Article for VILLAGE VIEW - Watermead Wildlife: 2020 Nature Notes

This article was written for, & published in Village View (Spring 2021 Vol.28 Issue 1), the quarterly magazine by Watermead Parish Council, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. - Watermead is my semi-urban home patch, of only 1km², living here since October 2019.

WATERMEAD WILDLIFE: 2020 NATURE NOTES

Here’s a summary of rarities at Watermead this winter, not an extensive list, but those of special note, followed by a list of other rare species seen throughout 2020. All photos taken here at Watermead…

WATERMEAD WINTER RARITY ROUND-UP

• YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER (from northern Russia): You may have noticed a fair few birdwatchers at Watermead in the last few weeks - on 6th of December in thick fog I found a YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER beside the large lake near the war memorial - a tiny warbler from Siberia that usually winters in south-east Asia. A few visit the east coast of Britain each autumn on their travels, usually end of October to November, but finding one inland in December is more unusual. Then on 15th December I found it once again in the Pines that run along the spine road, & it has stayed in the area ever since - it seems to have chosen Watermead as its wintering grounds over Nepal, Myanmar or Thailand! A rare bird in Buckinghamshire.

If you’d like to see it, look for a tiny olive bird (C.9cm long) with yellow eye-stripe & two light bars on each wing, feeding on insects in trees (at this time of year Pine Aphids are still abundant, hence its preference for the Pine Trees around the spine road). It can often be found accompanying the mixed flock of Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tits, Goldcrests & wintering Chiffchaffs. On 14^th January it was accompanied by a FIRECREST (the rarer cousin of the common Goldcrest) – FIRECREST is also a rare bird in Buckinghamshire during winter, though Wendover Woods is an excellent site for finding them during the breeding season.

 

• SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF (from eastern Russia): On 19^th January I found a SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF in the wooded area on the north-west side of the large lake, which I picked up on from its call. Similar to our Common Chiffchaffs, of which some do now over-winter, SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF is actually rarer than the Yellow-browed Warbler in the UK. A rare bird not just in Buckinghamshire, but nationally.

 

• GREENLAND WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (from Greenland): On 31^st December, as I was watching the large lake, a GREENLAND WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE arrived & joined the Greylag Goose flock on the large lake - this is the first ever record of this species in Buckinghamshire & an exceptionally rare bird in inland England.

The bird wasn’t present the next day but did re-join the flock at the far end of the large lake for a short while on the morning of 2^nd January. It then departed Watermead & was later re-found in Northamptonshire, where it has stayed since, identified as the same individual from the unique pattern of black bars on its belly. Two of the resident geese at Watermead have attracted attention since due to having some similarities to White-fronted Geese, but these are both in fact Canada Goose x (domestic) Greylag Goose hybrids.

There are good numbers of Russian White-fronted Geese in the country at the moment as this winter has seen an unprecedented influx of birds from Russia that would usually be wintering in eastern Europe, & it was this species that I was hoping to find at Watermead, but to find a Greenland White-front is exceptional. The world population is only C.20,000 & they all breed in Greenland, wintering mainly along the coasts of western & Northern Ireland, & western Scotland. Inland birds, especially in England, are very rare.

 

• RUSSIAN WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (from northern Russia): On 16^th January I did eventually manage to find a RUSSIAN WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE at Watermead, a juvenile, which was present on & off over the following week. A rare bird in Buckinghamshire.

• PINK-FOOTED GOOSE (from Greenland, Iceland or Svalbard): On 26^th October I found a PINK-FOOTED GOOSE at Watermead, also rare in Buckinghamshire, though not as rare as the geese above. It was present on & off through to end of November when it then departed, only to return occasionally over the first three weeks of January.

• WHOOPER SWAN (from Iceland or north-eastern Europe): On 20^th November, 3 WHOOPER SWANS stopped off on the large lake briefly. As I walked from my flat on Guillemot Way I heard them calling, so quickly jogged over to the large lake just in time to see them before I had to leave, as they did also. A rare bird in Buckinghamshire.

• GREAT WHITE EGRET: On 2^nd December I saw a GREAT WHITE EGRET at the wooded area on the north-west edge of the large lake. Twice the size of a Little Egret, closer to Grey Heron in both length & wingspan. A rare bird in Buckinghamshire, though this species is now starting to colonise the UK, originating from eastern Europe & usually winter in the Mediterranean or Africa.

• YELLOW-LEGGED GULL: On 20^thof October there was an adult YELLOW-LEGGED GULL at Watermead, then 2 adults on 2^nd of November (following on from 1 adult & 2 juveniles on 9^th August). This species is the southern & western-European counterpart to our Herring Gull, having yellow legs & a red orbital ring to the eye, as opposed to the pink legs & yellow orbital ring of a Herring Gull. This is a scarce bird in Buckinghamshire but the population is increasing nationally.

