YEARLISTING IN 2016

Compared to most recent years, when for example I recorded 165 species in the county in 2011, 187 in 2012 and 173 in 2013, this has been a particularly poor one with just 157 species recorded by mid December - one of my worst years on record

YEARLISTING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

It's all over - 2012 has come to an end. I managed a total of 187 out of the 198 species recorded all told in Buckinghamshire - 94% of the total - probably my highest-ever annual tally.

The current record is 191 species achieved in 2006 and held jointly by both Rob Hill and Simon Nichols



Sunday 16 October 2011

Foxcote WeBS

The water levels at Foxcote Reservoir are as low as I've seen them for at least a couple of years, but despite this the number of wildfowl is impressive. Doing my monthly WEBS count this afternoon there were 473 wigeon, 461 coot, 427 lapwing, 55 gadwall, 51 mallard, 32 teal, 20 tufted duck, 15 shoveler, 11 mute swan, 8 moorhen, 2 great crested grebe, 2 goldeneye (fem) and 1 greylag goose.

I'm assuming the low numbers of tufted duck, great crested grebe and absence of pochard are due to lower water levels. Despite the abundance of exposed mud, the only wader I could find (except for the roosting lapwing) was a single green sandpiper.

As I left at 17:15, gull numbers were building but I counted 635 black-headed gull, 35 LBB gull and 7 common gull.

Bill Parker