Birding Tring Reservoirs: First STONECHAT of the spring

Sunday, 21 February 2016

First STONECHAT of the spring

Due to other birding constraints, I have had little time to get to the reservoirs of late, but Roy, Dave and Ian have been 'doing' them regularly over the past month with little 'new' turning up. Dave Bilcock had a flock of 21 Pintail one afternoon but they were not seen again, while at least 5 different MEDITERRANEAN GULLS have been seen including a single first-winter last night and a 'new' adult that Dave and I saw this evening. The first-winter drake GREATER SCAUP remains present on Startop's End Reservoir and is now looking rather dapper as he attains his first spring plumage. The pair of Egyptian Geese are still around, as well as 4 wintering BITTERNS, while Nuthatch, Coal Tit, 2 Marsh Tits, Lesser Redpoll and up to 38 Siskins have all been recorded.

The first COMMON STONECHAT of the spring appeared on Friday and was still present today, flitting along the fenceline between Cemetery Corner and Wilstone (see images below).

A selection of images from recent visits follow -:

Our first of the season, following just two records of 3 birds in 2015. Three are wintering at Pitstone Hill too, while Dave had an additional migrant male in the Ivinghoe Sheep Paddocks on Saturday

Both Egyptian Geese still around

Startop's End drake GREATER SCAUP now in full finery

Common Teal numbers now in sharp decline....

17 Eurasian Wigeon on Startop's taking advantage of the new stone wall

Up to 5 Dabchicks have overwintered on Startop's

One of 3 Yellowhammers in Cemetery Corner yesterday

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My 2017 Tring Reservoirs Bird Recording Area List

69) Red-crested Pochard, Wilstone, 9 January
68) Common Buzzard, Wilstone, 9 January
60) Greylag Goose, 3 January
59) BITTERN, Marsworth, 4 January
58) CORN BUNTING, Marsworth, 4 January
57) Reed Bunting, 4 January
55) Great Tit, 4 January
54) Blue Tit, 4 January
52) Green Woodpecker, 4 January
48) Common Starling, 4 January
47) Mistle Thrush, Marsworth, 4 January
45) Goldcrest, 4 January
43) Common Gull, 4 January
42) Goldfinch, 2 January
41) Chaffinch, 2 January
40) Carrion Crow, 2 January
39) Jackdaw, 2 January
38) Common Magpie, 2 January
37) Long-tailed Tit, 2 January
36) Blackbird, 2 January
35) Song Thrush, 2 January
34) Robin, 2 January
33) Dunnock, 2 January
32) Wren, 2 January
31) Grey Wagtail, 2 January
30) Pied Wagtail, 2 January
28) Common Kingfisher, 2 January
27) Collared Dove, 2 January
26) Stock Dove, 2 January
25) Woodpigeon, 2 January
24) Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 January
23) Black-headed Gull, 2 January
22) Lapwing, 2 January
20) Coot, 2 January
19) Moorhen, 2 January
18) Water Rail, 2 January
16) Tufted Duck, 2 January
14) Northern Pochard, 2 January
13) Common Teal, 2 January
12) Eurasian Wigeon, 2 January
11) Shoveler, 2 January
10) Gadwall, 2 January
9) Mallard, 2 January
7) Atlantic Canada Goose, 2 January
6) Mute Swan, 2 January
4) Grey Heron, 2 January
3) Cormorant, 2 January
2) Little Grebe, 2 January
1) Great Crested Grebe, 2 January

My 2012 Tring Reservoirs List (Lee G R Evans)

