Resident pair of RED-CRESTED POCHARDS showing well - photographs by kind courtesy of JOHN FOSTER

First singing CHIFFCHAFF

SATURDAY 10 MARCH (LGRE DIARY NOTES)

After a pretty grey and cloudy start, high pressure finally took over and the skies became clear and sunny, with temperatures climbing to a particularly warm 61 degrees fahrenheit. This induced a trickle of migrants to arrive, including several national Garganey and a Short-toed Treecreeper in Kent, with the odd bird locally too.......

WITHEY BEDS LOCAL NATURE RESERVE, MOOR LANE (HERTS)

Despite much woodpecker activity from up to 6 Great Spotted and 3 Greens, JT and I failed to locate the local Lesser Spot pair. At least 8 Stock Doves were on site, 2 Ring-necked Parakeets, 2 Song Thrushes, 3 Grey Wagtails and a male Common Kestrel displaying to three females.

STOCKER'S LAKE, RICKMANSWORTH (HERTS)

Highlights included a pair of SMEW, pair of GOOSANDER, Common Treecreeper and a singing male Goldcrest. The sawbills were typically elusive, skulking within the dense island understorey of the site

TYTTENHANGER GP (HERTS)

Checking Tyttenhanger at lunchtime, 'new' waders for my 2012 county list included the pair of OYSTERCATCHERS on the main fishing lake and a single COMMON REDSHANK on the 'birding' pit. Up to 80 Lapwings were on the spit and in amongst the 270 Black-headed and 36 Common Gulls was a 4th-winter CASPIAN GULL intergrade. Although many features were fine for Caspian Gull (head shape, black eye colour, long greyish-pink legs), a few anomalies in the upperwing pattern suggested some influence from argentatus Herring Gull. The bird remained on view for about five minutes before flying off north. Two argenteus Herring Gulls were also roosting on the spit.

Two LESSER REDPOLLS flew over calling by the fishermen's car park

WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)

Did a complete circuit of the reservoir, taking in the Dry Canal, Rushy Meadow, Ochards and Back Fields, mainly with the idea of adding Marsh Tit - but failed.

The ever-present first-winter DARK-BELLIED BRENT GOOSE was still consorting with 58 Greylags and 71 Atlantic Canada Geese in the Cemetery Corner East Fields, whilst the redhead SMEW was still to the north of the Drayton Bank.

Otherwise, wildfowl were heavily depleted in number, with just 4 Mute Swans, 37 Teal, 11 Wigeon, 14 Shoveler, 112 Tufted Duck, 26 Northern Pochard and 2 female Common Goldeneye present.

The Little Egret pair were busily displaying whilst trekking from behind the hide to the Poplars in Cemetery Corner yielded Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker (2 drumming birds), 2 different male singing Skylarks, a singing male Yellowhammer, 2 Song Thrush, a singing male Mistle Thrush and 2 Red Kites.

In the Orchard area, a migrant flock of 155 FIELDFARE flew in and noisily settled in the trees (many singing), just 5 Redwing with them and a pair of BULLFINCH. There was no sign of the Marsh Tit in an extensive search.

Between 1745 hours and dark, I conducted a count of the gull roost, with 1,982 Black-headed Gulls roosting, just 11 Common Gulls and 1 juvenile argenteus Herring Gull. I could not locate either of last night's two adult Mediterranean Gulls, although Steve Rodwell had seen one of them on Startop's earlier in the afternoon and Rob Andrews had seen one in Pitstone Quarry.

THE SMALLER RESERVOIRS, TRING (HERTS)

Startop's End was very quiet with the extensive mud/grass affording good feeding conditions for 2 Linnets and 6 Pied Wagtails, whilst Marsworth afforded very close views of the RED-CRESTED POCHARD pair along the causeway and singing Common Treecreeper and 3 displaying Common Buzzards in the sunshine. Tringford produced the first COMMON CHIFFCHAFF of the year - a male singing from the thick hedgerow just in from the main road and fishermen's car park.

