THURSDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2008
A return to damp, dismal and very grey conditions, with persistent and steady rain from mid-afternoon
Highlight today was an exceptional gathering of NORTHERN SHOVELER and my first Tring GOOSANDER of the year
Cheddington
Two Moorhens in the pool by the railway bridge
Long Marston (Cricket Club Fields)
40+ FIELDFARES
TRING RESERVOIRS
Woodpigeons (72 on wires just NE of the Wingrave Road roundabout)
Startop's End Reservoir
Great Crested Grebes (28), Mute Swans (3 - 1 first-winter), Mallard (8), Shoveler (1), Tufted Duck (65), Pochard (11), Coot (68), Common Gull (1 adult), Common Blackbird (4) and Goldcrest (3).
Tringford Reservoir
Great Crested Grebe (2), Grey Heron (12 roosting in trees), Mute Swans (3 adults), Tufted Duck (8) and Coot (34)
Marsworth Reservoir
Great Crested Grebe (6 including two first-winters), Mallard (18), COMMON KINGFISHER, Redwing (1 over), Wren and CETTI'S WARBLER (still near overflow)
Highlight was a staggering feeding 'frenzy' of 197 NORTHERN SHOVELERS - the highest gathering of the year so far. They were all 'shovelling' around the algae bund 'balls'.
Wilstone Reservoir
With recent heavy rain, the level has raised substantially and with it, large numbers of wildfowl.
Great Crested Grebe (16)
Sinensis Cormorants (high count of 51 roosting)
Mute Swan - just 9 adults
Greylag Geese (19)
Mallard (43)
Eurasian Wigeon (587+ - huge increase)
Common Teal (334+)
Gadwall (33 - large increase)
Northern Shoveler (22)
Tufted Duck (145)
Northern Pochard (96)
Ruddy Duck (1 winter drake)
A return to damp, dismal and very grey conditions, with persistent and steady rain from mid-afternoon
Highlight today was an exceptional gathering of NORTHERN SHOVELER and my first Tring GOOSANDER of the year
Cheddington
Two Moorhens in the pool by the railway bridge
Long Marston (Cricket Club Fields)
40+ FIELDFARES
TRING RESERVOIRS
Woodpigeons (72 on wires just NE of the Wingrave Road roundabout)
Startop's End Reservoir
Great Crested Grebes (28), Mute Swans (3 - 1 first-winter), Mallard (8), Shoveler (1), Tufted Duck (65), Pochard (11), Coot (68), Common Gull (1 adult), Common Blackbird (4) and Goldcrest (3).
Tringford Reservoir
Great Crested Grebe (2), Grey Heron (12 roosting in trees), Mute Swans (3 adults), Tufted Duck (8) and Coot (34)
Marsworth Reservoir
Great Crested Grebe (6 including two first-winters), Mallard (18), COMMON KINGFISHER, Redwing (1 over), Wren and CETTI'S WARBLER (still near overflow)
Highlight was a staggering feeding 'frenzy' of 197 NORTHERN SHOVELERS - the highest gathering of the year so far. They were all 'shovelling' around the algae bund 'balls'.
Wilstone Reservoir
With recent heavy rain, the level has raised substantially and with it, large numbers of wildfowl.
Great Crested Grebe (16)
Sinensis Cormorants (high count of 51 roosting)
Mute Swan - just 9 adults
Greylag Geese (19)
Mallard (43)
Eurasian Wigeon (587+ - huge increase)
Common Teal (334+)
Gadwall (33 - large increase)
Northern Shoveler (22)
Tufted Duck (145)
Northern Pochard (96)
Ruddy Duck (1 winter drake)
COMMON GOLDENEYE (2 females just off car park)
**GOOSANDER - a single 'redhead' was roosting in the NW corner, easily visible from the hide or new overflow.
A total of 1,264 ducks was counted comprising of ten species
Lapwing (504)
EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVERS (430)
Common Snipe (5)
COMMON GULLS (2 roosting on spit - an adult and first-winter)
Collared Dove - 3 on wires at Wilstone Great Farm
Common Starlings - 360 in fields NW of reservoir
BERRYFIELDS, just NW of AYLESBURY
Constant rain, very unsuitable weather for hunting owls and consequently none seen
Tim Watts and I watched the juvenile HEN HARRIER arrive from the east at 1605 hours and after a couple of passes at a male and female Common Pheasant in the long grass, it flew towards the far hedgerow and was lost in the gloom at 1608.
Jackdaws were flighting to roost all evening, with 222 too the SW by 1608, with 24 Rooks and the odd Carrion Crow mixed in with them; 2 Goldcrests moved west along the car park hedgerow.
**GOOSANDER - a single 'redhead' was roosting in the NW corner, easily visible from the hide or new overflow.
A total of 1,264 ducks was counted comprising of ten species
Lapwing (504)
EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVERS (430)
Common Snipe (5)
COMMON GULLS (2 roosting on spit - an adult and first-winter)
Collared Dove - 3 on wires at Wilstone Great Farm
Common Starlings - 360 in fields NW of reservoir
BERRYFIELDS, just NW of AYLESBURY
Constant rain, very unsuitable weather for hunting owls and consequently none seen
Tim Watts and I watched the juvenile HEN HARRIER arrive from the east at 1605 hours and after a couple of passes at a male and female Common Pheasant in the long grass, it flew towards the far hedgerow and was lost in the gloom at 1608.
Jackdaws were flighting to roost all evening, with 222 too the SW by 1608, with 24 Rooks and the odd Carrion Crow mixed in with them; 2 Goldcrests moved west along the car park hedgerow.
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