TUESDAY 4 NOVEMBER 2008
In the early hours of daylight, there was little wind, but as the day progressed, the cool NE airflow set in again. It remained grey and overcast all day, with poor visibility, and with temperatures peaking at 9 degrees Centigrade.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR (two visits today, one midday and the other 1320-1540 hours, the latter in part-company with Cliff Worrall and Leighton Buzzard-based birder Timothy Andrews)
Great Crested Grebe (22)
Little Grebe (7, including feeding group of 5)
Sinensis Cormorant (45 roosting in trees and on central spit)
Grey Heron (4)
WILDFOWL
A total of 1,022 birds involving 13 species
Mute Swans (20, including two first-winters)
**WHOOPER SWANS (the two regular adults remained but were briefly joined by two additional adults - both very wary - which touched down in the SE quarter visible from the hide. They remained until a huge black balloon disturbed them - and everything else on the reservoir - at 1340, when they flew off strongly east - Cliff Worrall, LGRE).
Greylag Geese (19)
Mallard (43)
Common Teal (277)
Eurasian Wigeon (316)
Gadwall (13)
Shoveler (112)
NORTHERN PINTAIL (2 adult drakes by central spit and female in SE quarter from hide)
Tufted Duck (122)
Pochard (86)
COMMON GOLDENEYE (1 female flew up from the isolated pool in the NW corner)
RUDDY DUCK (6 still present)
WADERS
A huge rise in Golden Plover numbers and with 3 juvenile American Golden Plovers in Southern England, well worth keeping under close scrutiny
Lapwings (344)
EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVER (massive increase with the roosting flock click-counted at an impressive 594 birds today)
Common Snipes (9)
Black-headed Gulls (77)
Common Gull (1 adult)
Lesser Black-backed Gulls (4 adults)
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (female over)
Woodpigeon (36 in isolated tree near car park, with 150+ in flight over fields to north as balloon passed over)
Collared Doves (8 on wires by Wilstone Great Farm)
Green Woodpecker (1 in Poplars near Drayton Bank Hide)
COMMON KINGFISHER (see and heard several times by new outflow)
Pied Wagtails (flock in NW corner feeding on large expanse of mud now increased to 14 birds)
Grey Wagtails (3 with the above)
Meadow Pipits (just 2 remaining on mud)
Mistle Thrush (1)
FIELDFARES (24 flew south at 1452)
Common Starlings (35)
*BRAMBLING (a superb winter male landed briefly in the tree adjacent to the new overflow. It nasally called a few times before flying off with a single Chaffinch - LGRE, Timothy Andrews).
STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR
29 Great Crested Grebes noted, 23 Cormorants in feeding flock, Little Grebe still, 2 Greylag Geese, 5 Common Teal, 44 Tufted Duck, 8 Pochard, 15 Long-tailed Tits (in and around the car park) and 9 FIELDFARE west.
MARSWORTH RESERVOIR
6 Great Crested Grebes (including the 2 noisy late juveniles)
Northern Shovelers (8, 4 pairs)
CETTI'S WARBLERS (2 separate birds calling/exploding from the reedbed)
After receiving a call from Steve Rodwell informing me of a flock of 70 'grey' geese in fields near Wing, I drove the circuit north of the reservoirs embracing Long Marston, Wingrave and Cheddington searching for the flock. I searched all suitable farmland but to no avail. In my quest, I observed the following -:
A CHINESE WATER DEER south of Leighton Road, opposite Wingbury Farm and east of Wingrave, with a single RED KITE hunting farmland north of this road east of the farm.
A very pale Common Buzzard was perched at the top of a dead tree north of Crafton, with another CHINESE WATER DEER feeding on the grass verge SE of Mentmore Park Farm.
Driving through Cheddington village revealed the presence of 57 Common Starlings, 14 House Sparrows and 11 Collared Doves.
COLLEGE LAKE
Walking in from College Farm, I then checked College Lake for the geese flock. I was impressed by the variety and number of ducks present.
Mute Swans (21 present including a first-winter)
Eurasian Wigeon (284)
Gadwall (117 - this is where they have all gone!)
