Stuart and Lesley Wilson have had 5 of these beautiful finches visiting their garden in recent weeks (Mike Lawrence)

TUESDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2009

After a light frost, the daylight sunshine started to melt some of the heaviest snow to fall in the region for 18 years. In fact, temperatures soon reached 5 degrees and the thaw was set in motion. I had decided to do my February local bird survey but this was soon put on hold when Simon rang to say that Rob N had located several White-fronted Geese in North Bucks..........

CHESFIELD CLOSE, LITTLE CHALFONT

Up to 5 BRAMBLING have been visiting gardens on this road since the New Year but after 30 minutes of searching, I failed to locate any. A single FIELDFARE was feeding in one garden, with 5 Greenfinches, 11 Chaffinches,several House Sparrows, 4 Great Tits and 10 Blue Tits.

CHESHAM FISHING LAKES AND BOIS MILL LAKE

Largely frozen with open water holding 10 Northern Pochard, 3 drake Tufted Duck and 23 Coots, with 21 Black-headed Gulls and a single adult Common Gull standing on the ice.

Adjacent to Hill Farm Road, 17 Jackdaws were present on the chimney stacks. Nearby, 35 Rook nests were located in the wood above Ivy House Farm.

Bois Mill Lake held 5 Mute Swans (adult pair and three young)

LATIMER HALL AND GREAT WATER

The trees surrounding the hall held 23 REDWING, 3 Goldcrests and a Nuthatch, whilst Great Water (largely frozen) was surprisingly devoid of ducks and produced just 11 Mute Swans (2 first-winters) and 31 Coot. Roosting gulls on ice included 89 Black-headed and unusually for this location 7 COMMON GULLS (including 1 first-winter).