OSPREY record shots from today - top two taken by Mike Wallen as an adult drifted slowly over the Beacon and the lower three taken by Derek Girvan as a different adult circled low over the central bank at Wilstone Reservoir
MONDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2008
(Light winds, mainly cloudy, 18 degrees C)
Great minds think alike. I had headed up the hills in the hope that the calm weather had forced some migrants down and was checking the fields behind Pitstone Hill when Mike Wallen rang at 1007 hours exclaiming ''I've got two OSPREYS heading SSW away from the Beacon''
I quickly got off the phone and scanned the skies and within a short time, relocated both birds flying high towards the Quarry (1008 hours). They were by now pretty high up and as they reached the escarpment by Aldbury Nowers, one bird veered away to the north and flew across College Lake towards Marsworth village, whilst the other continued a straight line towards Bulbourne and Tring town and garden centre (at 1018 hours). I lost the Marsworth-heading bird and concentrated my efforts on keeping with the other, keeping it in view. I drove into Aldbury and then continued on to Tring Station and then the old A41. At the main roundabout, I relocated the Osprey circling high over the main dual carriageway and from here it drifted SW and was over the Highfield Road/Vicarage Road junction in Wigginton until 1053. It then started to drift back down towards Tring town centre and started to flap strongly towards the reservoirs. I chased after it but obviously lost it as I meandered through the parked cars and pedestrians along the main road towards Bulbourne Road.
Knowing from previous experience that my best chances of relocation was from the raised platform 200 yards up from the Cemetery, I raced there and shortly after arriving and scanning, relocated both OSPREYS, this time gliding towards Wilstone Reservoir from the Dry Canal direction (perhaps the other bird had visited Tringford). I scanned across at the reservoirs where I could see JT and others standing by the car park steps and some 5 observers staring out of the Drayton Bank Hide. As I had done so all throughout my sightings, I updated RBA on the current whereabouts of the birds, knowing that Roy Hargreaves, Mike Campbell, Ben Miller and Joan Thompson had pagers (unfortunately both MW and DB were unobtainable).
From 1107-1115 hours, the two birds drifted above Wilstone Reservoir, one bird being persistently harassed by two Carrion Crows and the other joining a RED KITE in a thermal. One bird dropped low over the central bank of the reservoir, circling over the 'Cormorant Trees' for at least four minutes. At this point, JT finally answered her phone and I tried to guide her on to the birds from where she stood (this failed). She then drove around to me and as I tried to get hold of MW again, I lost both birds in the sky. I briefly locked on to the higher bird and this flew strongly west towards Aston Clinton (and perhaps Weston Turville Reservoir). By the time JT had joined me, just one bird could be located, and this flew off strongly towards the Wendover ridge and out of sight. By 1117 hours, both birds had disappeared from view.
Fortunately, the five observers in the hide (Derek Girvan et al) had located one of the birds independently and had both photographed and videoed the bird (see above). Mike Wallen had also successfully photographed one bird, as it flew just 30 metres above the Trig Point on Ivinghoe Beacon.
(Light winds, mainly cloudy, 18 degrees C)
Great minds think alike. I had headed up the hills in the hope that the calm weather had forced some migrants down and was checking the fields behind Pitstone Hill when Mike Wallen rang at 1007 hours exclaiming ''I've got two OSPREYS heading SSW away from the Beacon''
I quickly got off the phone and scanned the skies and within a short time, relocated both birds flying high towards the Quarry (1008 hours). They were by now pretty high up and as they reached the escarpment by Aldbury Nowers, one bird veered away to the north and flew across College Lake towards Marsworth village, whilst the other continued a straight line towards Bulbourne and Tring town and garden centre (at 1018 hours). I lost the Marsworth-heading bird and concentrated my efforts on keeping with the other, keeping it in view. I drove into Aldbury and then continued on to Tring Station and then the old A41. At the main roundabout, I relocated the Osprey circling high over the main dual carriageway and from here it drifted SW and was over the Highfield Road/Vicarage Road junction in Wigginton until 1053. It then started to drift back down towards Tring town centre and started to flap strongly towards the reservoirs. I chased after it but obviously lost it as I meandered through the parked cars and pedestrians along the main road towards Bulbourne Road.
Knowing from previous experience that my best chances of relocation was from the raised platform 200 yards up from the Cemetery, I raced there and shortly after arriving and scanning, relocated both OSPREYS, this time gliding towards Wilstone Reservoir from the Dry Canal direction (perhaps the other bird had visited Tringford). I scanned across at the reservoirs where I could see JT and others standing by the car park steps and some 5 observers staring out of the Drayton Bank Hide. As I had done so all throughout my sightings, I updated RBA on the current whereabouts of the birds, knowing that Roy Hargreaves, Mike Campbell, Ben Miller and Joan Thompson had pagers (unfortunately both MW and DB were unobtainable).
