Recording Area Annual Totals

97 Species in 2013, 99 in 2012, 94 in 2011, 108 species were recorded in 2010;



Thursday 28 November 2013

GOLDEN PLOVERS

I found a Little Egret feeding down at Millfields allotments on Chesham Moor. While up at Hyde End, 5 Common Gulls were in the fields alongside 52 Black-Headed Gulls. The high light of the day was a flock of about 30 EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVERS in the large field adjoining Weedonhill Wood at Hyde Heath (Don Stone)

Monday 25 November 2013

Penn Wood and the BRAMBLINGS

MONDAY 25 NOVEMBER
 
A fine day but cold, grey and overcast
 
In the CHESS VALLEY, 2 Little Egrets back in the meadow just east of Bois Mill and the 5 Ring-necked Parakeets flying back and forth to feeding gardens in Chesham at dawn and dusk
 
Taking the opportunity to visit PENN WOOD for the first time this autumn, I was astonished to see the amount of Rhododendron clearing that had taken place since my last visit. Huge swathes of it have been removed, particularly along the Penna Ride, so much so that much of it can now be seen through and making it perhaps less attractive to roosting finches - the site of course being one of the premier Brambling roost sites in the country. Anyhow, seeing such destruction, I was sceptical of seeing a roost but post 1445 hours, Fringilids began arriving and by 1600 hours, no less than 109 BRAMBLING and 77 Chaffinches had come in - not a bad total. Much more disconcerting was the TOTAL LACK of any Greenfinch roost in the Holly - just 70 Redwing and 4 Bullfinch.
 

A WOODCOCK was flushed by a dogwalker whilst Jay, Coal Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker and 8 Muntjac were all noted

Today's images


Mass clearance of Rhododendron scrub



The Penna Way


Great swathes of Rhododendron taken out



Fallen trees across the track following the storm several weeks back


One area of favoured pre-roost trees


Bramblings flocking pre-roost



A splendid winter male Brambling - magnificent finches



Bramblings taking advantage of the Beech keys prior to bedding down for the night



The main pre-roost trees





Redwing: no less than 70 came into the Holly roost

Saturday 9 November 2013

Chess Valley Photo-spot - CARRION CROW and BLACK-HEADED GULL







Adult and first-winter Black-headed Gulls

MUTE SWAN T2L

Female MUTE SWAN T2L has been resident at Chenies Bottom bridge for over 5 years now and this year her and her mate only managed to successfully rear one cygnet due to the weather; all were thankfully doing well when I visited this afternoon.......









Tuesday 5 November 2013

RAVEN at Shardeloes

Local birder Sue Reynders very kindly informed me of 1-2 COMMON RAVENS she has seen recently in the Shardeloes and Hyde Heath areas

Monday 4 November 2013

Local Mega: RING OUZEL briefly in Hyde Heath

Had a surprise on the way to work on Thursday 31 October, when I came across a first-year RING OUZEL feeding alongside some redwings in a field on the edge of Weedon Hill Woods. Watched it for about five minutes before it flew off over nearby a hedge (Don Stone)







Not today's bird but a male I photographed recently (LGRE)