Blogger: Murray Brown, RSPB Volunteer Project Coordinator
On St Patrick's Day when you have an urge to celebrate you can join the wild life down at Verulamium Park. During sunny periods, many of the park's resident birds are now in full song. A telescope is often trained on the top of a tall tree near the RSPB's exhibition trailer to show visitors a mistle thrush which frequently sings from this high vantage point. Migrant birds are now also adding to the chorus and both chiffchaff and blackcap have recently been heard. We eagerly await the arrival of the first swallows and martins. This year, sand martins have already been recorded at Tring Reservoirs in Hertfordshire and also over the RSPB HQ at The Lodge in Bedfordshire, and the lake at Verulamium has traditionally been a good spot to watch for this species which is the first of the 'swallow tribe' to arrive back in the UK.
Resident grey wagtails, with their bright yellow undersides and slate-grey upperparts are frequently seen around the sides of the lake and along the River Ver and we are hoping that they will nest nearby. With sharp eyes and a bit of patience, goldcrests can also be found in this area of the park. The goldcrest is Europe's smallest bird. They are only about 9cm long and weigh in at just 6g; that's about 12 normal-sized paper clips...and yes, sad I know, but I've just been into the kitchen to check it on some digital scales!
The heron nest where chicks were seen on 12th February is quiet and there was never any sign of adults bringing in food. There's no way of putting it nicely; these babies will have succumbed to the cold weather. However, there is plenty of building and renovation work to the existing structures going on and some of the herons are now sitting on eggs. It's just a question of time!
Photo: This is what can not be seen at St Albans through our telescopes