Friday, 31 October 2008
FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER 2008
Still very cold with a brisk NE wind blowing and some snow still lying in fields in sheltered areas. Remained clear for most of the day, with temperatures reaching no higher than 8 degrees.
HYDE FARM, HEDGERLEY
With little happening on the tip late morning, just 8 RED KITES were in attendance.
SHARDELOES LAKE
Little Grebe (7)
Mute Swans - usual pair but only accompanying two young
**EURASIAN WIGEON - pair present (very scarce here and only third record this year)
Eurasian Coot - 98 still present, including 'baby'. The tiny juvenile is going from strength to strength and despite this week's icy weather, mother has done an excellent job of caring for it. It still retains its orangey bill and continuously begs like a squeaky toy.
Black-headed Gulls (82)
Red Kite (2)
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
REDWING 1
Goldfinch (5)
CHESS RIVER VALLEY
At 1310, THREE LITTLE EGRETS were in the meadow just east of Bois Mill, standing and preening in the field.
Still very cold with a brisk NE wind blowing and some snow still lying in fields in sheltered areas. Remained clear for most of the day, with temperatures reaching no higher than 8 degrees.
HYDE FARM, HEDGERLEY
With little happening on the tip late morning, just 8 RED KITES were in attendance.
SHARDELOES LAKE
Little Grebe (7)
Mute Swans - usual pair but only accompanying two young
**EURASIAN WIGEON - pair present (very scarce here and only third record this year)
Eurasian Coot - 98 still present, including 'baby'. The tiny juvenile is going from strength to strength and despite this week's icy weather, mother has done an excellent job of caring for it. It still retains its orangey bill and continuously begs like a squeaky toy.
Black-headed Gulls (82)
Red Kite (2)
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
REDWING 1
Goldfinch (5)
CHESS RIVER VALLEY
At 1310, THREE LITTLE EGRETS were in the meadow just east of Bois Mill, standing and preening in the field.
Thursday, 30 October 2008
30 OCTOBER 2008
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
28 OCTOBER 2008
27 OCTOBER 2008
MONDAY 27 OCTOBER 2008
SHARDELOES LAKE
Not one species of wildfowl present
Little Grebe (7)
Common Coot (107, with the tiny baby still surviving and growing)
RED KITES (2)
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Highlight was 3 noisy COAL TITS in the trees and bushes that border the lake - a scarce species here
CHESS RIVER VALLEY
The two adult LITTLE EGRETS were once again in the meadow just to the east of Bois Mill
SHARDELOES LAKE
Not one species of wildfowl present
Little Grebe (7)
Common Coot (107, with the tiny baby still surviving and growing)
RED KITES (2)
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Highlight was 3 noisy COAL TITS in the trees and bushes that border the lake - a scarce species here
CHESS RIVER VALLEY
The two adult LITTLE EGRETS were once again in the meadow just to the east of Bois Mill
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
22 OCTOBER 2008
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
19 OCTOBER 2008
TODAY'S IMAGES
The first Fieldfares and Redwings of the autumn (John Carter), as well as Lesser Redpoll and numerous autumn territorial singing Robins (Mike Lawrence)
SUNDAY 19 OCTOBER 2008
(Blustery SW winds and rather mild)
Two adult RED KITES drifted over my Little Chalfont garden at 1155 hours before drifting down into the Chess Valley, with the GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER still on the feeders, up to 6 Coal Tits and 37 House Sparrows.
A total of 32 Common Starlings was in gardens by Stony Lane, whilst Latimer Long Lake held 46 Canada Geese, 13 Mute Swans, 6 Little Grebes, 11 Tufted Duck, 31 Coot and 22 Moorhen.
Two REDWINGS flew over Latimer House Conference Centre, with 2 Mistle Thrush in the grounds as well as 10 Long-tailed Tits and several Goldcrests.
I then walked the Chess River Valley between Latimer and Chenies. The two RED KITES were in constant attendance, along with 3 Common Buzzards, whilst 29 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Great Tits, 11 Greenfinch, 9 Goldfinch, 2 Chaffinch, Wren, a Yellowhammer and Eurasian Sparrowhawk were also encountered.
Meadow Pipit numbers had increased to 25 birds, whilst during the course of 70 minutes, a total of 89 REDWINGS passed over. SISKINS were also in evidence, with a party of 9 and a single over, as well as a single LESSER REDPOLL (the first this autumn).
The family party of 9 Mute Swans (pair and 7 cygnets) were still in healthy condition, swimming together on the river 200 yards east of Latimer Bridge, with Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Carrion Crow (pair), Jackdaw (56), Common Starling (13 over), Pied Wagtail (2), GREY WAGTAIL and Robin (5 singing males) all recorded.
As I drove down towards Chesham, I noticed the first two LITTLE EGRETS of the autumn period - both roosting in a tall tree east of Bois Mill at 1320 hours.
Pow-Wow Lake & Chesham Fishing Lakes Area
Grey Heron (3)
Mute Swans (4 including 3 - 1 first-winter - on Pow-Wow and a first-winter on the Fishing Lake)
Gadwall - 2 drakes on Pow-Wow Lake
Mallard - 20 on river
Coot (17 on the Fishing Lake)
Moorhen (4)
Herring Gull - 1 juvenile circling overghead
Common Buzzard overhead
Green Woodpecker feeding out in open on grass
FIELDFARE - 2 over
REDWING - 5
Greenfinch (6)
SISKIN - 2 over
House Sparrows - 5 in neighbouring gardens
SHARDELOES LAKE
(afternoon visit)
Common Coots - 103 counted including a tiny 2-3 day old reddish-brown headed baby bird at the western end. This is the latest fledged juvenile I have ever recorded and its noisy begging calls could be heard for quite some distance. The adults were working hard to protect it from other Coots.
