YEARLISTING IN 2016

Compared to most recent years, when for example I recorded 165 species in the county in 2011, 187 in 2012 and 173 in 2013, this has been a particularly poor one with just 157 species recorded by mid December - one of my worst years on record

YEARLISTING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

It's all over - 2012 has come to an end. I managed a total of 187 out of the 198 species recorded all told in Buckinghamshire - 94% of the total - probably my highest-ever annual tally.

The current record is 191 species achieved in 2006 and held jointly by both Rob Hill and Simon Nichols



Tuesday, 17 August 2010

WOOD SANDPIPER at Spade Oak

Whilst having a morning cup of tea at 8:35 looking out of the lounge window, I noticed a line of large brown waders flying fairly low north up the Marlow Bottom valley - there were 8 birds in a broken V - like an inverted tick. Through bins I could easily make out fairly long evenly down curved bills, but not much on plumage. They had a languid flight style with slowish wing beats, all of which points to Curlew rather than Whimbrel. 10 minutes later a Hobby circled south down the valley.

Optimistic that some passage was going on I wanted to check local Little Marlow GP, but could not get there until gone 10:30. Nothing obvious greeted me other than a spit covered in Greylag, Egyptian and Canada Geese. I only had a few minutes to spare and was about to leave when a sandpiper was put up briefly from the back of the spit, which landed out of view in the same place. I walked towards the railway bank to get a better view and once again the sandpiper was put to flight by the geese moving about - luckily it flew only a short distance, circled back and landed on the spit. It was immediately obvious as a juvenile WOOD SANDPIPER - a brownish bird, with a heavily spangled mantle, a prominent pale supercilium and long yellowish legs. In flight the dark blackish primaries contrasted with the paler brownish mantle and the tail was tipped with narrow black bars, although slightly irregular. At rest the dark primaries also contrasted with the paler mantle. Happy with the find and ID, I left at 10:55 and put the news out (Adam Bassett)

The bird was seen again briefly this evening, commuting between the spit and the sewage farm (Alan Stevens)