FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

Lady Amhurst Pheasant Chrysolophus amherstiae ©Steve Blain  Website At some 123,000 hectares Bedfordshire is one of the smallest counties in England, though it can boast of being the home of both the RSPB and for many years of  British Birds . Its geology, with four main strata of chalk, gault clay, lower greensand and Oxford clay traversing the county roughly from south-west to north-east ensures that it supports a diverse range of habitats even in a predominantly agricultural context, though some, such as heath-land, now occur only in small, isolated fragments. A total county list of some 280 species includes between 110 and 120 regularly breeding species: on average around 200 species are recorded in all each year. Bedfordshire's speciality used to be Lady Amherst's Pheasant, which occurred on the Greensand having spread from its original introduction at Woburn (also occurring just into Bucks). Sadly, the population of this extremely secretive and more often heard t...

Kingfisher   Alcedo atthis   ©Ashley Beolens   Website From the Thames Valley in the south to the River Ouse in the north, Buckinghamshire contains a wealth of interesting habitats, each with its characteristic bird community. Significant habitats include the Chiltern escarpment, the Chiltern Beech woods and the Vale of Aylesbury. Important bird sites within the county include Ashridge Forest, Black Park, Calvert Jubilee Brick Pit, College Lake, Great Linford Lakes, Little Marlow Gravel Pit, Steps Hill, Stoke Common, Wendover Woods, Weston Turville Reservoir and Willen Lake. The Berks, Bucks and Oxen Naturalist Society (BBONT) manage several of these sites. The county can boast some rare breeding birds as well as providing important wintering areas for a number of species. Birds which breed in the county include Barn Owl, Crossbill, Curlew, Firecrest, Hawfinch, Hobby, Little Ringed Plover, Long-eared Owl and Nightingale, while the wonderful song of the Woodlark can...

Goldcrest   Regulus regulus   ©Andy Bright   Website Hertfordshire is a relatively under-watched county and over the years has shown that it can turn up decent birds just like any other county - Paddyfield Warbler, Lesser Scaup, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Falcated Duck, Yellow-browed Warbler and Solitary Sandpiper are just a few examples. Among the most popular birding sites are the reservoirs near Tring in the west of the county. Many of Hertfordshire's best birds have been found there. The reservoirs are famous for the first British record of breeding Little Ringed Plovers back in 1938 and other ornithological highlights include Britain's first Marsh Sandpiper in 1887 and England's first breeding record of Black-necked Grebe in 1918. In the east of the county is the Lea Valley, (shared with Essex) where some more top sites are located, such as Amwell and Rye House Marsh/Rye Meads. One last site well-deserving of a mention is Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits near St Alban...