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, 16 August 2016

Record-breaking SANDWICH TERN flock in Little Marlow

At around 10 o'clock this morning, Mike Mayall came upon a flock of SANDWICH TERNS at Spade Oak Pit, Little Marlow - all roosting at the end of the spit with Common Terns and Black-headed Gulls. On a brief scan, Mike could count 11 but when I arrived 17 minutes later after a quick text from Alan Stephens, Jim Rose and he had actually counted 13 - the largest single flock to have ever been recorded in Buckinghamshire. Exceptionally, they remained throughout the day, even when Alan returned this evening to check. At least six individuals were ringed, including one adult with red over blue, indicating a bird trapped in 2010 at Sands of Forvie NNR, the Ythan Estuary colony. What with an adult Gannet yesterday (present for 20 minutes around lunchtime at Dorney Rowing Lakes - Dave Cleal/Jim Rose), what will tomorrow bring......

















Thursday, 11 August 2016

Negative on GWE but juvenile RUFF at College

There has been no subsequent sightings of the Great White Egret seen at Manor Farm landscaped gravel pits on Tuesday, although a juvenile RUFF today becomes the latest passage wader to appear at College Lake BBOWT, following the 11 or so Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits over the past month there.

Tuesday, 23 February 2016

Mega: apparent BLACK-BELLIED DIPPER in North Bucks mid-February

I spent a couple of hours in MK today walking the Emerson Valley either side of
the old Shenley Rd footbridge and also the Loughton brook from north of Bradwell
Abbey to Lodge Lake. No luck. The Emerson has more falls over stones/rocks than
the Loughton but is very narrow, the Laughton is much wider and quite quick in
places though only had a couple of places that looked good for Dipper. At the
main site where water ran quickly over rocks just south of the railway tunnel, I
chanced upon two ladies carrying long lens cameras and it transpired that they
were the photographers referred to by Andy in a previous mail. Sarah showed me
the rock that she had seen the Dipper on - it had flown north to the tunnel a
couple of times and returned to these rocks and she hadn't seen it since ( was
out looking for Kingfisher today). She told me where she had posted her slightly
long range shot here:

http://365project.org/pixiemac/more-365/2016-02-13

This is dated the 13th, so I assume this is when she saw it, she also referred
to another man who had seen it and told her what it was.

A more coordinated search might well achieve success. It was very quiet today
with few people about.

Adam Bassett

Saturday, 6 February 2016

Drake FERRUGINOUS DUCK for its third day in North Bucks

A drake FERRUGINOUS DUCK is present for its third day at Caldecotte South Lake to the SW of Milton Keynes. The bird is at the extreme southern end and is showing well from either of the two observation 'screens' in the nature reserve section of the lake. The bird appears to be fully-winged but like all individuals of this species in the UK, its origin is unknown and most likely suspect........









































Saturday, 9 January 2016

BONAPARTE'S GULL roosts on College Lake BBOWT (where it has presumably been doing so since Monday 3rd) - the FIRST record for BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

MEGA: BONAPARTE'S GULL - a first record for both Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire
 
After Roy Hargreaves and David Bilcock initially saw the adult winter BONAPARTE'S GULL at Wilstone on Monday (4 January), it reappeared yesterday morning (8th) and showed on and off until late morning. I relocated it with Warren Claydon in an increasing Wilstone Black-headed Gull roost at 1545 hours yesterday, the bird flying east to roost in College Lake BBOWT at 1600 hours.
 
Anyhow, today, in poor weather conditions, the bird arrived post-roost at Wilstone shortly after 0830 and endeavoured to wash and preen with Black-headed Gulls for an hour or so before flying south. I went venturing out into the mud-soaked farmland and relocated it in a bare earth field, about 500 yards west of Little Tring, south of the Dry Canal - taking earthworms. It was also frequenting the sheep field immediately to the west - the one just north of Miswell Farm. It was commuting between these two fields and the reservoir all day - to at least 1430 hours - delighting upwards of 90 observers, including the likes of Mike Ilett and Graham White from the opposite side of the county.
 
At 1535 hours, David Bilcock singlehandedly located it on nearby College Lake BBOWT, where it was sat with about 100 Black-headed Gulls out from the reserve's Octagon Hide. This represents the FIRST record for Buckinghamshire. Following Dave's call, I drove over to join him but as the reserve officially shuts at 1600 hours, he was keen to leave before getting locked in. Fortunately, the cleaners had just arrived, so I raced around to the West Bank and relocated it not that far out in amongst a whopping 5,016 Black-headed Gulls that roosted. I kept on it until 1648 hours, at which time it was virtually pitch dark - my first county tick in a long while.
 

The only other main highlight today was a drake PINTAIL on Wilstone, roosting with a major arrival of dabbling duck (particularly Wigeon and Teal) on the Drayton Bank


Adult winter Bonaparte's Gull
College Lake BBOWT roost
9 January 2016
(David Bilcock)

Thursday, 7 January 2016

TREE SPARROWS still surviving but no sign of any Willow Tits

I travelled up north today in the hope of finding some Willow Tits in North Bucks but despite trying both sites (Salcey Forest and Hollington Wood Emberton) I failed in my quest. Nice flock of 8 TREE SPARROWS still though on the bird feeders in Dag Lane.........

Had no luck with Ashley's 6 Manor Farm Pintail, although I see 3 of them were at Linford Nature Reserve.....