Chiltern Birder

With the forsythia and celandines in bloom spring is definitely on the way. There are some clear changes in usage of the garden by the birds. The finches are no longer flocking, while we are still seeing goldfinches and chaffinches these are now singletons or pairs rather than groups. The bullfinches seem to have vanished and the long tailed tits are less frequent visitors. Blue and great tits, dunnock, robins, wood pigeons and blackbirds are all still present in abundance while great spotted woodpeckers are occasional visitors although they are disturbed by the slightest movement inside the house.

I took a trip to the Forest of Dean yesterday. I didn't do any research on where would be best but simply used my own judgement from the map. Within 15 minutes of home I had my first interesting sighting when a hare ran out into the road. She had clearly been to the pheasant school of road safety as she stopped and then turned round and went back the way that she had come. It was my first hare for quite a few years and the first in Bucks. I parked at Cannop Ponds, at first it just looked like the typical collection of mallard, tufty and coot but then I spotted some mandarin ducks. I hadn't been aware of the colony in the area until looking it up afterwards. As well as on the lake I explored the marshy ground below the dam and spotted another pair. Walking south along the old railway it did rather feel as if I had wandered into Center Parcs as it all seemed so manacured. I only had a couple of hints that I was on a railway track at all. This solit

I recently treated myself to a new spotting scope and monopod . Taking these on a walk round Stockers Lake was a dream, they were so light and compact that they could be packed in a rucksack until I was in a good viewpoint, just right when taking a walk with good birding opportunities rather than settling down at a single point with a heavy tripod. The walk round the lake revealed some early signs of spring. I came across a patch of coltsfoot in flower while the grebes were in full breeding plumage and a goldcrest was in full voice. The herons were also nest building and with the benefit of a scope rather than bins I got a nice view across the lake of one settled in a tree. The surprise was not one but two pairs of Egyptian geese.One pair flew away on the other side of the lake while the other pair swam close to me. Other birds on the lake included shoveller, tufted duck, coot, greylag geese, canada geese, common pochard, lapwing, mallard, black headed gull, herring gull, cormorant

With the heavy snow and cold weather I have had a lot of activity in the garden and have been breaking ice on the water bowl and putting out additional food during the day. This morning I was pleased to see a song thrush, the first that I have seen visiting this winter. After lunch however, out of the corner of my eye, I was aware of something large landing in the tree at the bottom of the garden with quite a thump. Looking up I realised that it was a fieldfare, the first that I have every seen in the garden and the best naked eye view that I have had. Sadly it didn't come down to feed but flew off a minute or two later.