Saturday, 10 August 2013
REDSTARTS at Quainton Hills
Tim Watts had at least 5 COMMON REDSTARTS today on the Quainton Hills, mostly adult males
Thursday, 8 August 2013
Passerine passage is on
There were 3 different COMMON REDSTARTS on Quainton Hills today, as well as remaining singles at Ravensthorpe Sewage Farm and Steps Hill.
Waders too were making headlines, with 2 COMMON GREENSHANKS and 2 Dunlin at Manor Farm
Waders too were making headlines, with 2 COMMON GREENSHANKS and 2 Dunlin at Manor Farm
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
REDSTART still present in North Bucks
The male Redstart first seen last Thursday at Ravenstone STW
was Still present this lunchtime.
From the roadside gate, walk down to the next gate and look back towards
the roadside hedge, about 50 yards right of the black bale bags.
Robert
was Still present this lunchtime.
From the roadside gate, walk down to the next gate and look back towards
the roadside hedge, about 50 yards right of the black bale bags.
Robert
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
GARGANEY at Manor farm GP this evening
At Manor Farm this evening, 1 eclipse male Garganey, 7 Common Sand, 6 Green
Sand, 3 Dunlin, 1 Greenshank and 1 R Plover.
Also Little Owl, 1ad 2juv Oycs and at least 5 broods of Tuftie.
This site really does look excellent at the moment, and regular watching this autumn will surely produce a few good birds.
Rob Hill
Also Little Owl, 1ad 2juv Oycs and at least 5 broods of Tuftie.
This site really does look excellent at the moment, and regular watching this autumn will surely produce a few good birds.
Rob Hill
First COMMON REDSTART of the autumn at Inkombe Hole
After twitching Alan Gardiner's Tyttenhanger DUNLIN (which was still
present on the spit incidentally when I left at 2pm), I returned to TRING
RESERVOIRS to complete my counts of the smaller three reservoirs.
TRINGFORD RESERVOIR is at the lowest I have seen it for some years and very
reminiscent of when I have recorded Spotted Crake there; it is looking
exceptional for passage waders. Dave Hutchinson and I had a summer-plumaged
ICELANDIC BLACK-TAILED GODWIT feeding on the flattened area of mud at the far
corner from around 1600 hours, the bird flying off at 1738 when spooked by three
Red Fox cubs playing on the bank. A total of 4 GREEN SANDPIPERS was feeding on
the wettest mud in the far corner and resident species included 7 Grey Heron,
the family party of 8 Mute Swans, a single Shoveler, three broods of Tufted Duck
totalling 28 young (including 2 very pale individuals with one party of 6
ducklings) and 38 Coot. The 7 Little Egrets were also present.
On neighbouring STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR, the celebrity first-summer female
COMMON SCOTER was present for its third day, showing extremely well not far from
the car park, as well as the juvenile LITTLE RINGED PLOVER (also present for its
third day). A pair of Great Crested Grebes has built a new nest on one of the
algae bunds.
The first sign of migration on the Hills involved a COMMON REDSTART and
LESSER WHITETHROAT in Inkombe Hole, the former proving very elusive and
lingering in the bushes by the orange-rolling slope; 3 Bullfinches also.
Monday, 5 August 2013
PEC' PIPER just over the border again
Kevin Duncan picked up a small brown wader which he believed to be a 'Pec' at Eton Wick Flood on Sunday morning - Russell Ness confirming his suspicions some 25 minutes later. In exactly the same location as last autumn's birding, one could forgive speculation that it is the same bird returning. It remained all day and was still present on Monday, the scrape also yielding an adult summer Dunlin and two flocks of Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits last week. The site is literally just yards from Buckinghamshire, bordering the east end of Dorney Common. Graham Smith and I staked it out last night but there was no realistic chance of either of us getting it on the 2013 Bucks Year List - the Dorney Common flood being completely dried out and just grass. A juvenile Mediterranean Gull has also visited the scrape in recent days. These were the best images I obtained of the Pec in fading light and at 200 yards range - seems to be an adult.........
The local Mute Swan pair on the river...
........and sunset
Borderline Butterflying
On Friday 2nd August, I visited Aston Rowant Nature Reserve, literally yards over the border in Oxfordshire. In the 84 degree heat, I counted 236 SILVER-SPOTTED SKIPPERS (the speciality here), 6 BROWN ARGUS, a Large Skipper, 15 Essex Skippers, 105 Small Skippers, a whopping 775 CHALKHILL BLUES, a staggering 206 Large White, 81 Brimstone, 95 Common Blue, 8 Comma, 600+ Gatekeeper, 100+ Meadow Brown and 400+ Ringlet butterflies...........
A selection of my best shots of the day follow -:
A selection of my best shots of the day follow -:
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