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



Wednesday 5 December 2012

LONG-TAILED DUCKS in Bucks

According to my Master Database, there have been just 24 LONG-TAILED DUCKS in the county, the last in June 2009; I have seen 14 of them -:

1) The first was at Weston Turville Reservoir on 18-19 November 1957;
2) A drake at Foxcote Reservoir from 17-19 November 1959;
3) A drake and two females at Little Marlow GP on 11 April 1966;
6) An exceptional record of a juvenile on Shardeloes Lake on 15 February 1969;
7) A juvenile at Calvert from 19 October 1970 to 13 January 1971;
8) A drake at Calvert from 18 February until 18 March 1973;
9) A female at Willen Lake from 17 November until 18 December 1979;
10) A juvenile then present at Startop's End Reservoir, Tring, from 31 December 1979 until 19 January 1980;
11) A female at Willen Lake on 9 December 1981;
12) A juvenile at Stony Stratford GP from 19 November until Boxing Day 1982;
13) A juvenile female on the Blue Lagoon at Bletchley on 4 March 1983;
14) Another at Startopsend from 23 October 1988 until the ridiculously late date of 4 June 1989;
15) A juvenile drake and female on Weston Turville Reservoir from 16 December 1990 until 13 January 1991;
17) Two more juveniles at Willen Lake from 2 November until 10 December 1991;
18) An adult female was present on Tilehouse North Pit, near Denham, from 10 January until 3 May 1993 and again from 30 October 1993 until 17 April 1994; it then reappeared for a 5th winter at the same site and neighbouring Broadwater GP (Middlesex) from 29 October 1994 until 2 April 1995. It was again reported on Tilehouse on 6 January and 17 March 1996 and on 9 March 1997, then from 28 February to 10 April 1998 and from 14 November 1998 until 10 January 1999; also on 27 January 2000;
19) A juvenile was at Caldecotte Lake from 2-19 December 1996;
20) A second female joined the long-staying Tilehouse Pit North bird on 4 April 1999;
21) A juvenile drake occasionally straddled the border into Bucks at Startopsend from 11-15 May 1999;
22) An immature drake visited Foxcote from 20-28 April 2002;
23) A juvenile drake remained at Calvert from 17 November 2005 until 15 April 2006;
24) A first-summer drake visited College Lake BBOWT Deep Lake from 28 May to 11 June 2006;
25) A dapper adult drake on Calvert Sailing Lake all day on 3 June 2009.