NEW YEARS DAY

1 JANUARY 2009 (NEW YEARS DAY)

Finally arrived home with Carmel at 0537 hours, after celebrating with a New Years Eve Party in Chesham. Although extremely cold, there was surprisingly no frost

Two hours later, I left the house and embarked on yet another New Years Day Challenge. Simon, Rob and Ben were already underway and as expected, 'trounced' me by the end of the day. After travelling a total of 145 'local' miles, I arrived home at 1700 hours with just 79 species. Most embarrassing 'dip' was Skylark but also there were Greylag Goose (yes), Barnacle Goose, Pintail, Ring-necked Duck, Goosander, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Merlin, Grey Partridge, Common Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Water Rail, Woodcock, Jack Snipe, ALL 5 owls, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Blackcap, Cetti's Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Marsh Tit, Common Raven, Tree Sparrow, Brambling, Lesser Redpoll and Corn Bunting. If I had seen all 31 (easily possible), I could have scored a formidable 110 but as New Years Day lists generally go, I ran out of time.

Anyway, here is a detailed account of my day......

CHAFFINCH HOUSE, LITTLE CHALFONT (0736 hours)

Dunnock, Common Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Common Starling and House Sparrow (15)

CHESS RIVER VALLEY

Carrion Crow (in Stoney Lane), Mute Swan (the 7 'cygnets' still together and surviving just east of Latimer Bridge with 2 adults on the west side), Wren, Blue Tit, Common Pheasant and Jackdaw

Canada Geese (60+ on Bois Mill Lake)

A single LITTLE EGRET was just east of Bois Mill

CHESHAM FISHING LAKES (SP 970 003) (thawed overnight)

GREAT CRESTED GREBE still present (only wintering bird)
Sinensis Cormorant (1 immature on the smaller pit)
Grey Heron
Mute Swan (1 first-winter)
Mallard
Pochard (11 still present - 9 drakes)
Coot (24)
Moorhen
Black-headed Gulls
RED KITE overhead
*COMMON KINGFISHER (1 showing well)
Feral Pigeons (15)
Pied Wagtail
European Robin
SONG THRUSH (2)
Goldcrest
Long-tailed, Blue & Great Tits
Magpie
Greenfinch
*SISKINS (2 birds still present in the tall Alders bordering the river)

HILL FARM (SU 972 008)

One shrub held 5 Mistle Thrushes and 3 Redwings whilst I could only locate 1 of the 10+ overwintering MEADOW PIPITS.

LATIMER ROAD, CHESHAM (SU 973 002)

On one small area of grass verge, 8 Common Blackbirds and 2 SONG THRUSHES were feeding

BLACKWELL HALL LANE (SU 981 997)

No Grey Wagtail but Rook and (unusually) 2 STOCK DOVES

CHENIES VILLAGE

The well-stocked gardens around the square, especially at 'The Lodge' (SU 016 984), yielded 3 JAYS (usually a hard bird to see on Jan 1) and several Coal Tits, whilst the Eurasian Collared Dove population numbered 15. House Sparrows (up to 15) were frequenting the hedgerow at SU 017 982), along with 2 Greenfinches and several Chaffinches whilst a gaudy pair of BULLFINCHES was by the pond and thicket at SU 016 979.

OLD AMERSHAM

Some 74 Jackdaws were present in the village, many in pairs and already guarding their favoured chimney stacks.

SHARDELOES LAKE (0900-0930)

Mostly frozen, apart from the west end - little of note, with RED KITE (3), Black-headed Gull (29 on the cricket pitch), an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, Rooks, just 48 Coots, a single pair of Gadwall, a single pair of Tufted Ducks, 3 Greenfinch and my only 3 Little Grebes of the day.

AMERSHAM BYPASS

Both Common Buzzard and Red Kite were noted.

WOODROW

In the large 'frozen' field opposite Cherry Lane (at SU 930 961), a covey of 5 RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGES was encountered - a scarce species in the Amersham Recording Area.

GRANGE FARM AND ENVIRONS, WIDMER END (SU 882 968)

There was no sign of the pair of wintering Common Stonechats.

However, at least 4 RED KITES were in the area, a Common Kestrel and in the bushes around the farm buildings a superb selection of finches, including 5 male BULLFINCHES, 25 LINNETS, 9 Goldfinch, 12 Greenfinch and 35 Chaffinch.

Green Woodpecker was sighted, along with 3 Wrens, 5 FIELDFARES, 6 SONG THRUSHES (feeding together) and 10+ Common Blackbirds.

LITTLE MARLOW GP

I pitched up here at about 1045 and joined Alan Stevens and Malcolm Parish. As usual, this location yielded many of my 'better' birds. I 'dipped' Water Rail, Common Chiffchaff and Lesser Redpoll.

Great Crested Grebes (9)
Mute Swan
Egyptian Geese (pair)
*Ruddy Shelduck (1, escaped individual)
*COMMON SHELDUCK (3 still present including 2 drakes)
Mallard, 102 Pochard, 48 Tufted Duck, 3 Common Teal, 20 Shoveler and 135 Eurasian Wigeon
***GREATER SCAUP - female just right of the island occasionally waking up; typical flattish crown forming 'fat' head deep brown in colouration, with warm brown on the breast and foresides merging to vermiculated grey sides and mantle. Extensive white forehead 'blaze' and pale yellow eye.

