The RED-FOOT still present, and a roding WOODCOCK

The first-summer RED-FOOTED FALCON is still present on Wilstone Reservoir, commuting between the Cemetery Corner hawthorns and the Drayton Bank trees (per Ben Miller), whilst up in Ashridge Forest, Don Otter has been seeing a single roding WOODCOCK in the Ringshall Coppice area on recent evenings.

COMMON CROSSBILLS dispersing after breeding

Mid morning Sunday - had a juvenile COMMON CROSSBILL perched in a Hawthorn and calling at Steps Hill (in the scrub near the grassy car park) (per Don & Sandra Otter)

,,,,,,,,And still present this evening

This evening, as usual, the number of hobbies had increased and by 9pm there were at least 10 hawking over the reservoir together with the RED-FOOTED FALCON. Picture of it from this morning published above (David Bilcock).

First-summer male RED-FOOT still present

The first-summer male RED-FOOTED FALCON is still present at Wilstone Reservoir this morning until at least 0845. Other than one very brief sortie to the reservoir ( presumably checking if breakfast is flying ), it has spent the whole morning in the hawthorn tree, in the goose field at cemetry corner.

Still plenty of Common Swifts and an Oysterctacher flew over, looked to be heading for College Lake (per Mike Wallen).

OYSTERCATCHER delight

I am very pleased to report that our resident pair of OYSTERCATCHERS at College Lake successfully fledged three youngsters this year and have been feeding them on the main marsh since. Dave Bilcock captured the occurrence on film.

RED-FOOT in the rain and showing very well

The first-summer male RED-FOOTED FALCON in Cemetery Corner (Dave Bilcock, top two, and Ben Miller, bottom)

SATURDAY 29 MAY

It has been raining all morning but despite that, the first-summer male RED-FOOTED FALCON has been showing exceptionally well roosting and sheltering in the smaller of the two isolated Hawthorns in the field to the SE of Wilstone Reservoir just 50 yards from the Cemetery. It was still there at 1300 hours when I last visited. Dave Bilcock and Ben Miller obtained some excellent images (see above).

Otherwise, Wilstone was just covered in hundreds of Common Swifts.

At Marsworth Reservoir, the sole surviving RED-CRESTED POCHARD chick was feeding well in reeds by the overflow, the COMMON CUCKOO was calling from trees behind the sewage works, a male Common Chiffchaff was singing from the wood and both WESTERN REED WARBLER (6+) and Reed Bunting (singing male) were in the reedbed. Overflying and hawking over the reservoir were 18 House Martins and 25 European Barn Swallows. One pair of Coot were attending 5 newly fledged chicks.

13 Mute Swans were present on Startop's End (Lee G R Evans)

Younger RED-FOOT still present

The first-summer male RED-FOOTED FALCON (pictured at top of page by Simon West) was still present today, along with the adult summer schinzii DUNLIN, but there was no sign of the adult male RED-FOOTED FALCON pictured above in flight by Andrew Moon