More BLACK-TAILED GODWITS arrive - Wednesday 6 August 2008

WEDNESDAY 6 AUGUST
(Extremely warm and muggy; mainly cloudy but with occasional hot bursts of sunshine; SW3)

TRING RESERVOIRS
Highlights included 4 Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits, a big increase in Lapwing, a total of 795 Coot and an excellent count of House Martins

Wilstone Reservoir
(1130-1230; with Stuart Wilson and Steve Rodwell)

*ICELANDIC BLACK-TAILED GODWITS: 4 adults still retaining full breeding plumage were present on the central bund from late morning until 1225 hours when they were disturbed and flew off strongly SW (SR, SW & LGRE).
Lapwing: dramatic rise overnight with 314 birds now present
COMMON SANDPIPER - 2 still
GREEN SANDPIPER - 2 adults present still

Great Crested Grebes - just 16
Mute Swan - 72 present
Common Teal - 2 still present
Northern Shoveler - slight increase from 2 to 4 birds
Tufted Duck - 78
Northern Pochard - 7 still (1 juvenile)
Red-crested Pochard - eclipse drake still present
MANDARIN DUCK - female still present
Ruddy Duck - all 6 still present
Coot - 729 present on Wilstone, including 544 from hide (click-counted)
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2 adults over
Common Terns - 6 remaining

Eurasian Sparrowhawk - family party (2+ juvs) still in Poplars near hide
RED KITE - 1 overhead at 1215
HOUSE MARTINS - high count of 115 birds
SAND MARTIN - 10+
Common Starling - 4 over

Elsewhere around the reservoirs -:
Tringford Reservoir - 1 Great Crested Grebe and 34 Coot
Startopsend Reservoir - 1 Great Crested Grebe, 24 Coot & 3 adult Common Terns
Marsworth Reservoir - Mute Swans (adult pair & 2 cygnets & 8 Coots)

NOTE - Steve Rodwell also had OYSTERCATCHER and COMMON SWIFT on Wilstone, whilst Dave Bilcock and Roy Hargreaves watched two juvenile COMMON SHELDUCKS fly off at 0615 !

Pitstone Quarry

Great Crested Grebe - 2 still present (adult & juvenile)
Little Grebe - 2
MANDARIN DUCK - adult female with six ducklings still (14th day)
Tufted Ducks - 5
Common Buzzard - 4+
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 5
Common Tern - juvenile still present
Lesser Whitethroat - 2+
Great Tits - family party

College Lake (1400-1415)

Great Crested Grebe - 1 adult
Whooper Swan - 1 adult (Wardown Park bird)
Mute Swan - 1 adult
Canada Geese - 57
HOBBY - adult hunting over main marsh and busily catching dragonflies
Common Tern - 1 juvenile

Ivinghoe Hills NR
11 species of butterfly recorded in mid-afternoon sunshine along the main track from the main road car park including 15+ CHALKHILL BLUES, both Small and ESSEX Skippers, Large White, Small White, Peacock, Brimstone, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Gatekeeper and Ringlet.