THURSDAY 27 FEBRUARY
For an edition with images click http://birdingamersham.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/thursday-27-february.html
A lot of rain during the morning which
eventually cleared and gave way to a pleasant afternoon....
The female BULLFINCH was again on the
birdtable feeding on white sunflower hearts, whilst the highlight at LATIMER
PLACE was a local pair of COMMON RAVEN flying back and forth with nesting
material, seemingly coming down to the west of the house. The gardens also held
Common Magpie, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, Great Tit, Wren, 2 Robins and
a singing Mistle Thrush, with 3 Carrion Crows on the field.
LATIMER GREAT WATER held 4 Mute Swans, 8
Mallard, 27 Tufted Duck, 6 Moorhen, 12 Coot and a Grey Heron, with Stock Dove,
12 Jackdaw and Common Blackbird nearby, whilst the Chess from NEPTUNES FALLS TO
LATIMER BRIDGE added a Little Grebe, 5 Mute Swans (two separate pairs and a
single), 14 Atlantic Canada Geese, 4 Mallard, 6 Tufted Duck, 4 Coot and 4
Moorhen, as well as Nuthatch, 18 Jackdaw, 2 Wren, 3 Blue Tit, Robin, 2 Great
Tit, Carrion Crow and a pair of Long-tailed Tits.
Walking east from LATIMER BRIDGE quickly
yielded a single Little Egret by the river, 5 soaring Common Buzzards, 8
Jackdaw, 5 Mallard and a Wren, whilst at CHURCH COVERT (still completely under
water and flooding over), a singing Goldcrest in the ivy, Common Blackbird, a
Little Grebe, Blue Tit, Grey Heron and another Wren. The 6 COMMON TEAL were
still by the river and the LITTLE OWL was just about visible in the pollarded
Willow tree.
At CHENIES BOTTOM, the usual pair of Mute
Swan was present as well as a recently-arrived pair of Coot at the bridge - also
Little Egret and 2 Moorhens in MILL FARM MEADOWS. A pair of Red Kite and Carrion
Crow were investigating the Larches of WALLACE'S WOOD PLANTATION with 37
Jackdaws close by.
I did a thorough search of BALDWIN'S WOOD
but little of note other than Jay, 3 Robin, Wren, 2 Coal Tit (singing males),
Woodpigeon, 2 Long-tailed Tit (pair), Blue Tit, 5 Common Buzzard, 2 Great
Spotted Woodpecker, 5 Great Tit, Common Blackbird, 8 Redwing (in a cacophony of
song), 6 Goldcrest (party of 5 and a singing male), Chaffinch and Common
Treecreeper.
In FLAUNDEN BOTTOM, a large corvid
flock in the fields consisted of 9 Carrion Crow, 66 Rook and 79 Jackdaw, whilst
LATIMER VILLAGE held 4 Robin, 2 Common Magpie, Pied Wagtail, Blue Tit, Common
Blackbird, 3 Jackdaw, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and 10
Fan-tailed Doves in Holly Tree Cottage grounds. At neighbouring PARKFIELD
LATIMER, up to 33 Rook nests were now occupied.
Leaving the Chess Valley for pastures new up
north of the county, I started off at LINFORD NATURE RESERVE. Although I could
not locate the Smew in a short search from Near Hide, I did count 13 Great
Crested Grebe, 2 Little Egret, 58 Wigeon, 18 Teal, 7 Shoveler, 2 Lapwing, 27
Coot, Moorhen and 8 Black-headed Gulls, while in the scrub, 2 Common Magpie,
Green Woodpecker, 3 Song Thrush, 5 Fieldfare, 5 Robin, 2 Dunnock, Wren and
Common Treecreeper were noted. At the Woodland Hide, both single Marsh and
WILLOW TITS were visiting the suet, as well as up to 8 Great Tits and 6 Blue
Tits. A WATER RAIL was squealing nearby from an area of water.
At LATHBURY VILLAGE, a nice selection of
passerines, with 4 Collared Dove, 4 Common Starling, 18 House Sparrows (healthy
population), Common Buzzard, 2 Mistle Thrush, 12 Redwing, 6 Fieldfare, Coal Tit
and Song Thrush recorded, as well as several Rooks gathering acorns previously
buried last autumn.
Just up the road from there, roadside fields
just south of STOKE GOLDINGTON VILLAGE produced 96 Woodpigeon and 150 Fieldfare,
whilst in DAG LANE, 15 TREE SPARROWS were in the usual garden, along with
Collared Dove, 25 Blue Tits, male House Sparrow, Long-tailed Tit (on the
feeders), 4 Great Tit, Chaffinch, Common Blackbird, Dunnock and
Robin.
An area of paddocks harbouring horses, sheep
and other livestock at CROW TREE LODGE/EAKLEY MANOR COTTAGE (SP 8251) yielded
Common Blackbird, Dunnock, Robin,Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch
and 4 Greenfinch.
TYRINGHAM BRIDGE had 27 Greylag Geese, 29
Canada Geese, 7 Mute Swan, 6 Mallard, 6 Moorhen, 3 Cormorant, 2 Common Blackbird
and 2 Robin.
Moving back south, I stopped off at
STEWARTBY LAKE (BEDS), where the long-staying juvenile GREAT NORTHERN DIVER was
still present, along with 33 Great Crested Grebes, 6 Tufted Duck and a gull
roost containing 2,936 Black-headed, 221 Common, 2 summer-plumaged adult
MEDITERRANEAN, 2 Argenteus Herring and just 24 Lesser Black-backed.
Most disconcerting though was the sight of a wind generator on the horizon -
located on a nature reserve!
Along the A404, a mile east of LITTLE
CHALFONT, a dead Badger at TQ 020 978
