Don Stone had 3 COMMON STONECHATS in this area yesterday (Sunday 28 September) but there was no sign of them when I looked this morning. Plenty of birds though, including a migrant Grey Wagtail, 2 male Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, 10 Linnet, a flock of 45 Stock Dove, 8 Meadow Pipit and a Red Admiral butterfly.
Monday, 29 September 2014
Monday, 15 September 2014
LINNET surprise
MONDAY 15 SEPTEMBER
Yet another day of easterly winds, unusually
warm, dry and partly cloudy...
Two House Martins flew west over CHAFFINCH
HOUSE at around 0900 hours but otherwise, still extremely quiet on the garden
front
Thanks to Steve Blake, I finally caught up
with a COMMON STONECHAT in Hertfordshire today and after I finished my August
Round-up of rarities for Birdwatching magazine, I made my way over to
TYTTENHANGER GP....
The COMMON STONECHAT (a young male) was
highly mobile and was commuting between the fenceposts along the east shore of
the main birding pit and the hedgerow that borders the footpath. It did not
allow close approach, the following shots being taken at
distance...
Not much else of note other than a single
migrant Meadow Pipit (see pic), Green Woodpecker, 7 Long-tailed Tits and a
Common Chiffchaff, with 140+ Black-headed Gulls roosting on the pit, along with
1 adult Argenteus Herring and 7 Lesser Black-backed.
I then decided to walk the CHESS VALLEY -
CHENIES harbouring a few House Sparrows, 4 Collared Doves, 2 Dunnocks and a
singing Goldcrest. No sign of any chats in either the paddocks or ploughed
fields but Red Kite and its youngster in trees by MOUNTWOOD FARM plus 3 Jays and
a Green Woodpecker.
At the CRESTYL CRESSBEDS (SARRATT BOTTOM),
Jay, Chaffinch, Green Woodpecker, 8 Moorhen, 2 Grey Wagtail, 4 Pied Wagtail and
a Grey Heron noted, with at least 1 WATER VOLE on the tributary. Both
RING-NECKED PARAKEETS were once again in the tree by the lane and VALLEY FARM
HORSE PADDOCKS added more Pied & Grey Wagtails, the usual LITTLE OWL,
another Green Woodpecker and 4 remaining Barn Swallows. Most outstanding however
was a flock of 135 LINNETS feeding either side of the access track to the farm -
the largest flock I have seen in the Recording Area since I first moved here in
April 1987. A large percentage were juveniles, indicating a bumper breeding
season.....
The rest of the Valley was relatively quiet,
although a HOBBY flying high east over MILL FARM MEADOWS was one of a very few
seen this year in the area.
Thursday, 11 September 2014
What a summer for DABCHICKS (LITTLE GREBES)......
THURSDAY 11 SEPTEMBER
The light Northeasterly winds continued,
with low grey cloud covering the Chiltern skies for much of the day. Continuing
dry......
In NORTHALL VILLAGE, at least 230 Common
Starling remained, and a Jay flew west, whilst vizmigging at IVINGHOE BEACON
from 0830-1000 hours yielded extremely little, despite optimum conditions. A
single COMMON REDSTART on GALLOWS HILL was the highlight, with just 1 House
Martin west and the continuing flock of 90 Goldfinch; 3 Skylark and 15 Meadow
Pipit also noted.
Not much to shout about at COLLEGE LAKE
BBOWT either - wildfowl counts producing 3 Mute Swans, 292 Atlantic Canada
Geese, 2 Greylag Geese, 16 mallard, 4 Gadwall, 4 Common Teal, 2 Shoveler, 2
Moorhen and not a single Coot; Common Kestrel, 2 Stock Dove, 4 Lesser
Black-backed Gulls, 2 Great Tit, a singing Common Chiffchaff, Greenfinch and 10
Goldfinch completed the rollcall.
