Friday 15 August 2008

Harriers march on through but with few takers - FRIDAY 15 AUGUST SIGHTINGS















IMAGES (TOP TO BOTTOM)
All 6 Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits in flight (Jill Pakenham)
Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits feeding, with the lower picture showing the moulting adult (all 3 by Dave Bilcock)
Yellow-legged Gulls: images depicting two different juveniles and the adult present in Pitstone Quarry today (all taken by Dave Bilcock)
The lower image is a view of Pitstone Hill (Dave Bilcock). This is where the ringtail Montagu's Harrier was lasts een this morning.

FRIDAY 15 AUGUST

As yesterday evening's electric storms moved away to the east, the Chiltern district became calm with a full moon. Consequently, this morning dawned clear and dry, with blue skies prevailing and a light SW breeze. With the sun out, temperatures soon climbed, peaking at 72 degrees F mid afternoon. With such good weather, it was hardly surprising that migrating raptors would take to the air, with both MONTAGU'S and MARSH HARRIER recorded during the day. Unfortunately when DB first discovered the ringtail Montagu's, I was unable to respond, and within ten minutes it had disappeared. Subsequently, when SR found the juvenile Marsh Harrier this evening, I was four miles away, and again dipped out.
**MONTAGU'S HARRIER - PITSTONE HILL - Dave Bilcock
First for the Recording Area this year - species 165
The bird, a ringtail, most likely an adult female, was initially seen at 0730 hours sat on a post, a quarter of the way along the fence line between the bottom of Incombe Hole and Pitstone Hill car park. Unfortunately, no sooner had Dave 'scoped it, it took flight and then slowly quartered the large corn field by Down Farm and the fields below Pitstone Hill. It last disappeared behind a ridge in the field to the SW of Pitstone Hill, where it may have landed. It was not seen again all day, with Dave and Steve looking intermittently through the day and LGRE and others this evening.

WILSTONE RESERVOIR
(1450-1900 hours; with Joan Thompson; later with SR, MW, IW, AN)

*ICELANDIC BLACK-TAILED GODWITS: the 6 birds that flew in to Wilstone Reservoir at 0730 hours (Steve Rodwell et al) remained all day, commuting between the large expanse of mud to the left of the Drayton Bank Hide and the mud fringe in front of the reedbed on the right hand side. They appeared to be a family party, with a moulting adult (largely in winter plumage) and 5 identically plumaged juveniles. The flock were rather flighty but showed extremely well at times, allowing a number of observers to photograph them (see above) (LGRE, DB, MW, JT,JP, AN, et al).
With these six today, the total of Black-tailed Godwits now recorded on Wilstone this autumn is 13.

Sinensis Cormorants - 27 roosting (4 pairs bred this year fledging 9 young)
Mute Swans - 67
MANDARIN DUCK - female still present, roosting on bund
EURASIAN WIGEON - drake still present
Common Teal - 7
Gadwall - 20+
*GARGANEY - juvenile still present to right of hide
Northern Shoveler - 8
*RED-CRESTED POCHARD - just two birds present today - the eclipse drake and a single juvenile
Northern Pochard - 7

*MARSH HARRIER - a juvenile drifted high south over the reservoirs 1722-1732 (Steve Rodwell; Clive & Alison Woodward & Roy Hargreaves) and was last seen as a 'dot' heading south over Tring.

Whilst looking for the Marsh Harrier shortly later, I noted at least 7 Common Buzzards, 2 RED KITES and 3 HOBBIES.

Ringed Plover - SR & FB had one fly around calling briefly at 1630
GREEN SANDPIPER - 1 adult still present
*DUNLIN - 2 juveniles flew around the reservoir very briefly at 1845 hours before heading off west (SR, LGRE, JT, AN & IW)

*Common Terns - 5 still present. However, just prior to 1900, a total of 14 birds was present, 12 together flying noisily high over the reservoir.

Common Kingfisher
COMMON SWIFT 1 (SR)
SAND MARTINS - 34
House Martins - 56

PITSTONE QUARRY (1646-1715)
(with DB & JT)

An adult and 2 juvenile YELLOW-LEGGED GULLS were present (together) on the chalk island, all showing well (DB & SR had additionally seen the third juvenile and a first-summer earlier); also 33+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls

The family group of 7 MANDARIN DUCKS was still surviving, as well as the 2 Great Crested Grebes

ALDBURY NOWERS and PITSTONE HILL

A COMMON RAVEN flew over Aldbury Nowers at 1800
Barn Swallows - 30 in Aldbury village

Along with Ben Miller, Francis Buckle and JT, spent some time late afternoon searching the fields west of Ivinghoe Hills NR and north & south of Pitstone Hill for the ringtail Montagu's Harrier but with no joy.

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