Chiltern Birder

 Autumn is clearly coming in with mushrooms and toadstools appearing in the fields and woods. This fine specimen was one of many on my walk today.       The walk took us along Green Lane to White End near Latimer. There was quite a sight with the sky around one of the houses in the hamlet full of house martins. They all suddenly settled on the roof, apparently basking in the sun for a second before all taking flight again. Suddenly they all flew off towards Latimer only to return a few seconds later and settled on the roof again. It was quite a spectacle and I wished I was able to linger all morning to watch it. The return along Bun's Lane was noteable for the birds invisible in the canopy as the trees met over the bridleway. I know that I disturbed at lease one jay and one green woodpecker judging buy the angry calls close above my head. In the garden I will have to dispose of the contents of the two fat feeders but the sunflower seeds are still being taken by occas...

The ring necked parakeets are working their way up the Chess valley. I was at the Van Hage garden centre at Chenies today when one flew overhead. Previously I have seen and, more often, heard them at Rickmansworth on a few occasions. I am not sure of they can establish in the Chilterns. Certainly where I live at 500 feet above sea level the difference in winter weather from the lower ground is noticeable before considering the London heat island. During the bank holiday I was in Bampton in Oxfordshire. The house martins were active in what appeared to be good numbers. I also heard swifts, I can't compare with previous years but it didn't seem as noisy.

For the last three weekends the activity by swallows and martins has been very obvious. Last weekend at Fishers Green in the Lea Valley they were skimming over the Flood Relief Channel no doubt building up reserves for the long migration. This week I took a trip to the Forest of Dean and decided to check out a stream at Parkend which was recommended for seeing dippers. Naturally I didn't see one and ended up taking a trip on the steam train to Lydney and back before going over to the Nags Head reserve. There wasn't much to see here either but the wild boars had been active with almost every area of open grass grubbed up. The photos show damage outside the visitor cente and the view from the Lower Hide.