Having had a couple of unsuccesful days out, it was nice to see some birds today. First up was a family party of FIRECRESTS just inside the main entrance opposite the Feathers pub. 7 or 8 were calling in holly just to the left of the entrance.All were typically elusive and impossible to see, bar one, a scruffyadult that fltted about in twigs just above my head. so close I had good views without bins. Further into the estate I connected with another family party of similar number, counted on calls. With 4 more picked up on call around the estate 20 was a minimum. My largest total on the estate. Goldcrest were noticeable by their absence with only 4 possibles. No Firecrests encountered by the Orangry Restuarant but a lively family of Coal tits, entertained.
I was going to give Mike's redstarts another go but heavy traffic into Amersham changed my plans and I stopped off at Shardeloes Lake. Initially I had 2 Spot flys at the end of the lake with several Willow/Chiff around. After a walk further along I returned and found 3 Spot flys just to the west of the lake end where the Willows pull back and there is a sedge patch in front. But on viewing the lakeend again I could only find 1. So 4 or 5 in total (Dave Cleal)
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Monday, 8 August 2011
REDSTARTS galore
MONDAY 8 AUGUST
A very autumnly feel to the weather today, with quite strong and cool NW winds and grey, overcast skies for much of the time.........
Another freshly killed Badger I am afraid - this time on the A404 at Hazlemere, by the plantation there at SU 897 958
IVINGHOE HILLS NATURE RESERVE (BUCKS)
Both male and female COMMON REDSTARTS were still present in a very blustery Incombe Hole whilst on the recently cut fields, two different YELLOW-LEGGED GULLS were located with the Lesser Black-backs - an adult with 60 birds in the main field east of the Beacon car park and a 2nd-winter with just a dozen birds in the field below Steps Hill - both presumably birds found at the weekend by David Bilcock. There was also at least one of the colour-ringed Norwegian Lesser Black-backed Gulls still in the area.
ROWSHAM (CENTRAL BUCKS)
Returned once again to Rowsham mid-afternoon where remarkably no less than 6 COMMON REDSTARTS remain in the area - just what is it that is keeping birds here?
Three adult males remained in the main hedgerow leading SE from the derelict buildings of Ridgway (as far as the chalk mounds), with another NE of there in the corner of the field with the new pile of fence wire and two female/immatures in the vicinity of the dried-up pond literally by the buildings. All of the adult males were still in very good plumage condition and birds continue to be very vocal.
Apart from the redstarts, little other migrant activity, but 22 Swallows still around the farm buildings at the end of Bennett's Lane, a juvenile Pied Wagtail and 8 Red Kites and 19 Linnets attracted to the setaside field now being ploughed up by the farmer.
AYLESBURY TOWN CENTRE (BUCKS)
The female PEREGRINE was in residence on the Council building at 1600 hours.
DEEP MILL POND, GREAT MISSENDEN (BUCKS)
Bank's Pond, to the south of Great Missendon, was completely dry whilst neighbouring Deep Mill Pond held just 8 Coot, 8 Moorhen and a female Tufted Duck.
SHARDELOES LAKE (SOUTH BUCKS)
In very blustery conditions, migrants included 44 House Martins and the first local SAND MARTIN of the autumn. There was no sign of the recent Common Redstart nor Spotted Flycatchers.
The 4 Great Crested Grebes were still present (juvenile now independently feeding), the 4 Dabchicks, 1 Grey Heron, 62 Coot (including 7 'new' babies fledged in recent days) and an adult Song Thrush still feeding young in a nest.
A very autumnly feel to the weather today, with quite strong and cool NW winds and grey, overcast skies for much of the time.........
Another freshly killed Badger I am afraid - this time on the A404 at Hazlemere, by the plantation there at SU 897 958
IVINGHOE HILLS NATURE RESERVE (BUCKS)
Both male and female COMMON REDSTARTS were still present in a very blustery Incombe Hole whilst on the recently cut fields, two different YELLOW-LEGGED GULLS were located with the Lesser Black-backs - an adult with 60 birds in the main field east of the Beacon car park and a 2nd-winter with just a dozen birds in the field below Steps Hill - both presumably birds found at the weekend by David Bilcock. There was also at least one of the colour-ringed Norwegian Lesser Black-backed Gulls still in the area.
