Two male Yellowhammers (Mike Lawrence) - the highlight of my visit to Tring Reservoirs todayFRIDAY 31 OCTOBER 2008
Still very cold with a brisk NE wind blowing and some snow still lying in fields in sheltered areas. Remained clear for most of the day, with temperatures reaching no higher than 8 degrees.
MARSWORTH RESERVOIR
A single Little Grebe was new in, with 6 Great Crested Grebes still present (including this autumn's two juveniles), a single adult Mute Swan, a feeding group of 20 Northern Shovelers and Grey Wagtail.
A very vocal CETTI'S WARBLER was in scrubby undergrowth adjacent to the overflow
STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR
A good selection of waterbirds with 23 Great Crested Grebes, 2 drake Common Teal, 8 Northern Pochard and 78 Tufted Ducks present.
TRINGFORD RESERVOIR
A further 7 Great Crested Grebes (totalling 36), another Little Grebe and 4 adult Mute Swans.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR (1400-1530 hours)
(with Pauline Worrall & Penny Misselbrook)
Highlights included my first COMMON GOLDENEYE of the autumn and two male Yellowhammers
Great Crested Grebe (huge reduction, with just 12 counted - making 48 in total)
Little Grebe (5)
Grey Heron (2)
Cormorant (29 roosting on spit)
Mute Swan (marked increase; 32 counted with two first-winters and four 'cygnets' all new-in)
Greylag Geese (13)
897 ducks of 9 species
Eurasian Wigeon (220)
Gadwall (9)
Common Teal (312)
Northern Shoveler (135)
NORTHERN PINTAIL (3 females in the SE quarter with 2 adult drakes roosting/feeding by the spit)
Tufted Duck (133)
Northern Pochard (76)
RUDDY DUCK (5+)
*COMMON GOLDENEYE - an eclipse or first-year drake was sleeping with Tufted Duck in the 'SE quarter' visible only from the Drayton Bank Hide. A female or immature was present close to the new overflow, this bird being first seen on Monday 27th (RH).
Interestingly, after a presence of some 82 days, our two resident Whooper Swans have moved on
EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVERS - exactly 100 roosting on the mud
Lapwing - 135 on the reservoir, with a further 87 in Cemetery Corner Fields
DUNLIN - winter-plumaged bird still present
Common Snipe (4)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (1 adult roosting on the spit)
YELLOWHAMMERS* - 2 adult males were present in the hedgerow bordering the road and running parallel with the north end of the reservoir, my first in the Tring Area for some time.
BERRYFIELDS A41 LAYBY
(with Tim Watts - 1550-1700 hours)
Looking north from the layby situated just west of Aylesbury on the A41, Tim and I enjoyed a spectacular owl-fest.
The two SHORT-EARED OWLS were already hunting when TW arrived - 1540 hours - and continued to hunt over the large rough fields for the next 25 minutes. There is a dark individual and a paler bird. The latter slipped off to roost shortly after 1615 whilst the darker bird continued to hunt well into the evening, actually overlapping with the Barn Owls. It was particularly wide-ranging, eventually crossing over the Quainton road just prior to dusk, but was NOT seen to be successful in vole-catching.
Around 1645, the first of two BARN OWLS appeared, with both birds ranging widely too over the area.
There were also 4 Common Kestrels actively hunting, as well as a flock of 30 Linnets and 4 COMMON STONECHATS (2 pairs).
On the mammalian front, 3 different CHINESE WATER DEER and 3 ROE DEER were feeding.
Still very cold with a brisk NE wind blowing and some snow still lying in fields in sheltered areas. Remained clear for most of the day, with temperatures reaching no higher than 8 degrees.
MARSWORTH RESERVOIR
A single Little Grebe was new in, with 6 Great Crested Grebes still present (including this autumn's two juveniles), a single adult Mute Swan, a feeding group of 20 Northern Shovelers and Grey Wagtail.
A very vocal CETTI'S WARBLER was in scrubby undergrowth adjacent to the overflow
STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR
A good selection of waterbirds with 23 Great Crested Grebes, 2 drake Common Teal, 8 Northern Pochard and 78 Tufted Ducks present.
TRINGFORD RESERVOIR
A further 7 Great Crested Grebes (totalling 36), another Little Grebe and 4 adult Mute Swans.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR (1400-1530 hours)
(with Pauline Worrall & Penny Misselbrook)
Highlights included my first COMMON GOLDENEYE of the autumn and two male Yellowhammers
Great Crested Grebe (huge reduction, with just 12 counted - making 48 in total)
Little Grebe (5)
Grey Heron (2)
Cormorant (29 roosting on spit)
Mute Swan (marked increase; 32 counted with two first-winters and four 'cygnets' all new-in)
Greylag Geese (13)
897 ducks of 9 species
Eurasian Wigeon (220)
Gadwall (9)
Common Teal (312)
Northern Shoveler (135)
NORTHERN PINTAIL (3 females in the SE quarter with 2 adult drakes roosting/feeding by the spit)
Tufted Duck (133)
Northern Pochard (76)
RUDDY DUCK (5+)
*COMMON GOLDENEYE - an eclipse or first-year drake was sleeping with Tufted Duck in the 'SE quarter' visible only from the Drayton Bank Hide. A female or immature was present close to the new overflow, this bird being first seen on Monday 27th (RH).
Interestingly, after a presence of some 82 days, our two resident Whooper Swans have moved on
EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVERS - exactly 100 roosting on the mud
Lapwing - 135 on the reservoir, with a further 87 in Cemetery Corner Fields
DUNLIN - winter-plumaged bird still present
Common Snipe (4)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (1 adult roosting on the spit)
YELLOWHAMMERS* - 2 adult males were present in the hedgerow bordering the road and running parallel with the north end of the reservoir, my first in the Tring Area for some time.
BERRYFIELDS A41 LAYBY
(with Tim Watts - 1550-1700 hours)
Looking north from the layby situated just west of Aylesbury on the A41, Tim and I enjoyed a spectacular owl-fest.
The two SHORT-EARED OWLS were already hunting when TW arrived - 1540 hours - and continued to hunt over the large rough fields for the next 25 minutes. There is a dark individual and a paler bird. The latter slipped off to roost shortly after 1615 whilst the darker bird continued to hunt well into the evening, actually overlapping with the Barn Owls. It was particularly wide-ranging, eventually crossing over the Quainton road just prior to dusk, but was NOT seen to be successful in vole-catching.
Around 1645, the first of two BARN OWLS appeared, with both birds ranging widely too over the area.
There were also 4 Common Kestrels actively hunting, as well as a flock of 30 Linnets and 4 COMMON STONECHATS (2 pairs).
On the mammalian front, 3 different CHINESE WATER DEER and 3 ROE DEER were feeding.
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