Monday, 6 September 2010

ANNIKA FORSTEN in town !

Saturday morning

Annika Forsten and I started this morning at Wilstone – having been surprised to find that it wasn’t too foggy and that you could see things. A quick foray to the jetty yielded nothing, but the walk to the hide allowed us to see Common Sandpiper and a single Greenshank (we had two yesterday). Returning back to the car park we scanned again and found a BLACK-NECKED GREBE out amongst the barley bales. It then flew over the bales to the area of open water adjacent to the reeds and Cemetery Corner.

A “foreign trip” up to Ivinghoe Beacon didn’t produce much as we missed the earlier Redstart. The only visible migration was a couple of Siskins flying over – not exactly Lapland Buntings! (Roy Hargreaves)

Another BLACK-NECKED GREBE


Saturday morning
Wilstone: Juvenile BLACK-NECKED GREBE (found by Roy) showing distantly from the jetty.

Quarry: 2 LRPs

Beacon: 1W male COMMON REDSTART near s-bend but low cloud made viewing difficult, typically just started to lift as I was leaving! (David Bilcock)

.......And more to follow

Another cracking morning on the Ivinghoe Hills (3 September), with obvious migrants around and the 'chats' stealing the show.

3 COMMON REDSTARTS, the only showy one is a female favouring the bushes and fence line to the right ( East ) of the path between the S bend and the Beacon proper. There was another in these bushes, tail only seen as it was chased by the 'showy' female. The other bird was in the obvious clump of bushes East of the Trig on the South slope just off the 'lower' path, looked like a 1st winter male but very skulky. In this latter location there was also a Spotted Flycatcher.
5 plus Wheatears including a huge pale Greenlander.
1 juvenile WHINCHAT and 1 TREE PIPIT over
c20 YELLOW WAGTAILS with a number amongst the sheep but also flyovers.

Mike Wallen Birding

Early morning Ivinghoe Hills - 3 September


One of those fantastic mornings on the side of Steps Hill when you look out over a sea of mist covering the vale of Aylesbury. The above picture was from the top of Incombe hole looking towards Halton.
Birdwise there were several flocks of Meadow Pipits heading west along the ridge and a TREE PIPIT calling over Incombe Hole which appeared to land on the slope towards the s-bend (David Bilcock).

Thursday, 2 September 2010

Recent Images from the Reservoirs - all taken by IAN WILLIAMS





























The SPOTTED FLYCATCHERS in Hide Meadow, the 3 WHINCHATS in the 'Back Fields', the male COMMON REDSTART that spent four days in the Hide Meadow tree-line and the WATER RAIL family right of the Drayton Hide - all taken by Ian Williams

Some new GREENSHANK

Dave Bilcock had two new COMMON GREENSHANK arrive at Wilstone this evening, joining the juvenile that has been present since the weekend. Dave also saw 1 NORTHERN WHEATEAR at Pitstone Hill

Wednesday, 1 September 2010

Easterly winds produce BLACK TERN

WEDNESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER

High pressure still firmly in charge with continuing light NE winds. In fact, gorgeous early autumn weather and prime conditions for drift migrants. Prize of the day was an adult BLACK TERN and yet more WHINCHATS.........

In Hemel Hempstead town centre this morning, I recorded Grey Wagtail and 65 Feral Pigeons.

WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
(1930-2000 hours; with Ian Williams)

The highlight was undoubtedly an adult BLACK TERN just moulting out of breeding plumage - only the third Black Tern recorded at the reservoirs this year, following two on one day in May.

Also seen were the following -:

Great Crested Grebe (18)
Continental Cormorant (30)
LITTLE EGRET (1 flew in and landed close to the hide)
Grey Heron (5)
Mute Swan (35+ including the lone first-winter)
WHOOPER SWANS (adult pair still present)
MANDARIN (drake roosting with other ducks on Drayton Bank)
Mallard (64)
Gadwall (8)
Northern Shoveler (large increase - now 26 present)
Common Teal (107 - huge increase)
Northern Pochard (62)
Tufted Duck (55+)
HOBBY (1-2 by Drayton Bank)
Moorhen (16)
Coot (704)
Lapwing (102)
GREEN SANDPIPER (1)
COMMON GREENSHANK (juvenile still present)
Black-headed Gull (5)

Pied Wagtail (adult and juvenile)
Grey Wagtail (1)
Western Reed Warbler (13)

STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR (HERTS)

Nothing exceptional present but 5 Great Crested Grebes now present (including a pair with two juveniles), 14 Mute Swans, the female Red-crested Pochard, 2 Common Teal, 4 Shoveler, 66 Tufted Ducks and 137 Coot.

No hirundines were encountered in the clear skies.