27th December..... Roe Deer & The Misbourne Valley.

A good walk late on the afternoon of the 22nd, only really came across a roe deer nicely silhouetted against the skyline.

Today a short walk this morning and was puzzled for a minute by large wet leaves next to a wood apparently jumping but looking through my binoculars saw around 20 redwings busily foraging through the them. Also a small flock of goldfinches feeding on burdock.

Closer to home a pair of red kites perched close to their nest in a large beech which they have now used for over 5 years. In the garden long tailed tit numbers are increasing, a party of 14 came through yesterday.

Stewart.

Misbourne Valley.

Deep Mill Lane Pond held a Gadwall & a Little Grebe, while at Little Missenden 2 Little Egrets flew above the river up stream from the church.

Shardeloes Lake had good numbers of duck present: 95 Gadwall, 4 Little Grebe, 9 Tufted Duck & a single Teal. Also Grey Heron, Reed Bunting, 20 Redwing, 15 Goldfinch & 4 Mistle Thrush.

Don.

Christmas Eve.

Checked a few local spots this afternoon.
Lee Common: Flock of 14 Meadow Pipits over.
The Lee: Mixed feeding flock of 195 winter thrushes in crop field, the majority being Fieldfares with just a few Redwings, c100 Starlings in a single flock heading west at 3-15pm.
Hunts Green: 31 Goldfinches, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
Don.

23rd December..... Bullfinch & Greenfinch.

The Bullfinches have really taken to feeding on the Sunflower Hearts this winter, after seemingly avoiding them in past years. Still not seen more than the male & two females together at any one time. Here the male was joined by a Greenfinch, while a female patiently looked on.
Don.

21st December..... Goldfinches.

It’s great to see the goldfinches back where they belong in the garden, on the teazel. Two male bullfinches and male greenfinch at the sunflower hearts together which was also good to see. Had a queen wasp buzzing around the kitchen this morning, can only think it came in with the logs hibernating under the bark and woke up in the warm.

Stewart.

We use to have the same problem with logs & Wasps, now all logs are kept outside.
Don.

All Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.

18th & 19th December.

18th On leaving Colour Supplies in Chesham today I glanced up towards The Moor to check for traffic & was surprised to see a Little Egret daintily walking along the edge of the road before crossing the path & returning back to the river.
19th finished work now for the Xmas break. Busy in the garden today where a Green Woodpecker could be heard "Yaffling" As I coppiced an overgrown Elder tree I noticed it was sprouting small shoots from it's many stems. A pair of Bullfinches fed in the Brambles & also visited the bird feeder, as they have for the last week. A Nuthach searched for food in the Hornbeam. As dusk fell a female Tawny Owl called from a neighbouring garden.
Don.

17th December.... At the Feeder.

With the sun shinning on the feeder after lunch thought I would try to get up close and personal. So I popped up my small hide close to the feeders, put in a small chair and cup of tea and within minutes the birds were busy feeding. Also redwings finding more berries in the garden and blackbirds are guarding and enjoying the crab apples, the tree is loaded.

Stewart.

                        

  

          

                                                                                                    

Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.









                     

16th December.... Back on the Case.

It was good to get out after a fortnight of being indoors decorating. A bright Sunday morning and just down the road disturbed a few starling bathing in a puddle  which then flew into tree tops and started to preen and dry them selves off. Later two roe deer grazing but kept their eyes on me as I walked  past. 4 skylarks rose from close by and a large flock of 30 to 40 yellowhammers, good to see, moved in front of me along the hedgerow. Later startled two more roe deer, and found interesting fungi in the frosty grass and heard a raven cronking.

Soon found the raven perched on top of a pylon and watched it fly to the next pylon and continue calling.

Close to home redwings were feeding on hawthorn berries.
Stewart.









                                                                                                                                          Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.

WHY ?

16th December..... Chinese Water Deer.

Went out during the afternoon with Stewart checkin' various sites, with little success. Untill we parked up near Long Marston, where in a single scan with the "bins" over two large crop fields I counted an amazing 23 Chinese Water Deer, with another 7 in the Wingrave/Wing area.
Don.

