A trickle to interest - DUNLIN the highlight

MONDAY 17 MARCH

Although the wind had increased a bit and was coming from a Northwesterly direction, it was still very pleasant in the sun and was bright and dry......

I spent another day locally, trying to find a few incoming migrants......

At SHARDELOES LAKE first thing, there was no sign of the 8 Mandarin or Teal from yesterday (RDA), nor of the recent Great Crested Grebe, but 12 Little Grebe still (many actively and loudly 'whinnying'), an adult Sinensis Cormorant, 2 Grey Herons (an adult summer encouragingly standing on the island), all 3 Mute Swans (although the young female now isolated), 345 Atlantic Canada Geese, 8 Mallard, 12 Gadwall, 17 Tufted Duck, an adult drake Northern Pochard, 58 Coot and a WATER RAIL calling. Other species encountered included Green Woodpecker, 3 Red Kite, 5 singing Wrens, Carrion Crow pair, Blue Tit pair, a singing male Mistle Thrush, Nuthatch, singing Common Treecreeper, 2 Common Magpie, Stock Dove, 2 Common Blackbird, 30 Jackdaw and a flyover juvenile Herring Gull. A male REED BUNTING was singing from reeds up at the far end and the Rookery held 18 active nests.

Adult Grey Heron on the island

one of 6 pairs of Gadwall present

drake Northern Pochard

The resident pair of Mute Swans...

...and their young female from last year

The bustling Rookery

Adult Sinensis

and an overall view from the top of the hill

Over at PENN STREET, the Rookery there held 24 active nests, with a Mistle Thrush singing. An hour or so spent in PENN WOOD SSSI revealed the presence of at least 2 singing male FIRECRESTS along the heavily tree-laden avenue on the south side of the main paddock (in the vicinity of the new gating), along with 5 Goldcrests, , Great Tit, 3 Nuthatch, 2 Jays, Stock Dove, 4 Wren, Robin, singing male Mistle Thrush, Red Kite, Woodpigeon, a single singing male COMMON CHIFFCHAFF (only the second in my immediate Recording Area this year), Common Blackbird, a pair of Bullfinch, SISKIN, Common Magpie, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Green Woodpecker and a singing male Song Thrush.

The Penn Street Rookery

The avenue of trees where Firecrests hold territory

Favoured trees of the Firecrest colony

and disgraceful - another case of flytipping at Penn Wood

I then joined Francis Buckle, Tony and Richard at WILSTONE RESERVOIR (TRING) where we were unable to locate yesterday's 3 Pintail nor any migrant Sand Martins. In fact, the only migrant was a singing COMMON CHIFFCHAFF in the plantation on the East Bank; a drake Red-crested Pochard was present too. Otherwise very quiet, with few duck remaining - 34 Greylag Geese, 7 Gadwall, 15 Teal, 9 Wigeon, 63 Shoveler, 11 Pochard and 107 Tufted Duck, 1+ Goldeneye, 5 Great Crested Grebe, Little Egret, Grey Heron (6 active nests), Sinensis Cormorant (15 active nests) and 4 Pied Wagtails. The fields behind the Dry Canal still held 260 Fieldfare and 180 Common Starling.

Winter Wrens

The heronry

At STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR, highlight was a single winter-plumaged DUNLIN that made a brief attempt to land at 1253 hours before heading off north calling. No sign of the Water Pipit but 5 Mute Swans, 2 pairs of Great Crested Grebe, 22 Tufted Duck, just 14 Coot, 25 Black-headed Gull, 2 Greylag Geese, Wren and a COMMON CHIFFCHAFF singing close to the bend in the road. A group of 8 House Sparrows was by the Angler's Retreat, with the usual pair of Carrion Crow nesting in the car park and 2 Greenfinches there; a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly was also seen.

Grey Wagtails

The Carrion Crow nest in the car park

On MARSWORTH RESERVOIR, little to add - the Mute Swan pair (including '4ABL'), 16 Canada Geese, 2 Tufted Duck, 4 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Coot, 10 Mallard and a flyover juvenile Herring Gull, as well as CETTI'S WARBLER singing from the reedbed (on the far side) and another COMMON CHIFFCHAFF in the 'wood'.

Mute Swan '4ABL'

A Mistle Thrush showed well on the verge at PITSTONE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, where 2 Woodpigeon and a male Linnet were also noted. PITSTONE HILL was alive with the sound of singing Skylarks (6 males at least) but no Wheatears or Corn Buntings - the former also gone from Ivinghoe Beacon. DOWN FARM AND ENVIRONS yielded a cronking pair of COMMON RAVEN, 3 Common Buzzard, 2 Red Kite and around 30 Jackdaw.

A Mistle Thrush performing well

plenty of singing Skylarks..

...at Down Farm

A pair of EURASIAN CURLEW were back in their usual field near EATON BRAY where in the village, 4 Common Blackbird, 8 Collared Dove, Chaffinch, Wren and 6+ House Sparrows were recorded.

The singing male DARTFORD WARBLER remained in NW BEDFORDSHIRE, where I also connected with my first pair of MANDARIN DUCK for that county this year. Numerous singing male Song Thrush as usual (6+), 2 Green Woodpecker, 5 Linnet, 3 Stock Dove, Coal Tit and Skylark also recorded.

