Huge gathering of TREE SPARROWS as Chilterns Region has first snowfall of winter

TUESDAY 30 NOVEMBER

With the wind veering to the east and Northeast, the first snow of the winter arrived overnight depositing a light covering over South Buckinghamshire and up to four centimetres in North Bucks and Bedfordshire. It was bitterly cold as the wind freshened and as darkness fell, temperatures plunged below freezing again.

The highlight of my day was an exceptional wintering flock of TREE SPARROWS in North Bucks - my largest flock in many years

SHARDELOES LAKE (SOUTH BUCKS)

Almost completely frozen over with 3 Little Grebes, 5 Mute Swans and 69 Coots remaining and 7 adult Common Gulls and a 4th-winter Argenteus Herring Gull resting on the ice and a single Fieldfare in the bushes.

WOBURN (BEDFORDSHIRE)

Barry Nightingale had seen 105 WAXWINGS at 0800 hours but when I visited around midday, just 29 were feeding on the Pink Rowans along Leighton Street.

CALDECOTTE LAKES (NORTH BUCKS)

The female SMEW discovered on Sunday was still present, diving with Tufted Ducks on the east shore of the North Lake. On the opposite side of the dual carriageway, on the South Lake, a pair of COMMON SHELDUCK were noted, along with 33 Great Crested Grebes and good numbers of dabbling duck.

DAIRY FARM, LITTLE LINFORD (NORTH BUCKS) (SP 837 457)
(Access road very snowy - utmost care required)

Following up some information kindly supplied by Rob Hill, a strip of maize crop and its adjoining clump of conifers and thick hawthorn scrub yielded an incredible 130 TREE SPARROWS - my largest local gathering of this species for at least ten years. They were all chipping away together and making a loud racket and keeping to one core mass. There were also a lot of Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting and Chaffinch with them, whilst 2 MARSH TITS were in the hedgerow.

FOXCOTE RESERVOIR (NORTH BUCKINGHAMSHIRE)

I had to park in Maids Moreton village as the roads around Foxcote were treacherous and incredibly icy - cars were strewn everywhere having collided with one another or slithered off of the road.

When I finally reached the hide, there was one wide sweep of open water that had escaped the ice. Sat on the ice at the entrance to the NW arm were the 4 BEWICK'S SWANS (three adults and a single juvenile) that Paul had found about an hour earlier and Francis had seen. The adult drake RING-NECKED DUCK was also present - showing very well for a change - and wide awake - and diving in front of the hide.

The cold weather had also seen a massive influx of wildfowl on the reservoir with 44 Mute Swans, 516 Eurasian Wigeon, 43 Common Teal, 15 Gadwall, a drake PINTAIL, 32 Tufted Duck, 17 Northern Pochard and 8 Common Goldeneye (4 drakes) present, as well as 8 Great Crested Grebes and an adult pair of GOOSANDER. A single DUNLIN was standing on the ice by the tern raft.

The hedgerows bordering the road between the village and the access gate held 25 Redwings and a party of 6 nominate BULLFINCHES.

BROGBOROUGH LAKE (BEDFORDSHIRE)

My last port of call was an ice-free Brogborough Lake where the GREAT NORTHERN DIVER was still present, as well as the 7 adult RED-CRESTED POCHARDS that MJP counted earlier (5 drakes and two females). There were also 16 Great Crested Grebes, 11 Mute Swans, a single Little Grebe, 22 Pochard, 7 Shoveler, 1 Wigeon and 34 Common Goldeneyes.

BITTERNS at Weston Turville Reservoir

There were 2 EURASIAN BITTERNS at Weston Turville this evening, seen from the Susan Cowdy hide. Both birds flew up from towards the far side, straight out from the hide and made short flights presumably to roost. It was getting pretty dark when they appeared. Also 2 Sparrowhawks spooking the Wood Pigeons as they hunted together (Rob Andrews)

Redhead SMEW present for second day

The redhead SMEW was at Caldecotte North Lake again this lunchtime. Near the bridge (Ted Reed)

More WAXWINGS

I have just been watching (1335) a flock of 25 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in a tree outside no. 30, Wedgwood Avenue, Blakelands, Milton Keynes. They were just resting there and making their ringing call. There were no berries in that tree, so may not stay around long (Tony Garner)

The RING-NECKED DUCK is back

A pair of BEARDED TITS was showing well high up in a tree near to the boardwalk at Walton Lakes at 10:45 this morning and the drake RING-NECKED DUCK was back at Foxcote. Seen straight out from the hide sleeping amongst a party of Wigeon at 12:00 (per Ken Earnshaw).

Meanwhile, an adult male RING OUZEL is present for its second day just SE of the Beacon - a very late individual indeed (per Mike Wallen). Yesterday, 3 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS flew west over Ivinghoe Hills and were later seen in Aldbury village

BITTERN at Calvert

Calvert BBOWT - late afternoon; Huge gull pre-roost contained 9 Y.L.Gulls and 1 ad Caspian Gull. Waders are scarce here in Spring let alone Winter but flock of 4 Common Redshank flew low over water couple of times then flew towards sailing lake. Later a pair of Goosanders flew in, again headed to other lake. Big increase in Herrings and G.B.B gulls late on from tip.

Icing on cake was a BITTERN climbing to roost at 16:08 in right hand reedbed from the 1st hide - think this is earliest ever had one here. Jolting reeds put me onto it but then wasn't hard to see. It wasn't on their usual favoured area of reed edge against deepwater but in middle of bed, made lot of commotion climbing then spent rest of time stretching neck up and looking all around (Tim Watts).

DARK-BELLIED BRENT GOOSE at Dorney and WAXWINGS galore in Milton Keynes

TUESDAY 22 NOVEMBER

The North-easterly wind continues to blow, with temperatures dropping by a degree or two each day. Very much overcast and grey and a real winter feel to proceedings.

No birding today but a spot of twitching. Dave Cleal found a BRENT GOOSE early afternoon which I was able to see half an hour later and Darrel Bryant a flock of WAXWINGS - which were affording great views mid afternoon......

DORNEY RESERVE POOL (SOUTH BUCKS)

Dave Cleal sent me a text early afternoon informing me of a DARK-BELLIED BRENT GOOSE at Dorney Rowing Lakes. I jumped in the car, raced down there and enjoyed views of it half an hour later. It was an ADULT and was consorting with the 250 or so Atlantic Canada Geese on the grass and in the reserve pool and represented my first in the county this year. Dave, Kevin Duncan and I watched it until 1245 hours...................Thanks Dave

STEVENAGE (HERTFORDSHIRE)

Whilst on route to the DBBG, my good friend Darrel Bryant rang to say that he had just found 4 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS whilst walking his dog close to his home in Stevenage. As each flock so far had been in and out, I did not expect them to linger, but when Darrel said that there were ample Rowans on the estate, my hopes were raised. As soon as I had seen the goose, I phoned Darrel back and he said that there were now 5 birds and that they had moved a few roads. He very kindly agreed to keep on them for me.

It was 55 miles between sites and as predicted, it took me just over an hour to arrive. Darrel was still watching them fortunately and within seconds of my arrival, I had connected. They were commuting between a tall roosting tree and a flowering Rowan adjacent to No 30 Wetherby Close, about half a mile from the usual Waxwing areas in the town.

The five birds consisted of three adults and two first-winters and the views were typically first-rate. All five were still present when I left at 1420 hours.

North Buckinghamshire had also seen an influx of WAXWINGS today, with 43 recorded by Paul Gibbs. Just one of these remained this afternoon but nevertheless Paul Keene was able to get this cracking shot published above.