SUMMARY FROM RECENT DAYS

MONDAY 20 APRIL

A fantastic glorious spring day, with wall-to-wall sunshine, temperatures up to 20 degrees C and kight variable winds.

MARSWORTH RESERVOIR (1000-1100) (17.5 degrees C)

The undoubted highlight were the two COMMON CUCKOOS chasing each other from Poplar top to Poplar top on the west side of the reservoir - both calling repeatedly.

The female Mallard now has just three surviving ducklings, with the pair of Gadwall still present and the Red-crested Pochard hybrid.

A JAY flew through, with one of the resident COMMON KINGFISHERS perched by the sluice briefly and a male HOUSE SPARROW chirping from Blackthorn by the hide.

Three SEDGE WARBLERS were singing as well as 7 WESTERN REED WARBLERS. All 3 CETTI'S WARBLERS were also still on territory.

The 'Corner Wood' held singing Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Goldfinch (in full song), 2 Chaffinch, Dunnock and Wren, with two nesting pairs of Common Blackbird.

STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR

Up to 22 Common Terns

WILSTONE RESERVOIR (1100-1215) (No sign of the recent Hobby nor of any hirundines)

Great Crested Grebes (5 pairs)
Mute Swan: 7 in field to east of reservoir; two further adults on reservoir
Greylag Geese: 27 in field to east. A furter bird was sat on the nest to the right of the hide
Mallard - single pair with 8 small ducklings near hide
*GARGANEY - drake still present and showing well in heavily vegetated area of water behind and to right of hide.
EURASIAN WIGEON: all 5 birds (3 drakes) still present
Gadwall (12)
Shoveler (4 - 3 drakes)
Pochard (1 drake)
Tufted Duck (85)
Common Coot: total of 116 birds on Wilstone with 11 nests detected.
Black-headed Gulls (6 present)

RED KITES: 3 drifted over at 1215, including one low over the water
Common Buzzard: 3+ at 1215 including one in swooping display
Wren - singing near car park; 3 in wood near hide
WILLOW WARBLER - just one located; a singing male in Willows near Drayton Bank Hide
Jay (1)
LINNET: single flew east over car park

IVINGHOE HILLS NR (1245-1425 hours)

I did an exhaustive sweep of the reserve, covering from the car park east to the sheep field, back to the Beacon, from the S-bend down to Inkombe Hole and then back up through the Top Scrub to the car park

Meadow Pipits - 8 territories with one nest found
Eurasian Skylark: just 9 singing males
COMMON WHITETHROAT - I could locate just 1 singing male, just along from the car park
LESSER WHITETHROAT - just 1 rattling male in Hawthorns at edge of Inkombe Hole
Common Chiffchaff: 1 singing male
WILLOW WARBLER: 13 singing males
Linnets - 16
Yellowhammer - appalling - just 1 singing male noted by the S-bend

*PASQUE FLOWERS: two colonies, with one of 16 flowering plants and another of 9.

Warm sunshine saw an impressive selection of butterflies including my first GREEN HAIRSTREAK and ORANGE TIP of the year, as well as several Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Small Whites.

ADDITIONAL NOTE

A reeling male GRASSHOPPER WARBLER found by MW early morning was relocated in the evening, singing well until 2000 hours at least from scrub 100 yards from the S-bend on the high plateau of Steps Hill (Steve Rodwell).

SATURDAY 18 APRIL

A brisk NE wind blowing making it surprisingly cold. Bright and dry.

MARSWORTH RESERVOIR

Common Terns - 42+
COMMON CUCKOO - male showing at distance at back of reservoir - my first of the year
Song Thrush - singing male still in wood
Mistle Thrush - 1 gathering food
GRASSHOPPER WARBLER: very brief snippets were heard of a reeling male in reeds about 50 yards out in the reedbed from the sluice corner (still present on Sunday, when reeled continuously early evening - JN, DB, RH, et al).
SEDGE WARBLER: 3 singing males including one in bushes on the causeway
Common Chiffchaff: 3 singing males
BRAMBLINGS - two birds present in the 'Corner Wood', with a superb male and a summer-plumaged female

WILSTONE RESERVOIR (1240) (with Andy Radford)

*LITTLE GULL - adult in full summer plumage present (remained all day)
Common Terns: 18

Grey Heron (33 active nests on Drayton Bank)
Mute Swans (6 adults)
EURASIAN WIGEON (5 adults still)
Mistle Thrush and Jay

Also first HOBBY of year (Andy Radford) seen on 17 April to right of hide and perched for a while and later seen by Mike Ilett today.