We Are Golden - We Are Golden - more and more GOLDEN PLOVERS arrive........and RUDDY SHELDUCKS return too

WEDNESDAY 7 OCTOBER

Well we needed rain and we certainly got plenty of it today - all afternoon and evening in fact. The wind veered more west too, keeping temperatures down. Fortunately, I had completed a full inventory of the reservoirs before it got too bad to look. Once again, wildfowl were the order of the day, a rise in Dabchicks and a large arrival of European Golden Plovers.

TRING RESERVOIRS (1200-1400 hours)

WILSTONE RESERVOIR

Great Crested Grebe (17)
Little Grebe (6 now together by Drayton Bank)
Continental Cormorant (27)
Grey Heron (3)
LITTLE EGRET (1)
Mute Swans (13)
**RUDDY SHELDUCK (the adult pair present on Wilstone in August and which had spent several weeks on Dunstable Sewage Farm returned today and were showing well in the SW sector early afternoon and were present until early evening when flushed by dogs)

Gadwall (19)
NORTHERN PINTAIL (5 still, all roosting on the bund between the Jetty and Drayton Bank)
Northern Shoveler (116)
Eurasian Wigeon (85)
Common Teal (311)
Pochard (44)
Tufted Duck (73)
Coot (319)

RINGED PLOVER (2 still present on bund)
EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVER (massive increase with 176 now present)
Lapwing (411)
DUNLIN (1 first-winter still present on bund)

SCANDINAVIAN ROCK PIPIT (still present on bank near Jetty)

TRINGFORD RESERVOIR

Great Crested Grebe (3 including a first-winter)
Little Grebe (massive increase - 12+ present including an adult still feeding young - presumably relocating birds from the quarry)
Continental Cormorant (15)
Grey Heron (8)
LITTLE EGRET (1 fishing along shoreline in SE corner)
Mute Swan (1)
*MANDARIN DUCKS (5 present - 3 drakes and 2 females - favouring the overhanging vegetation on the south shore)
Mallard (17)
Common Teal (24)
Shoveler (4)
Tufted Duck (24)
RUDDY DUCK (1 immature drake)
Coot (76)
Moorhen (22)

Common Kingfisher (1)
Goldcrest (singing male)

STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR

Great Crested Grebe (3)
Mute Swan (10)
Canada Geese (4)
Common Teal (3)
NORTHERN PINTAIL (1)
Northern Pochard (51)
Tufted Duck (43)
Coot (145)

MARSWORTH RESERVOIR

Almost birdless apart from 4 Great Crested Grebes, a Mute Swan and 2 Tufted Ducks

COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT

Mute Swans (48 adults - JT later had 50)
Eurasian Wigeon (8)
Tufted Duck (5)
Pochard (4)
Coot (5)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (25)

PITSTONE QUARRY

Virtually birdless apart from 7 Little Grebes, 25 Tufted Ducks and 2 Northern Pochard.