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Wednesday 15 January 2014

Some everyday Bucks birds

Silly title really.
ALL Bucks birds are everyday birds
.It's very rare anything unusual turns up in our county and if they should, they very quickly move on just as soon as they realise their mistake.
 Most local birders joke about the Bucks forcefield that prevents decent birds touching down in this area but the facts seem to back it up.
 Places like Wilstone Reservoir, Stewartby Lake and Summerleys, all just over the county line pull in some amazing birds.
I put in some incredible hours scouring North Bucks hoping to turn up something even slightly exciting. But it just doesn't seem to happen. OK over the years I have discovered my own Hoopoe, Wryneck, Honey Buzzard, Pied Flycatcher and a few less unusual species.
But it's not just me, no-one else seems to find anything either. A few years back there was a thriving birding community in the area but I think everyone got too disillusioned with never getting a decent reward for their labours and have just drifted away.
 Contrast this to the neighbouring counties. Already this year Northants have had 3 Great White Egrets, Great Northern Diver and 3 Long-tailed Ducks, Beds have had Glossy Ibis ,Great Northern Diver and Common Scoter, Herts have had Little Stint and Water Pipit, Oxon had a Glossy Ibis.
 What about Bucks ? Oh yeah a Cattle Egret. Good bird but that's all.
O.K I've managed a decent 82 species so far in Bucks but I was totally deflated to see some Geezer in Sussex already has 137 species for his home county, I'll be lucky to get 150 for the year. In fact there'll probably only be about 190 recorded in the whole of the county.

 Anyway back to the everyday birds. some photos from Willen today, where it never got more exciting than a Water Rail, several Goldeneye,3 Little Grebe and a couple of Snipe,

juvenile Grey Heron

Canada Goose

Black-headed Gull

Greylag
 
 

A bit of excitement in Newport Pagnell this afternoon. I was working in Lathbury and looked up to see this.
 A huge warehouse fire had broken out on the Interchange Industrial Estate.I could see the flames from well over a mile away
Caused a bit of chaos with the A509 having to be closed and needed the attention of some 60 firefighters
 

2 comments:

  1. I'm sure the birds are out there Rob.
    Bucks seems to have a special type of birder for the most part, in my opinion; along with just a few 'watched' sites. There are a lot of places that are very underwatched, and even birds that are not reported.
    Maybe this year will see a few 'specials' uncovered.

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  2. I'll keep looking Keith. You've gotta be in it to win it

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