ROWSHAM (CENTRAL BUCKS)
Returned once again to Rowsham mid-afternoon where remarkably no less than 6 COMMON REDSTARTS remain in the area - just what is it that is keeping birds here?
Three adult males remained in the main hedgerow leading SE from the derelict buildings of Ridgway (as far as the chalk mounds), with another NE of there in the corner of the field with the new pile of fence wire and two female/immatures in the vicinity of the dried-up pond literally by the buildings. All of the adult males were still in very good plumage condition and birds continue to be very vocal.
Apart from the redstarts, little other migrant activity, but 22 Swallows still around the farm buildings at the end of Bennett's Lane, a juvenile Pied Wagtail and 8 Red Kites and 19 Linnets attracted to the setaside field now being ploughed up by the farmer.
AYLESBURY TOWN CENTRE (BUCKS)
The female PEREGRINE was in residence on the Council building at 1600 hours.
DEEP MILL POND, GREAT MISSENDEN (BUCKS)
Bank's Pond, to the south of Great Missendon, was completely dry whilst neighbouring Deep Mill Pond held just 8 Coot, 8 Moorhen and a female Tufted Duck.
SHARDELOES LAKE (SOUTH BUCKS)
In very blustery conditions, migrants included 44 House Martins and the first local SAND MARTIN of the autumn. There was no sign of the recent Common Redstart nor Spotted Flycatchers.
The 4 Great Crested Grebes were still present (juvenile now independently feeding), the 4 Dabchicks, 1 Grey Heron, 62 Coot (including 7 'new' babies fledged in recent days) and an adult Song Thrush still feeding young in a nest.
Monday, 1 August 2011
REDSTARTS and PIED FLYCATCHERS
At least 4 COMMON REDSTARTS remain at Rowsham, the two in Incombe Hole, Steps Hill and up to 7 on the Quainton Hills......also 1 in the Amersham Recording Area.......
MONDAY 1 AUGUST
A light easterly breeze blowing with some cloud but very warm temperatures - feeling very 'muggy' indeed at 81 degrees F
With over 15 COMMON REDSTARTS recorded in the county this year, it was perhaps inevitable that the Amersham Recording Area would see its first for many years this autumn. As such, Richard Birch discovered one at Shardeloes on Saturday......
SHARDELOES LAKE (SOUTH BUCKS)
The female/immature COMMON REDSTART was still present this morning, calling loudly from the small plantation that lies just to the left of the lake 80 yards beyond the first gate. The bird was very elusive and eventually flew up the slope and disappeared into the wood below Shardeloes House.
Also mid-morning, a juvenile PIED FLYCATCHER arrived in this same tiny stand of lakeside trees and showed well for about 15 minutes before too moving further up the slope and into the wood beneath Shardeloes House. It was present up to 1020 hours at least.
Further migrants came in the form of a bright juvenile WILLOW WARBLER and a party of 8 SPOTTED FLYCATCHERS, the latter all feeding from the tall Oak trees by the gate. A party of 3 Common Swifts flew through, as well as 8 Barn Swallows.
Little Grebes have bred locally, with two juveniles now accompanying two adults on the lake, with the 4 Great Crested Grebes on site and the continuing female MANDARIN DUCK
Also Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker, juvenile Common Buzzard, Common Treecreeper and Bullfinch
MONDAY 1 AUGUST
A light easterly breeze blowing with some cloud but very warm temperatures - feeling very 'muggy' indeed at 81 degrees F
With over 15 COMMON REDSTARTS recorded in the county this year, it was perhaps inevitable that the Amersham Recording Area would see its first for many years this autumn. As such, Richard Birch discovered one at Shardeloes on Saturday......
