TUESDAY 8 JUNE
All morning long, heavy rain fell, leaving little opportunity for birding. It eventually cleared away to the east, giving rise to the occasional heavy shower, but remained fairly warm with light winds. I utilised the afternoon and evening by surveying........
THE SHARDELOES ESTATE (BUCKINGHAMSHIRE) (SU 938 978)
A comprehensive bird survey of the estate, covering the lake and Misbourne valley area west to Mop End Lane, the cricket ground, all of High Wood and Shardeloes House and both Summerville's Wood and Wheatley Wood. A total of 47 species recorded :-
1) GREAT CRESTED GREBE (1 pair breeding; just male seen again today)
2) Little Grebe (only 1 pair present this summer, at the west end of the main lake)
3) Grey Heron (2 birds present)
4) Mute Swan (3 first-summers present at east end of main lake, whilst the resident pair were midway along the Misbourne, the breeding attempt having failed; a further sub-adult was on the Misbourne SE of Kennel Farm)
5) Atlantic Canada Goose (14 adults present with a creche of 23 goslings; a further 12 adults in fields by Kennel Farm)
6) MANDARIN DUCK (successful breeding: the female today with her four ducklings by the weir)
7) Mallard (a very good year, with 6 broods fledged totalling 40 young)
8) GADWALL (pair present at west end - no sign of any young yet)
9) Tufted Duck (16 present; a punt containing three fishermen had presumably disturbed the Northern Pochard that were present yesterday)
10) RED KITE (two active nests found with both containing young and being attended by adults with food)
11) Common Buzzard (just 1 active nest found - in High Wood)
12) Red-legged Partridge (just one bird located at the edge of a field at the Mop End end of the estate)
13) Common Pheasant (numerous birds noted - part of the release scheme on the estate)
14) Moorhen (low numbers present on the Misbourne - no evidence of successful breeding yet)
15) Eurasian Coot (36 adults present on the lake; two adults still sat on nests whilst 3 broods - 2 well grown young, 3 small young and 1 tiny chick on the river)
16) Stock Dove (at least 4 territories, mainly in High Wood, with a flock of 12 feeding on a newly planted cereal field near Mop End)
17) Woodpigeon (still flocking with, for example, 35 in new cereal field by Mop End)
18) COMMON SWIFT (35 hawking high above the lake and a further 12 hawking over the river Misbourne by Kennel Farm)
19) Green Woodpecker (singles heard in High Wood and Wheatley Wood)
20) Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 male in Pollarded Willows at the west end of the lake)
21) EURASIAN SKYLARK (just 1 pair on the estate - in a cereal field 400 yards NW of the Electricity Sub-Station at SU 927 974).
22) European Barn Swallow (1 near Mop End Farm)
23) HOUSE MARTIN (8 hawking over the main lake)
24) Pied Wagtail (pair breeding at the cricket ground)
25) GREY WAGTAIL (male flew over the cricket pavilion calling)
26) Wren (2 territories in the wood at the east end of the lake, with another pair by Mop End Lane and at least one territory in Wheatley Wood; 3 more territories are known of in High Wood)
27) Dunnock (actively feeding young at the moment so very skulking; at least 5 pairs on the estate)
28) European Robin (pairs breed in the gardens of Shardeloes House, Lower Park House and at the Gatehouse, with 10 or more pairs in the main woodlands; first broods fledged now)
29) Song Thrush (singing males at the west end of the lake, in High Wood and in Wheatleys Wood)
30) Common Blackbird (many adult males again in song, with birds by Mop End Lane, in High Wood and by the Conservation Area)
31) WESTERN REED WARBLER (1 singing male in reeds at the west end of the main lake)
32) Blackcap (numerous singing males including one on the island at the lake, 2 by Mop End Lane, another by the pylons close to the Conservation Area, another near the Electricity Sub-station and one by the stile by Summerville's Wood; a female was near Wheatley Wood)
33) Common Chiffchaff (two males still singing - one in the Conservation Area and another in Wheatleys Wood)
34) Goldcrest (just one singing male encountered - in conifers at the side of Mop End Lane)
35) Great Tit (1 pair still feeding young in the nest but otherwise 4 fledged family groups)
36) Blue Tit (6 fledged family parties noted)
37) Long-tailed Tit (two family parties noted)
38) Common Magpie (just 1 bird noted - in the hedgerow of Mop End Lane)
39) Jay (1 pair breeding in Summerville's Wood)
40) Western Jackdaw (up to 20 pairs utilising natural tree holes on the estate)
41) Rook (active rookery with 37 nests in front of Shardeloes House)
42) Carrion Crow (at least 7 pairs)
43) Chaffinch (many males singing, with 2 by Mop End Lane, 1 in Lower Park House garden and several in Summerville's and High Woods; breeding has occurred with several young birds noted)
44) Goldfinch (breeding in both Lower Park House and the Gatehouse gardens)
45) Greenfinch (male singing from tall conifer in Lower Park House garden)
46) REED BUNTING (a singing male at the west end of the main lake)
47) YELLOWHAMMER (two singing males noted along Mop End Lane, just SE of Todd's Wood)
In addition, Common Kestrel, Mistle Thrush, Common Starling and Coal Tit breed on the estate but were not recorded today.
Three Brown Hares were also seen feeding in the cereal field east of Mop End Lane.
