FRIDAY 5 DECEMBER
Another overnight frost and a clear, bright, sunshine-filled day, with temperatures reaching a high of 6 degrees C. The raw westerly wind had dropped and had been replaced by a light SW, making it much more pleasant to bird than yesterday. Highlight of the day was the two SMEW that Roy Hargreaves found on his early morning walk round.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING
(1130-1430 hours; with Ian Williams, Mike Campbell, John Gearing, Geoff Young and others)
**SMEWS (the first of the year and first record since a redhead on Wilstone on 16 December 2008. Like that bird, this pair were found by Roy, seen later by MC and still present when I arrived - the drake spending a fair bit of time preening as well as diving and the adult female keeping largely close to the Drayton Bank and both easily visible from the bank by the car park steps)
Great Crested Grebes (12)
Little Grebe (2)
Continental Cormorant (23 roosting)
Grey Heron (3)
Mute Swan (10, including 1 first-winter)
Greylag Geese (62)
Gadwall (9)
Shoveler (27)
Eurasian Wigeon (317)
Common Teal (96)
Northern Pochard (28)
GREATER SCAUP (still present with Tufted Ducks in SW quadrant, viewable only from hide)
Tufted Duck (101)
COMMON GOLDENEYE (pair in 'Boathouse Corner' and an adult drake in the 'cut-off' pool in NW corner)
GOOSANDER (redhead present just briefly mid morning - Mike Campbell)
Red Kite (1 perched in tree and later hunting over fields near car park)
Moorhen (66)
Coot (412)
Lapwing (416)
EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVER (126)
GREEN SANDPIPER (1 in the 'cut-off' pool)
COMMON REDSHANK (mobile bird still around, moving between NW corner and mud in Cemetery Corner)
Common Snipe (2+)
Black-headed Gull (53)
Common Gull (8)
Woodpigeon (57 just east of reservoir in fields and a further 109 in the crop field opposite the Cemetery)
LITTLE OWL (sat on its usual fence)
Meadow Pipits (20 in grassy field east of reservoir)
Grey Wagtail (1)
Wren (1 on bank and another in Poplar Wood on east bank)
SONG THRUSH (5 in the East Bank Hedgerow)
Mistle Thrush (1 in full song)
Common Blackbird (marked increase, with 17 in the East Bank Hedgerow)
FIELDFARE (4 in trees along the East Bank)
STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR
Great Crested Grebes (3), Mute Swan (11 including 2 first-winters), Common Teal (4), Shoveler (1 drake), Tufted Duck (24), Pochard (3 drakes), Moorhen (12) and Coot (119).
TRINGFORD RESERVOIR
Great Crested Grebes (4), Little Grebe (2), Grey Heron (8), Mute Swan (2 adults), Common Teal (8),Tufted Duck (31) and Coot (48)
MARSWORTH RESERVOIR
Great Crested Grebe (16) and Shoveler (109)
COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT (BUCKS)
Little Grebe (1)
Mute Swan (36 including 1 first-winter)
Common Teal (11)
Eurasian Wigeon (44)
Gadwall (36)
RED-CRESTED POCHARD (female on Main Lake)
Shoveler (6)
Northern Pochard (36)
Tufted Duck (30)
Coot (44)
COMMON SNIPE (1)
Redwing (16)
PITSTONE QUARRY
Little Grebe (6), Tufted Duck (27), Moorhen (6), Lesser Black-backed Gull (6 adults), Common Gull (8) and Redwing (1)
The total number of COOTS in the area = 623 birds
Another overnight frost and a clear, bright, sunshine-filled day, with temperatures reaching a high of 6 degrees C. The raw westerly wind had dropped and had been replaced by a light SW, making it much more pleasant to bird than yesterday. Highlight of the day was the two SMEW that Roy Hargreaves found on his early morning walk round.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING
(1130-1430 hours; with Ian Williams, Mike Campbell, John Gearing, Geoff Young and others)
**SMEWS (the first of the year and first record since a redhead on Wilstone on 16 December 2008. Like that bird, this pair were found by Roy, seen later by MC and still present when I arrived - the drake spending a fair bit of time preening as well as diving and the adult female keeping largely close to the Drayton Bank and both easily visible from the bank by the car park steps)
Great Crested Grebes (12)
Little Grebe (2)
Continental Cormorant (23 roosting)
Grey Heron (3)
Mute Swan (10, including 1 first-winter)
Greylag Geese (62)
Gadwall (9)
Shoveler (27)
Eurasian Wigeon (317)
Common Teal (96)
Northern Pochard (28)
GREATER SCAUP (still present with Tufted Ducks in SW quadrant, viewable only from hide)
Tufted Duck (101)
COMMON GOLDENEYE (pair in 'Boathouse Corner' and an adult drake in the 'cut-off' pool in NW corner)
GOOSANDER (redhead present just briefly mid morning - Mike Campbell)
Red Kite (1 perched in tree and later hunting over fields near car park)
Moorhen (66)
Coot (412)
Lapwing (416)
EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVER (126)
GREEN SANDPIPER (1 in the 'cut-off' pool)
COMMON REDSHANK (mobile bird still around, moving between NW corner and mud in Cemetery Corner)
Common Snipe (2+)
Black-headed Gull (53)
Common Gull (8)
Woodpigeon (57 just east of reservoir in fields and a further 109 in the crop field opposite the Cemetery)
LITTLE OWL (sat on its usual fence)
Meadow Pipits (20 in grassy field east of reservoir)
Grey Wagtail (1)
Wren (1 on bank and another in Poplar Wood on east bank)
SONG THRUSH (5 in the East Bank Hedgerow)
Mistle Thrush (1 in full song)
Common Blackbird (marked increase, with 17 in the East Bank Hedgerow)
FIELDFARE (4 in trees along the East Bank)
STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR
Great Crested Grebes (3), Mute Swan (11 including 2 first-winters), Common Teal (4), Shoveler (1 drake), Tufted Duck (24), Pochard (3 drakes), Moorhen (12) and Coot (119).
TRINGFORD RESERVOIR
Great Crested Grebes (4), Little Grebe (2), Grey Heron (8), Mute Swan (2 adults), Common Teal (8),Tufted Duck (31) and Coot (48)
MARSWORTH RESERVOIR
Great Crested Grebe (16) and Shoveler (109)
COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT (BUCKS)
Little Grebe (1)
Mute Swan (36 including 1 first-winter)
Common Teal (11)
Eurasian Wigeon (44)
Gadwall (36)
RED-CRESTED POCHARD (female on Main Lake)
Shoveler (6)
Northern Pochard (36)
Tufted Duck (30)
Coot (44)
COMMON SNIPE (1)
Redwing (16)
PITSTONE QUARRY
Little Grebe (6), Tufted Duck (27), Moorhen (6), Lesser Black-backed Gull (6 adults), Common Gull (8) and Redwing (1)
The total number of COOTS in the area = 623 birds
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