My local patch is a spot just outside Chelmsford, Essex – a location that sits between the mediocrity of suburbia and the wilds of bucolic Essex. It is largely  made up of farmland but has a huge area of grassland, the river Chelmer and a number of its tributaries draining the fields.

I have been recording wildlife on this patch for around 3 years now and continue to see new species whether its water vole or short-eared owl (may the two never meet).

Below is an up to date list on the species seen here plus a number of observations and photos with dates.

Patch List – Birds (101 species)

1. Mute Swan
2. Greylag Goose
3. Canada Goose
4. Egyptian Goose
5. Mallard
6. Tufted Duck
7. Shoveler
8. Teal
9. Goosander
10. Great Crested Grebe
11. Little Grebe
12. Pheasant
13. Red-legged Partridge
14. Cormorant
15. Grey Heron
16. Little Egret
17. Cattle egret
18. Glossy Ibis*
19. Common Buzzard
20. Honey buzzard
21. Osprey
22. Kestrel
23. Peregrine falcon
24. Sparrowhawk
25. Hobby
26. Red Kite
27. Water Rail
28. Coot
29. Moorhen
30. Oystercatcher
31. Common sandpiper
32. Snipe
33. Jack snipe
34. Woodcock
35. Black-tailed godwit
36. Golden plover
37. Black-headed gull
38. Mediterranean gull
39. Herring Gull
40. Lesser black backed gull
41. Great black backed gull
42. Common Gull
43. Common tern
44. Stock dove
45. Collared dove
46. Wood pigeon
47. Cuckoo
48. Tawny owl
49. Short-eared owl
50. Long-eared owl*
51. Barn Owl
52. Common swift
53. Common kingfisher
54. Green  woodpecker
55. Great spotted woodpecker
56. Skylark
57. House martin
58. Sand martin
59. Swallow
60. Meadow pipit
61. Pied wagtail
62. Grey wagtail
63. Yellow wagtail
64. Dunnock
65. Robin
66. Nightingale
67. Wheatear
68. Stonechat
69. Whinchat
70. Black redstart
71. Song thrush
72. Mistle thrush
73. Redwing
74. Fieldfare
75. Blackbird
76. Ring Ouzel*
77. Whitethroat
78. Lesser Whitethroat
79. Willow warbler
80. Cetti’s Warbler
81. Chiffchaff
82. Sedge warbler
83. Grasshopper warbler
84. Blackcap
85. Garden warbler
86. Reed warbler
87. Goldcrest
88. Wren
89. Spotted flycatcher
90. Great tit
91. Blue tit
92. Coal tit
93. Long tailed tit
94. Treecreeper
95. Magpie
96. Jay
97. Jackdaw
98. Rook
99. Carrion Crow
100. Starling
101. House sparrow
102. Chaffinch
103. Linnet
104. Goldfinch
105. Siskin
106. Bullfinch
107. Reed bunting
108. Corn bunting
109. Yellowhammer

* recorded by others

Patch List – Reptiles

Common lizard
Grass snake

Patch List – Mammals

1. Stoat
2. Badger
3. Red Fox
4. Water vole
5. Rat
6. Roe deer
7. Muntjac deer
8. Grey squirrel
9. Pipistrelle Bat
10. Noctule Bat

Record shots from site