TUESDAY 19 JANUARY
Temperatures took a slide again and dropped by a couple of degrees (to 7 degrees C). It was also very misty again, although a cold and freshening SE wind started to set in. It remained dry. Once again, I spent my day birding locally, with just a few highlights, primarily three JACK SNIPE and a very showy 'urban' PEREGRINE.
IVY HOUSE FARM, CHESS RIVER VALLEY (BUCKS) (SU 979 995)
Rooks have returned in reasonable numbers, with 42 probing the soft grassy field to the north of the rookery this morning, with 110 Black-headed Gulls loafing nearby.
LOWNES PARK, CHESHAM (BUCKS) (SP 958 015)
Four adult Mute Swans now present on the main lake, along with 11 Embden Geese, 3 Muscovy Ducks, 22 Atlantic Canada Geese and 68 Mallards.
CHESHAM VALE (BUCKS)
The North Chesham flock of Jackdaws numbered 36 today.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
There was no sign of the Ruff and two Common Redshanks that Roy Hargreaves had seen standing on the ice from the Drayton Bank Hide about an hour earlier - the only waders on view being 45 Lapwing.
There was a major increase in waterfowl on the reservoir since my last visit, with much of the ice now restricted to the west shoreline in the NW corner. Counts included 13 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Little Grebe, an increase to 9 Mute Swans (including 2 first-winters which flew north and an adult and first-winter which flew in), 40 Greylag Geese, 615 Eurasian Wigeon (my highest count of the winter), 10 Gadwall, just 9 Shoveler, 302 Common Teal, 67 Tufted Ducks, 18 Northern Pochard and 5 COMMON GOLDENEYE (2 adult drakes and three females).
A single juvenile Argenteus HERRING GULL and adult Lesser Black-backed Gull were among 211 Black-headed Gulls roosting on the ice.
Nearby, 382 Woodpigeons was in the crop field opposite the Cemetery.
BROUGHTON TROUT POOLS (BUCKS)
Shooting was in progress scattering the 70 Atlantic Canada Geese and 48 Mallard present on the lakes and the 4 Common Teal on one of the field pools. A single COMMON SNIPE and 3 JACK SNIPE provided excellent views as they flew up, whilst passerines were represented by Green Woodpecker, 5 Fieldfares and a pair of Bullfinch. A superb male Eurasian Sparrowhawk was sat nearby in a tree.
On the A41 floodmeadows just as you leave the Aston Clinton roundabout held a pair of Mute Swans.
TRINGFORD RESERVOIR (HERTS)
Very quiet with 5 Grey Heron, 2 adult Mute Swans, 8 Common Teal, 2 Gadwall, 3 Shoveler and 15 Tufted Duck counted, and 17 Greylag Geese feeding in the field opposite the sewage farm.
STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR
Just 3 Mute Swans, 6 Common Teal, 6 Gadwall and 26 Pochard of interest
COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT RESERVE (BUCKS)
The main marsh was still largely frozen and fairly birdless, whilst the lake held 1 Little Grebe, the 3 Great Crested Grebes, 6 Common Teal, 38 Gadwall, the female Red-crested Pochard of suspect origin and 166 Coot (sharp decrease in numbers). A party of 28 Lapwings was present on the island.
PITSTONE QUARRY
Still largely iced over with 4 Common Teal feeding and a flock of ice-roosting gulls consisting of 194 Black-headed, 8 Common and a single adult Lesser Black-backed.
DAGNALL (BEDS)
Despite a lengthy vigil, the resident pair of Common Raven failed to put in an appearance, and all that was noted was a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Bullfinch.
NORTHCHURCH PLAYING FIELDS
Another fruitless search. A male Common Stonechat - the only individual currently surviving in the area - has been present since just before Christmas but I could not find it today.
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD (HERTS)
Following a call from local birder Dan Forder, I drove down to Hemel town centre, where he had discovered an adult PEREGRINE roosting on a building. I got there at about 1530 hours and the bird was still there and showing very well, roosting on the lower roof of the building to the SE of the town centre roundabout at TQ 055 063. It was clear from the visible droppings that this was a regular roost site for this beautiful bird and yet another example of the urban preferences this species has now acquired. The bird was very easy to see with the naked eye and many shoppers took an interest as I looked up at it. Dan was able to obtain an excellent selection of images, which I have reproduced above.
