It has been an excellent year for COOT in my Recording Area with at least 50 young fledged from at least 7 sites. These fabulous images here, depicting an adult feeding a very tiny infant, were obtained by Steve Gantlett (http://www.birdingworld.co.uk/)
MONDAY 13 JULY
A fresh wind, SW in direction, but bright and sunny and relatively warm. Strolled around my local patches and was delighted at further breeding successes: Great Crested Grebes have fledged two young, Little Grebes have young at two sites, 5 drake Ruddy Ducks are now on territory, Common Kestrels have fledged two young and Mute Swans have finally succeeded.
**RUDDY DUCKS (increase to 5 adult drakes, with a single at one locality, two together at another and two long-staying birds at another)
SHARDELOES LAKE
The water level continues to drop and this weekend's freshening winds has downed one of the decaying Poplar trees at the west end of the lake.
GREAT CRESTED GREBE* (3 adults now in attendance, perhaps one of the birds from Chesham; the resident pair has finally fledged young with two stripy infants riding on the female's back) Rob Andrews first recorded 3 adults on 28 June.
LITTLE GREBE* (6 adults noted; 1 pair at the east end feeding two fledged young)
Grey Heron (3)
Canada Geese (25)
Tufted Duck (2 pairs)
GADWALL (1 eclipse drake)
Coot (52 birds in total but with many 'newly' fledged young)
Moorhen (16)
Black-headed Gull (moulting adult over)
Red Kite (1)
Green Woodpecker
Common Swifts (8)
Pied Wagtail (8 on cricket pitch mainly juveniles)
Song Thrush (singing male)
Dunnock (singing male)
Wren (2 singing males)
WILLOW WARBLER (fresh juvenile in Willow scrub at west end)
CHESHAM FISHING LAKES
Very quiet, with both adult GREAT CRESTED GREBES on larger of two pits (no sign of the other pair), 2 Grey Herons, 16 Coots (including 3 newly fledged juveniles) and female Tufted Duck.
LATIMER GREAT WATER
Rabbit (86 feeding on grass)
*LITTLE GREBE (pair feeding two independent chicks just west of Latimer Bridge, with another pair on the main lake)
MUTE SWANS (following this year's disastrous season when all ten cygnets from Chesham died after drwoning as they plunged over the weirs, I am pleased to see an adult with three well-growen cygnets on the River Chess east of Latimer Bridge)
TUFTED DUCKS* (further breeding success with females with 11 and 2 small ducklings on Great Water and a female with 5 older chicks near the weir; 24 additional birds noted)
Common Kestrels (2 juveniles resting below Latimer Conference Centre)
Stock Dove (pair)
Green Woodpecker (juvenile)
BELL LANE, LITTLE CHALFONT
Green Woodpecker (adult feeding on verge)
STOCK DOVE (pair)
A fresh wind, SW in direction, but bright and sunny and relatively warm. Strolled around my local patches and was delighted at further breeding successes: Great Crested Grebes have fledged two young, Little Grebes have young at two sites, 5 drake Ruddy Ducks are now on territory, Common Kestrels have fledged two young and Mute Swans have finally succeeded.
**RUDDY DUCKS (increase to 5 adult drakes, with a single at one locality, two together at another and two long-staying birds at another)
SHARDELOES LAKE
The water level continues to drop and this weekend's freshening winds has downed one of the decaying Poplar trees at the west end of the lake.
GREAT CRESTED GREBE* (3 adults now in attendance, perhaps one of the birds from Chesham; the resident pair has finally fledged young with two stripy infants riding on the female's back) Rob Andrews first recorded 3 adults on 28 June.
LITTLE GREBE* (6 adults noted; 1 pair at the east end feeding two fledged young)
Grey Heron (3)
Canada Geese (25)
Tufted Duck (2 pairs)
GADWALL (1 eclipse drake)
Coot (52 birds in total but with many 'newly' fledged young)
Moorhen (16)
Black-headed Gull (moulting adult over)
Red Kite (1)
Green Woodpecker
Common Swifts (8)
Pied Wagtail (8 on cricket pitch mainly juveniles)
Song Thrush (singing male)
Dunnock (singing male)
Wren (2 singing males)
WILLOW WARBLER (fresh juvenile in Willow scrub at west end)
CHESHAM FISHING LAKES
Very quiet, with both adult GREAT CRESTED GREBES on larger of two pits (no sign of the other pair), 2 Grey Herons, 16 Coots (including 3 newly fledged juveniles) and female Tufted Duck.
LATIMER GREAT WATER
Rabbit (86 feeding on grass)
*LITTLE GREBE (pair feeding two independent chicks just west of Latimer Bridge, with another pair on the main lake)
MUTE SWANS (following this year's disastrous season when all ten cygnets from Chesham died after drwoning as they plunged over the weirs, I am pleased to see an adult with three well-growen cygnets on the River Chess east of Latimer Bridge)
TUFTED DUCKS* (further breeding success with females with 11 and 2 small ducklings on Great Water and a female with 5 older chicks near the weir; 24 additional birds noted)
Common Kestrels (2 juveniles resting below Latimer Conference Centre)
Stock Dove (pair)
Green Woodpecker (juvenile)
BELL LANE, LITTLE CHALFONT
Green Woodpecker (adult feeding on verge)
STOCK DOVE (pair)
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