19th December..... Garden Finches.

These dark wintry days & the looming clouds of  HS2 are brightened by birds helping themselves in the garden.

 Goldfinches on the teazel.

Greenfinches enjoying the  hips of the rugosa.

Stewart.
Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis. 

HS2 : Badger Exclusion.

HS2 are currently involved in excluding Badgers from their setts under licence between Wendover & Great Missenden (London to Birmingham), this is basically done by fitting one way gates over the holes, so as the Badgers can exit the sett & not re-enter. After a period 21 days the holes are filled in & covered with strong netting. HS2 are using Chain Link fencing.
Things aren't going smoothly for HS2 at present, in the last couple of days they entered land without permission cut down hedging one day, blocked up holes next, then returned on the following day (today) to remove the netting & apologised for their behaviour, it's a bit late now as damage has been done. Second occasion they've trespassed on property in the area without permission in the last few weeks.
As if that wasn't bad enough they've had to apologise for entering Calvert Jubilee Nature Reserve without permission & destroying valuable wildlife habitat. Total incompetence, with plenty more to come I suspect.

http://bucks-badgers.org.uk/

Don.

18th December..... Roostin' Wrens.

Leaning on our gate at 7-15am listening to the day waking, 3 Robins singing, Blackbird cluckking & distant Chickens also greeting the day, in the corner of my eye, caught sight of a Wren as it left it's night time roost site, the open fronted nest box on the side of the house, which hosted a pair of Robins as they made a failed breeding attempt during the Spring, 2 more Wrens quickly followed.
Cleaning out this box featured on my "to do" list of boxes to tidy up, will have to leave this one to the Spring now, as don't want to upset their Winter roost site, as suspect other birds will join them once the cold sets in, but doubt the numbers will match the 18 birds which crammed into one of our House Martin nests about 10 years back causing it to collapse under the strain.

Don.

Stand For The Trees video shoot.

A few images from the video location deep in the Buckinghamshire countryside in the wood that inspired Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox.

Walking across the fields to the wood.

Cast & crew on day one.

Decorating the Tree.

Bit of a wind blowing.

On a day when the wind blew & with near constant rain, the refreshment cart was appreciated.

Day two, with a smaller cast & crew....

Chris Packham engaged in a heavy duty conservation conversation.

More tree decorating.

Job done, Team photo.

Chris with Nancy.

With Sid & Nancy.

Watch the video here :  https://standforthetrees.org/

BBC Radio 4 interview : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5xiEpxiPDM

https://rethinkhs2.org/

Images Copyright : Don Stone/Stewart Dennis.

13th December..... Bullfinches.

Today is the first time I've seen two males feeding together on the feeder.

Earlier at 7-15am the resident Tawny Owls were getting vocal before they turned in for the day. One bird perched in the fir tree as presumably it's mate flew into join it & together they flew in tandem side by side, with one flying into the Yew tree, as the other sat in the Oak, before continuing on to a nearby Conifer to spend the day.

Don.

HS2 : The Wendover Memorial Woodland.

A local land owner donated this parcel of land over looking the Vale of Aylesbury on the edge of Wendover; with views towards Wendover Woods, enabling the charity https://www.renniegrove.org/ to celebrate their 25th Anniversary with the creation of The Wendover Memorial Woodland. A place where trees are planted in memory of loved ones, as relatives sit, quietly reflect & be at one with Nature. Also serves as a focal point during the charities annual 3 Peaks Challenge. 

All this is about to change, as it becomes yet another victim of the destructive Leviathan that is HS2, sweeping everything aside as it cuts it's path through the landscape..... 

It's surely time to :  https://rethinkhs2.org/

HS2 Hedgerows.

I recently discovered the fate of the hedgerows adjoining the project at The Lee; those that are ripped from the earth are to be replanted on completion, these being 100's of years old, just as important as Ancient Woodland, others are to be NETTED, depriving Farmland birds of food, shelter & nesting sites, which will be devastating for Yellowhammers, Linnets, Dunnocks, Bullfinches & summering Whitethroats along with a host of other more common birds which are to be found in the hedgerows.
There's a potential for wildlife to become entangled in the netting, suffering a slow & pain full death, particularly Sparrow Hawks as they patrol along the hedgerows in search of prey & Owls, Badgers & Foxes on their nightly excursions, as the sites will be quiet & deserted.
If it's planned for here, presumably it's a practice to be used for the entire route.
Farmland birds are already in decline, with the help of HS2 we can accelerate that decline....

Met up with Robert today, he explained that the hedgerow pictured below which runs for a distance of .75 miles (1.2km) through the middle of his farm is one of those to be NETTED. It's a farm I know well having recorded 51 species of birds here in the last ten years.

