ANOTHER YEAR OVER, A NEW ONE ABOUT TO BEGIN

31 DECEMBER 2008

CHESHAM FISHING LAKES (SP 970 003)

Although the smaller lake is almost completely frozen, the larger one was ice-free, and yielded a good crop of birds, including a single GREAT CRESTED GREBE (the only local bird at present), Grey Heron, a first-winter Mute Swan, 9 Mallard, 3 Tufted Duck, 11 POCHARD (including 9 drakes), 24 Coot and 7 Moorhens. A drake MANDARIN DUCK flew towards Waterside whistling loudly and 2+ SISKINS flew overhaed and landed in the tall Alders.

CHESS RIVER VALLEY

A single LITTLE EGRET was east of Bois Mill and a single CORMORANT was roosting in one of the tall riverside trees west of Latimer Bridge

SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES RECORDED IN THE AMERSHAM DISTRICT IN 2008
(To 31 December 2008)

127 Species recorded 1970-2008, including 99 in 2008, with 62 breeding

(b - represents breeding)

1) Great Crested Grebe (b)
2) Little Grebe (b)
3) Continental Cormorant
4) Little Egret
5) Grey Heron
6) Mute Swan (b)
7) Greylag Goose
8) Greater Canada Goose (b)
9) Mandarin Duck (b)
10) Mallard (b)
11) Gadwall
12) Shoveler
13) Eurasian Wigeon
14) Common Teal
15) Pochard
16) Tufted Duck (b)
17) Goosander
18) Ruddy Duck (b)
19) Red Kite (b)
20) Common Buzzard (b)
21) Eurasian Sparrowhawk (b)
22) Common Kestrel (b)
23) Common Pheasant (b)
24) Moorhen (b)
25) Coot (b)
26) Lapwing
27) Green Sandpiper
28) Common Sandpiper
29) Common Snipe
30) Black-headed Gull
31) Common Gull
32) Herring Gull
3) Lesser Black-backed Gull
34) Stock Dove (b)
5) Woodpigeon (b)
6) Collared Dove (b)
37) Tawny Owl (b)
38) Barn Owl
39) Little Owl (b)
40) Common Swift (b)
41) Common Kingfisher (b)
42) Green Woodpecker (b)
43) Great Spotted Woodpecker (b)
44) Skylark (b)
45) Sand Martin
46) Barn Swallow (b)
47) House Martin (b)
48) Meadow Pipit (b)
49) Pied Wagtail (b)
50) Grey Wagtail (b)
51) Wren (b)
52) Dunnock (b)
53) Robin (b)
54) Song Thrush (b)
55) Redwing
56) Mistle Thrush (b)
57) Blackbird (b)
58) Fieldfare
59) Sedge Warbler
60) European Reed Warbler (b)
61) Garden Warbler
62) Blackcap (b)
63) Lesser Whitethroat
64) Common Whitethroat (b)
65) Willow Warbler
66) Common Chiffchaff (b)
67) Goldcrest (b)
68) Firecrest
69) Spotted Flycatcher (b)
70) Great Tit (b)
71) Coal Tit (b)
72) Blue Tit (b)
73) Marsh Tit (b)
74) Long-tailed Tit (b)
75) Nuthatch (b)
76) Common Treecreeper (b)
77) Magpie (b)
78) Jay (b)
79) Jackdaw (b)
80) Rook (b)
81) Carrion Crow (b)
82) Common Starling (b)
83) House Sparrow (b)
84) Chaffinch (b)
85) Brambling
86) Linnet (b)
87) Lesser Redpol
88) Goldfinch (b)
89) Greenfinch (b)
90) Siskin
91) Bullfinch
92) Reed Bunting (b)
93) Yellowhammer (b)
94) Red-legged Partridge
95) Common Stonechat
96) COMMON RAVEN
97) PIED FLYCATCHER
98) Hobby
99) OSPREY

Species Recorded in the Amersham District but NOT in 2008

94) PURPLE HERON
95) Common Shelduck
96) Common Goldeneye
97) WHITE-HEADED DUCK
99) Northern Goshawk
102) Grey Partridge
103) Water Rail
104) Oystercatcher
105) Little Ringed Plover
106) European Golden Plover
107) Common Redshank
108) Common Greenshank
109) Woodcock
110) LONG-TAILED SKUA
111) Great Black-backed Gull
112) Common Tern
113) Common Cuckoo
114) Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
115) Yellow Wagtail
116) BOHEMIAN WAXWING
117) Common Nightingale
118) Black Redstart
119) Northern Wheatear
121) Whinchat
122) DARTFORD WARBLER
124) Hawfinch
125) Common Crossbill
126) Corn Bunting

28 DECEMBER 2008

28 DECEMBER 2008

HORSEMOOR LANE, WINCHMOOR HILL (SU 932 947)

At the entrance to 'Goodwins' some 55 ROOKS and 15 Jackdaws were taking advantage of the moist soil and were feeding busily on the ground.

