FRIDAY 20 MARCH

Another gorgeous day in the Chilterns with temperatures (after a frosty start) once again climbing to a peak of 15 degrees C. Clear blue skies dominate, with warm sunshine and a light easterly breeze.

CHESS RIVER VALLEY

A single LITTLE EGRET remains.

CHAFFINCH HOUSE, LITTLE CHALFONT

A female SISKIN visited the Nyger feeder for over 30 minutes this morning, whilst a RED KITE circled overhead at 1215 hours.

There was much Common Blackbird activity in the garden, with 5 birds present at one stage

RUDDY HELL - BLUEBILL DEFIES THE WINTER CULL AND MAKES IT BACK UNSCATHED

WEDNESDAY 18 MARCH

Arrived back in the UK to some glorious spring weather - with temperatures hitting 15 degrees C and with high pressure dominating giving clear blue skies and 'wall-to-wall' sunshine. Despite being knackered, just had to get out in such wonderful conditions - and hopefully find a few migrants. The undoubted highlight of my day was the return of one of my drake 'bluebills' - he had survived yet another winter cull (just one more to survive my boy!)

CHESHAM FISHING LAKES

The local GREAT CRESTED GREBE population had risen to 5 in my absence, with 3 birds on the fishing lakes - a pair on the smaller lake at SP 969 003 and the remaining male on the larger at SP 972 002

Also present were -:

Mute Swan (1 first-summer)
Mallard (8)
Tufted Duck (10)
Coot (28 with 2 on the smaller lake)
Moorhen (11)
Wren (3 singing males)
BLACKCAP (singing male)
COMMON CHIFFCHAFF (singing male - first of year in area)
Great Tit (2 singing males)
COAL TIT (singing male - scarce at this location)
Goldfinch (1)
Magpie (1)

SHARDELOES LAKE (BUCKS) (1600 hours)

GREAT CRESTED GREBE (male showing well and calling)
Little Grebes (3 pairs; much whinnying taking place)
Grey Heron (1)
Mute Swans (all 5 birds still present, including 3 of last year's young)
Canada Geese (33)
GADWALL (56+ present many in pairs - could be a bumper breeding season)
COMMON TEAL (pair present)
Tufted Duck (10)
Coot (52)
Common Pheasant (2 males)
Common Buzzard (1)
EUROPEAN HERRING GULL (1 migrant first-year washing and bathing on the lake)
Stock Dove (pair present in dead trees on island)
Green Woodpecker (1)
Great Tit (2 singing males)
Blue Tit (1 singing male)
Long-tailed Tit (2 pairs)
Common Treecreeper (male in full song)
Chaffinch (pair)
Goldfinch (1)
Rooks (at least 38 nests now being utilised in rookery)

WATERCRESS COTTAGE LOOP TRAIL, CHESS VALLEY (BUCKS) (SP 975 000)

CBC Census: Robins (5 singing males), Wren (1), Dunnock (pair), Song Thrush (1 singing male), Chaffinch (2 males), Long-tailed Tit (pair) and on pool, 7 Tufted Duck and a pair of GADWALL.

Against all the odds, an adult drake RUDDY DUCK has defied the winter guns at Staines Reservoirs and returned to a local Little Chalfont site hopefully to breed again for another year (he and his partner yielded 9 babies to flying stage last autumn). This was the icing on the cake for a very enjoyable spring day's birding for me - I just love these adorable ducks.

VERY QUIET

The last two weeks have seen little movement - just 1 LITTLE EGRET remains in the Chess River Valley and a single male BLACKCAP has been in song at McMinn's Yard in Chesham.

Common Buzzards have been particularly active, whilst up to 5 LESSER REDPOLL have been daily visitors to a garden feeder in Hyde Heath (Paul Keene)

PENN WOOD (SATURDAY)

This afternoon (Saturday 28 March), I recorded a reasonable total of 23 species in Penn Wood.