134) Tawny Owl, Marsworth, 01 December
133) BRAMBLING, Wilstone, 26 October
132) SLAVONIAN GREBE, Wilstone, 26 October
131) European Golden Plover, Wilstone, 01 October
130) GREAT WHITE EGRET, Wilstone, 23 September
129) WHIMBREL, Marsworth, 20 August
128) BLACK TERN (5 birds), Startop's, 15 August
127) Garden Warbler, Wilstone Orchard, 6 August
126) NUTHATCH, Wilstone Orchard, 06 August
125) Lesser Whitethroat, Wilstone, 7 July
124) SABINE'S GULL, Startop's, 02 July
123) Spotted Flycatcher, Wilstone, 28 June
122) GARGANEY, Wilstone, 30 April
121) Hobby, Wilstone, 30 April
120) Common Cuckoo, Marsworth, 28 April
119) Common Whitethroat, Dry Canal, 25 April
118) Common Swift, Wilstone, 24 April
117) LITTLE TERN, Wilstone, 17 April
116) Common Redshank, Startop's, 17 April
115) ARCTIC TERN (15), Wilstone, 17 April
114) Western Reed Warbler (3), Marsworth, 13 April
113) Sedge Warbler, Marsworth, 13 April
112) Yellow Wagtail, Marsworth, 13 April
111) GRASSHOPPER WARBLER, Marsworth, 13 April
110) Common Sandpiper, Wilstone, 10 April
109) Willow Warbler, Dry Canal, 08 April
108) KITTIWAKE, Wilstone, 08 April
107) NORTHERN FULMAR, Wilstone, 05 April
106) House Martin, Wilstone, 04 April
105) MARSH HARRIER, Wilstone, 03 April
104) Common Tern, Wilstone, 03 April
103) Mandarin Duck, Marsworth Reservoir, 31 March
102) CURLEW, Wilstone, 31 March
101) Barn Swallow, Wilstone, 31 March
100) WHITE WAGTAIL, Startop's, 26 March
99) Little Ringed Plover, Startop's, 26 March
98) LITTLE GULL (20), Wilstone, 26 March
97) Cetti's Warbler, Marsworth, 17 March
96) Sand Martin (7), Wilstone, 17 March
95) MARSH TIT, Wilstone Orchard, 16 March
94) SCANDINAVIAN ROCK PIPIT, Wilstone, 14 March
93) RED-THROATED DIVER, flew high west over reservoirs, 14 March
92) Common Kingfisher, Marsworth, 13 March
91) Meadow Pipit, Startop's, 13 March
90) Ringed Plover, Startop's End, 13 March
89) Blackcap, Tringford, 13 March
88) OYSTERCATCHER, Wilstone, 13 March
87) Common Chiffchaff, Tringford, 10 March
86) Mistle Thrush, Tring Sewage Farm, 5 March
85) Water Rail, Marsworth
84) Jay, Tringford Reservoir, 5 March
83) COMMON STONECHAT, Wilstone, 5 March
82) BARN OWL, Tring Sewage Farm, 3 March
81) Common Treecreeper, Marsworth
80) Common Buzzard
79) Sparrowhawk, Wilstone, 21 February
78) Green Sandpiper, Wilstone, 17 February
77) PINTAIL, Wilstone, 17 February
76) RUFF (male), Wilstone, 15 February
75) Herring Gull (3), Wilstone, 13 February
74) PEREGRINE, Wilstone, 13 February
73) DUNLIN, Wilstone, 12 February
72) BLACK-TAILED GODWIT, Wilstone, 12 February
71) RED KNOT, Wilstone, 12 February
70) SMEW, Startop's End, 08 February
69) House Sparrow, Startop's Farm, 04 February
68) EURASIAN BITTERN, Marsworth, 03 February
67) Skylark, Dry Canal, 28 January
66) Yellowhammer, Dry Canal, 28 January
65) GOOSANDER (drake), Wilstone, 28 January
64) WATER PIPIT, Wilstone, 10 January
63) GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL (3 birds), Wilstone, 8 January
62) Stock Dove, Wilstone, 8 January
61) Lapwing, Wilstone, 8 January
60) Reed Bunting, Marsworth, 4 January
59) CORN BUNTING, Marsworth Reedbed Roost, 4 January
58) Goldcrest, Marsworth, 4 January
57) Bullfinch, Watery Lane, 4 January
56) SISKIN (3), Tringford, 4 January
54) Lesser Black-backed Gull, 4 January
53) Greenfinch, Tringford, 4 January
52) SNOW BUNTING (immature male), Startop's End, 1 January
51) Goldfinch, 1 January
50) Linnet (54 birds), Wilstone, 1 January
49) Chaffinch, 1 January
48) Common Starling, 1 January
47) Carrion Crow, 1 January
46) Rook, 1 January
45) Western Jackdaw, 1 January
44) Common Magpie, 1 January
43) Long-tailed Tit, 1 January
43) Blue Tit, 1 January
42) Great Tit, 1 January
41) Common Blackbird, 1 January
40) Fieldfare, 1 January
39) Redwing, 1 January
38) Song Thrush, 1 January
37) Robin, 1 January
36) Dunnock, 1 January
35) Wren, 1 January
34) Grey Wagtail, 1 January
33) Pied Wagtail, 1 January
32) Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 January
31) Green Woodpecker, 1 January
30) Collared Dove, 1 January
29) Woodpigeon, 1 January
28) MEDITERRANEAN GULL (adult winter), Startop's, 1 January
27) Common Gull, 1 January
26) Black-headed Gull, 1 January
25) JACK SNIPE (2 birds), Marsworth, 1 January
24) Common Snipe (3), Marsworth, 1 January
23) Coot, 1 January
22) Moorhen, 1 January
21) Common Pheasant, 1 january
20) Common Kestrel, 1 January
19) Red Kite, 1 January
18) Common Goldeneye (7), 1 January
17) Tufted Duck, 1 January
16) Red-crested Pochard, 1 January
15) Northern Pochard, 1 January
14) Common Teal, 1 January
13) Eurasian Wigeon, 1 January
12) Northern Shoveler, 1 January
11) Gadwall, 1 January
10) Mallard. 1 January
9) DARK-BELLIED BRENT GOOSE (first-winter), Wilstone, 1 January
8) Atlantic Canada Goose, 1 January
7) Greylag Goose, 1 January
6) Mute Swan, 1 January
5) Grey Heron, 1 January
4) Little Egret, Wilstone, 1 January
3) Atlantic Great Cormorant, 1 January
2) Little Grebe (2 birds), 1 January
1) Great Crested Grebe, 1 January