I was a bit surprised to find this 1st Summer ARCTIC TERN hunting a couple of hundred yards from the home office at Watermead yesterday evening, especially in June - this is very unseasonal as Artic Terns that do wander inland move through north between end of April & beginning of May, but making it even more unusual is the fact that 1st year birds normally don't migrate north from their wintering grounds, & so are rarely seen in Europe. 1st Summer ARCTIC TERN, Watermead, Bucks, 07/06/21 1st Summer ARCTIC TERN, Watermead, Bucks, 07/06/21 It was feeding far out on the large lake from 19.55 at least, until 21.25 when it circled-up very high, until only just visible as a dot to the naked eye, then headed off slowly S/SSE. 1st Summer ARCTIC TERN, Watermead, Bucks, 07/06/21 Although the light was very nice, it was tricky to photograph, especially at distance - with the sun just dipping behind tree-tops the lighting was gentle, so with such an active bird I needed a high ISO to m...

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 ...

I took part in the #BigGardenSit from 8.30 til 9.30 this gloomy, drizzly morning at Watermead, & managed to record a surprising 43 bird species. Wintering male BLACKCAP with BLUE TIT The Big Garden Sit is organised by Bucks Bird Alert & runs during Lockdown periods - the aim being to record as many bird species as you can from your home in one hour on a Saturday morning. The records are then entered into a database & used by Bucks Bird Club, or shared with your county recorder if not based in Buckinghamshire My highlights of the hour were... Juv. PEREGRINE 7 WIGEON over. 360 LAPWING in 3 flocks to the north. Wintering male BLACKCAP just outside my balcony. RAVEN GREY WAGTAIL Plenty of FIELDFARE movement. Earlier in the morning I had seen the same 7 WIGEON over on Large Lake, as well as a wintering CHIFFCHAFF ( collybita ) & a GOLDCREST during a my stroll. Juvenile PEREGRINE WIGEON in flight Some of the 360+ LAPWINGS

This interesting Juvenile RED KITE was at Watermead today, with a superficial resemblance to Black Kite, mostly due to the tail shape & wing shape - though this is most likely due to an odd moult. Juvenile RED KITE resembling Black Kite These are the features that made the bird stand out from the other Red Kites about... dark, slightly convex tail (rather than concavely forked) with lighter upper-tail coverts broad, square wings 6 ‘fingers’/P5 quite long (though missing P5 on right wing) P9 longer than P7 not much orange tone, even less obvious with bright sky behind from above even the head appears darker than expected for Red Kite On closer inspection the tail is a bit too red & white 'windows' on the underwing too defined, the head is typical of Red Kite, but most obvious of all is how pale the bird's underside is - diagnostic to juvenile Red Kite. I can imagine this bird being reported as a Black Kite if care isn't taken in identification. Juvenile RED KITE ...

As I walked along beside Large Lake on my late lunch a sizeable GRASS SNAKE crossed the path infront of me heading for the water. I didn't expect to see one out in the open in mid-October, especially as there had been a sudden drop in temperature recently. I took this short video clip to share this beauty... GRASS SNAKE (Natrix natrix) at Watermead, Aylesbury, 14/10/20. Watermead is the best place I know of for seeing Grass Snakes, with its two lakes bordered by the River Thame, mini marsh, & small floodplain meadows & wet woodland, despite it essentially being a housing estate.

Whist 'Vis-migging' (observing the visible migration of) autumn migrant birds on my lunch break at Watermead, I spotted a CLOUDED YELLOW Butterfly quite high over the water at Large Lake - it was battling the strong winds of an incoming storm & I was impressed with the control & determination of such a delicate & lightweight creature in such adverse conditions. Nature will always continue to amaze us. CLOUDED YELLOW Butterfly battling strong winds of an incoming storm whilst migrating - seen over Watermead Lake whilst 'Vis-migging' for passerines, 06/10/2020. Despite being such a small subject at a fair distance, & in windy conditions, I was able to get a few shots as it passed through, though not leaving many pixels when cropped. I liked the punch of sun-bathed yellow against the darkening background of threatening sky, so I put together a composite image this small part of its journey. The Clouded Yellow is a migratory species, originating from north A...

Experiences with wonderful wildlife in the stunning scenery of The   Chilterns . Focusing  on   British birds ,   butterflies , ordonates, orchids,   mammals   & more. Led by Nature Guide DAN FORDER WILDLIFE , we run  Corporate Wildlife Photography Activity Days & Guided Wildlife Tours  in the  Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , including Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire & Oxfordshire, & are based in the North Chiltern Hills & Vale of Aylesbury, South-East England, not far from London. We also offer Wildlife Talks &  Workshops , as well as  species identification &   conservation advice,   environmental consultation & ecological surveys.