Dave Wilton led our latest organised UTB egg search at Rushbeds Wood here in Bucks yesterday Sunday 15th Dec 2013. This is a well established site and with its adjacent Laplands Farm reserve holds a strong colony of BrH. A team of 12 tackled an approximate 400 yards of hedgerow locating 75 eggs in 90 minutes. Dave felt this result was 'about average' for the location over recent years. This successful count contrasts with my difficulty in locating adults here in 2013 - both on several of the regularly occupied 'assembly trees' and indeed on the excellent stretches of blackthorn hedgerows which are abundant particularly at the Laplands Farm end of the site. Perhaps significant numbers of BrH females on their characteristic sedentary perches have had the last laugh at my expense this year, in seemingly producing an abundance of eggs without showing themselves, in readiness for next year? Time will tell?
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