NORTHERN PINTAIL (6 present - 4 drakes and 2 females)
Tufted Duck (41)
Pochard (2 drakes)
RED-CRESTED POCHARD (adult female with Wigeon)
*COMMON GOLDENEYE (2 females)
Eurasian Coot (46)
IVINGHOE HILLS NR
After being disturbed from here earlier by JT, I returned in the afternoon to do a more thorough search of the area. Surprisingly, it was much quieter than yesterday with far fewer thrushes to be found, in particularly Fieldfare. What was apparent was the large numbers of COMMON BLACKBIRDS in the murky, grey conditions, presumably mostly 'Continental' birds. Some 150 were in Top Scrub and Steps Hill, along with a small number of REDWINGS. Whilst scrambling about trying to locate a Ring Ouzel (MW had seen one earlier), I flushed 3 WOODCOCKS from dense cover in Top Scrub and the Bluebell Wood, whilst other migrants included 25 Goldcrests and 3 COMMON STONECHATS on the Sheep Field Fence. Five BULLFINCH were also noted.
DOWN FARM STUBBLE FIELDS
Spent time with the friendly owner of Down Farm enthusing about the large numbers of birds in his fields. Checking the last remaining crop field of maize, we flushed an almighty 3,700 Woodpigeons and 372 Common Starlings. He informed me that in the past few months he had killed just under 1,000 Woodpigeons (apparently they are a foreign delicasy, the supermarkets selling them for £2.20 per bird). I was mightily impressed by his knowledge of nature and his efforts to harbour wildlife on his farm and surrounding fields. He knew full well, for example, the differences between Woodpigeon and Stock Dove, even in flight). Very few small birds were encountered in the fields to the west of the road, apart from a few Yellowhammers and Chaffinches; a RED KITE scattered a flock of 75 Skylarks and just under 250 LINNETS.
In the early hours of daylight, there was little wind, but as the day progressed, the cool NE airflow set in again. It remained grey and overcast all day, with poor visibility, and with temperatures peaking at 9 degrees Centigrade.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR (two visits today, one midday and the other 1320-1540 hours, the latter in part-company with Cliff Worrall and Leighton Buzzard-based birder Timothy Andrews)
Great Crested Grebe (22)
Little Grebe (7, including feeding group of 5)
Sinensis Cormorant (45 roosting in trees and on central spit)
Grey Heron (4)
WILDFOWL
A total of 1,022 birds involving 13 species
Mute Swans (20, including two first-winters)
**WHOOPER SWANS (the two regular adults remained but were briefly joined by two additional adults - both very wary - which touched down in the SE quarter visible from the hide. They remained until a huge black balloon disturbed them - and everything else on the reservoir - at 1340, when they flew off strongly east - Cliff Worrall, LGRE).
Greylag Geese (19)
Mallard (43)
Common Teal (277)
Eurasian Wigeon (316)
Gadwall (13)
Shoveler (112)
NORTHERN PINTAIL (2 adult drakes by central spit and female in SE quarter from hide)
Tufted Duck (122)
Pochard (86)
COMMON GOLDENEYE (1 female flew up from the isolated pool in the NW corner)
RUDDY DUCK (6 still present)
WADERS
A huge rise in Golden Plover numbers and with 3 juvenile American Golden Plovers in Southern England, well worth keeping under close scrutiny
Lapwings (344)
EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVER (massive increase with the roosting flock click-counted at an impressive 594 birds today)
Common Snipes (9)
Black-headed Gulls (77)
Common Gull (1 adult)
Lesser Black-backed Gulls (4 adults)
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (female over)
Woodpigeon (36 in isolated tree near car park, with 150+ in flight over fields to north as balloon passed over)
Collared Doves (8 on wires by Wilstone Great Farm)
Green Woodpecker (1 in Poplars near Drayton Bank Hide)
COMMON KINGFISHER (see and heard several times by new outflow)
Pied Wagtails (flock in NW corner feeding on large expanse of mud now increased to 14 birds)
Grey Wagtails (3 with the above)
Meadow Pipits (just 2 remaining on mud)
Mistle Thrush (1)
FIELDFARES (24 flew south at 1452)
Common Starlings (35)
*BRAMBLING (a superb winter male landed briefly in the tree adjacent to the new overflow. It nasally called a few times before flying off with a single Chaffinch - LGRE, Timothy Andrews).
STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR
29 Great Crested Grebes noted, 23 Cormorants in feeding flock, Little Grebe still, 2 Greylag Geese, 5 Common Teal, 44 Tufted Duck, 8 Pochard, 15 Long-tailed Tits (in and around the car park) and 9 FIELDFARE west.