GAWDE WATER (GUARDS WATER) (SU 928 949)

This tiny village pond held 8 Mallard (6 drakes) and 2 Moorhen, whilst the field adjacent had Red Kite, 2 Fieldfares, Mistle Thrush, 2 Redwing and 6 Goldfinches

PENN STREET (SU 923 957)

Coal Tit in the garden of 'The Cottages'

MOP END (SU 924 967)

Feeding in the shelter of the small wood at SU 924 967 were 8 male Ring-necked Pheasants, 7 Stock Doves, 1 Redwing and an impressive 130 Chaffinches (but not a single Brambling). Three Common Blackbirds were nearby in 'Shardeloes' garden and 94 ROOKS were feeding in stubble at SU 925 974.

WOODROW

A flock of 21 LAPWING was still frequenting the large crop field at SU 930 960, whilst a dead Badger was just by the junction of the A404 and the Winchmore Hill road at SU 939 957.

SHARDELOES LAKE

Mute Swans (family party of 6 still), Canada Goose (3), GADWALL (15), POCHARD (4), Tufted Duck (5), Coot (143) and Wren (2).
*LAPWING - 5 flew over

WATERSIDE, CHESHAM (SP 963 008)

Mute Swans (5 including 3 first-winters), Mallard (22) and Moorhen (4)

CHESHAM SEWAGE WORKS AND BOIS MILL POND (SU 982 995)

House Sparrows (2 in the garden opposite)
SISKIN (2 overhead)

Sinensis Cormorant (1 adult on pond)
Mute Swans (6 - 4 first-winters)
Coot (5)
Redwing (3)

LITTLE EGRET - usual bird just east of Bois Mill

*Rookery - 43 nests in tall trees above Ivy House Farm at SU 975 996.

CHENIES

Another LITTLE EGRET roosting on the Chess river bank just west of Latimer Bridge and a further bird in trees by Holloway Lane at TQ 023 988.

The western end of Mount Wood yielded 6 Long-tailed Tits and 4 Blue Tits, 6 Carrion Crows and a BULLFINCH.

LITTLE CHALFONT

24 Common Starlings late afternoon in gardens on Amersham Road.

BOXING DAY SURVEYING

BOXING DAY 2008

No sign of the Dark-bellied Brent Goose in Dorney Village and environs after an exhaustive search around midday

LEATHER LANE (SU 890 031): 7 STOCK DOVES in stubble and 8 Chaffinches

SOUTH HEATH VILLAGE (SU 910 020)

Moorhens (2 by the moat at Bury Farm)
Green Woodpecker (1 in paddocks north of village)
Mistle Thrush, Redwing and 7 Common Blackbirds
45 Woodpigeons (north of village)

Once again, sadly more dead Badgers to report: on the Aylesbury Road (A413) just north of Great Missenden (SU 891 022) (exactly the same place as one in November) and in Flaunden village (TL 017 009)

CHRISTMAS DAY 2008

CHRISTMAS DAY 2008

LITTLE CHALFONT VILLAGE: Male Common Blackbird in full song in artificial lights at 0200 hours, with a European Robin 'ticking'

CHAFFINCH HOUSE: Now 2 Pied Wagtails in the garden

UPPER WENDOVERDEAN FARM (SP 877 052)

There is a superb weedy field here just east of the A413 which is attracting large numbers of feeding birds

STOCK DOVE (13)
SKYLARK (49+)
YELLOWHAMMER (28+)
Chaffinch (peak of 204)
Goldfinch (2)
Mistle Thrush (1)
Red Kite (1)
Common Buzzard (1)

No sign of the Northern Grey Shrike in the Princes Risborough area after an exhaustive search

Continuing a full winter census of all of the birds in the Amersham Recording Area

CHRISTMAS EVE 2008

FLAUNDEN LANE EAST: 26 Carrion Crows scattered widely in large grassy field N of lane

FLAUNDEN LANE WEST: 87 winter thrushes feeding in field immediately west of Kenwood Farm Nurseries (at TL 027 026) comprising 63 FIELDFARES and 24 REDWINGS; also 3 Common Starlings

FLAUNDEN VILLAGE (TL 017 009): 6 HOUSE SPARROWS in ivy hedgerow at 'White Walls' garden
8 European Robins resident in village, along with Great Spotted Woodpecker

In horse paddocks just SE of village (at TL 018 007), 305 Woodpigeons feeding on the ground, along with 8 Black-headed Gulls.

BOIS MILL LAKE (SU 982 995)

The sub-adult Sinensis Cormorant remains, along with 7 Mute Swans (5 first-winters) and 163 Canada Geese, with just 1 LITTLE EGRET nearby east of Bois Mill

STONY LANE PADDOCKS, LITTLE CHALFONT (TQ 004 980): 3 FIELDFARES present; wintering female Common Kestrel still

CHURCH GROVE POND, LITTLE CHALFONT (TQ 005 978): 3 Moorhens present

CHRISTMAS EVE 2008

Before it was even daylight, 3 male SONG THRUSHES were singing for supremacy at 0700 hours at McMinns in Chesham