phragmites.    Mallards are hatching uncontrolable numbers of uncontrolable ducklings with the hungry Herons looking on.   A pair of LRPs have returned and hopefully do the buisiness.   A few Green Sandpipers remain as do some Common Snipe. Cuckoo Cuckoo can be heard along the Valley so we know there're not extinct yet.     The best spectacle is the return of the House Martins flittering and twittering around the scrape and over the trees hunting the flies.

Monday 20th april 3 pm Ingrebourne Scrape

Ingrebourne Scrape; Wood Sandpiper, 5 Green Sandpipers, 6 Snipe, 3 House Martins,  2 Common Whitethroats.

Lots of migrants arriving this week in the Valley

Little Ringed Plover, 3 Common Whitethroats,  5 Willow Warblers, Numerous Chiffchaff and Blackcaps,  Cetti's Warblers seemingly every 50 metres, 2 Reed Warblers today, Cuckoo, up to 9 Green Sandpipers because the water is receeding, Still some Snipe there, Waiting for the Nightingale, only 6 ducklings left,  thanks mainly to Mr Heron,   well;  they do have some large noisy youngsters to feed,  Russ and I saw a Heron catch a pound and a half Pike in the scrape.  Sparrowhawks and Kestrels are hunting daily and the Buzzards can be seen in the (near) Distant hunting.  Pochards are nesting as are other wildfowl.  Wheatears are not being seen locally unless someone can give me good news on that front.   All the local Tits seem to be busy as do a few Song thrushes.

Common Whitethroat

Willow Warbler,

Chiffchaff

f Blackcap

Green Sandpiper

Grey Heron

Male Redstart Ingrebourne Valley

Stonking Bird

And then there was 11, sorry.

Unfortunate incident but not a surprise.

I've witnessed 4 incidents of dogs biting other dogs at the Ingrebourne Valley in the last 12 months,     today it was my turn.   I was minding my own business walking back to my car at Squadrons approach this morning when one of the dogs tearing around bit me in the back of the leg,   the owner has got no control there has been problems before with one of his dogs snapping at the back of my heels and all he does is grin,  they take no notice of him.  It would have bit me again had I not faced up to it.  Frankly I'm sick and tired of it  something has to be done otherwise the 80% of  owners that do have some sort of control will be tarred with the same brush.    I had just been told yesterday by a woman that a dog had harrassed her and she complained to the owner who said to her in not a nice way " you're just have to get used to it".  The bloody and bruised bite in the back of my leg will keep me very alert.

Superb information board at the viewpoint

After my dispairing news yesterday about the visiter centre I am still optomistic for its future.  We now have installed some information boards,  one at the viewpoint and at least another at Tit Lake.    The artist has done a grand job.   Some things missing,     but too much might have spoilt them.

Fingers Crossed