Chiltern Birder

Driving home from work today I was delighted to see a pair of red legged partridges plodding across the lane in front of me. The second of the pair finally decided to fly over the hedge rather than walk under it. I have been trying to remember if I have ever seen one take to the air before. In the past they have normally preferred to run away, usually straight down the road in the path of the car. As April draws to a close there are very few birds coming into the garden although I do hear a lot of song. Yesterday I did see two goldfinches on the feeders which was the first sighting in at least a week. With a few days leave after easter I was able to see how the kites were moving into this area. Last year it was still unusual to see any over the Chess or Missbourne valleys but last week I was seeing up to three at a time close to Chesham. One pair chasing each others tails in a spectacular manner and a solitary bird over Waterside, the first time I have see one over the town itself. I a

Living at the top of a 500 foot hill it is striking how much later plants come out. My forsythia is now in full bloom while those in Central London are already showing signs of finishing. In particular the buds started to break on by two quince trees this morning. On the bird front the need to earn a living means that I only get a quick look in the garden at the start and end of the day, this morning was fairly typical with a blackbird and a chaffinch vanishing over the hedge when I checked the feeders. Driving home from the station last night there was a red kite over the Chess valley at Latimer. I thought it might be about to land in the woods but couldn't stop to check as another car was right on my tail.

Travelling back from Oxford last night I encountered a muntjac between Askett and Cadsden. Nothing unusual in itself although it did hang around by the side of the road looking as if it was considering entering itself for the Darwin Awards, not that that is unusual for muntjac either. From its behaviour I thought there might be more on the other side of the road about to join it so, slowing down, I kept an eye on the hedgerow in time to see a badger lumbering into the fields. The books always show you a clear view of the mask, in real life what you usually see is what looks like an ambulant grey sandbag heading away from you. The journey to Oxford gave a good view of a red kite just outside Chesham above Missenden Road and a glimpse of another further away. This afternoon I saw a buzzard between Ley Hill and Latimer, more commonplace than a kite in the grand scheme of things but rather more unusual locally. The goldfinches are not visiting so often and I have not seen a siskin for a wh

Those brief glimpses are always a problem. While driving along the M10 yesterday I had a glimpse of a large bird of prey, naturally I could not take my eyes off the road for long enough to make a positive identification. I have seen buzzards around there before and I know that red kites are possible although I have never seen one that far east myself. Trouble is that the tail was definitely not forked and the wings seemed a little to swept back for a buzzrd. I will have to reserve judgement but will check out the Herts Bird Club reports in a few days to see if it was anything exciting. I was a little luckier with identification in the garden on Saturday. Among the "small brown jobs" was something which didn't feel quite right for a female sparrow. A quick check with the glasses confirmed that she was no sparrow but a quick check with the field guide proved her to be a linnet. That was the first one that I have positively identified in the garden.