Gull numbers were very poor but did include Black-headed, Common (2+), Scandinavian Herring (7), British Herring (2), Lesser Black-backed (5) and Great Black-backed (5 including 4 adults and a first-winter)

Lapwings (60+ in fields just west of Well End)
Green & Great Spotted Woodpecker; Pied Wagtail

DORNEY REACH VILLAGE

Four Ring-necked Parakeets were soon located, with 2 STOCK DOVES in gardens

BURNHAM BEECHES NNR

Full of people and devoid of birdlife. The Middle Pond was completely frozen and the tiny open patch on the Upper Pond held just 4 MANDARIN DUCKS (2 pairs); several Coal Tits were in the trees

BLACK PARK (midday)

Very, very poor and a waste of limited time - Jay, Coal Tit, Common Treecreeper and Nuthatch.

BURTLEY WOOD

Yet another dead Badger - this time on the A355 just south of the M40 Junction 2 at SU 950 886)

HILLMOTT'S FARM WOOD

Complete blank on Little Owl; just Common Buzzard and another Jay !

BEACONSFIELD

RED KITE over A355. A single SONG THRUSH was feeding on the verge by the Mulberry Bush Public House at SP 956 941.

A further Common Kestrel was seen on the Great Missenden bypass.

UPPER WENDOVERDEAN FARM (SP 880 049)

In the slurry field immediately opposite Cobblershill Lane and Berryhill Farm & Nursery, another superb selection of birds: SPARROWHAWK (male perched on hedge), 47 LAPWING, 500+ Woodpigeons, 30 STOCK DOVE, 55 FIELDFARE, 25 YELLOWHAMMER, 211 Common Starlings, 100+ Chaffinches but no Skylarks.

NW of WENDOVER

215 Rooks feeding in field at SP 883 107

DRAYTON BEAUCHAMP

A dead Chinese Water Deer at the crossroads at SP 895 129

COLLEGE LAKE (1330)

No sign of the Common Sandpiper seen earlier, nor of 2 Woodcocks

Mute Swans (9+)
Eurasian Wigeon (50+)
Gadwall
Shoveler (8)
Tufted Duck
Pochard
*RED-CRESTED POCHARD - adult drake and two females on main lake
*COMMON GOLDENEYES - 2 females on main lake
Coot (81+)
COMMON SNIPE (2)
BULLFINCH (pair)

BROUGHTON TROUT POOLS

COMMON KINGFISHER showing very well by Canal
COMMON SNIPE (4)

BERRYFIELDS (where I was eventually joined by Mike & Rose Collard - 7 hours too late)

COMMON STONECHATS - pair just west of road
CHINESE WATER DEER (1)

Nearby, a field held 50+ :Lapwing, 9 EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVERS, a Common Buzzard and large numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing; a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over the road just east of Quainton.

CALVERT BBOWT LAKE (1510-1620)
A very amusing hour spent in the hide listening to the musings of a late teen novice birdwatcher. He was delighted with his afternoon's species list, many species which he had only previously dreamt of. Rose eventually got on to a Yellow-legged Gull but Mike never fathomed out how to focus my 'scope!

Great Crested Grebe (3)
Sinensis Cormorants (3)
Grey Heron (2)
Eurasian Wigeon (7)
Gadwall (6)
Tufted Duck
Pochard (31)

Reed Bunting (2)

***EURASIAN BITTERN - bang on cue, the bird appeared at the edge of the reedbed to the left of the first hide at 1609 hours and performed until dark.

It was an impressive gull roost, with very large numbers of birds present including 94+ Great Black-backed Gulls, a 'sad' looking adult CASPIAN GULL and 9 YELLOW-LEGGED GULLS (a first-winter, two 3rd-winters and 6 adults).

A Red Fox was chased by a Muntjac in front of the hide.

So, my final tally was 79 - 1) Great Crested Grebe, 2) Little Grebe, 3) Cormorant, 4) EURASIAN BITTERN, 5) LITTLE EGRET, 6) Grey Heron, 7) Mute Swan, 8) Canada Goose, 9) COMMON SHELDUCK, 10) Egyptian Goose, 11) Mandarin Duck, 12) Mallard, 13) Common Teal, 14) Eurasian Wigeon, 15) Gadwall, 16) Shoveler, 17) Tufted Duck, 18) GREATER SCAUP, 19) Pochard, 20) RED-CRESTED POCHARD, 21) Common Goldeneye, 22) Red Kite, 23) Common Buzzard, 24) Sparrowhawk, 25) Common Kestrel, 26) Red-legged Partridge, 27) Common Pheasant, 28) Moorhen, 29) Coot, 30) Lapwing, 31) European Golden Plover, 32) Common Snipe, 33) Black-headed Gull, 34) Common Gull, 35) Herring Gull, 36) YELLOW-LEGGED GULL, 37) CASPIAN GULL, 38) Lesser Black-backed Gull, 39) Great Black-backed Gull, 40) Stock Dove, 41) Woodpigeon, 42) Collared Dove, 43) COMMON KINGFISHER, 44) Ring-necked Parakeet, 45) Great Spotted Woodpecker, 46) Green Woodpecker, 47) Meadow Pipit, 48) Pied Wagtail, 49) Wren, 50) Dunnock, 51) Robin, 52) COMMON STONECHAT, 53) Song Thrush, 54) Redwing, 55) Common Blackbird, 56) Mistle Thrush, 57) Fieldfare, 58) Goldcrest, 59) Great Tit, 60) Blue Tit, 61) Coal Tit, 62) Long-tailed Tit, 63) Nuthatch, 64) Common Treecreeper, 65) Magpie, 66) Jay, 67) Jackdaw, 68) Rook, 69) Carrion Crow, 70) Common Starling, 71) House Sparrow, 72) Chaffinch, 73) Linnet, 74) Goldfinch, 75) Siskin, 76) Bullfinch, 77) Greenfinch, 78) Reed Bunting and 79) Yellowhammer.