More GODWITS and MED GULLS

Three BLACK-TAILED GODWITS remain for a second day at Spade Oak Pit (Adam Bassett), whilst two summer-plumaged adult MEDITERRANEAN GULLS also visited there. The 2nd-winter ICELAND GULL remains at Springfield Farm (permit access only)


WEDNESDAY 23 FEBRUARY - LGRE DIARY NOTES

A very wet morning but considerably milder than of late, with temperatures recovering to 14 degrees C by mid-afternoon - spring is on the way! The drizzle did eventually clear at about 1300 hours but grey cloud prevailed throughout.

I managed to clean up on Dunlin and Water Pipit today and evidenced hints of migration......

CHAFFINCH HOUSE, LITTLE CHALFONT (BUCKS)

Many LESSER REDPOLL now visiting the feeders including some bright adult males, with a pair of Greenfinches present for at least an hour this morning.

HALL FARM, DAGNALL (BUCKS) (SP 995 158) - a male Skylark in full song

COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT (BUCKS)

Most interesting was an apparent migrant flock of female COMMON GOLDENEYES - 8 birds together in one close-knit flock on the main pit.

Otherwise, typically quiet with just the 1 OYSTERCATCHER still (on the island on the main pit), 8 Common Snipe and 12 Lapwing on the marsh, 3 Mute Swans, 2 Gadwall, 4 Wigeon and 9 Pochard. A flock of winter thrushes was feeding on one of the islands including 3 Mistle Thrush, 15 Fieldfare and 2 Redwing.

TUNNEL WAY, PITSTONE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE (BUCKS)

A Song Thrush was an unusual sighting here whilst 8 Pied Wagtails were clearly freshly arrived immigrant birds.

CHENIES BOTTOM, CHESS VALLEY (BUCKS)

Still 3 LITTLE EGRETS in evidence, with 2 feeding with the horse in Mill Farm Water Meadows; also 3 Stock Doves.

LOWNDES PARK LAKE, CHESHAM (BUCKS)

All 5 adult Mute Swans still present

First OYSTERCATCHER in North Bucks for the year

First Oystercatcher back today on Motorway Pit at Gayhurst, also 90 Lapwings and 5 Little Egrets. The Whooper Swan is still present, but was down on the grass fields just below Quarryhall Farm with around 40 Mutes. At Quarryhall itself 2 to 3 Tree Sparrows in the Chaffinch flock.

Yesterday, a Curlew was back at the traditional site in the far north of the county (Robert Norris).

At the Upper Ray Meadows today, all 5 CURLEW remained present, both Peregrines, 2 Pintail and at least 8 DUNLINS (Tim Watts) whilst the BLACK-NECKED GREBE was still at Calvert Sailing Lake (Warren Claydon)

BLACK-TAILED GODWIT and ICELAND GULL both still at Spade Oak, with CURLEW and DUNLIN at Upper Ray

MONDAY 21 FEBRUARY

Another very dull and dreary day with continuing SE winds and light drizzle. Temperatures remained low too.

I spent the day locally again today, still working on increasing my Buckinghamshire Year List. It was a productive day for waders.....

SPADE OAK PIT, LITTLE MARLOW (SOUTH BUCKS)

Kevin Duncan and I had a good look through the birds present at Spade Oak this morning, the highlights being the continuing ICELAND GULL and the BLACK-TAILED GODWIT left over from yesterday. The full list was as follows -:

Great Crested Grebe (6)
Grey Heron (15 birds on the island including at least 6 pairs actively nesting, with a further 4 active nests on the two smaller islands where they were forced to nest initially last year)
Sinensis Cormorant (an incredible 24 active nests on the main island)
COMMON SHELDUCK (pair still present)
Common Teal (12 but no sign of yesterday's 3 Pintails)
Eurasian Wigeon (24 remaining)
Gadwall (10)
Shoveler (5)
Tufted Duck (32)
Northern Pochard (81, mostly all asleep around the islands)
Lapwing (494 on the spit)
**ICELANDIC BLACK-TAILED GODWIT (single winter-plumaged bird feeding voraciously on the spit and showing well - my first in the county this year and 101st species.
Black-headed Gull (350)
Common Gull (29)
Argenteus Herring Gull (15)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (22)
Great Black-backed Gull (3)
**ICELAND GULL (the 2nd-winter showing extremely well from midday until at least 1300 hours, preening and bathing. The bird retains a completely dark eye and a pale pinkish-grey base to the blob-tipped bill but is now quite extensively pale grey on the mantle and in the scapulars. Otherwise, it is very bleached white, especially on the primaries)
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (1)

WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)

Was banking with the weather as it was to be in with a chance of the Water Pipit but a work party was trimming the hedgerow on the East Bank and creating too much noise; likewise no sign of the female Goosander.

Great Crested Grebes had well increased, with 19 birds present, with two adult drake Common Goldeneyes in place, along with 3 Mute Swans, and 2 Goldcrests and 4 Long-tailed Tits in the Poplar plantation

BROUGHTON TROUT POOLS (BUCKS)

Further evidence of Great Crested Grebe movement was my first ever record on the Trout Lakes - an adult in breeding plumage gracing the smaller lake with the islands. There were also 16 Wigeon present, along with a drake Gadwall and 10 Common Teal, a pair of Canada Geese and a Grey Heron but still no Jack Snipe.

