BITTERN at Calvert

Calvert BBOWT - late afternoon; Huge gull pre-roost contained 9 Y.L.Gulls and 1 ad Caspian Gull. Waders are scarce here in Spring let alone Winter but flock of 4 Common Redshank flew low over water couple of times then flew towards sailing lake. Later a pair of Goosanders flew in, again headed to other lake. Big increase in Herrings and G.B.B gulls late on from tip.

Icing on cake was a BITTERN climbing to roost at 16:08 in right hand reedbed from the 1st hide - think this is earliest ever had one here. Jolting reeds put me onto it but then wasn't hard to see. It wasn't on their usual favoured area of reed edge against deepwater but in middle of bed, made lot of commotion climbing then spent rest of time stretching neck up and looking all around.

Hillesden WHOOPER SWAN still present - Tim Watts

Calvert; Little Grebe / Grey Wagtail

Foxcote; 3 Goldeneye/ 1 Green Sandpiper

Hillesden; adult Whooper Swan still with Greylag flock in crop field/ 7 new Mute Swans/ 2 Meadow Pipit

Gallows bridge farm; 2 hr watch; c 200 Golden Plover in flight once/ c120 Linnet/3 Raven,

WHOOPER SWAN and TREE SPARROWS

30 October - Calvert; noticeable influx of Blackbirds in scrub/ 2 Goldcrests/3 Jays

Hillesden; adult WHOOPER SWAN on main pool veiwable from the track, it looked settled, feeding with Mutes.

Gallows bridge farm; c400 Golden Plover/c 500 Lapwing in flight over adjacent crop fields. 5 TREE SPARROWS on cut hedge by car park breifly also Chaffinches, Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, House Sparrows on same hedge (Tim Watts)

QUAINTON HILLS today

All birds found on the tops, lower slopes empty: 3 COMMON REDSTARTS / 10+ Common Chiffchaff/ c 150 Meadow Pipit, 60 in flock on ground in aerial field, 40 feeding at same time on S/E slope, 20 top of N slope and groups of 4-6 seeming to pass overhead for 3 hrs/

Abnormal numbers of Blue Tits on tops - migrants perhaps?/Sparrowhawk chasing Green Woodpecker, it missed!!

No Wheatears for first time in a while, but had 1 yesterday (Tim Watts)

QUAINTON HILLS - first WHINCHAT of autumn

Following the first two WHINCHATS at Gallows Bridge on Sunday, one appeared on Quainton Hills yesterday, along with 4 Wheatears, a Spotted Flycatcher and 3 Yellow Wagtails.

Two juvenile MARSH HARRIERS were on the Upper Ray Meadows all weekend, with another at Foxcote, and with the latter very low at present, an excellent run of waders including RUFF, BLACK-TAILED GODWIT and COMMON GREENSHANK

WOOD SANDPIPER at Calvert

A WOOD SANDPIPER is present for a second day at Calvert Landfill, where access is restricted to weekends only

Calvert news flow dries up

Sadly, news has been no longer forthcoming from Calvert reserve and its environs and there has been little to report. One of the keen birders of the area, Jon Holt, has now moved away.

Not that far away at Foxcote Reservoir, water levels are very low and in recent weeks, a trickle of passage waders have appeared, including two Common Greenshanks and several Little Ringed Plover, Green Sandpipers and Common Sandpipers (LGRE)

Peregrines have bred again at a site near Aylesbury raising three young, all three birds still being attended by the adults. This is the third out of four years that a pair has nested at this protected site, the adults being ringed birds.