Blue Tit & Bullfinches.

On the morning of the 11th a Blue Tit with a ring on it's right leg was at the feeders. The last Blue Tit to be ringed in the garden was back in November 2013, so presuming it was one of those, it would make it at least five years of age. Also feeding was a female Bullfinch, followed on the 13th by a male & two females. In past winters they have very rarely taken the sunflower hearts, preferring instead to feed on the seeds of Lemon Balm & Marjoram plants nearby. Hopefully this is a trend that will continue.
Don.

Walkers Crisp Packet Recycling Scheme.

Positive public pressure can bring about results.
Details of crisp packet drop off points here https://www.walkers.co.uk/recycle

9th December..... Calvert Jubilee.

Checkin' the weather forecast yesterday the weather prophet predicted a half decent day, with showers first thing & that's what we got. As I left home in the darkness it was ''a hissing down'' & hadn't stopped by the time I stepped into the hide at Calvert.

Spent 30 minutes in here, the high light being a Water Rail wandering across one of the cut channels in front of the hide. Unfortunately no Bittern. The image right shows the Bearded Tit grit trays.

Moved onto the second hide which is situated nearer to the water, from here had good views of Little Grebe., Coots were everywhere.
In the near future this view will be blighted by the HS2 train line along the horizon.

By now the weather had improved, so I popped into Gallows Bridge Farm, where the soon to be opened new hide on the far side looked impressive. A couple of Reed Buntings, a few Linnets & a Bullfinch was the best I could manage on the reserve, while in the distance to the north c100 Lapwings settled in the fields.
Nothing special seen, plenty of chat & a nice morning out & about.
Don.

8th December..... Colour in the Garden.

This cock Pheasant has been visiting the garden for the last couple of days feeding on the scattered seed.

One of half a dozen Goldfinches visiting the feeder.

















Four Robins singing within earshot of the garden before daybreak today.
Don.

5th December..... Collared Dove.

Looking out in the rain this morning saw this lone collared dove under the feeders. Stayed for maybe an hour moving from tree to the ground to pick up spilt seed. Interesting read on this species expansion from its native home range in warm temperate and subtropical Asia and now in just over 100 years and unaided is found from Southeast Asia right across Western Europe. Introduced to North America in the 1980s.

Good to see a Goldcrest in the garden on Monday hawking for insects hummingbird style from the shrubs.
Stewart.
Images : Copyright Stewart Dennis.

Due to work commitments & lack of daylight I've not seen much locally recently, but yesterday I managed to spend half an hour at home, being entertained by half a dozen Goldfinches & Nuthatch on the feeder. As I left a flock of c40 Fieldfares flew over. Also a small flock of Common Gulls feeding in a meadow. c20 Lapwings in their favourite field at Hyde End.
Small colony of House Sparrows at Seer Green.
Don.

1st December..... Bullfinches.

                           

Bullfinches were evident in the garden for the first time this Winter, with 2 pairs feeding on shrivelled up Blackberries along the top of the Laurel hedge. I leave the hedges uncut 'till the Winters end, purposely to provide sustenance for these stunning Finches, if only others would do the same!!














Don.

26th November..... Yet more Winter Thrushes.

At work at Lee Common this morning at 9.20am a large movement of Redwings all heading NW. Maybe 500. Too many to count, for around 5 minutes kept coming over in waves  of 100 plus at a time. Have never seen so many. Also Fieldfares chattering in nearby treetops. At home after lunch a raptor stooped at speed from high, wings folded tight back, then over the garden across the fields and gone. All over in 3 seconds and not sure what it was. Thinking a male Sparrowhawk that was soaring on a ‘prospecting’ flight and saw something in the garden, and on it’s way down saw me and decided to carry on.

Stewart.

 

25th November..... Winter Thrushes.

