PAINTED L:ADY invasion

Highlight of day was the Painted lady visible migration. Saw them in 5 locations, best of all was Calvert landfill late afternoon where I counted 26 bombing past me,h eading North in 1 hr.

Top of Quainton hill,where I've seen Red Admirals migrating in numbers and odd Painted lady would have been excellent!

Hillesden; We could only see 1 Oystercatcher chick but maybe other one hiding/ Lapwings have had,as far as can tell, zero success in raising chicks.Were 7 sitting on eggs on island when the moron with dog I reported stomped all over it, sure they would have crushed some eggs. On plus side 2 Cuckoos and Mike Hunt saw 2 Raven.

Calvert; Reed Buntings feeding fledged young/ 18 Common Terns using rafts.

North Marston; Hobby over village (Tim Watts)

Today's Images from Calvert - Tim Watts

Coot on its nest and a Willow Warbler just commencing its annual body moult (Tim Watts)

16 May

Quainton Hills; 1 Spotted flycatcher at base of hills, 1 Wheatear on slopes, nothing on tops.

Calvert; 4 visits throughout day! 2 Cuckoo, 24 Common Terns around rafts/good close views of single Tern on wader(less!!) raft/ Stoat accross road.2 Hobby seen by visitor p.m

Hillesden; 2 Oystercatcher with 2 small chicks (Tim Watts)

Relatively quiet during the last two weeks but on 13 May 11 BLACK TERNS and 2 LITTLE TERNS visited the Sailing Lake at Calvert, with another BLACK TERN there on 14th (per Tim Watts)

5 MAY

Calvert; c 30 Common Swifts over sailing lake, BBOWT; Garden Warbler singing and showing very well from tops of bushes around 1st hide/ 2 Cuckoo.

Hillesden; a new wader in, a winter plumaged Ringed Plover/ 2 Shelduck still/ Cuckoo heard,

2 MAY sightings

Out for most of day since dawn. Very hard work finding stuff and sorry to say most farmland sites seemed devoid of life!! (apart from Brown Hares!)

1 farmland sites had 9 Yellow Wagtail and another 2 Turtle Dove.

Also covered Calvert/Hillesden/ Quainton Hills, lower slopes, best bird seen was a Hobby over North Marston village on way home (Tim Watts)

COMMON CUCKOO - getting scarcer each spring

Three separate lone female GREENLAND WHEATEARS found in various spotsaround base of Quainton Hills.

Three YELLOW WAGTAIL over crop field in another area. Good numbers of Brown Hares.

Calvert; COMMON CUCKOO showing well on trees and low bushes around both lakes, apparently 3 this morning./drake shoveler using raft in shallows to preen/

ARCTIC TERNS in and out quickly morning (1 May) (Tim Watts)

Recencies from the Calvert Area - with images

RECENT IMAGES (all taken by Tim Watts)

Male Northern Wheatear at Hillesden

Barn Swallow

House Martins

Lapwing

More Barn Swallows and House Martins

Willow Warbler (3 images)

Drake Northern Shoveler

Brown Hare

COMMON CUCKOO (two images)