WHOOPERS arrive at Linford

A splendid north Bucks morning, starting with the 4 BEARDED TITS at Walton, showing well as they moved through the reeds right next to the boardwalk, calling repeatedly. Myself and Simon think there may - may - be a fifth bird in there, but as far as I'm aware the total thus far is still 4. Also 8 Siskin over, a few Redwing, and 3 Water Rail.

Moving to Linford, there was a Marsh Tit in the car park, 16 Snipe circled the lake several times before heading off towards Haversham Mill, and a flock of c12 Siskin also contained 2 Lesser Redpoll. Then scanning through the Mutes, I found 3 WHOOPER SWANS. They initially looked nervous, trumpeting away before flying off low west. Luckily they were only circuiting the lake, and they landed again in front of near hide, eventually looking a lot more settled. If we're lucky they'll spend a prolonged period of time in the Ouse valley.

Also at Linford, c160 migrating Woodpigeons, flying high south-west in 3 flocks, something I haven't paid too much attention to before. Excellent morning! Rob Hill

BEARDED TITS in Milton Keynes

Female Bearded Tit at Walton Balancing Lake 05/11/2010 13:31 - Car Park SP879369

Speaking with Nik Maynard about the news he said "What did you go there for!?!!?" - Well, Linford was dead yesterday, Walton's closer to work and I still needed Bittern for my Bucks year list - came my reply. As I started down the boardwalk from the small car park I flushed something small from the boardwalk edge which moved off into the reeds,but I could still hear it moving around? Don't think it was a bird as it didn't give any contact call as it was flushed? So had my hopes up it could have been a mammal....a Water Vole? or perhaps a Mink :-( ? Anyway I couldn't relocate it so started off further along the board walk and on to the viewing platform). From here, I could again sense something moving to my left through the reeds (but this animal/bird was the same as the previous - it would have had to have crossed the footpath leading off to the 2nd hide). I now started to track the twitching reeds as the creature moved around my left and closer to me. I then realised it was a bird as it started giving 'CHA - ing' calls, and with heart beat raised I started to think it didn't sound quite right for Bearded Tit - a shorter "ping"from memory? The reeds kept moving and I could track this as it moved across my position and away from me. Panicking that the bird was not going to show itself and the movement now going away from me I started 'pishing' the bird. Again it still kept moving away to about 10 metre. I noticed the reed stems getting shaken more and more, I could still hearsome "Cha-hing" calls as it went. So I finally used my bins as I'd been keeping them covered out of the rain, and started to track up the shaking reeds to finally see a female BEARDED TIT pop out on top of the Reed Mace between some greener leaved shrubs. This then moved off away from me, but at this point I'm sure I heard a 'second' contact call coming to the right of where that bird was (about 4 metres away). Then gone. No more views. (I then thought I heard 2 calls off to the right by the time Martin K and Rob N had arrived but they didn't).

UPDATE 14:39 Rob Norris is still on site and called to say he's heard two Bearded Tits calling and briefly seen one at distance moving amongst the reeds. The platform seems the best location - But please be very quiet once on site.

Boardwalk SP880370 (Paul Moon)

WHOOPER SWAN still present

Foxcote; Adam' Bassetts probable fem Greater Scaup is still there. Viewed at long range in poor light but looked pretty good for true Scaup fem/imm to me. Aythya duck with rounded head, bigger than Coots, mantle dark brown, flanks rusty brown, cream patches at base of bill and cream ear patch. Bill looked wide with think smallish nail? Splash preened very vigorously on it's own, gave impression of powerful duck. Certainly not one of the female Tufty Scaup lookalikes that we get at Calvert and here but guess closer views needed to say for sure.We need an expert to have a look!!

Hillesden; adult WHOOPER SWAN still with Greylag Goose flock feeding in crop field to right of pools / 18 Wigeon/3 Little Grebe

Calvert; quick look at early part of gull pre-roost- 1 ad Y.L.Gull and 3rd W presumed Y.L.G, say presumed cos it's head shape and eye, jizz look strange to me!!

Gallows bridge farm; quiet start but livened up when 2 Sparrowhawks hunted stubble field next to cark park and then spotted a Peregrine sat in main meadow! Peregrine powered off and put everything up, seen again in high speed chase low over meadow; didn't see it make a kill but landed to rest/roost on Pylon by A41. Also seen, c 400 Lapwing but not a single Golden Plover/ c400 Starling/c 60 Linnet/c80 ducks put up, mostly Mallard but c 20 Teal and 3 other slimline ducks (Tim Watts)

OSPREY again

Bob and Trish Tunnicliffe had the OSPREY again yesterday, at Willen Lake At around 1330 hours, it just flew over - came in from a generally easterly direction and headed off south west - flying pretty low.

Late GARGANEY still at Foxcote

The GARGANEY was still present this morning, 1st Nov. along the far side to the right of the hide below the feeder. It was not seen in flight. Although a distant view I think it is a female due to its pale face, distinct pale supercillium and pale buff breast.

The scaup type thingy was also present but it looks to me like a hybrid. It had dirty-white under-tail coverts mottled with dark grey, fairly uniform light brown flanks with a warmer brown area to the rear. The back was dark greyish brown with at some angles paler grey feathers on the upper back. The breast was warm brown as was the head but with a paler forehead. The white areas either side of the bill base were a creamy-white. The eye was dark with no hint of yellow iris. The head shape was good for Greater Scaup in being rounded and slightly flattish on the crown and with no hint of a crest. The bill was broad and pale-blueish grey with an indistinct smudgy nail.It did little but sleep and popped its head up once and was on the water below the gate on the far bank to the right of the hide.

No sign of the Northern Pintail nor of the RND. Two male and one female Goldeneye present along with two Green Sandpipers, several hundred Wigeon and a gathering of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, etc. (Ken Earnshaw)

30 October - CASPIAN GULL at Calvert

Decided to check out the gull roost at Calvert this evening and so a stopoff at Gallows Bridge is an added excuse these days. I pulled up at the entrance and as soon as I got out the car there were birds everywhere, all along the entrance track hedge and flying up from theadjacent stubble field. They were mostly Chaffinches but, to my delight, also a few TREE SPARROWS. I managed to perch up on top of the gatepost and scan the flock as they dropped back into the stubble and soon realised there were more sparrows than I first thought. At least 18 were on the ground or in the roadside hedge but there were probably more hidden. It's many years since I've sen this number in Bucks. This field looks superb at the moment with a large flock of Linnets, Starlings and Skylarks. It would be nice if they attracted Tim's Merlin back again for the winter. The pools and main field were quiet with just a few Fieldfare and 100 LesserBB Gulls. A flock of c300 Golden Plover and 400 Lapwing were in flight over Grendon Underwood.

I moved on to Calvert where the gull roost was starting to build up in front of the 2nd hide and included at least 5 Yellow-legged Gulls. I was joined by Warren Claydon who soon found a CASPIAN GULL in the flock. It was quite adult like but the bill markings and dark in the primary coverts showed some immaturity so was probably a fourth winter (Rob Andrews)

WHOOPER SWAN at Hillesden

30 October - Calvert; noticable influx of Blackbirds in scrub/ 2 Goldcrests/3 Jays

Hillesden; adult WHOOPER SWAN on main pool veiwable from the track, it looked settled, feeding with Mutes.

Gallows bridge farm; c400 Golden Plover/c 500 Lapwing in flight over adjacent crop fields. 5 TREE SPARROWS on cut hedge by car park briefly also Chaffinches, Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, House Sparrows on same hedge; 2 flocks of Linnets combined occasionally c 200 (Tim Watts)