Temperatures took a slide again and dropped by a couple of degrees (to 7 degrees C). It was also very misty again, although a cold and freshening SE wind started to set in. It remained dry. Once again, I spent my day birding locally, with just a few highlights, primarily three JACK SNIPE and a very showy 'urban' PEREGRINE.
IVY HOUSE FARM, CHESS RIVER VALLEY (BUCKS) (SU 979 995)
Rooks have returned in reasonable numbers, with 42 probing the soft grassy field to the north of the rookery this morning, with 110 Black-headed Gulls loafing nearby.
LOWNES PARK, CHESHAM (BUCKS) (SP 958 015)
Four adult Mute Swans now present on the main lake, along with 11 Embden Geese, 3 Muscovy Ducks, 22 Atlantic Canada Geese and 68 Mallards.
CHESHAM VALE (BUCKS)
The North Chesham flock of Jackdaws numbered 36 today.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
There was no sign of the Ruff and two Common Redshanks that Roy Hargreaves had seen standing on the ice from the Drayton Bank Hide about an hour earlier - the only waders on view being 45 Lapwing.
There was a major increase in waterfowl on the reservoir since my last visit, with much of the ice now restricted to the west shoreline in the NW corner. Counts included 13 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Little Grebe, an increase to 9 Mute Swans (including 2 first-winters which flew north and an adult and first-winter which flew in), 40 Greylag Geese, 615 Eurasian Wigeon (my highest count of the winter), 10 Gadwall, just 9 Shoveler, 302 Common Teal, 67 Tufted Ducks, 18 Northern Pochard and 5 COMMON GOLDENEYE (2 adult drakes and three females).
A single juvenile Argenteus HERRING GULL and adult Lesser Black-backed Gull were among 211 Black-headed Gulls roosting on the ice.
Nearby, 382 Woodpigeons was in the crop field opposite the Cemetery.
BROUGHTON TROUT POOLS (BUCKS)
Shooting was in progress scattering the 70 Atlantic Canada Geese and 48 Mallard present on the lakes and the 4 Common Teal on one of the field pools. A single COMMON SNIPE and 3 JACK SNIPE provided excellent views as they flew up, whilst passerines were represented by Green Woodpecker, 5 Fieldfares and a pair of Bullfinch. A superb male Eurasian Sparrowhawk was sat nearby in a tree.
On the A41 floodmeadows just as you leave the Aston Clinton roundabout held a pair of Mute Swans.
TRINGFORD RESERVOIR (HERTS)
Very quiet with 5 Grey Heron, 2 adult Mute Swans, 8 Common Teal, 2 Gadwall, 3 Shoveler and 15 Tufted Duck counted, and 17 Greylag Geese feeding in the field opposite the sewage farm.
STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR
Just 3 Mute Swans, 6 Common Teal, 6 Gadwall and 26 Pochard of interest
COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT RESERVE (BUCKS)
The main marsh was still largely frozen and fairly birdless, whilst the lake held 1 Little Grebe, the 3 Great Crested Grebes, 6 Common Teal, 38 Gadwall, the female Red-crested Pochard of suspect origin and 166 Coot (sharp decrease in numbers). A party of 28 Lapwings was present on the island.
PITSTONE QUARRY
Still largely iced over with 4 Common Teal feeding and a flock of ice-roosting gulls consisting of 194 Black-headed, 8 Common and a single adult Lesser Black-backed.
DAGNALL (BEDS)
Despite a lengthy vigil, the resident pair of Common Raven failed to put in an appearance, and all that was noted was a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Bullfinch.
NORTHCHURCH PLAYING FIELDS
Another fruitless search. A male Common Stonechat - the only individual currently surviving in the area - has been present since just before Christmas but I could not find it today.
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD (HERTS)
Following a call from local birder Dan Forder, I drove down to Hemel town centre, where he had discovered an adult PEREGRINE roosting on a building. I got there at about 1530 hours and the bird was still there and showing very well, roosting on the lower roof of the building to the SE of the town centre roundabout at TQ 055 063. It was clear from the visible droppings that this was a regular roost site for this beautiful bird and yet another example of the urban preferences this species has now acquired. The bird was very easy to see with the naked eye and many shoppers took an interest as I looked up at it. Dan was able to obtain an excellent selection of images, which I have reproduced above.
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