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



Monday 25 October 2010

First BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS of the autumn

Bob Tunnicliffe has had 3 WAXWINGS briefly along the River Ouse by the Iron Trunk bridge , Near Old Wolverton, Milton Keynes. However there are no berries there , so presumed to have moved on (per Simon Nichols).

There was also a LAPLAND BUNTING present at Ivinghoe Hills briefly yesterday morning (David Bilcock) and another at Dorney Return Rowing Lakes yesterday afternoon and this morning (Russell Ness)

Friday 22 October 2010

BLACK REDSTARTS in Aylesbury

Two BLACK REDSTARTS remain for at least their seventh day today on rough ground behind the Chiltern View Garden Centre just off of the A413 between Aylesbury and Wendover. They are actually spending most of their time flitting between the two parked lorries and outbuilding on private land adjacent to the Triangle Business Park and are extremely elusive. The site is strictly private property and should only be entered if access has been allowed by James Bone or his associates at the Fireworks kiosk at the entrance.

The LAPLAND BUNTING - a superb selection of images taken by Ashley Stowe
















Thursday 21 October 2010

LAPLAND BUNTING still present today

I got to the site about 16:30 and met up with Joel Lund who had dipped with me on Tuesday. After hearing that Dave Cleal had seen the bird around midday, I gave him a call and he said the bird had been about 5-6 yards past the kissing gate. He stressed just how difficult the bird was to see and that you had to scan the stubble with binoculars to locate it. Even then it was difficult.
This was exactly what Mike Collard had said the day before.

So Joel and I started scanning the close stubble either side of the kissing gate and about 10 minutes later Joel spotted a movement which turned out to be the LAPLAND BUNTING. Hooray!! In the middle of this Peter Stanford also turned up, so three of us watched the bird until just before 17:45. It was incredibly hard to see and if you looked away it was difficult to relocate.

It was almost directly opposite the kissing gate at the end of the shorthedgerow. The bird was about 20 feet from the path and in amongst somegrass shoots which made it more difficult. So the bird had moved just 5-6yards since lunchtime. Just as I was leaving with Peter Stanford a Sparrowhawk crossed the field close to the spot where the bird was, but fortunately flew past. Also a Common Raven heard and seen briefly (Jim Rose).

Wednesday 20 October 2010

BLACK REDSTARTS in Stoke Mandeville

A male and female BLACK REDSTART is still feeding from the spoil heaps, sheds and blue container behind garden centre in Stoke Mandeville, present since at least last Friday

RING-NECKED DUCK back at Foxcote

The drake RING-NECKED DUCK is back at Foxcote--asleep on the far side opposite the hide at 17:30. Also 2 Green Sandpipers, a drake Goldeneye and a good gathering of gulls:-LBBG 660; BHG 350; Common Gull c25; Herring Gull 3. (Phil Tizzard)

Tuesday 19 October 2010

LAPLAND BUNTING near Saunderton - 17-18 October

At 5.30pm tonight (17 October), Warren Claydon found a LAPLAND BUNTING at Lodge Hill Farm in an adjoining stubble field. I was watching one of the goals of the season, so trying to listen to directions as I was jumping up and down was not that easy. Eventually Rose and I managed to get there to see Warren kneeling down on a footpath at the edge of the field; we scanned at a distance and could not locate the bird, until we realised it was feeding in the stubble about 10 feet from us! Stunning views and no camera.

We crept along just about on our hands and knees until we met up with Warren to listen to his story. We watched it for about 10 minutes until it slowly walked further away and the light faded. He had flushed a bird earlier in the afternoon as he had walked the footpath which he thought was a Lapper but when he went back later, it was flushed again a couple of feet from the footpath; Warren did not hear it call; he had watched it for about 45 minutes and it had remained in the same area.

Directions; park at SU 803 983 on Haw Lane ( room for 3 cars ) and walk NW along the footpath/ private road until you get to the farm; turn left and after you have gone through metal kissing gates and past three very noisy dogs, turn left and up the footpath by the edge of the stubble (Mike Collard)

The bird was still present on Monday morning, showing down to just a few feet. It was a first-winter female and had a mite infestation giving it some discomfort around the eyes. It remained until late morning but was then lost (Lee Evans)

Thursday 14 October 2010

RED KNOT present for a fourth day

The RED KNOT was still at Manor Farm, Milton Keynes, mid-morning today for its fourth day. It has now also been joined by a DUNLIN this morning, plus one of the regular Green Sandpipers was also on the small pool with it (Ben Miller)