A DAMP SQUIB

SUNDAY 24 JANUARY

Heavy rain overnight left severe flooding in its wake. Once cleared late morning, a fresh and very cold westerly wind set in.

WILSTONE RESERVOIR

Eventually hearing of Roy's Pintail sightings and that of Common Crane, Short-eared Owl and Jack Snipe by another regular, I visited Wilstone with some trepidation. As it was, most wildfowl was holed up sheltering out of the wind and very little was noted.

Sample counts included 12 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Little Grebe, c660 Eurasian Wigeon (including a single drake favouring the upper bank by the car park), 179 Common Teal, 42 Shoveler, 10 Gadwall, 57 Tufted Duck, 25 Pochard and a pair of COMMON GOLDENEYES. Sadly, no Pintail, a species which has been unusually difficult this year at Tring (Roy's four being the first this year).

COLLEGE LAKE

Thinking that College Lake may have 'taken' the Pintails, I visited there, but again no sign.

Wildfowl included just 5 Mute Swans, 68 Wigeon, 85 Teal, 62 Gadwall, 24 Shoveler, 6 RED-CRESTED POCHARDS (2 drakes and 4 females - all feeding together on the main marsh), 27 Tufted Duck and 14 Pochards.

A single Little Grebe was in attendance, and a flock of 94 Lapwing flew over.

FRITHSDEN BEECHES/BERKHAMSTED COMMON

Spent two and a half hours wandering the rain-drenched, highly sodden ground of this part of the Ashridge Estate in a quest for Lesser Redpoll. Despite walking all the way from Ashridge College to the war memorial at Grim's Ditch, barely saw any birds in the forest. In fact, it was almost totally birdless.

Highlight was a WOODCOCK disturbed by startled Fallow Deer at Frithsden, and a Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Of note, were 6 active ROOK nests in tall trees NE of the ruins at TQ 004 087 (Berkhamsted)