MONDAY 28 APRIL
The warmest day of the year so far with
afternoon temperatures in the sun reaching 21 degrees C. Dry throughout with a
switch from east to SW winds....
First off, a couple of ROOKERY COUNTS for
Roger - 36 active nests at COTTON END (TL 08 44) and 16 in BROGBOROUGH
VILLAGE
I then spent much of the morning at MARSTON
VALE COUNTRY PARK where the first-summer male MARSH HARRIER was busy gathering
sticks and other vegetation, presumably in the hope of building a nest and
attracting a mate. Also, lots and lots of other summer migrants on site,
including COMMON CUCKOO, 15+ Western Reed Warblers, 8+ Sedge Warblers, 3
different Cetti's Warblers, 2 singing male Garden Warblers, 3 rattling Lesser
Whitethroats, 3 Common Whitethroats, at least 9 Willow Warblers and 3 Common
Chiffchaffs, as well as 8 House Martins.
More regular fare included Oystercatcher,
Little Grebe, Goldfinch (4), Common Magpie, Barn Swallow, Dunnock, Blue Tit,
Carrion Crow (4 separate nests occupied), Moorhen, Coot (1 pair with fledged
young), Reed Bunting (4), Common Starling (8), Blackcap, Green Woodpecker,
Greenfinch, Mistle Thrush, Northern Pochard (7) and Tufted Duck, while Orange
Tip butterflies were numerous.
I then visited the WILLINGTON CYCLE TRACK
COMPLEX where highlights included two reeling GRASSHOPPER WARBLERS and a
'freshly arrived' COMMON NIGHTINGALE (in the usual area of Blackthorn, 300 yds
south of the bridge) as well as COMMON CUCKOO, 3+ Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Common
Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 3 Common Chiffchaff, Willow
Warbler, Jay, Reed Bunting, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Common
Kestrel and Common Buzzard. The small lake held single pairs of both Great
Crested and Little Grebe while the 'Great Reed Warbler Pit' held at least 8
Western Reed Warblers, 3 Sedge Warblers and several House Martins.
At BLUNHAM LAKE at 1600 hours, 8 Common Tern
and 2 ARCTIC TERN flew back and forth over the eastern side of the lake, with 24
Mute Swans, 2 Greylag Geese, a female Mallard with chicks, 12 Tufted Duck and 5
Black-headed Gull noted.
Over in WEST BUCKS, the first-winter CATTLE
EGRET was still present in the STEEPLE CLAYDON area, a little buff coming
through in the crown, with nearby a cracking breeding-plumaged BLACK-NECKED
GREBE on CALVERT SAILING LAKE, present until dusk with Tufted Duck on the north
shore. A lot of Great Crested Grebes too (14), as well as 6 Mute Swan, 2
Gadwall, 6 Tufted Duck, 24 Coot, 8 Western Reed Warbler, Cetti's Warbler,
Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat and Common Chiffchaff.
Across the road at CALVERT BBOWT LAKE, a
further 6 Great Crested Grebes, a drake Gadwall, 4 Common Tern, Song Thrush and
Willow Warbler, with seemingly the hide being used as a rubbish bin!!
Highlight yesterday was this breeding-plumaged BLACK TERN at SPADE OAK PIT, LITTLE MARLOW