SHARDELOES LAKE (SOUTH BUCKS)
The female/immature COMMON REDSTART was still present this morning, calling loudly from the small plantation that lies just to the left of the lake 80 yards beyond the first gate. The bird was very elusive and eventually flew up the slope and disappeared into the wood below Shardeloes House.
Also mid-morning, a juvenile PIED FLYCATCHER arrived in this same tiny stand of lakeside trees and showed well for about 15 minutes before too moving further up the slope and into the wood beneath Shardeloes House. It was present up to 1020 hours at least.
Further migrants came in the form of a bright juvenile WILLOW WARBLER and a party of 8 SPOTTED FLYCATCHERS, the latter all feeding from the tall Oak trees by the gate. A party of 3 Common Swifts flew through, as well as 8 Barn Swallows.
Little Grebes have bred locally, with two juveniles now accompanying two adults on the lake, with the 4 Great Crested Grebes on site and the continuing female MANDARIN DUCK
Also Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker, juvenile Common Buzzard, Common Treecreeper and Bullfinch
Monday, 25 July 2011
My first WHINCHAT of the autumn and in Bucks this year
Unbeknown to me, Peter Stevens had discovered a WHINCHAT at Springfield Quarry, Beaconsfield, last week - on 19 July. Dave Cleal also saw the bird and saw another one today - in exactly the same area.
As soon as I heard of it, I rushed over and after parking at Lillyfee Farm, quickly relocated it just 100 yards along the track consorting with a family party of 6 Common Whitethroats. It was favouring an area of rough weeds and nettles just left of the track, in the same area where all of the migrant Whinchats were found last autumn. It represented my first in the county this year.
Elsewhere in the quarry it was very quiet, with nothing present on the two scrapes. A flock of 31 ppost-breeding Lapwings were in the first field beyond the farm buildings.
As soon as I heard of it, I rushed over and after parking at Lillyfee Farm, quickly relocated it just 100 yards along the track consorting with a family party of 6 Common Whitethroats. It was favouring an area of rough weeds and nettles just left of the track, in the same area where all of the migrant Whinchats were found last autumn. It represented my first in the county this year.
Elsewhere in the quarry it was very quiet, with nothing present on the two scrapes. A flock of 31 ppost-breeding Lapwings were in the first field beyond the farm buildings.
A bumper crop of 'summering' COMMON REDSTARTS
MONDAY 25 JULY
A warm day but with increasing cloud cover gathering throughout the afternoon; a light NW breeze blowing.....
I had no luck again with a local Quail but did enjoy a feats of COMMON REDSTART sightings........
STEPS HILL, IVINGHOE HILLS NATURE RESERVE (BUCKS)
On three separate attempts, I failed to hear the male Common Quail that Steve Rodwell had heard at 0630 hours calling from the harvested cornfields between Steps Hill and the Ivinghoe road. In fact, few birds were noted, apart from several Yellowhammer family parties and those of Common Whitethroat and Common Chiffchaff. The two COMMON REDSTARTS were both present in Incombe Hole, skulking in deep cover between the orange-rolling hill and the bottom end of the gully.
A lot of butterflies were on the wing, including excellent numbers of CHALK HILL BLUES (over 100 being noted - see Francis Buckle's images above) as well as both Common and Small Blue, Peacock, Large White, Green-veined White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, both Small and Large Skippers, a Small Copper and several rather worn Dark Green Fritillaries.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
Very little of interest, despite continuing dropping water levels - the 2 Little Ringed Plovers still (presumably local Pitstone Quarry birds), 87 Lapwings and 11 Little Egrets. The latter have bred for the first time at the reservoirs, with the two youngsters still being fed in the Willows along the Drayton Bank bund by their parents.
A lot of Red Kite were in the vicinity, their arrival coinciding with the harvesting of the local crop fields.
A dead Badger was beside the B489 north of Wilstone Reservoir at SP 901 133.