LOFTS FARM GRAVEL PITS, HEYBRIDGE (ESSEX)

JT and I spent part of the afternoon in Essex where we enjoyed good views of a GLOSSY IBIS in fields just north of the entrance track. The bird was bearing a white plastic ring inscribed with black '8J9', a bird ringed in Spain in the Coto Donana colony from where all of these post-breeding Glossy Ibises are dispersing. The site also yielded a nice transitional-plumaged BLACK-NECKED GREBE on the South Pit, 2 Oystercatchers and 9 Egyptian Geese.

The superb Glossy Ibis images above were taken by Graham Ekins

Marsworth BITTERN still around

A reasonably productive morning began at Pitstone Hill where 22 CORN BUNTINGS were feeding on the bare field south of the hill, with another 2 singing. Loads of Skylarks singing and a few Linnets and Yellowhammers but no early Wheatear.

Drove up to Ashridge, along monument drive, eventually finding a fantastic female LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER feeding quite high up in an area of Oaks and scattered birches near to Richard Birch's sighting of a couple of days ago.. In view for 2-3mins until I reached for my camera and she completely disappeared, with no further sign despite searching. A few Siskins and Redpoll were also in the same area.

At Pitstone Quarry the gorgeous adult MEDITERRANEAN GULL was preening on the shoreline and a male Mandarin was also there (Rob Andrews).

Roy smashes through the ton barrier already

Despite the foggy start the reservoirs were clear enough and only a slight breeze. The canal was full at the summit so presumably they have already taken enough water from the reservoirs to achieve that.

Wilstone had Smew, Brent Goose and Water Pipit and three Little Egrets as usual. A Blackcap was singing in the hedge by the cress bed, but no Chiffchaffs yet that I have heard.

Marsworth had Corn Buntings leaving the roost and a singing Cetti’s and Startops had a Redshank so now on 101 for the year (Roy Hargreaves)

MED GULLS

The last few evenings an adult MEDITERRANEAN GULL has been present in the Wisltone gull and this evening 2 birds were present. One of these was amongst the closer group of gulls off the car park steps, pictures above (Dave Bilcock).

LESSER SPOT in Ashridge

I enjoyed very good views of a male LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER feeding in scrubby trees from ground level to about 20 feet. This was from 10 to 10.30 this morning near the Monument. From the main pond head into the wood roughly 50/100 yds north east. Three treecreepers, several nuthatches and a GSW were in the same area (Richard Birch)

Water End Meadows WATER PIPIT starting to moult

Back at Water End Meadows briefly this afternoon in between heavy rain showers. On arriving from the Piper's Hill road, I quickly came across the WATER PIPIT about 100 metres downstream from the road (at the first 'waterfall'/drop in river level). It then flew upstream to the small pool/spring area just below the road. It fed/foraged there for a good 10 minutes and allowed me to very slowly get a little closer before crouching to watch and get a few long distance photographs. I had to smile at the role of luck in seeing these birds when I noticed another birder turn up on the road, overlooking this pool, take a good look at the Water Pipit through binoculars and then leave, presumably to the Wyevale garden centre carpark. Many times I've wished for such luck!

Anyway, the Water Pipit eventually flew downstream and I later caught up with it by the footbridge. Nothing too much else of note today. The usual 2 Grey Herons, Red Kite, 2 Grey Wagtails.

I was able to watch the Water Pipit feed/forage in the stream by the footbridge before it flew up to perch on it and the sun actually came out for 5 minutes. That allowed a few more distant photographs before it flew into the sedgy grass on the East side of the river. It was quickly joined by a Snipe species which flew from the boggy area downstream into the sedgy grass for cover.

Attached photographs of the Water Pipit. The first set showing the back plumage taken at the spring/pool when the sky was thunderous - high ISO and heavy crops. The second set taken when the Pipit perched on the footbridge - all 100% crops. All best viewed at Large or Original size (Lucy Flower Birding & Photography)