CBC Amersham District - Phase One - LGRE

WEDNESDAY 8 APRIL 2009

Overnight rain dropped in a host of new migrants, including an Osprey, Whimbrel and 3 Yellow Wagtails. A fresh westerly wind dominated the weather all day but it did stay dry and bright and temperatures still managed to climb as high as 17.5 degrees C.

Adam Bassett texted me at 0930 hours informing me of a WHIMBREL on the spit at Little Marlow GP - a good year tick. I set off. No sooner had I got in the car than Simon rang - Darren Oakley-Martin (of the RSPB) had taken a call from an Amersham resident informing him of an OSPREY flying overhead. I immediately diverted to the Chess River Valley then the Ingrebourne Valley but to no avail - the Osprey had flown. And then conversely - Adam rang at 1010 hours just as I was pulling off the M40 to say that the Whimbrel had just been flushed by a Sparrowhawk and had flown off noisily westwards.....and into oblivion. Oh well, just my luck lately, but thanks guys for the instant dissemination of news..

This was the second OSPREY to be seen in the Amersham District this spring, following a bird that spent three days in the Chess River Valley two weeks ago.

CHESHAM VALE (BUCKS)

I discovered a new local ROOKERY this afternoon, consisting of an impressive 27 active nests at the south end of the coppice at SP 965 034.

CHESHAM WATERSIDE (SP 965 008)

For the second year running, a pair of Mute Swans is nesting 20 yards downstream of the small bridge. The female is currently incubating 7 eggs.

Phase 1 of a complete inventory of the avifauna of the Amersham District 2009 took place today starting with the SE corner TQ 00 97 and 01 97

LITTLE CHALFONT (BUCKS) (East End)

Eurasian Collared Doves (7 pairs)
Common Blackbird (5)
HOUSE SPARROW (35 at Chaffinch House, with 2 at The Hawthorns, 96 Elizabeth Avenue)
Chaffinch (9 singing males)
Goldfinch (pair at 99 Elizabeth Avenue, with 2 in coppice on Amersham Way)
Greenfinch (4 displaying males in Church Grove area)
Blue Tit (8 singing males)
Great Tit (singing male in coppice on Amersham Way)
Long-tailed Tit (pair nesting in hedgerow at 148 Elizabeth Avenue)
Common Starlings (7 in gardens north of Amersham Road)

OLD HANGING WOOD (TQ 010 975)

COMMON BUZZARD (pair nesting)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (1)
European Robin (single pair nesting by railway embankment with further male)
Wren (1 singing male)
Common Blackbird (1 male)
Chaffinch (3 singing males)
Blue Tit (3 singing males)
Healthy population of Rabbits

EURASIAN SKYLARK (singing male south of railway over arable)

LODGE COPSE (TQ 008 973)

Common Kestrel (female south of Lodge Farm)
EURASIAN SPARROWHAWK (female)
Green Woodpecker (1)
Goldcrest (singing male)
Blue Tit (5 singing males)
Common Blackbird (2 singing males)

CROSSLANE WOOD (TQ 007 958)

COMMON BUZZARD (pair nesting)

CARPENTER'S WOOD (TQ 017 966)

Carpenter's Wood is an ancient semi-natural woodland site and is made up of three transects - Hillas Wood, Whitelands Wood and the larger Carpenters Wood. The area is designated a County Wildlife Site and falls within the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and within the Metropolitan Green Belt. Most of the mature trees are Beech and are around 150 years old, whilst also naturally occurring is Oak, Ash, Cherry and Hornbeam and Hillas Wood Larch. This ancient wood is home to several specialised plants such as Wood Melch, Coralroot Bittercress and Wood Sanicle and is carpeted in April and early May with English Bluebells. An active Badger's sett was observed.

Bird species noted included Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch (2 singing males), Robin, 8 Blue Tits and a singing male COMMON CHIFFCHAFF.

HALSEY'S WOOD (TQ 016 973)

Green Woodpecker (1)
Woodpigeon (8)
Common Blackbird (3)
European Robin (2 singing males)
Carrion Crow (2 pairs)
Great Tit (4)
Long-tailed Tits (pair)
Chaffinch (3 singing males)

A single EURASIAN SKYLARK was singing over farmland at TQ 014 978.

CORNER WOOD (TQ 017 980)

Singles of Wren, Robin, Chaffinch and Blue Tit in trees surrounding the pond.

The undoubted highlight was a singing male YELLOWHAMMER - my first in the District in 2009 - in a thin line of small trees north of the A404 at TQ 007 979.