YEARLISTING IN 2016

Compared to most recent years, when for example I recorded 165 species in the county in 2011, 187 in 2012 and 173 in 2013, this has been a particularly poor one with just 157 species recorded by mid December - one of my worst years on record

YEARLISTING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

It's all over - 2012 has come to an end. I managed a total of 187 out of the 198 species recorded all told in Buckinghamshire - 94% of the total - probably my highest-ever annual tally.

The current record is 191 species achieved in 2006 and held jointly by both Rob Hill and Simon Nichols



Tuesday 24 February 2015

SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF performing well at Spade Oak

TUESDAY 24 FEBRUARY
 
More evidence of continuing spring passage today when my CHAFFINCH HOUSE garden feeders in LITTLE CHALFONT were visited by a SISKIN and a male LESSER REDPOLL, the 4th of the latter to be seen in recent days. Goldfinch numbers were high too at 16, while the female BLACKCAP remained.




At BOIS MILL POND, 2 Little Egrets were about
 
Following a call from Dave Bilcock, I made my way to TRING RESERVOIRS, where in the horse paddock fields in MARSWORTH, a Barnacle Goose was present with 47 Atlantic Canada Geese. I am assuming that this is the same individual that visited the reservoirs last year - staying for just three days. The reservoir itself held 10 Great Crested Grebe, 6 Tufted Duck, 4 Pochard, 4 Coot and an impressive 96 Shoveler, with a Red Kite overhead.
 
Coot numbers continue to deplete, with very small numbers left at the three smaller reservoirs, whilst the WINGRAVE ROAD CEREAL FIELDS reaped nothing more than 450 Woodpigeons with again no sign of the 4 Grey Partridges.
 
Over at WILSTONE RESERVOIR, Mike Campbell & I were very pleased to connect with the EGYPTIAN GOOSE pair hiding in thick vegetation on the Drayton Bank. Despite the strong and quite freezing NW wind, the number of dabbling ducks that had arrived overnight was impressive, with 184 Shoveler being counted as well as 240 Wigeon. PINTAIL numbers had now increased to 8 (5 drakes).
 
I did another fruitless drive around ASTON CLINTON searching for Golden Plovers - HALTON AIRFIELD drawing a blank too. In HALTON itself, opposite TREE TOPS LAKE, 2 Little Egret were showing well in an open field - the lake itself harbouring 18 Mallard, 2 Coot & a pair of Canada Geese.
 
Along the WENDOVER ARM of the canal at THE WIDES, two more Little Egret were in attendance, with 8 Moorhen, 6 Coot, 18 Mallard and a pair of Mute Swan, the cob bearing the ring '4APA'. All 12 MANDARIN DUCKS were counted, 7 of them male.
 
Not too much to add from neighbouring WESTON TURVILLE RESERVOIR, although 3 Mute Swan (2 adults and a first-year), 6 Great Crested Grebe and 2 Pochard were new since my last visit; a Jay too.
 
A pair of Mistle Thrush were encountered in HUGHENDEN PARK, while at SPADE OAK GP, LITTLE MARLOW, the SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF was showing well along the west shore, flycatching in the sunshine. At least 4 collybitta Common Chiffchaff were also in the area, as well as a Goldcrest. Otherwise, not much else - the Australian Black Swan pair, 1 Common Shelduck, 4 Egyptian Geese and a showy Common Treecreeper. Adam's 2nd-winter Mediterranean Gull from earlier had flown off.
















A Little Egret was an unusual visitor to DENHAM COURT LAKE, while at TROY MILL PIT (WEST HYDE), an impressive 448 Coot were click-counted. Additionally, Little Egret, 8 Mute Swan, 12 Great Crested Grebe, 68 Tufted Duck, 15 Pochard, 2 female Goldeneye and Common Kingfisher were noted, as well as 30 or so Ring-necked Parakeets in the area, largely attracted to Simon Buckingham's canalside pad. Mute Swan '843' was on the canal here too.
 

At the rear of BROADWATER SAILING CLUB and in vegetation overhanging the RIVER COLNE, the SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF I first found in November 2014 was still showing, as well as 6 Common Chiffchaff. A pair of Egyptian Geese were at Lynster's Farm.



Monday 16 February 2015

PIED AVOCET at College Lake

PIED AVOCETS arrive with a deluge of rain - Monday 16 February
 
From around 10 o'clock onwards today, it rained all day, bringing with it 3 passage PIED AVOCETS locally...
 
First off, 8 year-old Tom Bacon and his father Gary stumbled upon one on the main marsh at COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT late morning before a pair made landfall at TYTTENHANGER MAIN PIT in the afternoon
 
Following Gary's phone call, David Hutchinson & 1 quickly arrived, confirming their suspicions - the bird showing well from the Octagon Hide. No fewer than 32 Common Snipe were also present on the marsh, as well as the first Common Redshank of the year, along with 18 Mute Swan, 215 Wigeon & 2 Teal. Up to 3 WATER RAILS were showing well in the first bay as you walk down to Octagon, while the Deep Pit held 3 Red-crested Pochard, a Little Grebe and the first Great Crested Grebe of the year. At the feeding station, 20 Chaffinch and 2 Reed Bunting were noted.

















 
At TRING RESERVOIRS, highlight at TRINGFORD was a pair of COMMON SHELDUCK, while on WILSTONE RESERVOIR, the first-winter female GREATER SCAUP was still present, 8 COMMON GOLDENEYE (including a single drake), an impressive 184 Shoveler, 170 Wigeon, 30 Gadwall, 100 Teal, 12 Common Snipe in flight & 140 Common Starlings
 

The PIED AVOCET pair at TYTTENHANGER GP remained on view until 1700 hours at least, at the end of the spit with 450 Lapwings




Wednesday 11 February 2015

Gulls galore and roosting BITTERNS

11/2: thanks to information kindly supplied by Adam Bassett, I finally found time to give HEDGERLEY LANDFILL a proper viewing today, where prior to lunchtime, a throng of over 2,500 large white-headed gulls included 5 CASPIAN GULLS amongst their horde, four different first-winters and an adult-type. I click-counted 713 Herring (including a large contingent of northern argentatus), 425 Lesser Black-backed and 21 Great Black-backed before the council worker arrived armed with his Saker hybrid and flushed the entire flock away. The landfill also attracted an incredible 112 RED KITES.














Later on at dusk, I visited a still frozen-over WESTON TURVILLE RESERVOIR, where 2 BITTERNS were seen from the hide from 1701 hours onwards, a very pale individual roosting in reeds less than 75 yards away from the hide, just beyond the pool. Three Little Egrets flew in across the lake to roost at The Wides on the canal, with 3 WOODCOCK and a single Common Snipe appearing as night fell. Not a single Reed Bunting was recorded. At least 5 Water Rail squealed from the reedbed.