This is sort of how it will look in future with the orange NETTING they (HS2) use, once in place, apart from being a complete eye sore, will be totally disastrous for WILDLIFE, this practice needs to be STOPPED...  email Wild Justice https://wildjustice.org.uk/contact/  or ReThink HS2 https://rethinkhs2.org/ 

As I walked a short way along the hedge a couple of Yellowhammers flew out, while three Roe Deer contentedly sat out in the middle of the field on the spot where the line will pass through. In an adjoining field three more Roe Deer fed, along with a flock of approximately 50 Chaffinches & 27 Skylarks, which at some point will take advantage of the stubble on offer here.

Back in 2018 Stewart photographed this Whitethroat, which bred in the hedgerow up at South Heath behind what used to be Weights & Measures Gym, it had just returned after making it's epic annual migration from it's Wintering grounds in Africa, so what's going happen this Spring on it's return?? The beginnings of a ------- great hole in the ground...... the entrance to the Chilterns Tunnel. Bit like returning home from a pleasant holiday to find your house has been burnt down......
.... Disturbing & Distressing.

HS2 at Denham Country Park.

More Protectors arrested today.
https://www.facebook.com/phil.wakefield2/videos/10220791239401909/

HS2 Misbehaving.

Found to be taking liberties on a local farm today, doing things they weren't supposed to be doing. Big Pat on the shoulder to those who responded quickly, which led to a successful outcome.

Camera shy, or just ashamed :

Looks like somebodies been locked in, checkout the padlock.

Get up; stand up, stand up for what is right.

20th November..... Otmoor Starling Murmuration.

With plenty of Raptors being seen at Otmoor lately, with no work to do & nice weather predicted, seemed to be the ideal day to visit, especially with the weekends likely to be crowded now that the Starlings are performing.
Arrived at 12-30pm few cars in the car park, parkin' fee now been introduced, good value at two quid, free to members. Things began well as when we approached the bridge onto the moor, a silhouetted Stoat crossed the track with a prey item hanging from it's jaws, looked to be a Vole. Making our way along the bridleway constantly scanning for distant Harriers with no joy, just the usual, Kites, Buzzards & a Kestrel, spent a while near the grit tray just in case of Bearded Tit, no joy.

 

A flock of  9 Snipe flew over head, as roaming flocks of Starlings fed out on the Moor.















Watched over The Closes & Ashgrove from the comfort of the hide where the only birds present on the water seemed to be Canada Geese.

The seed put down for the wintering Finches was doing the trick with good numbers of Chaffinch, Linnet, Reed Bunting & Yellow Hammers taking advantage, at one point I counted 37 on the ground with many more in the bushes.

 

As we walked along the path to the first screen a work party engaged in some vegetation clearing, 4 Hares could be picked out on Big Otmoor avoiding the floods.

At the screen 7 Snipe blended in perfectly with their surroundings as they sat on a small reedy island, 9 more flew over, a male Marsh Harrier flew along the hedge line & out over the reed bed.

 

Moving onto the second screen the farm land at Noke Sides being completely flooded held a couple of hundred Greylag Geese.

15 Lapwing hung on to a raised spot clear of the water, in one corner at least 37 Pied Wagtails were picking what I presume to be insects from the surface of the shallow water.

A couple of approachable Hares provided a photo opportunity.

Not much to be seen from the screen, just a single Gadwall & Tufted Duck plus a distant unidentified Harrier.

Back tracking along the path a Cetti's Warbler gave a sharp burst of song; by now the sun was beginning to drop low in the winter sky interacting nicely with the watery landscape, where 9 Wigeon had dropped in since we passed by earlier.

We approached the first screen just in the nick of time at 3-47pm, as the Starlings were starting to perform above the reeds; twistin', turnin', formin' balls & funnel shapes, whoosin' sounds from their wings, didn't seem to last long, may be a few minutes, then it was down into the reeds, that wasn't the end of it as more birds streamed in from the north low over the reed bed, aiming straight for the cacophony of sound now comin' from those in the reeds, more doing the same approaching from the east & west, a job to estimate numbers, but I would say at least 20,000 birds, all this commotion attracted a Sparrow Hawk, as a Hen Harrier patrolled the far edge of the reed bed, by 4-10 they were all in.

Murmuration video, best viewed by clicking on the enlargement key, play at max volume.

Another Cetti's Warbler sang from the path side on the way back to the car, where once again at the bridge, our visit end as it began with another silhouette, this one being that of a Barn Owl as it drifted in front of us, no doubt also looking for a Vole.... as we admired the last rays of the day..

Don.
Images Copyright : Don Stone/Stewart Dennis.