Tuesday 12 May 2015

TURNSTONE remains at dawn....

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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