SATURDAY 8 MARCH
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A glorious day with wall-to-wall sunshine,
light southerly winds and increasing temperatures - migration was seemingly in
full swing.......
Set off early to look for Lesser Spotted
Woodpeckers in Burnham Beeches NNR but as I drove towards there was redirected
to COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT, where the first PIED AVOCET of the year had been
discovered......
I got there about half an hour later, the
bird still showing - initially roosting on the westernmost island before walking
into the water and swimming out on to the marsh. I took a number of
photographs.....
There were no other migrants present on the
reserve but other species noted included 9 Mute Swans, 56 Canada Geese, a pair
of Common Shelduck, 8 Mallard, 95 Wigeon, 18 Gadwall, 12 Shoveler, 62 Tufted
Duck, 3 Pochard, 43 Coot, Little Grebe, 27 Lapwing (including 6 nesting pairs),8
Common Snipe, 6 Common Redshank and singing Dunnock.
Apart from a single Sand Martin early on
seen by Dave Bilcock, TRING RESERVOIRS were very quiet - a pair of
OYSTERCATCHERS on one of the rafts at WILSTONE being the highlight. I also had a
look at PITSTONE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE SCRAPES, but nothing other than 2 Pied
Wagtails and a Mistle Thrush, while a very flooded PITSTONE QUARRY yielded 2
Canada Geese, 6 Coot, 6 Mallard, 14 Tufted Duck, 2 Pochard, 70 Black-headed
Gulls, 12 Common Gull, Robin, Dunnock, 8 Woodpigeon, 2 Long-tailed Tit, Great
Tit and Wren.
More passage waders were being found,
including 4 Pied Avocets at Tyttenhanger and Black-tailed Godwits at Stockers
Farm (2) and Rye Meads NR. Alan Stevens texted to say a further BLACK-TAILED
GODWIT was at SPADE OAK PIT (LITTLE MARLOW), the bird still being present when I
arrived much later. Although largely in winter plumage flight feather-wise, the
orange-rufous underparts and long orange-based bill seemed to suggest a
limosa. The bird was showing well on the recently emerging spit.
A female-type COMMON GOLDENEYE was also a
good record for the site, while the pair of GARGANEY I first found over a week
ago were still present; also at least 7 PINTAILS (3 drakes).
The full list comprised of 7 Great Crested
Grebe, 37 Cormorant (nesting on the island), 18 Grey Heron, 3 Mute Swan, pair of
Australian Black Swan still, pair of Egyptian Geese, 10 Atlantic Canada Geese,
pair of Common Shelduck, Mallard, 86 Teal, 62 Shoveler, 71 Gadwall, 79 Tufted
Duck, 52 Wigeon, numerous Red Kite, 6 Coot, 9 Moorhen, 14 Lapwing, 8 Common
Snipe, 70 Black-headed Gull, 12 Common Gull, adult Lesser Black-backed Gull,
Ring-necked Parakeet, 2 male Reed Bunting, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit
(on the suet feeders), Robin, Dunnock, 3 COMMON CHIFFCHAFF (singing), 25 migrant
REDWING and a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly
I then finally got to my planned destination
- BURNHAM BEECHES NNR - where I spent over two hours in the area of Park Lane
and the Moat in the Northwest Section searching in vain for Lesser Spotted
Woodpecker. A rich area in biodiversity though with 2 Green Woodpeckers noted, 3
Great Spotted Woodpecker, Stock Doves, 85+ Woodpigeon, Muntjac, 4 BRAMBLING, 10
Chaffinch, Common Treecreeper, 2 Nuthatch, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Common
Blackbird and 2 Common Buzzard. Just to the north near ABBEY PARK COTTAGE. a
pair of Egyptian Geese on a farm pond and 6 Lapwings in a cereal
crop.
At CHESHAM FISHING LAKES, the COMMON
CHIFFCHAFF was singing for its third day in the trees on the island in the far
corner, along with the GREAT CRESTED GREBE PAIR, Grey Wagtail and 12 Tufted Duck
noted. Across the road in LATIMER ROAD, 12 Jackdaws in residence on the chimneys
and 2 Common Starlings
