SATURDAY 7 SEPTEMBER
TODAY'S IMAGES
Plates 1-4 - Grey Phalarope and assembled crowd (all Ben Miller)
Plates 5-6 - Images comparing the Startopsend bird and that later seen on Wilstone (Dave Bilcock)
Plates 7-9 - Grey Phalarope (all Charlie Jackson)
Plates 10-11 - Grey Phalarope (Francis Buckle)
Plates 12-14 - Grey Phalarope (Ian Williams)
Plates 15-16 - Grey Phalarope (Francis Buckle)
STARTOPSEND RESERVOIR
Just after 0900 hours, Dave Bilcock located a GREY PHALAROPE swimming just off the car park steps in the Buckinghamshire section of Startopsend Reservoir. It was a juvenile which had moulted largely into first-winter plumage and was showing exceptionally well.
The news was disseminated amongst local birders immediately (via Dave's SMS system) whilst LGRE (away in South Devon twitching a Semipalmated Sandpiper) quickly notified Rare Bird Alert. Within a very short time indeed, some 30 or so birders had gathered, and throughout the rest of the morning, a constant stream of admirers came and went. Affording such good views, it was unsurprising that so many excellent photographs were obtained (see array above).
It remained in the Bucks section into early afternoon. At 1307 hours, it was suddenly attacked from below by a large fish (presumably a Pike, but possibly a Catfish). For a split second, it was pulled down and partially submerged, but luckily struggled free. It then flew off into the Herts portion of the reservoir, circling the overgrown tern rafts before flying along the west bank and lost to view (per Anthony Dorman).
WILSTONE RESERVOIR
Later in the afternoon, Steve Rodwell and Mike Campbell watched what was presumably the same GREY PHALAROPE fly into Wilstone from the direction of Wilstone village (at 1623) and relocated it from the Drayton Bank Hide. It was always distant in the far SW bay and remained until 1748 hours when, just after it took flight from the water, it was swept out of the air by an adult HOBBY and taken away in its talons (Jenny Wallington et al). It was not seen again surprisingly.
LITTLE EGRET - 4 present today (SR)
Eurasian Wigeon - increase to 8 birds (SR)
NORTHERN PINTAIL - 5 still present
*GOOSANDER - redhead present briefly to left of hide (Rosie & Mike Collard)
RINGED PLOVER - 1 briefly at 1210 (SR)
COMMON GREENSHANK - 5 juveniles present still
COMMON TERN - adult at 1245 (SR), then 4 adults and a juvenile for 15 minutes (Mike Collard)
SPOTTED FLYCATCHER - all 5 birds still present in the hedgerow by the new overflow
WILLOW WARBLER - bright juvenile still
CHINESE WATER DEER - two present again on the mud to the right of the hide
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