TUESDAY 12 MAY
With a fresh WSW wind blowing, Dave Bilcock,
Roy Hargreaves, Mike Campbell, Steve Rodwell and I were out at WILSTONE
RESERVOIR early on, where Steve's breeding plumaged RUDDY TURNSTONE of last
light Monday was still showing very well on the bank just north of the jetty. It
was on view continuously between 0520 and 0730 during which time no dogwalkers
had arrived on site. Wonderful views, as these shots of mine below
testify......
Also present on Wilstone were the 5 EGYPTIAN
GEESE still, 8+ HOBBY, the Oystercatcher pair, male YELLOW WAGTAIL (on the
jetty), Great Spotted Woodpecker, 130 Common Swift and the singing male WILLOW
WARBLER still in East Wood.
In fact, Common Swift were in abundance
everywhere, with a further 382 logged on STARTOP'S END and 70+ on MARSWORTH. The
COMMON CUCKOO was calling constantly from just behind the reedbed on MARSWORTH,
where the reedbed now held at least 7 singing male SEDGE WARBLER and 18 Western
Reed Warbler; the CETTI'S WARBLER was still singing from the Bucks end. Also an
impressive 90 House Martin overhead, with 14 Common Tern, Canada Geese with 5
goslings, female Mallard with 7 ducklings, Mistle Thrush, 20 Great Crested
Grebe, 8 Blackcap and male Bullfinch also recorded. Most pleasing was the
presence of 2 singing male GARDEN WARBLERS in scrub by the canal near Lock
Cottage, a very difficult species to pin down at the reservoirs these
days.
The drake Northern Pochard was still present
on STARTOPS, along with the 3 Red-crested Pochards, while the drake GARGANEY was
still by the west shore on TRINGFORD RESERVOIR
No waders remain in PITSTONE QUARRY but
highlights included a drake MANDARIN DUCK and a singing male FIRECREST in ivy
for its 5th day
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