FRIDAY 10 JANUARY
Being probably the only keen Buckinghamshire
lister that still hasn't seen a Glossy Ibis in the county, I returned again to
the west of the county in the hope of relocating the Bicester juvenile in the
Upper Ray Meadows. Alas, I had no joy......
It was a nice day, with no rain until 4pm,
pretty mild and a moderate wind.
At WHITEHOUSE FARM (SP 653 198), the
resident House Sparrow population remained healthy at 28 individuals, with
Common Magpie, Robin and Great Tit also in the vicinity.
At UPPER RAY MEADOWS WEST, where the river
was in very full flood, masses of birds were present, including a whopping 3,300
LAPWING (my highest count locally in over 10 years), 298 EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVER
and vast numbers of gulls, both small and large white-headeds (for example, 272
Lesser Black-backs, 156 Herring, 31 Great Black-backed). There were also a lot
of winter thrushes in the area - at least 280 Fieldfare and 240 Redwing feeding
in the wet field immediately NNE of Whitehouse Farm. A lot of Common Starlings
too - 190 - as well as a pair of GREY PARTRIDGE, 2 Reed Bunting and 80 Common
Teal. Despite a lot of searching, I could not locate any Ruff (at least 33
having been seen in this area recently, perhaps commuting back and forth to
Otmoor).
Lapwings in profusion - the largest numbers I have seen in Bucks for over 10 years
and a large flock of Golden Plovers
I searched the floods as far west as the
county border at PIDDINGTON, but apart from hundreds of gulls and Rooks
rebuilding their nests, nothing was found. At OAKAPPLE FARM near MARSH GIBBON
(SP 65 22), another 350 Common Starlings, 200 Fieldfare and 100 Redwing and near
GRENDON UNDERWOOD at DUNMEAD FARM (SP 67 21), a single flock of 1,300 Common
Starlings, 2 Common Magpies and another large flock of Fieldfare and Redwing. A
further 110 Fieldfare was counted at THREE BRIDGE MILL.
The CATTLE EGRET was showing very well at
BRIARHILL FARM and I managed to better my previous images of the bird (see
below) mainly by cheating and enticing it over.........
I tried to entice the Cattle Egret over with some earthworms but although quite curious
...he never quite plucked up the courage to come down...
......and eventually flew back to rejoin the cattle
Sitting in the hide at FOXCOTE RESERVOIR
from 1245-1350 hours yielded the redhead SMEW (frustratingly feeding on the far
side underneath the vegetated eaves and very distant), an impressive 13 Common
Goldeneye (6 drakes), 12 Cormorant, 3 Mute Swans, 11 Common Teal, 16 Gadwall,
305 Wigeon, 12 Pochard, 31 Tufted Duck, 8 Great Crested Grebe and 215
Coot.
This redhead SMEW was very distant, hugging the far edge of the reservoir and fishing the shallows
A good number of Common Goldeneye (13)
....and an adult Sinensis Cormorant
House Sparrows numbered 14 in BUCKLAND
COMMON (SP 91 07), with numerous Robins singing in the area and 1 Song Thrush,
with a gathering of 23 Carrion Crows at WICK FARM, HASLOE (HERTS) and a Common
Buzzard (but again no Linnets).
Back in the CHESS VALLEY late afternoon,
both pairs of Mute Swans at BOIS MILL LAKE and CHURCH COVERT respectively and 5
LITTLE EGRETS in the CHENIES BOTTOM area fishing.