RARE BIRDS FROM THE REST OF 2020

• WHITE-TAILED SEA EAGLE (likely from Sweden): On 27^th March, unbelievably, I watched a juvenile WHITE-TAILED SEA EAGLE pass through Watermead & carry on south through Aylesbury town centre. Although there is currently a reintroduction scheme running on the Isle of Wight (which includes four, now ‘wild’, juveniles that also toured the country early in the year), by use of GPS trackers on those birds it was confirmed by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation that our bird was not part of such a scheme, & was a genuine wild bird, likely from Sweden. This is an extremely rare bird in Buckinghamshire, especially individuals such as this, being a genuine vagrant from the continent rather than from a British reintroduction scheme. The Watermead White-tailed Sea Eagle is now nationally famous, featuring in Birdwatch Magazine, & one of my photos is currently the March image in the Birdwatch 2021 calendar.

• CATTLE EGRET: In addition to the fairly regular Little Egrets that turn up at Watermead, & the rare Great White Egret in December, on 28^th March a CATTLE EGRET, the rarest egret in Britain, flew north through Watermead. A very rare bird in Buckinghamshire, though this species is now starting to colonise the UK, originating from Africa & southern Europe.

• WOODLARK: On 20^th April a WOODLARK flew north-east low over the small lake. A very rare bird in Buckinghamshire even for birds passing on migration.

• DARK-BELLIED BRENT GOOSE (from Russia): On 12^th April I found a DARK-BELLIED BRENT GOOSE with the Canada Goose flock, it was also present the next morning for a short while before heading off. This bird should have been well on its way back to Russia from the east coast, where it likely spent the winter. This is a rare bird in Buckinghamshire with only the odd bird recorded every year or so, & the first record for Watermead.

• AVOCET: On 23^rd April I was rather surprised to find an AVOCET swimming in the middle of the large lake early morning – Avocets are known to able to swim quite well, but only when they wade out of their depth in the shallows, not floating about on the deepest parts of a lake. A bird of coastal marshes & lagoons, this is a rare bird in Buckinghamshire with only one or two records each year, this being the first for Watermead.

• NIGHTINGALE: On 26^th May a NIGHTINGALE was singing on the west side of the small lake. This is unfortunately now a rare bird in Buckinghamshire & only one nest site was recorded in the county in 2020. This is the first, & possibly last, record of this drastically declining species at Watermead.

• COMMON SCOTER: On 19^th March a male COMMON SCOTER was on the large lake. This is a sea duck & must have been disorientated when travelling in heavy fog overnight. I also heard at least 2, but likely a small flock, flying over at night on 3^rd April, during the peak week for this species to migrate over land at night from the west coast to the east coast. This is a rare bird (actually on the water) in Buckinghamshire.

• OSPREY: On 14^th September an OSPREY flew over rooftops from the north-east & circled around the lakes for a while before being escorted away by a Red Kite. It then circled up very high on a thermal before drifting off south-west. A rare bird in Buckinghamshire, even on migration to & from Africa, & the first record for Watermead.

• ARCTIC TERN (from the Northern Isles or Arctic Circle): On 29^th August I saw an ARCTIC TERN stop off at Watermead for a short while in the early morning fog. This species is very similar to the Common Terns that are quite regular at Watermead during the Summer. The Arctic Tern has probably the longest migration of all birds, each year making the journey each way between its breeding grounds in northern Europe, bordering the Arctic Circle, & the seas between Antarctica & South Africa. This is a rare bird in Buckinghamshire, mostly migrating over sea around Britain. This date was also late in the year to record one on autumn migration & the same bird was seen later that day at Staines Reservoir near Heathrow Airport.

• LITTLE GULL (from north-eastern Europe or Russia): On 14^th August I saw a juvenile LITTLE GULL stop off at Watermead for a short while early morning in the drizzle. This species does winter around the UK coasts but is a rare bird in Buckinghamshire & the first record at Watermead.

• MEDITERRANEAN GULL: On 20^th July a juvenile MEDITERRANEAN GULL stopped in at Watermead for a short while in the late afternoon. As its name suggests it originates from the Mediterranean & eastern Europe, but in the last decade it has spread north-west & has populated areas of the south & east coasts of England. This is the first record at Watermead.

• CETTI’S WARBLER: On 10^th April a CETTI’S WARBLER sang for less than a minute between the small lake & the River Thame. Non-migratory & originally from the Mediterranean, this species was first seen in the UK in 1961. It is very slowly colonising waterbodies surrounded by wet woodland, mainly in the south-east, & this represents the first record of this species at Watermead – hopefully a sound to become regular here in years to come.

• EURASIAN CURLEW: On 21^st April a CURLEW flew north over Watermead. Now a rare bird in Buckinghamshire, it suffered a 46% decline in UK population between 1994 & 2010, & has kept falling. Its strongholds are in the northern half of the UK.

• DUNLIN: On 24^th May Ian Tonkin photographed a DUNLIN on the north-west bank of the large lake. This tiny wader is a scarce species in Buckinghamshire & the first record at Watermead.

• ICELANDIC BLACK-TAILED GODWIT (from Iceland): On 6^th July, Eric Rose photographed an ICELANDIC BLACK-TAILED GODWIT on the west bank of the large lake, near the jetty. Though not a particularly rare bird in Buckinghamshire during autumn migration, an excellent record of this relatively large wader, particularly as Eric found it ‘on the deck’, rather than flying over, & the only record at Watermead.