Over at WILSTONE RESERVOIR (TRING) with
Steve Blake and Mike Campbell, little in the way of fresh arrivals - 2 NORTHERN
PINTAIL constituting the first of the autumn. On the wader front, a single
DUNLIN was new, with 4 Ringed Plover, the 2 juvenile Little Ringed Plover, 1
Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper, the COMMON GREENSHANK, 4 BLACK-TAILED
GODWIT and around 400 Lapwing.
Still a lot of birds present as the water
levels continue to drop, including 23 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Little Grebe, 9
Sinensis Cormorant (including 4 still occupying nest space on the
Drayton Bank), 3 Little Egret, 8 Grey Heron, 52 Mute Swan, the 2 Whooper Swans,
46 Greylag Geese, 2+ Shelduck, 220 Mallard, now 27 Eurasian Wigeon, 33 Gadwall,
415 Common Teal, 52 Shoveler, 24 Pochard, 31 Tufted Duck, 33 Moorhen, 400+ Coot,
adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, 5 Common Tern, Grey Wagtail, just 1 Barn Swallow
and 1 Greenfinch.
STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR additionally
produced 5 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Little Egret, 12 Moorhen, 130 Coot and 4
Common Tern, but there was no sign of the 4 EGYPTIAN GEESE that MC and SB had
seen on Wilstone just before I arrived.
Northwest of CHESHAM, HERBERT'S HOLE was
clear of migrant chats - just 12 Red Kite, 2 Common Buzzard, 3 Stock Doves, 40
Meadow Pipits and 1 Goldfinch of note; none at neighbouring PEDNOR BOTTOM either
- just more Red Kite, Common Chiffchaff and 2 Greenfinch.
A dusk visit to SHARDELOES LAKE (OLD
AMERSHAM) resulted in the largest local gathering of LITTLE GREBE I have ever
seen - no less than 29 being counted on the lake - a new record. This follows an
exceptional breeding season on the Misbourne - one pair still feeding 3 small
young this evening.
Two Great Crested Grebes still present, as
well as all 6 GREYLAG GEESE still, 44 Canada Geese, 6 Gadwall, 54 Coot, 4
Black-headed Gulls, Stock Dove, COMMON KINGFISHER, Grey Wagtail, Great Spotted
Woodpecker, Red Kite, 2 Common Buzzard, Common Treecreeper and Common
Chiffchaff.
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
Pednor WHEATEARS
A short clip of the Pednor NORTHERN WHEATEAR taken on the 8th September, the same day one was also present
nearby at Herbert's Hole. I have now accumulated an exceptional total of 15 this year, 13 of which were in
the Pednor area alone!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDaCn7KbxTw&index=1&list=UUCQm4GYvT4HTAfbmU_k7mKQ
Don Stone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDaCn7KbxTw&index=1&list=UUCQm4GYvT4HTAfbmU_k7mKQ
Don Stone
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
Late CUCKOO
Rob Andrews had a juvenile COMMON CUCKOO at Shardeloes Lake this evening - a superb local record. Meanwhile, Don Stone located a NORTHERN WHEATEAR at Pednor Bottom on Monday.
Sunday, 7 September 2014
More WHINCHATS
Don Stone and I enjoyed this wonderful WHINCHAT duo on Friday (5 September) near Chesham, flycatching from hedgerows at Pednor Bottom. The area was alive with migrants, with at least 6 WILLOW WARBLERS, 2 Blackcap and a LESSER WHITETHROAT, while LITTLE OWL, 23 Red Kite and 8 Common Buzzard were also in the area.....
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
Record flock of GREYLAG GEESE
During a visit to Shardeloes Lake this evening, I discovered this flock of 6 GREYLAG GEESE - the largest number ever recorded in the Amersham Recording Area (a single bird has been present with the resident Canada Geese on and off for the past 3 years now). There were also large numbers of Little Grebe present - perhaps 25 - another record and indicative of an excellent breeding season.
Other species noted included 2 Manadarin Duck, 2 pairs of Gadwall, 2 adult Great Crested Grebe, 4 surviving Mute Swan cygnets and a first-summer, Common Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, 6+ Common Chiffchaff and 5+ SPOTTED FLYCATCHER.
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