ROWSHAM (CENTRAL BUCKS) (SP 858 179)
No fewer than 4 COMMON REDSTARTS were seen in the vicinity of Ridgway, east of Rowsham village late morning - a moulting male in the main hedgerow that runs east and an adult male still in good plumage and two female/immatures in the hedgerow that leads south from the derelict building remains. A somewhat remarkable flurry of records, considering one of the adult males has been present in this area for the best part of a month. The birds were typically elusive but particularly vocal, especially the male with the other two birds.
In the vicinity of Manor Farm at the end of Bennetts Lane, large numbers of Barn Swallows were present (25 birds, including a large proportion of juveniles). A single Eurasian Sparrowhawk and 3 Willow Warblers were also seen in the area
DIRECTIONS
Park courteously on Bennetts Lane in Rowsham village (SP 851 179) and then take the public footpath east from Manor Farm. Walk through the kissing gate and then follow the rough track for some 500 yards to the ruined farm building, passing through two sheepfields on route. One adult male Common Redstart was frequenting the main hedgerow to your right 30-50 yards before you reach the ruins whilst the other three birds can be 'scoped from the track by the ruins - the hedgerow that leads away to the south. They were keeping mainly to the hedge in the vicinity of the chalk mounds, about 100 yards down
A warm day but with increasing cloud cover gathering throughout the afternoon; a light NW breeze blowing.....
I had no luck again with a local Quail but did enjoy a feats of COMMON REDSTART sightings........
STEPS HILL, IVINGHOE HILLS NATURE RESERVE (BUCKS)
On three separate attempts, I failed to hear the male Common Quail that Steve Rodwell had heard at 0630 hours calling from the harvested cornfields between Steps Hill and the Ivinghoe road. In fact, few birds were noted, apart from several Yellowhammer family parties and those of Common Whitethroat and Common Chiffchaff. The two COMMON REDSTARTS were both present in Incombe Hole, skulking in deep cover between the orange-rolling hill and the bottom end of the gully.
A lot of butterflies were on the wing, including excellent numbers of CHALK HILL BLUES (over 100 being noted - see Francis Buckle's images above) as well as both Common and Small Blue, Peacock, Large White, Green-veined White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, both Small and Large Skippers, a Small Copper and several rather worn Dark Green Fritillaries.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
Very little of interest, despite continuing dropping water levels - the 2 Little Ringed Plovers still (presumably local Pitstone Quarry birds), 87 Lapwings and 11 Little Egrets. The latter have bred for the first time at the reservoirs, with the two youngsters still being fed in the Willows along the Drayton Bank bund by their parents.
A lot of Red Kite were in the vicinity, their arrival coinciding with the harvesting of the local crop fields.
A dead Badger was beside the B489 north of Wilstone Reservoir at SP 901 133.
ROWSHAM (CENTRAL BUCKS) (SP 858 179)
No fewer than 4 COMMON REDSTARTS were seen in the vicinity of Ridgway, east of Rowsham village late morning - a moulting male in the main hedgerow that runs east and an adult male still in good plumage and two female/immatures in the hedgerow that leads south from the derelict building remains. A somewhat remarkable flurry of records, considering one of the adult males has been present in this area for the best part of a month. The birds were typically elusive but particularly vocal, especially the male with the other two birds.
In the vicinity of Manor Farm at the end of Bennetts Lane, large numbers of Barn Swallows were present (25 birds, including a large proportion of juveniles). A single Eurasian Sparrowhawk and 3 Willow Warblers were also seen in the area
DIRECTIONS
Park courteously on Bennetts Lane in Rowsham village (SP 851 179) and then take the public footpath east from Manor Farm. Walk through the kissing gate and then follow the rough track for some 500 yards to the ruined farm building, passing through two sheepfields on route. One adult male Common Redstart was frequenting the main hedgerow to your right 30-50 yards before you reach the ruins whilst the other three birds can be 'scoped from the track by the ruins - the hedgerow that leads away to the south. They were keeping mainly to the hedge in the vicinity of the chalk mounds, about 100 yards down
Friday, 15 July 2011
COMMON REDSTART at last
FRIDAY 15 JULY
In the sunshine, temperatures were high and as the day wore on, fresher conditions and increasing winds spread from the southwest. It became increasingly overcast during the day.......
