Lucy's SPOT FLYS

The SPOTTED FLYCATCHERS are nesting just 75 yards into the Black Poplar trees in the SE corner of Wilstone and can easily be seen from the main footpath.

Breeding SPOT FLYS, GROPPER and QUAILS

Lucy Flower discovered a pair of SPOTTED FLYCATCHERS nesting in a Black Poplar in the SE corner of Wilstone Reservoir yesterday and I was able to see both adults today. Closeby, the male GRASSHOPPER WARBLER was reeling again by the fence just before the plantation but there was no sign of the NUTHATCHES seen recently by Stuart Wilson and others.

At Down Farm Cereal Fields, up to 4 calling COMMON QUAIL were still present

The QUAIL and CORN BUNTINGS

John Foster's shots from today

Smashing views of QUAIL

FRIDAY 15 JUNE


DOWN FARM CEREAL FIELDS, ALDBURY (BUCKS)
John Foster, Mike Campbell and I enjoyed great views of the calling male COMMON QUAIL at Down Farm this lunchtime, as we stood by the pigeon shooting butt at SP 955 143. John managed several good flight shots as it whizzed across the field, one of which I have published on my Tring and Bucks blogs.

It was also nice to see 6 singing male CORN BUNTINGS (see John's pix) as well as a family party of 5 COMMON RAVENS. Skylarks were abundant, with two pairs of Yellowhammer, 14 Common Swifts, 10 Linnets and a Red Admiral seen

WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)

My first visit in well over a month with very little going on. Highlight was a single HOBBY whilst 31 Mute Swans, 67 Greylag, 170 Coot, 29 Common Terns, 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 150 Common Swifts and 45 House Martins made up the rollcall.

STOKENCHURCH AREA (BUCKS)

Spent over two hours in less than suitable weather conditions looking for the Honey Buzzard pair but saw nothing more than Common Buzzards. Seemingly the pair has moved a few miles this year. A male was displaying towards the end of May apparently according to one observer I met on site

QUAIL calling at Pitstone Hill

Ian Burrus heard a COMMON QUAIL calling at 0430 hours this morning from cereal fields at Down Farm Fields West. I returned there this evening but failed to hear it, although the weather was fairly inclement.


What I was pleased with though was 5 separate jangling male CORN BUNTINGS - all on separate territories

SANDERLINGS 2 June

These two breeding-plumaged SANDERLING spent just an hour at College Lake yesterday afternoon, allowing Dave Hutchinson to obtain these impressive shots from Octagon Hide; Paul Reed and Jenny Wallington were also lucky enough to connect but I and others dipped shortly later. The 5 summer-plumaged DUNLIN that they were with remained present, as did the pair of COMMON SHELDUCK with just four surviving young. Lapwings were re-nesting on the islands, whilst at least 1 pair of Common Terns was on the westernmost island, the first such instance of nesting on the marsh. A pair of SHOVELER also bred this year, initially fledging 10 young.