THE UPPER RAY MEADOWS NR, GALLOWS BRIDGE FARM (BUCKS)

The flooded meadows at the extreme west end of the reserve were highly productive with no less than 740 Lapwings present, several European Golden Plover, a flock of 5 EURASIAN CURLEWS (including 3 males) and a single DUNLIN; also 74 Common Teal and 56 Eurasian Wigeon on the floods and in the hedgerow by the farm, 130 Fieldfares, 25 Redwing, 15 Chaffinches and a Reed Bunting.

At the east end, 2 Brown Hares were in the 'Peregrine Field', with a male Sparrowhawk roosting on one of the surrounding hedgerows and 3 Red-legged Partridges and 3 Linnets in an adjoining crop field.

Yet another dead Badger was seen nearby, on the verge of the eastbound A41 at SP 667 197

A total of 117 species has now been recorded in Buckinghamshire this year, compared to 119 in Hertfordshire and an exceptional 132 in Bedfordshire

MEALY REDPOLLS still in Back Wood

An enjoyable walk around Backwood this afternoon, mainly because I managed to [probably] relocate 2 of the flammeas seen earlier in the year by Simon & Andy.

Both were classic, well-marked birds from the pale end of the spectrum, and could be easily picked out from the accompanying cabaret. Both birds looked pretty much the same, although one of them, which I watched for about 30mins, had slightly less prominent flank streaking and a plainer rump than the other. It also had one single, fairly prominent black utc, which made me think of exilipes. But I've done a bit of research at home, and exilipes would have a needle-thin utc streak, more buff-toned face contrasting with the white breast and flanks, a smaller red "poll" on the forehead, even less flank streaking (often plain flanks), and that "pushed-in" bill look (this bird had a larger bill than that).

These two birds were with a very large finch flock, about 140+ Siskin and 40+ Lesser Redpoll. For those who know Backwood, they were in the large stand of alders at the east end corner of the large field at the back of the pond - SP 912331. For those with an hour or two to spare, an excellent chance to study Redpolls, and maybe dig out an Arctic!

Also 1m Mandarin on the pond, a couple of Buzzard, and a few more Siskin (bringing the total in the wood to a min. of 157).

At Linford at dusk, 2 Barn Owls, a pair of Goldeneye, 1 singing Cettis, and 350+ Fieldfare in the pre-roost there (Rob Hill)

First OYSTERCATCHER returns

SUNDAY 13 FEBRUARY

The wind veered to the SE today but temperatures still held up. Although the rain held off until late morning, it then moved in and continued into darkness, somewhat hampering viewing.

The milder weather experienced over the weekend certainly spurned on some of the earlier migrants, with a marked arrival of OYSTERCATCHERS in our region, some more RINGED PLOVERS, COMMON SHELDUCKS, many FIELDFARES and numerous gulls reorienting northwards........

CHAFFINCH HOUSE, LITTLE CHALFONT (BUCKS)

Still 3 LESSER REDPOLLS on my garden Nyger seed feeders.

CHESHAM FISHING LAKES (BUCKS)

Three GREAT CRESTED GREBES now in residence, with a displaying pair on the smaller lake and the more winter plumaged bird on the larger lake; also 9 Tufted Duck and 3 Northern Pochards

LOWNDES PARK LAKE, CHESHAM (BUCKS)

All 4 Chesham adult Mute Swans now on the one small lake.

PITSTONE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE (HERTS)

A single RINGED PLOVER was back on the scrapes and showing well.

COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT (BUCKS)

A single OYSTERCATCHER was roosting on the island in the deep pit, the first to be recorded in the county this year. The adult female GOOSANDER from Tring Reservoirs was showing very well on the main marsh and viewable from the information centre.

Also 2 Mute Swans, 15 Wigeon, 4 Shoveler, 13 Pochard, 35 Tufted Duck and 20 Lapwings.

IVINGHOE ASTON (BUCKS) (SP 950 185)

I spent an hour or more exploring the fields either side of Grove Farm (SP 945 180) mainly with the idea of finding Grey Partridge but that failed in its quest. A lot of farmland birds were seen though......

4 Common Pheasants and a flock of 433 Woodpigeons feeding in the sheltered fields to the left of the driveway, an astounding 730 FIELDFARES in one flock on the opposite side of the road, plus 440 Common Starlings and just 8 Redwings and Great Tit, Wren, Carrion Crow, Robin, Common Buzzard, 8 Goldfinch, 140 Jackdaw, 1 Greenfinch and 1 Goldcrest.

WHITE-FRONTS still in South Bucks

The family group of 4 EURASIAN WHITE-FRONTED GEESE that have been present all winter were still in fields SW of Marsh Lane Weir at Jubilee River this morning

GREY PARTRIDGES at Grove Farm, Ivinghoe Aston

Highlights of a couple of Atlas surveys around Ivinghoe and Ivinghoe Aston this morning included a Peregrine chasing pigeons, Little Egret, 14 Corn Buntings and 3 Grey Partridge at Grove Farm (Rob Andrews)