Eagle Owls

A pair of Eagle Owls seem to find the pylons at The Haul Road Great Missenden to their liking, well done HS2/National Grid, if it's not bad enough trying to devistate our wildlife with the use of captive birds of prey & netting hedgerows. They now resort to the use of fibreglass figures in their never ending battle with nature.                                                                                                  I received a long email this week from the Department of Transport bragging how environmently friendly the project is, so this is another fine example of it, they just don't have a clue.

Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.

8th March..... Tree Creeper.

 A walk out this afternoon, passing Liberty's reserve found 3 more stonechats, again busy feeding, spending most of the time on the ground.

A treecreeper flew low from the reserve across the road and started searching for food in the moss at the base of a tree.

On way back past the reserve two roe deer stood out in the sunshine, but quickly joined three more and moved on.                                                                                                                  Stewart.

Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.

Save Irreplaceable Ancient Woodlands  From HS2 

HS2 will impact over 100 ancient woodlands.

HS2 will take us closer to ecological disaster.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/stophs2 

 

 

6th March..... Goldfinches.

7.30 this morning watched a pair of goldfinches in the old fennel stems and seed heads, the female was going through snipping off suitable lengths, presumably for nest building, flying off with a beak full.  
Stewart. 

Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.

Polecat/Ferret.

Picked up this road kill Polecat/Ferret locally last week, the bandit face mask is not very prominent, so think more likely to be a Ferret. It's the third casualty I've found on this particular stretch of road, along with a live one hunting at about 12-30am a few years back.

There's obviously a strong population locally, with another road kill which I had identified as a Polecat, plus saw another hunting along woodland edge.
Stewart was lucky enough to catch this one with his camera, hunting in his garden.

Don.
Images Copyright : Don Stone/Stewart Dennis.

4th March..... Starlings Return.

Exciting to have starlings back in the garden checking out the nest box they last used in 2017, watched and listened to the male do his display song close to the box. Fingers crossed they stay and breed again this year.

 

Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.

3rd March..... More Stonechats.

This female Stonechat was keeping company with another a pair of Stonechats along the fence line at Herbert's Hole. Part of a large influx of this species in the county at the moment.
Check those toe nails.

Image Copyright : Stewart Dennis.

2nd March..... Red-crested Pochard.

This stunning male was mixing with the Tufted Ducks on the lake at Shardeloes this afternoon.
Possibly the first to be recorded there.

Image Copyright : Stewart Dennis.

HS2 : In the wrong place again.

If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing twice (HS2 company motto).
HS2 reduced an ancient farm track to a narrow foot path.

But after some verbal protests it's been reinstated.

1st March..... Return of the Misbourne.

The River Misbourne is once again flowing in all it's glory from it's source at Mobwell pond, down through Great Missenden & the Abbey Park where both Warren Water & Bank's Pond are full, with the water only breaching the out flow of Warren Water two days ago. The old gravel workings at Little Missenden have filled up nicely aswell.

Let the river flow...
 

Mobwell Pond.

Boug's Meadow.

Warren Water.

Abbey Park.

The Misbourne at Little Missenden.

Don.