Bucking the trend!

Spent Friday and Saturday in the Aylesbury Vale (Buckinghamshire). Friday afternoon was all about Barn Owl boxes, while Saturday was mist netting the 'new wood'.

We visited a farmer whose land is down to grass at Long Crendon where we knew there would be chicks of a ringeable age. As we approached the box, we could see two chicks looking out with the parent bird looking over their shoulders. As the ladder went up, she took flight and left the field, crossed a neighbour's arable field and settled in a shelter belt where she could watch us. There were 6 chicks in this box, all were ringed.


Next we looked at another box where a lone bird had been seen roosting. This turned out to have 2 Stock Dove chicks in residence. Maybe the owl that had been seen was the male and father of the chicks we had just done.

Off to Waddesdon for a quick check on another box that had eggs the last time it was checked. Seven more chicks, 5 of which were ringed, the other two were 'runts', the youngest being quite small and likely to be "a picnic" for one of its older siblings.


Then to check on a box that was robbed of its eggs six weeks ago by some workmen on a huge building site. To our surprise it contained eight (8) youngsters, three of which were big enough to ring, three more looked healthy and could be ringed in a week or so, and two more that were only a few days old. The male had flown off when we entered but the female sat tight and we were able to ring her, too.

In the evening we went out and set and furled a line of five nets along a north-south ride in the wood some 12 miles away. Before dawn, we had those nets open and set about adding five more in favoured places. Our one disappointment was a "non-stick" adult male Sparrowhawk, but the wind had got up by then and it found its way out easily.


Adult Lesser Whitethroat in fresh plumage (mid-August)

After five hours on site, (the wind got up ahead of some squally weather putting paid to any more catches), we had had 12 species and 48 birds, of which 6 were recaptures.
Dave, trainee Keith and myself rated the LESWHs 'the deal of the day'.

Blue Tit 7
Great Tit 6
Marsh Tit (1)
Long-tailed Tit 6 (3)
Chiffchaff 6
Willow Warbler 4
Blackcap 2
Lesser Whitethroat 4
Wren 1
Dunnock 4
Goldfinch 1
Bullfinch 1 (2)


Post-juvenile male Blackcap (mid-August)

Next to this wood, they run sheep. At present, the closest field had tall grass in it and about forty fat lamb rams. Mid-morning we disturbed a group of birds feeding on something, a carcass perhaps, that we could not see. This group consisted of 2 Red Kites, several Magpies, a couple of Crows, an adult and a juvenile Buzzard and a Raven.

I am hoping to get back to the site in September for the late departing warblers and again in late October for the early winter thrush movement. There shouldn't be any accidents on the M5 by then as the summer visitors - human type - will have also departed, shortening my journey time!