08/03/03 - Log opened for this spring. 1 Northern Wheatear on Tesco Slope
09/03/03 - 2 Stonechats in the Paddocks.
10/03/03 - 5 Stonechats on the Paddocks, 2 male & 3 females
10/03/03 - 2 Northern Wheatear, 1 on Paddocks and 1 on Paddocks Slope
10/03/03 - 1 Yellow Wagtail over (very early record)
11/03/03 - 4 Stonechats on the paddocks, 3 males & 1 female
11/03/03 - 1 Northern Wheatear on the slopes
11/03/03 - c12 Redwing
12/03/03 - 2 Stonechats on paddocks
13/03/03 - 2 Stonechats on paddocks
14/03/03 - 2 Stonechats on paddocks
15/03/03 - No news
16/03/03 - No news
17/03/03 - No news
18/03/03 - 1 Common Buzzard overhead, a good site record
19/03/03 - 1 Chiffchaff singing on site
20/03/03 - At least 6 Chiffchaffs singing on site and also a Blackcap at the end of Half Moon Lane for the past few days
21/03/03 - 1 imm Black Redstart on Downside Slope directly above Oakwood Avenue
21/03/03 - 1 Snipe on the plateau
21/03/03 - 1 Northern Wheatear on Downside Slope
22/03/03 - 1 imm Black Redstart on Downside Slope directly above Oakwood Avenue ( a very elusive bird!)
23/03/03 - 1 Northern Wheatear on The Paddocks
24/03/03 - 1 Redwing at the end of Half Moon Lane
24/03/03 - 3 Blackcaps at the end of Half Moon Lane
25/03/03 - 1 Black Redstart by fenceline above Tesco Slope
25/03/03 - 1 Northern Wheatear in the Paddocks early am only
26/03/03 - 1 Northern Wheatear on the Tesco Slope
27/03/03 - No News
28/03/03 - No News
29/03/03 - 1 Northern Wheatear on arable field above the Chalk Pit
30/03/03 - No News
31/03/03 - Ring Ouzel (male), Downside Slope between 1st & 2nd Pylons(unknown observer-if you are the observer or you know who found this bird please email us as we would like to have the observers name for the site log
01/04/03 - Northern Wheatear on the Paddocks slope and four Redwing in the paddocks late afternoon
02/04/03 - Common Buzzard seen over the site in the morning and Redwing seen again
03/04/03 - Ring Ouzel (male) found in The Paddocks at 17:00 which subsequently flew over to the Paddocks Slope
04/04/03 - 1 Swallow north over the paddocks at 16:15
05/04/03 - Nil to report - very quiet at present
06/04/03 - Nil to report - very quiet at present
07/04/03 - Nil to report - very quiet at present
08/04/03 - Nil to report - very quiet at present
09/04/03 - Nil to report - very quiet at present
10/04/03 - Nil to report - very quiet at present
11/04/03 - Ring Ouzel for 45 mins early am
12/04/03 - Willow Warbler singing western edge of chalk pit
13/04/03 - Female Black Redstart feeding off wires in the paddocks from 07:30
13/04/03 - Male Common Redstart in bushes to the east of the gully above the Skimpot Roundabout
13/04/03 - Male Merlin flew straight through
14/04/03 - Female Black Redstart in Paddocks
15/04/03 - Common Whitethroat on Paddocks Slope
15/04/03 - Female Black Redstart on Downside Slope
15/04/03 - 2 Male Ring Ouzels on "middle section"
16/04/03 - Nothing of note reported
17/04/03 - Nothing of note reported
18/04/03 - Nothing of note reported
19/04/03 - Nothing of note reported
20/04/03 - Lesser Whitethroat singing on Site
21/04/03 - Nothing of note reported
22/04/03 - 2 Whinchats (males) in the Paddocks all day
23/04/03 - 3 Ring Ouzels on the Kingsbury Slope
23/04/03 - 1 female Northern wheatear on the paddocks
24/04/03 - No news
25/04/03 - 3 northern Wheatear in The Paddocks
26/04/03 - No news
27/04/03 - No news
28/04/03 - No news
29/04/03 - a female Ring Ouzel around the chalk pit and a male on the Tesco slope this morning
29/04/03 - a steady trickle of Swallows through the site for most of the day
29/04/03 - a few House Martin this afternoon
29/04/03 - a single female Whinchat on the Downside slope at 18:20
30/04/03 - no news today
01/05/03 - 1 Ring Ouzel in Chalk Pit
01/05/03 - 2 Whinchats and 27 northern Wheatear between the Griffin Golf course and Blows Down (just off site!)
02/05/03 - 25 Northern Wheatears between the Griffin Golf course and Blows Down (just off site!)
03/05/03 - A pair of Northern Wheatear just west of the chalk pit and at least a dozen still on the Griffin golf course
03/05/03 - Parties of both Swift and House Martin moving west and a single Swallow going in the same direction.
03/05/03 - At least 3 Lesser Whitethroat singing and a Garden Warbler which is unusual on the main slope (normally they're in the woods)
04/05/03 - No News
05/05/03 - No News
06/05/03 - No News
07/05/03 - Still a few Northern Wheatear between Griffin Golf Course and Blows Downs
08/05/03 - Wood Warbler, The bird itself is on the north-east edge of Dame Ellen's Wood
(which
is PRIVATE) next to a public footpath accessible from either the Caddington road or the Downside Estate.
09/05/03 - No sign of Wood Warbler
09/05/03 - Black Redstart in hedgerow above the Chalkpit
10/05/03 - Common Redstart small bushes at the top western corner of the Tesco Slope
11/05/03 - No News
12/05/03 - No News
13/05/03 - No News
14/05/03 - No News. This is the last daily log for spring 2003 unless anything really unusual turns up!
PLEASE IF YOU VISIT THE SITE DO NOT GO INTO THE PADDOCKS EVEN THOUGH MANY OF THE FENCES HAVE BEEN BROKEN DOWN. IT DISTURBS THE BIRDS AND WILL RUIN YOUR CHANCES OF SEEING THEM. THERE ARE PATHS ROUND THE PADDOCKS AND ONE THAT PASSES THROUGH, PLEASE KEEP TO THEM.