Weekend Highlights

On Saturday (21/2), Dave Bilcock had two coveys of GREY PARTRIDGES in fields north of Startop's End Reservoir, whilst Sunday produced 3 PINTAIL, an Egyptian Goose & a drake GOOSANDER all on Wilstone (SR, DB). The adult MEDITERRANEAN GULL in partial breeding plumage roosted on Wilstone on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday night (DB, SR, LGRE)

The EGYPTIAN GOOSE was also seen on College Lake on Sunday, as was a single drake PINTAIL (DB/Graeme Culzean)

SCAUP still present

17/2

No sign of the female Common Stonechat today at DOWN FARM CEREAL FIELDS but 10+ Skylarks in song

An impressive 37 Northern Pochards on MARSWORTH this morning, along with 11 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Greylag Geese, 1 Mute Swan, 4 Coot, 5 Shoveler and a singing male Reed Bunting

All 6 of last summer's Mute Swans have survived the winter on TRINGFORD, where 54 Coot, 12 Pochard, 2 Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Kingfisher and Jay were all noted

The first-winter female GREATER SCAUP remains on WILSTONE but otherwise a major decrease in wildfowl numbers - just 3 Goldeneye, 75 Teal, 120 Shoveler & 175 Wigeon counted; 210 Lapwing flew over while this Grey Wagtail was feeding beneath the car park....

A walk along the DRY CANAL yielded 10 Chaffinch, 5 Yellowhammer, 3 Red Kite, 2 Common Buzzard, 6 singing Skylark, 2 Fieldfare, Song Thrush, 8 Redwing, a male Bullfinch and these 13 Meadow Pipit....

AVOCETS and heavy rain........

PIED AVOCETS arrive with a deluge of rain - Monday 16 February

 

From around 10 o'clock onwards today, it rained all day, bringing with it 3 passage PIED AVOCETS locally...

 

First off, 8 year-old Tom Bacon and his father Gary stumbled upon one on the main marsh at COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT late morning before a pair made landfall at TYTTENHANGER MAIN PIT in the afternoon

 

Following Gary's phone call, David Hutchinson & 1 quickly arrived, confirming their suspicions - the bird showing well from the Octagon Hide. No fewer than 32 Common Snipe were also present on the marsh, as well as the first Common Redshank of the year, along with 18 Mute Swan, 215 Wigeon & 2 Teal. Up to 3 WATER RAILS were showing well in the first bay as you walk down to Octagon, while the Deep Pit held 3 Red-crested Pochard, a Little Grebe and the first Great Crested Grebe of the year. At the feeding station, 20 Chaffinch and 2 Reed Bunting were noted.

At TRING RESERVOIRS, highlight at TRINGFORD was a pair of COMMON SHELDUCK, while on WILSTONE RESERVOIR, the first-winter female GREATER SCAUP was still present, 8 COMMON GOLDENEYE (including a single drake), an impressive 184 Shoveler, 170 Wigeon, 30 Gadwall, 100 Teal, 12 Common Snipe in flight & 140 Common Starlings

 

The PIED AVOCET pair at TYTTENHANGER GP remained on view until 1700 hours at least, at the end of the spit with 450 Lapwings

No sign of the Med again at Wilstone but 2 BITTERNS roosting at WTR

11/2

Did the roost again tonight where an impressive 2,700 Black-headed Gulls roosted, as well as 103 Common Gull, a first-winter argenteus Herring Gull and a single adult Lesser Black-backed Gull but once again, no Med. A total of 56 Great Crested Grebes on Wilstone was the highest count this winter.

At WESTON TURVILLE RESERVOIR at dusk, 2 EURASIAN BITTERNS were seen (5.01pm onwards), a pale bird roosting just 75 yards from the hide and a darker individual in the reedbed opposite; also 5 Water Rails, 3 Little Egrets, 3 WOODCOCKS and a Common Snipe noted

TREE SPARROWS still present in Long Marston village

TUESDAY 10 FEBRUARY

 

A pair of Mallard was sat on CHOLESBURY VILLAGE POND as I drove by, while in LONG MARSTON, 3 of the 4 wintering TREE SPARROWS were chirping away in the hedgerow just north of the village. Lots more birds were in Matt Rossor's back garden, including 10 Chaffinch, 8 Goldfinch, 6 Greenfinch, 6 Dunnock, etc whilst in the village proper, Song Thrush and 25 House Sparrows present.

In the main car park at STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR, several House Sparrows and 4 Greenfinches were 'gritting' - both species 'new' for my local list of 2015

Nothing new on the reservoirs, with 8 Mute Swans, 14 Pochard, 42 Tufted Duck & 115 Coot on TRINGFORD and 28 Coot, 68 Tufted Duck, 8 Teal, 3 Wigeon, 17 Pochard, 6 Great Crested Grebe & a Little Grebe on STARTOP'S.

 

A lot of wildfowl present on COLLEGE LAKE BBOWT including 21 Mute Swans (5 first-years), 278 Wigeon, 54 Gadwall, 8 Teal, 50 Tufted Duck, 18 Pochard, a pair of Red-crested Pochard, 108 Coot, Water Rail, 230 Lapwing and 4 Common Snipe; 2 Collared Dove and a singing male Song Thrush are scarce here.

 

On neighbouring PITSTONE QUARRY, 4 Wigeon were unusual here, with 26 Coot, 3 Teal, 8 Tufted Duck & 1 Pochard completing the numbers. A male Song Thrush was in song