Chiltern Birder

I had what must be my most easterly red kite sighting this morning while driving on the M25 between London Colney and South Mimms. It was probably one of this years brood as it looked quite small for a kite. In the garden the fat block is getting pecked but I haven't seen anything feeding on it. The strange weather this year seems to have made garden feeding very late. It is several weeks since I passed the River Chess in Chesham but it looked very stagnant and the local paper has reported that the flow hs stopped. Not entirely suprising with the dry summer and drought warnings being given already.

Walking over the Town Bridge the river was looking very sluggish with a pair of moorhens walking through it and much of the bed blocked by weeds. There was still enough, however, to attract a grey wagtail. There was no flow above Water Lane with all the water coming from the spring by the car park. It shows how little the water table has really recovered when you remember that once the river had sufficient flow to drive a mill at this point.