Tuesday 21 March 2017

Spring has arrived.......

Well it has been a fairly quiet winter locally with little of interest being recorded.......
 
Apart from up to 4 BITTERNS and the odd flyover GOOSANDER, the RESERVOIRS proved very hard work
 
Since February when Dave Bilcock photographed an immature/female MERLIN near WILSTONE CEMETERY, highlights have been a first-winter CASPIAN GULL in the roost one night (5th March), an unprecedented 32 KITTIWAKES in the roost (6th March), no fewer than 7 MEDITERRANEAN GULLS in February, a 20-year record of just under 200 HERRING GULLS in February, a pair of COMMON STONECHATS in Rushy Meadow for 3 weeks (to 1st March) and a female in Cemetery Corner on 4th March, two pairs of GARGANEY on 11 March and up to 50 SAND MARTINS since the first on 5th
 

The first NORTHERN WHEATEARS arrived today on the Hills, with a pair at PITSTONE HILL with a female COMMON STONECHAT (the second migrant this month following a male on 11th). Meanwhile, IVINGHOE BEACON has been particularly quiet, with just a daily passage of Meadow Pipit and Common Gull in recent days


























Saturday 7 January 2017

WAXWINGS reach Aylesbury and Tring......

This winter has seen as many as 3,000 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS invade the UK, initially in Scotland before moving south into Northern England, the North Midlands and East Anglia. Now, as the berry supply gets diminished, flocks are dispersing far inland, into North & South Wales and even as far west as Plymouth in Southwest England. They are also infiltrating the South East and at long last turning up in my home county. Following up reports of two singles yesterday morning, I was mighty chuffed to bump into this flock of 13 that spent part of the early afternoon raiding berry bushes in Lynwood Road in Aylesbury, along with large numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing. Two also visited a garden in Tring during the morning....