Highlights included:

COMMON RAVEN (constantly calling from tops of firs for half an hour or so, moving to different trees and "bouncing" along some of the branches)
LESSER REDPOLL (6)
Redwing (20)
Nuthatches and Treecreepers getting active

17 BRAMBLING (over three roost areas)(6 notified by a group of folk from Middlesex in one of the areas where I have not seen many birds recently)
c110 Greenfinch spread over two roost areas

Brambling & Greenfinch dropping to roost at 17:00, whereas a week ago it was still the regular 16:30 (Kevin Holt)

MEADOW PIPITS IN ABUNDANCE

A total of 27 MEADOW PIPITS was on wires, with another 12 lower down the grassy slope, at Hill Farm (SP 972 008) in Chessmount today (Chris)

WARMEST DAY OF THE YEAR SO FAR

A lot of bird song today, from the likes of Great Tit, Robin, Song Thrush and Coal Tit (Mike Lawrence Photography)

FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY

The warmest day of the early spring/late winter so far, with temperatures peaking at 15 degrees C. Dry and partly sunny, with a fresh westerly wind.

RIGNALL WOOD AND ROAD, NW of GREAT MISSENDEN (BUCKS)

Following a call from Mike Collard, I headed over to join Rose, Dave Parmenter and he in a search for 2 'Stone Curlews' reported by a farmer as he ploughed his field at SP 881 017, just south of Rignall Wood. There was no sign of the birds but 2 Mistle Thrushes, 8 Common Buzzards and 12 RED KITES were located, the raptors all to the north of Rignall Road, particularly in the Great Hampden area.

GREAT MISSENDEN AREA

ROOKERIES: a total of 3 occupied nests in tall trees by Missenden Abbey (SP 897 009) and 9 more near Missenden Hospital west of the A413 at SU 904 998.

Bank's Pond (at SP 903 000) yielded a pair of Mute Swans, 4 Coot and 14 Moorhen, whilst a GREY WAGTAIL was displaying from roofs on the opposite side of the road.

HYDE HEATH (BUCKS)

I then surveyed the Bank Lane and Keepers Lane loop, with good numbers of Jackdaws (60+), 2 sparring cock Common Pheasants just NE of the railway cutting at SU 924 994 and in the large grass field at SP 925 995, 6 Magpies, a pair of Carrion Crows and a flock of 270 Woodpigeons.

The large garden there held a singing male Song Thrush, 3 Fieldfare, 7 Redwing and a singing Common Chaffinch.

Just on the outskirts of Hyde Heath village (at SU 928 996), the garden of 'The Old Forge' produced another singing male Song Thrush and single singing Great and Blue Tits, whilst in Bray's Lane in Hyde Heath proper, HOUSE SPARROWS were significant in their presence, with at least 15 birds in gardens thereabouts.

Bray's Wood held two separate singing male European Robins and two more Great Tits, whilst in trees by the railway cutting on Keeper's Lane (at SU 933 992), a singing COAL TIT was noteworthy, male Common Blackbird and a further singing male Song Thrush.

SHARDELOES LAKE (SU 943 980)

GADWALLS were again the order of the day with a new record of 83 birds counted, all swimming in pairs and squabbling groups of drakes on the main lake.

The three first-winter Mute Swans were still present (along with the adult pair), with 31 Canada Geese, just 1 of the adult GREAT CRESTED GREBES, 4 Little Grebes, 37 Tufted Duck, just 2 Pochard and 82 Coots.

Stock Doves were in display, with a singing male COMMON TREECREEPER (in small trees bordering the lake), Nuthatch, a pair of Goldfinch and a pair of Long-tailed Tits.

Of 52 ROOKS present, the rookery now consisted of 16 active nests.

OLD AMERSHAM

A total of 46 Western Jackdaws was counted on chimneys along the High Street.

Now 2 Great Crested Grebes in Chesham

CHESHAM FISHING LAKES

2 GREAT CRESTED GREBES (one each lake), 9 Pochard, 9 Tufted Duck, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Goldcrest, 6 SISKINS in alders of upper lake or drinking from path puddle, 1 Green Woodpecker (Roger Bibby)