INKOMBE HOLE, STEPS HILL, IVINGHOE HILLS NR (BUCKS)
With six COMMON REDSTARTS already recorded in the county this autumn, I finally struck lucky today and found a moulting, rather scruffy male in Inkombe Hole this morning. The bird was frequenting the scrub either side of the 'orange-rolling' slope and was initially located on call; it barely moved more than 20 yards and kept commuting between two patches of vegetation. It was typically elusive.
There was also a migrant adult WILLOW WARBLER in the Hole, a Lesser Whitethroat and a family party of 5 Common Whitethroats, as well as a flyover HOBBY, 2 Common Kestrels, 18 Linnets, Red Admiral, 3 Commas and on wires by the Pitstone Hill car park, a 'jangling' male CORN BUNTING.
At nearby Gallows Hill, good numbers of CHALKHILL BLUE butterflies were on the wing (35+), along with several Small Heath, Ringlet and a Red Admiral.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
A 1230 hours visit produced a Gatekeeper butterfly in the car park, an astounding 13 LITTLE EGRETS, 38 Mute Swans, 28 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Eurasian Wigeon and 169 Lapwings
TOTTERNHOE (BEDFORDSHIRE)
There was no sight nor sound of the Quail along the lane, just 3 singing CORN BUNTINGS, but in Church Green cul-de-sac, a House Martin colony held 6 active nests.
In the sunshine, temperatures were high and as the day wore on, fresher conditions and increasing winds spread from the southwest. It became increasingly overcast during the day.......
INKOMBE HOLE, STEPS HILL, IVINGHOE HILLS NR (BUCKS)
With six COMMON REDSTARTS already recorded in the county this autumn, I finally struck lucky today and found a moulting, rather scruffy male in Inkombe Hole this morning. The bird was frequenting the scrub either side of the 'orange-rolling' slope and was initially located on call; it barely moved more than 20 yards and kept commuting between two patches of vegetation. It was typically elusive.
There was also a migrant adult WILLOW WARBLER in the Hole, a Lesser Whitethroat and a family party of 5 Common Whitethroats, as well as a flyover HOBBY, 2 Common Kestrels, 18 Linnets, Red Admiral, 3 Commas and on wires by the Pitstone Hill car park, a 'jangling' male CORN BUNTING.
At nearby Gallows Hill, good numbers of CHALKHILL BLUE butterflies were on the wing (35+), along with several Small Heath, Ringlet and a Red Admiral.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
A 1230 hours visit produced a Gatekeeper butterfly in the car park, an astounding 13 LITTLE EGRETS, 38 Mute Swans, 28 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Eurasian Wigeon and 169 Lapwings
TOTTERNHOE (BEDFORDSHIRE)
There was no sight nor sound of the Quail along the lane, just 3 singing CORN BUNTINGS, but in Church Green cul-de-sac, a House Martin colony held 6 active nests.
Friday, 8 July 2011
Wader passage well underway in the North of the county
Five species of wader on site at Gayhurst this morning,
Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Little-ringed Plover - a whopping 8, all adults - by far a site record (previous best 2 ), Oystercatcher 4, - 2 adults and 2 small young, Lapwing, several including juveniles.
At least 26 juvenile Common Terns on Motorway Pit.
At Quarryhall a good dozen Tree Sparrows including juveniles, Yellow Wagtail and a Roe Deer foraging in the Oat field (Rob Norris)
Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Little-ringed Plover - a whopping 8, all adults - by far a site record (previous best 2 ), Oystercatcher 4, - 2 adults and 2 small young, Lapwing, several including juveniles.
At least 26 juvenile Common Terns on Motorway Pit.
At Quarryhall a good dozen Tree Sparrows including juveniles, Yellow Wagtail and a Roe Deer foraging in the Oat field (Rob Norris)
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