30 July 2010 

Watch out for cinnabar moth caterpillars on Ragwort. Also there was a sparrowhawk around today. 

July 2010

Well it's been a good two months for Butterflies. Several new species for Woodcock Hill were seen: Large Skipper, Clouded Yellow, Common Blue and Red Admiral spring to mind. The last three of these are illustrated below.

 

Also seen (in June) was the Chimney Sweeper Moth, which depends on Pignut in its lifecycle.

28th May 2010

Cock Linnet present near Milton Drive entrance - possibly with female and gained the impression it may have been collecting nesting material.

Please report any unusual sightings to the webmaster. 

23rd and 24th May 2010

A cuckoo has been active all day in the lovely weather. Listen out for its distinctive call. We hope this time it is our regular visitor here to stay for the brief period that this species does hang around.

Managed to get a good image of a whitethroat which was very active in the lower field. Also saw three grey herons flying over. One can often see single birds, but three together is unusual.

19th May 2010

Excitement today as the Hertfordshire Air Ambulance lands on Woodcock Hill to attend an emergency in Milton Drive.

7th May 2010

Have now seen the first swifts of the summer. Also had a good view of a chiffchaff. This small warbler is easily identified by its song, which is a repeated 'chiff chaff' sound. The very similar looking Willow Warbler, also found on the hill, has a completely different sweet descending song (click to play) with a flourish at the end.

28th April 2010

Our Cuckoo has arrived - or at least a cuckoo! Also a whitethroat has been seen and Willow warblers heard since last week. 

Many species are in good voice now. How many can you identify?

20th April

The blackthorn is an amazing display of white. Many trees are coming into leaf - including sycamore and horse chestnut, but the oaks are still in bud.

16th April 2010

And I have managed to capture a peacock butterfly. White deadnettle is now in flower as are a few bluebells on the corner as you head along the path by Barnet Lane, towards the top of Furzehill Road.

9th April 2010

Spring is here! The first migratory birds have arrived in the form of Blackcaps (click here to hear a blackcap) and Chiffchaffs. Butterflies can also be seen now on the Hill. The next warblers to look out for are Willow Warblers and Whitethroats and then hopefully our local Cuckoo. I did see a swallow elsewhere in Hertfordshire over the weekend. In the same area as the swallow I spotted four different species of butterfly. Please let us know which sorts you manage to identify on Woodcock Hill.

2nd April 2010

Lesser Celendine (Ranunculus ficaria) is now flowering on the bank alongside Carrington Avenue. This usually flowers from March through to May but is clearly a little late this year as are many things.

24th March 2010

Red kite spotted flying over Woodcock Hill this afternoon. please report any other interesting visitors.