TUESDAY 2 FEBRUARY
Overnight, a warm front moved in from the west, pushing the cold weather back towards the continent. The cold, crisp, clear weather was replaced by a band of rain, which continued all morning. I made the most of the wet weather by writing and as a consequence, was able to see what was visiting the garden feeders.
CHAFFINCH HOUSE, LITTLE CHALFONT (BUCKS)
Despite the rain, a nice selection of garden visitors, including a FIELDFARE, a male Greenfinch, 2 Goldfinches and an adult male and first-winter male PIED WAGTAIL on the lawn.
At least 35 House Sparrows were in residence, along with 4 Common Blackbirds, 6 Eurasian Collared Doves, a Woodpigeon, 3 Blue Tits and 6 Chaffinches.
SHARDELOES ESTATE (BUCKS)
The rain started to peter out early afternoon so I went over to Shardeloes Estate to do a full inventory of the birdlife present, checking out the main lake and walking to Model Farm, Mop End and fully covering Wheatley Wood. A total of 2,187 individuals of 42 different species were encountered, the highlights being a pair of Mandarin Ducks, my first Bucks Red-legged Partridge of the year and some excellent Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting counts.
The main lake was still partly frozen
Little Grebe and Mute Swan (no sign of either species)
Grey Heron (1)
*MANDARIN DUCK (pair at the west end of main lake)
Mallard (13)
GADWALL (32)
NORTHERN POCHARD (7 present - 5 adult drakes and two females)
Tufted Duck (12)
RED KITES (4 including 2 perched by one of the pheasant pens)
Common Buzzard (1)
Common Kestrel (1 adult male)
Red-legged Partridge (1)
Common Pheasant (330)
Moorhen (14)
Coot (major increase to 73 birds - see graph)
Black-headed Gull (214)
COMMON GULL (high count of 46 birds roosting on the ice)
HERRING GULL (adult and 3rd-winter Argenteus feeding an a dead fish on the ice - scarce on the lake)
Stock Dove (male calling and displaying)
Woodpigeon (112 near lake and a further 766 by Summerville Wood)
Wren (just 2, both by the lake)
Dunnock (2 in the Model Farm maize/game strips)
European Robin (1 in the Lodge garden)
SONG THRUSH (3 feeding in leaf litter below the line of Beech trees at the start of the footpath to Mop End)
REDWING (just 1 noted)
FIELDFARE (flock of 15 near Model Farm)
Common Blackbird (3)
GOLDCREST (excellent views of a vocal individual in bushes by the main lake)
Great Tit (5, including males in song)
COAL TIT (3)
Blue Tit (4)
Long-tailed Tit (10)
COMMON TREECREEPER (2 in scrub by main lake)
Common Magpie (14)
Jay (4)
Jackdaw (340, with the large roost in Wheatley Wood)
Rook (12)
Carrion Crow (16)
Chaffinch (30 in the Model Farm game strips)
LINNET (24 in one flock in Model Farm game strips)
Goldfinch (5)
Greenfinch (1)
REED BUNTING (2 birds at the far west end of the main lake and a further 13 in the Model Farm game strips)
*YELLOWHAMMER (an impressive 42 birds in the Model Farm game strips)
Overnight, a warm front moved in from the west, pushing the cold weather back towards the continent. The cold, crisp, clear weather was replaced by a band of rain, which continued all morning. I made the most of the wet weather by writing and as a consequence, was able to see what was visiting the garden feeders.
CHAFFINCH HOUSE, LITTLE CHALFONT (BUCKS)
Despite the rain, a nice selection of garden visitors, including a FIELDFARE, a male Greenfinch, 2 Goldfinches and an adult male and first-winter male PIED WAGTAIL on the lawn.
At least 35 House Sparrows were in residence, along with 4 Common Blackbirds, 6 Eurasian Collared Doves, a Woodpigeon, 3 Blue Tits and 6 Chaffinches.
SHARDELOES ESTATE (BUCKS)
The rain started to peter out early afternoon so I went over to Shardeloes Estate to do a full inventory of the birdlife present, checking out the main lake and walking to Model Farm, Mop End and fully covering Wheatley Wood. A total of 2,187 individuals of 42 different species were encountered, the highlights being a pair of Mandarin Ducks, my first Bucks Red-legged Partridge of the year and some excellent Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting counts.
The main lake was still partly frozen
Little Grebe and Mute Swan (no sign of either species)
Grey Heron (1)
*MANDARIN DUCK (pair at the west end of main lake)
Mallard (13)
GADWALL (32)
NORTHERN POCHARD (7 present - 5 adult drakes and two females)
Tufted Duck (12)
RED KITES (4 including 2 perched by one of the pheasant pens)
Common Buzzard (1)
Common Kestrel (1 adult male)
Red-legged Partridge (1)
Common Pheasant (330)
Moorhen (14)
Coot (major increase to 73 birds - see graph)
Black-headed Gull (214)
COMMON GULL (high count of 46 birds roosting on the ice)
HERRING GULL (adult and 3rd-winter Argenteus feeding an a dead fish on the ice - scarce on the lake)
Stock Dove (male calling and displaying)
Woodpigeon (112 near lake and a further 766 by Summerville Wood)
Wren (just 2, both by the lake)
Dunnock (2 in the Model Farm maize/game strips)
European Robin (1 in the Lodge garden)
SONG THRUSH (3 feeding in leaf litter below the line of Beech trees at the start of the footpath to Mop End)
REDWING (just 1 noted)
FIELDFARE (flock of 15 near Model Farm)
Common Blackbird (3)
GOLDCREST (excellent views of a vocal individual in bushes by the main lake)
Great Tit (5, including males in song)
COAL TIT (3)
Blue Tit (4)
Long-tailed Tit (10)
COMMON TREECREEPER (2 in scrub by main lake)
Common Magpie (14)
Jay (4)
Jackdaw (340, with the large roost in Wheatley Wood)
Rook (12)
Carrion Crow (16)
Chaffinch (30 in the Model Farm game strips)
LINNET (24 in one flock in Model Farm game strips)
Goldfinch (5)
Greenfinch (1)
REED BUNTING (2 birds at the far west end of the main lake and a further 13 in the Model Farm game strips)
*YELLOWHAMMER (an impressive 42 birds in the Model Farm game strips)
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