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



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).