BOIS MILL POND, LATIMER ROAD (BUCKS)
Sadly, on route home, yet another dead BADGER on this stretch of road - at SU 982 993
All morning long, heavy rain fell, leaving little opportunity for birding. It eventually cleared away to the east, giving rise to the occasional heavy shower, but remained fairly warm with light winds. I utilised the afternoon and evening by surveying........
THE SHARDELOES ESTATE (BUCKINGHAMSHIRE) (SU 938 978)
A comprehensive bird survey of the estate, covering the lake and Misbourne valley area west to Mop End Lane, the cricket ground, all of High Wood and Shardeloes House and both Summerville's Wood and Wheatley Wood. A total of 47 species recorded :-
1) GREAT CRESTED GREBE (1 pair breeding; just male seen again today)
2) Little Grebe (only 1 pair present this summer, at the west end of the main lake)
3) Grey Heron (2 birds present)
4) Mute Swan (3 first-summers present at east end of main lake, whilst the resident pair were midway along the Misbourne, the breeding attempt having failed; a further sub-adult was on the Misbourne SE of Kennel Farm)
5) Atlantic Canada Goose (14 adults present with a creche of 23 goslings; a further 12 adults in fields by Kennel Farm)
6) MANDARIN DUCK (successful breeding: the female today with her four ducklings by the weir)
7) Mallard (a very good year, with 6 broods fledged totalling 40 young)
8) GADWALL (pair present at west end - no sign of any young yet)
9) Tufted Duck (16 present; a punt containing three fishermen had presumably disturbed the Northern Pochard that were present yesterday)
10) RED KITE (two active nests found with both containing young and being attended by adults with food)
11) Common Buzzard (just 1 active nest found - in High Wood)
12) Red-legged Partridge (just one bird located at the edge of a field at the Mop End end of the estate)
13) Common Pheasant (numerous birds noted - part of the release scheme on the estate)
14) Moorhen (low numbers present on the Misbourne - no evidence of successful breeding yet)
15) Eurasian Coot (36 adults present on the lake; two adults still sat on nests whilst 3 broods - 2 well grown young, 3 small young and 1 tiny chick on the river)
16) Stock Dove (at least 4 territories, mainly in High Wood, with a flock of 12 feeding on a newly planted cereal field near Mop End)
17) Woodpigeon (still flocking with, for example, 35 in new cereal field by Mop End)
18) COMMON SWIFT (35 hawking high above the lake and a further 12 hawking over the river Misbourne by Kennel Farm)
19) Green Woodpecker (singles heard in High Wood and Wheatley Wood)
20) Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 male in Pollarded Willows at the west end of the lake)
21) EURASIAN SKYLARK (just 1 pair on the estate - in a cereal field 400 yards NW of the Electricity Sub-Station at SU 927 974).
22) European Barn Swallow (1 near Mop End Farm)
23) HOUSE MARTIN (8 hawking over the main lake)
24) Pied Wagtail (pair breeding at the cricket ground)
25) GREY WAGTAIL (male flew over the cricket pavilion calling)
26) Wren (2 territories in the wood at the east end of the lake, with another pair by Mop End Lane and at least one territory in Wheatley Wood; 3 more territories are known of in High Wood)
27) Dunnock (actively feeding young at the moment so very skulking; at least 5 pairs on the estate)
28) European Robin (pairs breed in the gardens of Shardeloes House, Lower Park House and at the Gatehouse, with 10 or more pairs in the main woodlands; first broods fledged now)
29) Song Thrush (singing males at the west end of the lake, in High Wood and in Wheatleys Wood)
30) Common Blackbird (many adult males again in song, with birds by Mop End Lane, in High Wood and by the Conservation Area)
31) WESTERN REED WARBLER (1 singing male in reeds at the west end of the main lake)
32) Blackcap (numerous singing males including one on the island at the lake, 2 by Mop End Lane, another by the pylons close to the Conservation Area, another near the Electricity Sub-station and one by the stile by Summerville's Wood; a female was near Wheatley Wood)
33) Common Chiffchaff (two males still singing - one in the Conservation Area and another in Wheatleys Wood)
34) Goldcrest (just one singing male encountered - in conifers at the side of Mop End Lane)
35) Great Tit (1 pair still feeding young in the nest but otherwise 4 fledged family groups)
36) Blue Tit (6 fledged family parties noted)
37) Long-tailed Tit (two family parties noted)
38) Common Magpie (just 1 bird noted - in the hedgerow of Mop End Lane)
39) Jay (1 pair breeding in Summerville's Wood)
40) Western Jackdaw (up to 20 pairs utilising natural tree holes on the estate)
41) Rook (active rookery with 37 nests in front of Shardeloes House)
42) Carrion Crow (at least 7 pairs)
43) Chaffinch (many males singing, with 2 by Mop End Lane, 1 in Lower Park House garden and several in Summerville's and High Woods; breeding has occurred with several young birds noted)
44) Goldfinch (breeding in both Lower Park House and the Gatehouse gardens)
45) Greenfinch (male singing from tall conifer in Lower Park House garden)
46) REED BUNTING (a singing male at the west end of the main lake)
47) YELLOWHAMMER (two singing males noted along Mop End Lane, just SE of Todd's Wood)
In addition, Common Kestrel, Mistle Thrush, Common Starling and Coal Tit breed on the estate but were not recorded today.
Three Brown Hares were also seen feeding in the cereal field east of Mop End Lane.
BOIS MILL POND, LATIMER ROAD (BUCKS)
Sadly, on route home, yet another dead BADGER on this stretch of road - at SU 982 993
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