TUESDAY 22 APRIL
A band of rain moved slowly across the
Chiltern region overnight and continued well into the morning, only clearing at
around 1100 hours. Winds remained in the east for a while before veering more
southerly. Such conditions ensured an interesting day
locally........
During the rain, up to 16 Common Starlings
were feeding on the cricket ground in HYDE HEATH, while a male Blackcap sang
from shrubs in my CHAFFINCH HOUSE garden.
Following several calls, I then made my way
to NORTON GREEN (HERTS), where Darrell Bryant had found a female RING OUZEL. The
bird was showing very well in the open areas to the west of the site allowing me
an opportunity to get some images. Other migrants present included 4 NORTHERN
WHEATEARS and two singing male COMMON WHITETHROATS while a pair of GREY
PARTRIDGE flushed up from the ground. A single Canada Goose, Red Kite, Robin, 2
Common Magpie, 2 Common Starling, 8 Common Blackbird, Song Thrush, Greenfinch, 8
Chaffinch, Blue Tit, 4 Skylarks and an impressive 16 Linnet were also
recorded.
I then moved on to PEGSDON HILLS (BEDS) but
failed in my quest there to locate the 4 Ring Ouzels; a small group of 4
NORTHERN WHEATEAR were around the terraces of Deacon Hill but little else and
only 1 Meadow Pipit was encountered.
At STEWARTBY LAKE, a blank was drawn on the
singing Nightingale but migrants were otherwise well represented with no less
than 26 singing male WILLOW WARBLERS, 15 Blackcaps, a few Common Chiffchaff and
2 rattling male LESSER WHITETHROATS; a pair of Bullfinch too and a party of 8
first-year Common Gulls on the water.
I had similar results at BROGBOROUGH LAKE
(again no Nightingale) with just 2 Mute Swans, 10 Great Crested Grebe, Swallow,
Green Woodpecker, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Lesser Whitethroat
noted.
Moving into North Bucks following Simon
Nichols' circuit, both the summer-plumaged BLACK TERN and ARCTIC TERN were
present on WILLEN LAKE SOUTH BASIN at 1643, along with 8 Common Terns. Plenty of
hirundines present too, including 40 House Martin and 30 Sand Martin,
as well as 21 Tufted Duck, 35 Mute Swan, 6 Great Crested Grebe and 2 immature
Sinensis Cormorant. The temperature had now recovered to 12.5 degrees
C.
OLD WOLVERTON'S MANOR FARM was in better
shape now than it was a few weeks ago with an excellent selection of migrants
taking advantage of the habitat. The BLACK-TAILED GODWIT was showing well, along with 6 Little Ringed Plovers, a
Ringed Plover and two summer-plumaged DUNLINS, while WHITE WAGTAILS peaked at 6
males, with 2 male YELLOW WAGTAILS and 9 presumed migrant Pied Wagtails, as well
as a single female NORTHERN WHEATEAR on one of the shingle islands. There were a
few lingering wildfowl, including 4 Common Teal, a pair of Shoveler and 4
Gadwall, with just 2 Common Tern present and 1 adult Black-headed
Gull.
Black-tailed Godwit...
The 2 Dunlin
With news from Simon at 1730 that the COMMON
SCOTER were still there, I arrived at CALDECOTT SOUTH LAKE five minutes later.
The flock of ten birds consisted of 5 pairs, doubling my Bucks total for the
year following the flock of 7 drakes and 3 females at College Lake BBOWT on 4
April. Like elsewhere, good numbers of hirundines, with 35 House
Martins and 65 Sand Martins. Whilst photographing the Scoter, Steve Rodwell
'phoned to say that he had just watched a White Stork drift slowly SSE from
Cemetery Corner at Wilstone towards the ridge at Aldbury Nowers. It had been on
view for about five minutes, long enough for another Tring regular - Stuart
Wilson - to connect. It was presumably the bird that had drifted over Otmoor
RSPB (Oxon) mid afternoon.
I joined Stuart and Steve at WILSTONE
RESERVOIR at around 1820 hours - the highlight for me being the flock of 150 or
so Sand Martin present. No sign of a Common Swift though - another species that
will have to wait for another day. Little else of note and just 2 Common Terns,
although the increased activity of Little Egrets suggested that the eggs may
have hatched.
STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR was far more
rewarding with a noisy flock of 5 WHIMBREL greeting my arrival at 1915. The
flock even tried to touch down on the green bales but after failing, flew off
strongly to the east and into Bucks at 1917. Both the Common Redshanks and
Oystercatcher were still present while new for the year was a single COMMON
SANDPIPER. The female Red-crested Pochard left the nest to feed by the bank
towards dusk, while a WHITE WAGTAIL and Grey Wagtails were on the bank. For the
second night running, Common Tern numbers peaked at 52.
The male COMMON CUCKOO was calling
frequently again on MARSWORTH RESERVOIR while 11 CORN BUNTINGS gathered
pre-roost. The horse paddocks yielded a minimum 9 YELLOW WAGTAILS, while
hirundines were represented by at least 260 Sand Martin and 57 House
Martin. Sedge Warbler numbers in the reedbed had now increased to at least 4,
with 3 male Reed Buntings in song and a drake Northern Pochard.
