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...

After yesterday's snow I took a rather muddy walk today. Temperatures were a little above freezing and I didn't have much opportunity to creep silently up to wildlife while squelching through deep mud. Walking along the edge of Cowcroft Wood these boisterous young chaps came to see if I happened to have a couple of sacks of cattle cake about my person. Bird life was not much different to the garden. Robins and blackbirds pretty well everywhere, a jay in the wood. It always seems odd the way such a large bird flies under the canopy. Along Bunns Lane there was a flock of long tailed tits while blue and great tits turned up all over the place and a solitary chaffinch appeared in a hedgerow. The red kites overhead pretty well go without saying these days. I did rather like this fungus that I saw on a tree in Ladies Wood.

An interesting day today with several instances of birds being mobbed. First I saw a spat between a crow and a black headed gull having a spat. It seemed a pretty even match with both being agressive. Later on I was watching three kites circling low over a field. I was hoping for a good look at one on the ground but no luck, however as I was watching I heard a buzzard mew behind me. It came over and the kites flew towards it causing it to veer away. I was struck by the size difference never having seen the two species in such a close juxtaposition before. The kites returned to the field only to be taken on by a single crow. Walking on I soon heard the buzzard again behind a hedge and when I reached a gap I saw the three kites mobbing it until it flew away. Turning round I saw another four on the other side of the valley. That is the most that I have seen at one time on this size of Chesham. Other than that there wasn't much of note, the redwings and long tailed tits both seem t...

I was thinking recently that I hadn't seen many jays around and promptly saw two last week and two more today. That is about the most intertesting thing in the bird line locally at the moment. I still have no starlings coming into the garden and waiting for the swallows. I have heard that they have arrived in the south of England but none have climbed this hill yet. The woodland flowers are appearing with some nice displays of cowslips. In Cowcroft Wood the first few bluebells are just coming out.

Despite the frequent bright sunshine the weather has turned very crisp and autumnal in the last few days. When taking some exercise this morning it was quite a suprise to see a swallow zooming across a freshly ploughed field. As the trees are pretty well in full leaf that was the only thing of any interest that I noted. In the garden recently I have had a flock of long tailed tits pay a brief visit and a very quick glimpse of what looked like a linnet. In the village a jay looking for acorns on the verge made a colourful change from the magpies

I have had to be away from home quite a lot on the past few weeks which means that I have not been feeding as often as I would like through the two bouts of heavy snow. There have been a couple of firsts in the garden though. At the back the ground tray has been standing in a gap shovelled out of the snow. One one occasion a wood pigeon was feeding from it totally ignoring a stock dove which was pecking at its head. On another occasion I came home to see a jay fly away from the feeder in the front garden. Jays are common enough in the woods around here but that was the first that I have ever seen come in to the garden. I have never positively identified a stock dove in the area before, flocks feeding in fields are normally passed in the car and I never get a clear view.

Red kites are becomming quite commonplace over Chesham now. This morning I had an excellent view of one circling over the town centre and have seen several others recently. Once in the town of course it is the colony of jackdaws that is obvious with a chorus of "jack jack jack" as the soundtrack for any shopping trip. Out of the town jays suddenly seem more obvious as several have crossed my path in the last couple of days. Autumn is finally making an appearance with leaves starting to turn and a good crop of berries on my rowan tree. I wouldn't normally expect any garden birds at this time of year but I have seen suggestions that the rather odd seasons that we have experienced by disrupt feeding patterns so I may put a little food in one feeder to test reaction.