MONDAY 3 OCTOBER
The record-breaking weather continued today but according to forecasters, will dramatically change from tonight. Once the sun shone, temperatures climbed to 82 degrees F this afternoon, with blue skies dominating. As the day wore on, the wind increased from the Southwest..........
My attention was drawn to a certain Nearctic crane today in Suffolk but whilst I was making my way up the A12 towards Ipswich, Mark Ward and his partner intercepted the juvenile PALLID HARRIER that Stuart Elsom had seen earlier in Cambridgeshire. They both had great views of it as it followed the line of the Little Barford road southwards..........the first record of this species in the Home Counties
LITTLE CHALFONT (BUCKS)
As I left my home in the hours of darkness, two TAWNY OWLS were loudly calling to each other - presumably staking out territories for the coming winter
After enjoying great views of the adult SANDHILL CRANE at Boyton Marshes RSPB early-mid morning and an adult DOTTEREL still retaining breeding plumage, I made my way back to the area to search for the harrier........
IVINGHOE HILLS NATURE RESERVE (BUCKS)
Spent many hours just drifting about the hill escarpment just in case the harrier chose to follow the line of the Chiltern Hills.........
There was no sign of Mike's weekend female Ring Ouzel just up from the S-bend, although I did see a male Common Blackbird in that area - perhaps a migrant, Nor was there any sign of the flock of 6 Redwings that MW had seen early morning but the little flock of chats were still present and showing well on the fenceline just SE of the Beacon and trig point - two male and a female COMMON STONECHAT (one of the males photographed by Dave Hutchinson above) and a nice first-year WHINCHAT. Stomping around the area also yielded 85 Meadow Pipits and a single Common Whitethroat but passage was virtually nil, with not a raptor in sight and just 2 Barn Swallows flying south......
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
Very quiet still, although the water level has stabilised: 8 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Little Grebe, 8 Greylag Geese, 79 Atlantic Canada Geese, 6 Gadwall, 58 Wigeon, 175 Teal, 6 PINTAILS (1 drake), 1 Common Buzzaes, 211 Black-headed Gulls and 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
STARTOP'S END & TRINGFORD RESERVOIRS (HERTS)
On Startop's, 6 Great Crested Grebes and the 3 Red-crested Pochards were noted, whilst with Tringford water levels dropping fast, activity there has increased with 6 Little Egrets,1 Great Crested Grebe, 16 Real, 10 Gadwall and 1 Little Grebe present
The record-breaking weather continued today but according to forecasters, will dramatically change from tonight. Once the sun shone, temperatures climbed to 82 degrees F this afternoon, with blue skies dominating. As the day wore on, the wind increased from the Southwest..........
My attention was drawn to a certain Nearctic crane today in Suffolk but whilst I was making my way up the A12 towards Ipswich, Mark Ward and his partner intercepted the juvenile PALLID HARRIER that Stuart Elsom had seen earlier in Cambridgeshire. They both had great views of it as it followed the line of the Little Barford road southwards..........the first record of this species in the Home Counties
LITTLE CHALFONT (BUCKS)
As I left my home in the hours of darkness, two TAWNY OWLS were loudly calling to each other - presumably staking out territories for the coming winter
After enjoying great views of the adult SANDHILL CRANE at Boyton Marshes RSPB early-mid morning and an adult DOTTEREL still retaining breeding plumage, I made my way back to the area to search for the harrier........
IVINGHOE HILLS NATURE RESERVE (BUCKS)
Spent many hours just drifting about the hill escarpment just in case the harrier chose to follow the line of the Chiltern Hills.........
There was no sign of Mike's weekend female Ring Ouzel just up from the S-bend, although I did see a male Common Blackbird in that area - perhaps a migrant, Nor was there any sign of the flock of 6 Redwings that MW had seen early morning but the little flock of chats were still present and showing well on the fenceline just SE of the Beacon and trig point - two male and a female COMMON STONECHAT (one of the males photographed by Dave Hutchinson above) and a nice first-year WHINCHAT. Stomping around the area also yielded 85 Meadow Pipits and a single Common Whitethroat but passage was virtually nil, with not a raptor in sight and just 2 Barn Swallows flying south......
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
Very quiet still, although the water level has stabilised: 8 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Little Grebe, 8 Greylag Geese, 79 Atlantic Canada Geese, 6 Gadwall, 58 Wigeon, 175 Teal, 6 PINTAILS (1 drake), 1 Common Buzzaes, 211 Black-headed Gulls and 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
STARTOP'S END & TRINGFORD RESERVOIRS (HERTS)
On Startop's, 6 Great Crested Grebes and the 3 Red-crested Pochards were noted, whilst with Tringford water levels dropping fast, activity there has increased with 6 Little Egrets,1 Great Crested Grebe, 16 Real, 10 Gadwall and 1 Little Grebe present
No comments:
Post a Comment