DAN FORDER WILDLIFE

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...   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. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for the latest videos...

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

On a day spent exploring new areas & scoping out unpublicised but potential birding spots closer to the coast, I had some amazing luck... Just 10 minutes or so from our hotel I found a small fairly secluded river valley, rich with vegetation, alive with birdsong, buzzing with insects, & full of reptiles & amphibians. Higher up the adjacent slopes the thick vegetation gave way to steeper rugged mountainside, where crooked trees gripped the crevices precariously, the terrain gradually becoming more craggy nearing the main peak, which held inaccessible cliff faces & edges. Over the peak & away the landscape was more rolling, but still unpassable to those without poise on their feet. This beautiful oasis & dramatic scenery a stark contrast to the neat & ordered little town we'd just driven through, & the holiday apartments & hotels just down the road. Adult Bonelli's Eagle, Costa del Sol - one of a pair (or third bird - see foot note). 15