Vagrant MARSH HARRIER seen briefly one evening in December and adult YELLOW-LEGGED GULL and Great Black-backed Gull on the main BBOWT Lake at Calvert
Thursday 31 December 2009
Tuesday 29 December 2009
28 December Calvert Roost
BBOWT LAKE; 5 PINTAILS, 3m+2 fem/ Water Rail swam between reedbeds/ female GOOSANDER arrived when virtually dark/ increase in common wildfowl/ Swan movements, all Mutes, 3 new on sailing lake, 2 then 3 arrived on BBOWT but chased off by resident pair (Tim Watts).
27 December Highlights
27 December: Calvert BBOWT a.m- drake PINTAIL in SW corner/58 Pochard
Hillesden; pair of COMMON STONECHATS/ c60 Lapwing/ 16 Golden Plover/ c200 Greenfinch on sunflower strip setaside.
Twyford mill, mid way between Calvert and Hillesden;Driving around looking for Swans and found some! 11 feeding/loafing on cabbage type crop but all Mutes. Will keep an eye on this field with hope that the Wintering Whoopers from previous years drop in.
Calvert p.m; 3+hr watch from 1st hide DIDN'T produce a hoped for Bittern! / Water Rail swam between reedbeds/25 Reed Bunting came in to roost/ 3 adult YELLOW-LEGGED GULLS in decent pre-roost (Tim Watts)
Hillesden; pair of COMMON STONECHATS/ c60 Lapwing/ 16 Golden Plover/ c200 Greenfinch on sunflower strip setaside.
Twyford mill, mid way between Calvert and Hillesden;Driving around looking for Swans and found some! 11 feeding/loafing on cabbage type crop but all Mutes. Will keep an eye on this field with hope that the Wintering Whoopers from previous years drop in.
Calvert p.m; 3+hr watch from 1st hide DIDN'T produce a hoped for Bittern! / Water Rail swam between reedbeds/25 Reed Bunting came in to roost/ 3 adult YELLOW-LEGGED GULLS in decent pre-roost (Tim Watts)
Wednesday 23 December 2009
Adult PONTIC GULL in roost again
BBOWT Lake; large numbers of large gulls all afternoon, amongst these was an adult CASPIAN GULL, the one photographed recently. Also 4 adult Yellow-legged Gulls (Tim Watts)
Whitchurch area - 20 December - both MERLIN and PEREGRINE
Berryfields; c80 Fieldfare/ 3 Roe Deer/4 Chinese water deer
Stayed local and did an hour watch from high point, five minutes from ny house in Whitchurch looking back towards Creslow; Highlights were an adult PEREGRINE attacking Woodpigeons, hit one but not killed and Peregrine then went into another Woodpigeon flock and a female-type MERLIN bombing low over field, where there was a flock of 24 Skylark feeding in the open on the edge of that exposed from snow stubble. Two flocks of 21 and 43 European Golden Plover flew through SW with about 80 Lapwing through in small flocks./6 Yellowhammer (Tim Watts)
Stayed local and did an hour watch from high point, five minutes from ny house in Whitchurch looking back towards Creslow; Highlights were an adult PEREGRINE attacking Woodpigeons, hit one but not killed and Peregrine then went into another Woodpigeon flock and a female-type MERLIN bombing low over field, where there was a flock of 24 Skylark feeding in the open on the edge of that exposed from snow stubble. Two flocks of 21 and 43 European Golden Plover flew through SW with about 80 Lapwing through in small flocks./6 Yellowhammer (Tim Watts)
Sunday 13 December 2009
MARSH HARRIER - a real winter surprise
BBOWT Lake; Yesterday morning gulls settled at North end by reeds when they all erupted into air, ducks and Grebes swam out from reeds and suspected a Bittern could be about. Did Bittern watch tonight but got something totally unexpected. Gulls again settled near reeds and flew up in panic. I Quickly scanned for Bittern in flight, and got a big pair of brown wings over the reedbed but they were attached to a female/imm MARSH HARRIER!!!
It did three low circuits over the reedbed areas then lost to view in far left corner; it either dropped into reeds to roost or carried on North. it was mobbed by a Carrion Crow and a Red Kite. This was at 1500 hours. Got some chronic record shots on compact camera with no zoom. This our 1st ever Winter record of one here. Also female Goldeneye/ 141 G.B.B gulls (Tim Watts)
It did three low circuits over the reedbed areas then lost to view in far left corner; it either dropped into reeds to roost or carried on North. it was mobbed by a Carrion Crow and a Red Kite. This was at 1500 hours. Got some chronic record shots on compact camera with no zoom. This our 1st ever Winter record of one here. Also female Goldeneye/ 141 G.B.B gulls (Tim Watts)
Wednesday 9 December 2009
Recent Images from Calvert BBOWT - Tim Watts
A typical seelection of excellent images taken by Tim Watts - female Northern Pochard, female Common Goldeneye, an adult Scandinavian Herring Gull, an adult Argenteus Herring Gull and an adult Great Black-backed Gull with Lesser Black-backs.
Thursday 3 December 2009
Another excellent Gull Roost at BBOWT Lake
Calvert BBOWT Lake; Next to 2nd hide spotted 2 Goldcrests and an unusual Chiffchaff, quite possibly a Siberian type.
GULLS TONIGHT; 3rd Winter CASPIAN GULL (found by Warren Claydon) new bird, looks very like adult on BBC photo page but has some black in tertials/ 1st W CASPIAN GULL, popped up 30mts!! from hide in near darkness/ exactly 100 G.B.B Gulls counted/ minimum of 9 ad YELLOW-LEGGED GULLS/ Tim Watts
GULLS TONIGHT; 3rd Winter CASPIAN GULL (found by Warren Claydon) new bird, looks very like adult on BBC photo page but has some black in tertials/ 1st W CASPIAN GULL, popped up 30mts!! from hide in near darkness/ exactly 100 G.B.B Gulls counted/ minimum of 9 ad YELLOW-LEGGED GULLS/ Tim Watts
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