Recording Area Annual Totals

97 Species in 2013, 99 in 2012, 94 in 2011, 108 species were recorded in 2010;



Friday 16 October 2009

BLACK REDSTART at dusk and first returning LITTLE EGRET of winter period; also record number of STOCK DOVES for area










BLACK REDSTART on and around Lude Farm today (top); CHAFFINCH (almost constant trickle overhead now); STOCK DOVE (largest-ever count of 198) and WOODPIGEON (Mike Lawrence)
FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER

A Northerly wind blowing, with increasing cloud. Dry throughout. Spent the afternoon walking the entire Chess River Valley between Sarratt Bottom and Blackwell Mill, carrying out a complete inventory of all bird species present. A single LITTLE EGRET was back on winter territory, whilst a local record flock of STOCK DOVES was encountered.

CHAFFINCH HOUSE, LITTLE CHALFONT

A single LESSER REDPOLL flew high south over the garden

CHESS RIVER VALLEY BETWEEN SARRATT BOTTOM AND BLACKWELL MILL
(38 species recorded)

Little Grebe: 5 on the stretch of river between Latimer Bridge and the dam, with a further 3 on Great Water

LITTLE EGRET: an adult just east of Church Covert NR, flushed from feeding in the river to where it roosted in a tall tree.

Grey Heron (1)
Mute Swan (2 adults by Latimer Bridge, with 14 on Great Water)
Atlantic Canada Goose (8 by Latimer Bridge)
Mallard (20 in total)
Tufted Duck (5 on Great Water)
Common Buzzard (1 adult)
Common Kestrel (1 male)
Common Pheasant (5)
Moorhen (18 in and around Great Water)
Coot (36 including 32 on Great Water)

Woodpigeon (615 feeding on Beechmast and in the large crop field immediately south of Tooley's Croft Wood at SU 993 994)
STOCK DOVE: the largest flock ever recorded in this area - 198 feeding with the above mainly on fallen Beechmast.
Little Owl (a long-dead bird by a barbed-wire fence 150 yards east of Latimer Bridge)
COMMON KINGFISHER (1-2 birds fishing the stretch of river between Church Covert NR and Chenies Bottom)
Green Woodpecker (1)
Eurasian Skylark (1 flew high south)
Pied Wagtail (1 by Latimer House)
Wren (5)
European Robin (7, again several in full song)
REDWING (just 1 noted - feeding in the short crop field with the Woodpigeons and Stock Doves)
Common Blackbird (just 1 male noted in Church Covert)
Great Tit (5)
Blue Tit (4)
COAL TIT (2 in the grounds of Latimer Hall)
MARSH TIT (1 in Church Covert NR)
Long-tailed Tit (6)
Common Magpie (7 in the vicinity of Mill Farm Barns)
Jay (2 - actively gathering acorns)
Jackdaw (impressive feeding flocks - 83 in the grassy fields north of Mill Farm and 163 in the same field as the pigeons)
Rook (11 near Mill Farm and 96 by Tooley's Croft Wood)
Carrion Crow (4)
Common Starling (13)
Chaffinch (odd calling birds flying over to the south)
LESSER REDPOLL (1 vocal individual in Church Covert)
Goldfinch (16)
Greenfinch (4)
BULLFINCH (2 in Church Covert)

LUDE FARM, BETWEEN PENN AND LOUDWATER (at SU 915 918)

A BLACK REDSTART was commuting between the farm machinery and old twisted metal to the east of the road and the red-tiled house roofs and large sheds at dusk, being constantly harried by 3-4 territorial European Robins.

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