Little Grebes (8)
Gadwall (single pair)
*NORTHERN SHOVELER (pair at west end)
Tufted Ducks (2)
Common Teal (1 drake - RDA)
RED KITE (3 in area)
Gull roost contained 67 Black-headeds, adult Common and adult Lesser Black-backed.
SISKINS (2) (RDA also had a further 32)
BULLFINCH (2)
Nuthatch
(Rob Andrews also recorded 4 MANDARIN DUCKS (2 pairs) in the morning, as well as 108 Coots)
(Blustery SW winds and rather mild)
Two adult RED KITES drifted over my Little Chalfont garden at 1155 hours before drifting down into the Chess Valley, with the GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER still on the feeders, up to 6 Coal Tits and 37 House Sparrows.
A total of 32 Common Starlings was in gardens by Stony Lane, whilst Latimer Long Lake held 46 Canada Geese, 13 Mute Swans, 6 Little Grebes, 11 Tufted Duck, 31 Coot and 22 Moorhen.
Two REDWINGS flew over Latimer House Conference Centre, with 2 Mistle Thrush in the grounds as well as 10 Long-tailed Tits and several Goldcrests.
I then walked the Chess River Valley between Latimer and Chenies. The two RED KITES were in constant attendance, along with 3 Common Buzzards, whilst 29 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Great Tits, 11 Greenfinch, 9 Goldfinch, 2 Chaffinch, Wren, a Yellowhammer and Eurasian Sparrowhawk were also encountered.
Meadow Pipit numbers had increased to 25 birds, whilst during the course of 70 minutes, a total of 89 REDWINGS passed over. SISKINS were also in evidence, with a party of 9 and a single over, as well as a single LESSER REDPOLL (the first this autumn).
The family party of 9 Mute Swans (pair and 7 cygnets) were still in healthy condition, swimming together on the river 200 yards east of Latimer Bridge, with Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Carrion Crow (pair), Jackdaw (56), Common Starling (13 over), Pied Wagtail (2), GREY WAGTAIL and Robin (5 singing males) all recorded.
As I drove down towards Chesham, I noticed the first two LITTLE EGRETS of the autumn period - both roosting in a tall tree east of Bois Mill at 1320 hours.
Pow-Wow Lake & Chesham Fishing Lakes Area
Grey Heron (3)
Mute Swans (4 including 3 - 1 first-winter - on Pow-Wow and a first-winter on the Fishing Lake)
Gadwall - 2 drakes on Pow-Wow Lake
Mallard - 20 on river
Coot (17 on the Fishing Lake)
Moorhen (4)
Herring Gull - 1 juvenile circling overghead
Common Buzzard overhead
Green Woodpecker feeding out in open on grass
FIELDFARE - 2 over
REDWING - 5
Greenfinch (6)
SISKIN - 2 over
House Sparrows - 5 in neighbouring gardens
SHARDELOES LAKE
(afternoon visit)
Common Coots - 103 counted including a tiny 2-3 day old reddish-brown headed baby bird at the western end. This is the latest fledged juvenile I have ever recorded and its noisy begging calls could be heard for quite some distance. The adults were working hard to protect it from other Coots.
Little Grebes (8)
Gadwall (single pair)
*NORTHERN SHOVELER (pair at west end)
Tufted Ducks (2)
Common Teal (1 drake - RDA)
RED KITE (3 in area)
Gull roost contained 67 Black-headeds, adult Common and adult Lesser Black-backed.
SISKINS (2) (RDA also had a further 32)
BULLFINCH (2)
Nuthatch
(Rob Andrews also recorded 4 MANDARIN DUCKS (2 pairs) in the morning, as well as 108 Coots)
Monday, 13 October 2008
13 OCTOBER 2008
Northern Pochards - 5 now present including four adult drakes
MONDAY 13 OCTOBER 2008
Following this weekend's fabulous weather, a weak front moved in overnight from the west bringing grey, overcast skies, a few spots of drizzle and slightly cooler temperatures. The wind veered SW and increased throughout the day.
SHARDELOES LAKE (late afternoon)
(very quiet perhaps due to all of the Pollarded Willows at the north end being cut down)
Gadwall (pair), Northern Pochard (5 - 4 adult drakes), Coot (84), Red Kite and COMMON KINGFISHER (2)
Most unusual was the presence of 138 Herring Gulls on the lake, the vast majority juveniles
1-12 OCTOBER 2008
LITTLE CHALFONT
A marked increase in Coal Tit numbers, with several now visiting the garden feeders. Also Great Tit numbers up and a Song Thrush on 13th, House Sparrows back up to 35 birds.
A TAWNY OWL was seen at the bottom of Bell Lane on 10th
A marked increase in Coal Tit numbers, with several now visiting the garden feeders. Also Great Tit numbers up and a Song Thrush on 13th, House Sparrows back up to 35 birds.
A TAWNY OWL was seen at the bottom of Bell Lane on 10th
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