From 1107-1115 hours, the two birds drifted above Wilstone Reservoir, one bird being persistently harassed by two Carrion Crows and the other joining a RED KITE in a thermal. One bird dropped low over the central bank of the reservoir, circling over the 'Cormorant Trees' for at least four minutes. At this point, JT finally answered her phone and I tried to guide her on to the birds from where she stood (this failed). She then drove around to me and as I tried to get hold of MW again, I lost both birds in the sky. I briefly locked on to the higher bird and this flew strongly west towards Aston Clinton (and perhaps Weston Turville Reservoir). By the time JT had joined me, just one bird could be located, and this flew off strongly towards the Wendover ridge and out of sight. By 1117 hours, both birds had disappeared from view.
Fortunately, the five observers in the hide (Derek Girvan et al) had located one of the birds independently and had both photographed and videoed the bird (see above). Mike Wallen had also successfully photographed one bird, as it flew just 30 metres above the Trig Point on Ivinghoe Beacon.
A video of one of the birds over Wilstone can be viewed here at
http://gallery.me.com/thecountryman/100055
Both birds were worn, uniformly dark brown on the upperparts (with no obvious scaling) and heavily contrasting on the underwings, with the odd primary missing (or broken) and one bird several secondaries missing. I assumed them both to be adults, perhaps even a pair migrating south together.
What may have been one of the birds (or perhaps a third individual) flew south over The Hale, Wendover, at 1615 hours, heading towards Great Missenden (Richard Birch).
In addition to the two OSPREYS, Mike Wallen also recorded TREE PIPIT (the first in the recording area this year - species 171) at Ivinghoe Hills NR Steps Hill, along with single WHINCHAT, COMMON STONECHAT and NORTHERN WHEATEAR.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR (1100-1400 hours)
Little Grebe - 5 still present
LITTLE EGRET - 2
WHOOPER SWAN - both adults still present
Eurasian Wigeon - 5+
Common Teal - 184
*NORTHERN PINTAIL - 5 present still
Northern Shoveler - 90+
COMMON SANDPIPER - 1
COMMON GREENSHANK - 3 juveniles
**SANDWICH TERN - one flew through quickly west at 0620 hours (Dave Bilcock)
HOBBY - 4 remain including the noisy juvenile
YELLOW WAGTAIL - 2 flew west over Cemetery Corner (LGRE, JT), with 5 more west ovver the Car Park Steps at 1233 (LGRE)
*BARN SWALLOWS - huge westerly passage perhaps involving 400 or more birds
House Martins - 50+
*SISKIN - 16 over (Roy Hargreaves)
IVINGHOE BEACON
Lesser Black-backed Gulls - 138 roosting in field
Both birds were worn, uniformly dark brown on the upperparts (with no obvious scaling) and heavily contrasting on the underwings, with the odd primary missing (or broken) and one bird several secondaries missing. I assumed them both to be adults, perhaps even a pair migrating south together.
What may have been one of the birds (or perhaps a third individual) flew south over The Hale, Wendover, at 1615 hours, heading towards Great Missenden (Richard Birch).
In addition to the two OSPREYS, Mike Wallen also recorded TREE PIPIT (the first in the recording area this year - species 171) at Ivinghoe Hills NR Steps Hill, along with single WHINCHAT, COMMON STONECHAT and NORTHERN WHEATEAR.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR (1100-1400 hours)
Little Grebe - 5 still present
LITTLE EGRET - 2
WHOOPER SWAN - both adults still present
Eurasian Wigeon - 5+
Common Teal - 184
*NORTHERN PINTAIL - 5 present still
Northern Shoveler - 90+
COMMON SANDPIPER - 1
COMMON GREENSHANK - 3 juveniles
**SANDWICH TERN - one flew through quickly west at 0620 hours (Dave Bilcock)
HOBBY - 4 remain including the noisy juvenile
YELLOW WAGTAIL - 2 flew west over Cemetery Corner (LGRE, JT), with 5 more west ovver the Car Park Steps at 1233 (LGRE)
*BARN SWALLOWS - huge westerly passage perhaps involving 400 or more birds
House Martins - 50+
*SISKIN - 16 over (Roy Hargreaves)
IVINGHOE BEACON
Lesser Black-backed Gulls - 138 roosting in field
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