• RING OUZEL: On both 18^th April & 1^st May I saw single RING OUZELS migrating north over Watermead to their breeding grounds on uplands in north & west Britain, both times attempting to outrun incoming weather-fronts, the former bird actually dropping-in to shelter from the rain, just south of the small lake.

• CROSSBILL: This autumn & winter has been particularly good for migrating & wintering CROSSBILLS nationally & I have seen a few individuals & small groups passing through Watermead over that period, including one party that appeared to land in the Pines by the nursery. This is a scarce bird in Buckinghamshire & usually found in extensive Pine woodland & conifer plantations such as Wendover Woods.

• HOBBY: Although this smaller relative of the Peregrine Falcon is not rare nationally, it is still a scarce species, especially locally, & numbers at the closest local hotspot (Wilstone Reservoir) have crashed in recent years, so it was great to see up to 2 HOBBYS hunting Dragonflies & House Martins at Watermead almost every day from April to September.

• WILLOW WARBLER: Though not a rare bird nationally, it is in massive decline, with only few breeding sites left in Buckinghamshire, those being in the Chilterns, so I was very happy to confirm that a pair successfully bred in the woodland at the north-western side of the large lake, particularly as this is not their preferred habitat.

RARE INSECTS

• NORFOLK HAWKER DRAGONFLY: On 11^th June I saw a NORFOLK HAWKER DRAGONFLY in the area between the small lake & River Thame – orange with green eyes, this is a Mediterranean species that is very rare in the UK, & as its English name suggests, small populations are only found at a few local sites in east Norfolk – this is the only record of this species in Buckinghamshire.

• CLARKE’S MINING BEE: On 11^th March I found a CLARKE’S MINING BEE on the north side of the small lake – this makes Watermead only the 2^nd site in Buckinghamshire where this species has been seen.

• DOTTED BEE-FLY: Whilst photographing Dark-edged Bee-flies throughout April I came across the much rarer DOTTED BEE-FLY in 3 locations around Watermead – this makes Watermead only the 3^rd site in Buckinghamshire where this species occurs.

• CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY: This species is truly migratory, originating from north Africa & southern Europe, with some making it to the UK each year, most commonly seen along the south coast of England in late summer. I saw single CLOUDED YELLOWS on 30^th July between the large lake & River Thame, & 6^th October on migration flight quite high over the large lake.

• WILLOW EMERALD DAMSELFLY: A recent colonist of the UK, first settling in south-east Suffolk in 2009. It is still quite rare, especially this far west, & has only been recorded at a handful of sites in Buckinghamshire, but during the last year I’ve had quite a few sightings of WILLOW EMERALD DAMSELFLY at Watermead. It is exceptionally hard to find being green in colour & spending the majority of time perched on foliage overhanging water, but the best spot is the River Thame between the large lake & crematorium.

• SMALL RED-EYED DAMSELFLY: Another recent colonist, first found in the UK on the Essex coast in 2009. There were good numbers of SMALL RED-EYED DAMSELFLY alongside the regular (Large) Red-eyed Damselflies at Watermead this year due to the masses of Blanket Weed after the sunny March & April we had, though it is rather unfortunate that this is the habitat required for this species, due to the need for clearing the Blanket Weed from the small lake to maintain the environment for fishing.

 

RARE PLANTS

• COMMON BISTORT: On the evening of 16^th August I noticed a single pink flower spike of COMMON BISTORT growing on the west bank of the large lake – this makes Watermead a new site for this regionally rare wildflower, & only the 4^th site discovered in Buckinghamshire in the last 20 years. Unfortunately, on going back to take some photos in daylight the next day, someone had picked the flowerhead & the plant didn’t produce any further flower spikes.

 

MAMMAL HIGHLIGHTS

• OTTER: On 3^rd November I saw an OTTER hunting in the River Thame behind the small lake, & have found signs of Otters being present throughout the year.

• AMERICAN MINK: Not particularly well liked due to the negative effects they have on native wildlife, the eco-system, & fish stocks at fishing lakes, I have had some amazing views at Watermead of a MINK in broad daylight hunting for Roach & Bream, & another eating a deceased Canada Goose sat atop its floating body, both at the small lake.

•  NOCTULE BAT: Britain’s largest & fastest bat, with a wingspan up to 46cm & reaching 30mph, I’ve enjoyed many evenings watching up to 4 hunting for insects between March & October.

 

• CHINESE WATER DEER: Alongside the commonly seen Reeves’ Muntjac, & less often seen Roe Deer, we also have CHINESE WATER DEER at Watermead – these are a shy species, hard to see & very wary of humans, preferring the dense cover of waterside woodland & reedbeds, though after many attempts to photograph one my efforts finally paid off with one out in the open on 30^th December.

 

If you would like help with identifying something you’ve seen, want to share a sighting or photo, or require information about wildlife or conservation in general, please feel free to send me a tweet on Twitter @DanFWildlife (I also add all sightings here as I see them), or alternatively send me a message through my Facebook Page @DanFWildlife.

Good luck & stay safe, Dan.

Dan Forder