This weekend has seen a big influx of Winter Thrushes into the area: for most of Saturday morning a flock of 12 Redwings fed on Holly Berries in the garden, often taking flight when disturbed, but always returning back to the berries, another flock of c40 passed over several times. When I went out on Sunday morning a flock of c80 Redwings passed over, settling in a neighbouring garden, I quickly returned to the house to grab the camera (took less than a minute), but by then only 11 remained, but they soon re-appeared as they flew from nearby Conifers.

Redwings.

                           

Later in the morning on the way to Amersham  c30 Fieldfares were at Hyde Heath & 18 more flew over the high street as we shopped, the largest count being a mixed flock of c200  Redwings/Fieldfares above Ballinger Cricket pitch as the sky seemed to be full of Thrushes. 

                             Fieldfare.                                                                                                     Don.

23rd November..... Field Vole.

Had an entertaining few minutes early this morning at the expense of a field vole. It climbed to the top of a 45 degree branch, harvest mouse style which finished 6 inches short of the bird table . It spent a while summing up the distance balanced on the very top of the branch. It decided to go for it, went back on it’s haunches and launched itself..... missed by about an inch and fell 5 foot into the under growth and out of sight. A pity, no camera at hand.

Stewart.

Yesterday a Little Egret was back in their winter quarters on The Chess at Chesham Moor, further down stream at Latimer two Cormorants sat in their usual trees.

Don.

A long way from Bucks.

Stewart's sister sent the following newspaper cuttings from The West Australian daily paper.

18th November..... Strawberry Hill.

Walked to the end of Strawberry Hill this morning. Good to see good numbers of Yellowhammers towards the end but not so good to see a burnt out vehicle, now filling a gap in  the hedgerow. Was told of the large numbers of Red Kites following tractors working the fields. One count was 54. Closer to home found this late Shaggy Inkcap also called Lawyer’s Wig slowly decomposing from the bottom upwards and turning to ‘ink’. Its growing in a very vulnerable position so might not be able to completely turn to ‘ink’ and deposit it’s spores.

Stewart.

 Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.

18th November..... Curlew.

After visiting a friend in Aylesbury this morning, I took the scenic route home, returning via the Aylesbury Vale villages instead of the main road. It took me an hour & three quaters rather than half an hour, but was well worth it when I came across a Curlew. I'd pulled over to check out a flock of c30 Black-headed Gulls, walked across the road just catching a glimpse of a wader alighting out in the middle of a low growing Brassica crop, where it began to feed. My second Curlew in the county this year. Also 2 Sky Larks in same field & Buzzard on telegraph pole.
Further on near Kimble Wick I spotted a flock of Golden Plovers in flight in the distance.
Back at home I put out bird seed for the first time this Winter, as colder weather is forecast.
Don.

17th November..... Garden News.

Great Spotted Woodpeckers seem to have found the sunflower hearts this week, often on the feeder.

Blue tits have started using the nest box close to the back door, presumably roosting in it, it’s been cleaned out and has fresh hay inside.

Nice to see more Blue Tits and Robins in the winter flowering Viburnum Bodnantense.

Found this imprint on the window of a bird. Pigeon size so can only guess that one of our regular Wood Pigeons hit the window but no bird or feathers found so hopefully all ended well. Stewart.

All images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.

In our garden Redwings were present throughout the day, at dusk a Song Thrush sang from the upper branches of a Plum tree, as a Tawny Owl greeted the darkness with a couple of 'hoots' from a neighbouring garden.

Don.

11th November..... Crossbills.

This afternoon Stewart & myself visited the Hale End of Wendover Woods to check out the Common Crossbill flock located yesterday by Mike & Ted Wallen. After a short 10 minute walk up the track, we came across a couple of birders who had been watching a Male feeding at the top of a Spruce tree for at least half an hour.

A small flock of 6 birds flew further up the track as we watched, so we decided to try our luck with them. It didn't take long to find a very agitated bird, calling, from the upper most branch of another Spruce, it didn't hang around & was soon off. The reason drifted into view as a Sparrow Hawk went over.

Images Copyright : Don Stone/Stewart Dennis.