SUNDAY 11 APRIL
A rather grey day with fresh Northeasterly winds
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
(with Dave Bilcock and Steve Rodwell)
Highlight of a brief visit was a pair of COMMON SHELDUCK feeding over the far side close to the reedbed - they represented my first at the reservoirs this year.
Otherwise, pretty uneventful, with a drake Common Teal, two pairs of Shoveler, 19 Gadwall, 4 Black-headed Gulls, a juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull, 5 Common Terns and 150+ Sand Martins.
WARREN FARM, MILLBROOK (BEDFORDSHIRE)
Martin Palmer and Steve Blain had just departed the site happy with their views but when arrived, the afternoon sun was setting and the hedgerow all four male RING OUZELS had been showing was now in shadow. With a little bit of searching, I eventually tracked all four birds down - they had moved a short way north to the garden of Warren Farm and were hopping down from the conifers to feed on the grass.
BEDFORDSHIRE GREENSAND RIDGE
I took the opportunity to visit the last remaining stronghold of the LADY AMHERST'S PHEASANT and was very pleased to find the continuing existence of 3 adult males - the same number (and same birds presumably) as I had recorded in April 2009. They started their echoing calls across the valley from 1930 hours and continued for the next half hour. My first bat of the year - a Pipistrelle - was also seen.
Just three adult males survive in Britain, remnants of the once flourishing non-naturalised population in Bedfordshire. Gary Thoburn obtained these magnificent images of what is a truly beautiful bird. It really is a sad tale – and soon the species will be no more.
One of my favourite all-time birds and a species very close to my heart. I have such dear memories of when this species was common and flocks of 21 or more were in fields by my Flitwick home of that time. My eyes water at the thoughts of how much joy this species bought to the 800 or so people I took to my special feeding station visits in the 1980’s and early 1990’s – I will cherish them forever.
A rather grey day with fresh Northeasterly winds
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
(with Dave Bilcock and Steve Rodwell)
Highlight of a brief visit was a pair of COMMON SHELDUCK feeding over the far side close to the reedbed - they represented my first at the reservoirs this year.
Otherwise, pretty uneventful, with a drake Common Teal, two pairs of Shoveler, 19 Gadwall, 4 Black-headed Gulls, a juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull, 5 Common Terns and 150+ Sand Martins.
WARREN FARM, MILLBROOK (BEDFORDSHIRE)
Martin Palmer and Steve Blain had just departed the site happy with their views but when arrived, the afternoon sun was setting and the hedgerow all four male RING OUZELS had been showing was now in shadow. With a little bit of searching, I eventually tracked all four birds down - they had moved a short way north to the garden of Warren Farm and were hopping down from the conifers to feed on the grass.
BEDFORDSHIRE GREENSAND RIDGE
I took the opportunity to visit the last remaining stronghold of the LADY AMHERST'S PHEASANT and was very pleased to find the continuing existence of 3 adult males - the same number (and same birds presumably) as I had recorded in April 2009. They started their echoing calls across the valley from 1930 hours and continued for the next half hour. My first bat of the year - a Pipistrelle - was also seen.
Just three adult males survive in Britain, remnants of the once flourishing non-naturalised population in Bedfordshire. Gary Thoburn obtained these magnificent images of what is a truly beautiful bird. It really is a sad tale – and soon the species will be no more.
One of my favourite all-time birds and a species very close to my heart. I have such dear memories of when this species was common and flocks of 21 or more were in fields by my Flitwick home of that time. My eyes water at the thoughts of how much joy this species bought to the 800 or so people I took to my special feeding station visits in the 1980’s and early 1990’s – I will cherish them forever.
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