Mandarin Duck in flight

Recencies

Not had the opportunity to visit in recent days but migration in full swing in the region with a nice male NORTHERN WHEATEAR on Ivinghoe Hills this morning

Following a BLACK-NECKED GREBE at Wilstone briefly last weekend, this weekend has seen the arrival of at least 5 SAND MARTINS and 8 Common Chiffchaffs, with 3 PINTAIL around and the WATER PIPIT on Startop's End. Saturday saw Ruddy Shelduck, PIED AVOCET and 17 BLACK-TAILED GODWITS through while Sunday saw the first OSPREY. Common Ravens are nesting not that far away from the reservoirs and encouraging are reports of a male Goshawk back at a formerly regular site displaying. A single male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker has been heard in Ashridge (at Ringshall), along with Firecrests at several sites and a few lingering Brambling at Whipsnade.

Remember, if you find a good bird, text my mobile - 07881 906629

First signs of spring......

SATURDAY 8 MARCH

 

A glorious day with wall-to-wall sunshine, light southerly winds and increasing temperatures - migration was seemingly in full swing.......

 

Set off early to look for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in Burnham Beeches NNR but as I drove towards there was redirected to COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT, where the first PIED AVOCET of the year had been discovered......

 

I got there about half an hour later, the bird still showing - initially roosting on the westernmost island before walking into the water and swimming out on to the marsh. I took a number of photographs.....

There were no other migrants present on the reserve but other species noted included 9 Mute Swans, 56 Canada Geese, a pair of Common Shelduck, 8 Mallard, 95 Wigeon, 18 Gadwall, 12 Shoveler, 62 Tufted Duck, 3 Pochard, 43 Coot, Little Grebe, 27 Lapwing (including 6 nesting pairs),8 Common Snipe, 6 Common Redshank and singing Dunnock.

Apart from a single Sand Martin early on seen by Dave Bilcock, TRING RESERVOIRS were very quiet - a pair of OYSTERCATCHERS on one of the rafts at WILSTONE being the highlight. I also had a look at PITSTONE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE SCRAPES, but nothing other than 2 Pied Wagtails and a Mistle Thrush, while a very flooded PITSTONE QUARRY yielded 2 Canada Geese, 6 Coot, 6 Mallard, 14 Tufted Duck, 2 Pochard, 70 Black-headed Gulls, 12 Common Gull, Robin, Dunnock, 8 Woodpigeon, 2 Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit and Wren.

Pitstone Quarry in full flood

More passage waders were being found, including 4 Pied Avocets at Tyttenhanger and Black-tailed Godwits at Stockers Farm (2) and Rye Meads NR. Alan Stevens texted to say a further BLACK-TAILED GODWIT was at SPADE OAK PIT (LITTLE MARLOW), the bird still being present when I arrived much later. Although largely in winter plumage flight feather-wise, the orange-rufous underparts and long orange-based bill seemed to suggest a limosa. The bird was showing well on the recently emerging spit.

A female-type COMMON GOLDENEYE was also a good record for the site, while the pair of GARGANEY I first found over a week ago were still present; also at least 7 PINTAILS (3 drakes).

Goldeneye in the background...

......and Pintail flock

The full list comprised of 7 Great Crested Grebe, 37 Cormorant (nesting on the island), 18 Grey Heron, 3 Mute Swan, pair of Australian Black Swan still, pair of Egyptian Geese, 10 Atlantic Canada Geese, pair of Common Shelduck, Mallard, 86 Teal, 62 Shoveler, 71 Gadwall, 79 Tufted Duck, 52 Wigeon, numerous Red Kite, 6 Coot, 9 Moorhen, 14 Lapwing, 8 Common Snipe, 70 Black-headed Gull, 12 Common Gull, adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, Ring-necked Parakeet, 2 male Reed Bunting, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit (on the suet feeders), Robin, Dunnock, 3 COMMON CHIFFCHAFF (singing), 25 migrant REDWING and a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly.

The Cormorant colony on the island

Male Reed Bunting in a neighbouring garden...

.....and a Long-tailed Tit

I then finally got to my planned destination - BURNHAM BEECHES NNR - where I spent over two hours in the area of Park Lane and the Moat in the Northwest Section searching in vain for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. A rich area in biodiversity though with 2 Green Woodpeckers noted, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, Stock Doves, 85+ Woodpigeon, Muntjac, 4 BRAMBLING, 10 Chaffinch, Common Treecreeper, 2 Nuthatch, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Common Blackbird and 2 Common Buzzard. Just to the north near ABBEY PARK COTTAGE. a pair of Egyptian Geese on a farm pond and 6 Lapwings in a cereal crop.

A lot of woodpecker activity

At CHESHAM FISHING LAKES, the COMMON CHIFFCHAFF was singing for its third day in the trees on the island in the far corner, along with the GREAT CRESTED GREBE PAIR, Grey Wagtail and 12 Tufted Duck noted. Across the road in LATIMER ROAD, 12 Jackdaws in residence on the chimneys and 2 Common Starlings