MARSWORTH RESERVOIR
6 Great Crested Grebes (including the 2 noisy late juveniles)
Northern Shovelers (8, 4 pairs)
CETTI'S WARBLERS (2 separate birds calling/exploding from the reedbed)
After receiving a call from Steve Rodwell informing me of a flock of 70 'grey' geese in fields near Wing, I drove the circuit north of the reservoirs embracing Long Marston, Wingrave and Cheddington searching for the flock. I searched all suitable farmland but to no avail. In my quest, I observed the following -:
A CHINESE WATER DEER south of Leighton Road, opposite Wingbury Farm and east of Wingrave, with a single RED KITE hunting farmland north of this road east of the farm.
A very pale Common Buzzard was perched at the top of a dead tree north of Crafton, with another CHINESE WATER DEER feeding on the grass verge SE of Mentmore Park Farm.
Driving through Cheddington village revealed the presence of 57 Common Starlings, 14 House Sparrows and 11 Collared Doves.
COLLEGE LAKE
Walking in from College Farm, I then checked College Lake for the geese flock. I was impressed by the variety and number of ducks present.
Mute Swans (21 present including a first-winter)
Eurasian Wigeon (284)
Gadwall (117 - this is where they have all gone!)
NORTHERN PINTAIL (6 present - 4 drakes and 2 females)
Tufted Duck (41)
Pochard (2 drakes)
RED-CRESTED POCHARD (adult female with Wigeon)
*COMMON GOLDENEYE (2 females)
Eurasian Coot (46)
IVINGHOE HILLS NR
After being disturbed from here earlier by JT, I returned in the afternoon to do a more thorough search of the area. Surprisingly, it was much quieter than yesterday with far fewer thrushes to be found, in particularly Fieldfare. What was apparent was the large numbers of COMMON BLACKBIRDS in the murky, grey conditions, presumably mostly 'Continental' birds. Some 150 were in Top Scrub and Steps Hill, along with a small number of REDWINGS. Whilst scrambling about trying to locate a Ring Ouzel (MW had seen one earlier), I flushed 3 WOODCOCKS from dense cover in Top Scrub and the Bluebell Wood, whilst other migrants included 25 Goldcrests and 3 COMMON STONECHATS on the Sheep Field Fence. Five BULLFINCH were also noted.
DOWN FARM STUBBLE FIELDS
Spent time with the friendly owner of Down Farm enthusing about the large numbers of birds in his fields. Checking the last remaining crop field of maize, we flushed an almighty 3,700 Woodpigeons and 372 Common Starlings. He informed me that in the past few months he had killed just under 1,000 Woodpigeons (apparently they are a foreign delicasy, the supermarkets selling them for £2.20 per bird). I was mightily impressed by his knowledge of nature and his efforts to harbour wildlife on his farm and surrounding fields. He knew full well, for example, the differences between Woodpigeon and Stock Dove, even in flight). Very few small birds were encountered in the fields to the west of the road, apart from a few Yellowhammers and Chaffinches; a RED KITE scattered a flock of 75 Skylarks and just under 250 LINNETS.
And, just outside the Tring Recording Area
GROVEBURY SAND QUARRY (BEDFORDSHIRE)
Just north of the county boundary at 1600 hours, I joined Johnny Lynch (the finder), Lol Carman and Bob Chalkley at Grovebury Sand Quarry. At the south end of the deep pit and just on the edge of several hundred roosting gulls, I located the erect shaggy-crested juvenile/female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER roll-preening with 2 Great Crested Grebes. Sitting body very low-in-the-water, this grey-plumaged bird differed from the rather similar Goosander in its slighter build, more rakish profile, much slimmer bill and less contrasting head. There was little contrast between the grey of the breast and the orange-brown of the upper neck, with just a thin dark line on the loral region (not a dense dark loral area) and an uptilted, pale pink, thin bill. On preening its wings, the forewing was dark rather than pale, with an obvious pure white secondary bar separated by a narrow blackish bar. The short crest was untidy and spiky.
The bird had previously been very mobile, working its way through the gull roost and diving almost constantly. John had initially discovered it at 1300 hours and it was still present as I left the site at 1630.
The pit held large numbers of birds including 3 COMMON GOLDENEYES (adult drake with two females), 22 Great Crested Grebes, 5 Eurasian Wigeon, 26 Tufted Ducks, 11 Pochards and 236 Lapwings. The gull roost contained at least 500 birds.
