TUESDAY 12 AUGUST

Heavy rain fell on the Chilterns and elsewhere from 0300-0800 hours resulting in a few new birds overnight. Further torrential showers this afternoon saw an impressive fall of passerines at Shardeloes Lake, including 3 fresh juvenile PIED FLYCATCHERS. The wind veered from a light SE overnight through south and then increased during the afternoon to a moderate southwesterly. It was decidedly warm, especially during periods of sunshine.

Drayton Beauchamp Canal (SP 903 120) - 6 Barn Swallows hawking over Grand Union Canal

Wilstone Reservoir (1000-1100 hours)

Very quiet, with few new arrivals - DB had seen a Common Redshank earlier, as well as the GARGANEY. Undoubted highlight was the finding of a 'new' juvenile Great Crested Grebe - only the second this year in the Tring area. I also did a complete census of MOORHENS - totalling 117 birds

Great Crested Grebe - 17 present including a juvenile
Mute Swans - 69
EURASIAN WIGEON - eclipse drake present still
Gadwall 12 Common Teal 7 Northern Shoveler 3 Northern Pochard 8
RED-CRESTED POCHARD - two birds still present including adult male
RUDDY DUCK - 3 adult drakes
**Moorhen - complete census - 74 in total including 11 juveniles, with 42 in the SW quarter, 10 in the NW, 4 on the central bund and 18 in the SE.
Lapwing - 211 on bund
Common Sandpiper - juvenile still
GREEN SANDPIPER - 1 adult still
Common Terns - 5 remain (including 2 juveniles)

HOBBY - superb views of a juvenile which successfully caught a Sand Martin in flight. It flew with the bird in its talons to the Poplars by the hide and represented my first local juvenile of the year (SR had one a few days previous)
Common Kingfisher
House Martins - 31
SAND MARTIN - 8+

SONG THRUSH - an adult in the hedgerow 100 yards north of the Cemetery.

Marsworth Reservoir

The adult female Red-crested Pochard was still consorting with 64 Mallards.

Startopsend Reservoir

Adult Great Crested Grebe still present, along with 3 Common Terns

A further 43 MOORHENS was counted including 22 on Marsworth, 18 on Tringford and 3 on Startopsend. A grand total of 117 birds was counted overall.

Pitstone Quarry (1300)

Highlight was a juvenile YELLOW-LEGGED GULL roosting with 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the spit (most probably the bird later located by SR and DB at Wilstone early evening)

The 2 Great Crested Grebes were still present, whilst a JAY was my first in the area this August.

Nearby at Aldbury Nowers (SP 950 133), a party of 4 COMMON CROSSBILLS flew over calling.