Friday 25 March 2016

Sunny Good Friday

Hello

A belated and sunny WeBS count was completed at Ditchford Gravel Pits today. Small Tortoiseshell butterflies were visiting the yellow flowers of Celandine and Coltsfoot, spawning Pike were thrashing around in the shallows and bees and other insects were on the wing in good numbers.

A Great White Egret was west of Ditchford Lane and summer migrants included about ten Chiffchaffs, two Sand Martins and a Swallow. The best of the waterfowl included six Egyptian Geese, three Shelduck and a drake Pintail. There were about seven singing Cetti's Warblers, a Water Rail, two Kingfishers and two Redshanks.

The garden here at Hanging Houghton attracted a Lesser Redpoll, two Siskins, a couple of Bramblings and small numbers of Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers.

Birds at Pitsford Reservoir today included at least one Oystercatcher, six Snipe, two Sand Martins and five Chiffchaffs (courtesy of Jacob Spinks). A flock of about 150 Golden Plovers remain in a bean field between Scaldwell and Brixworth.

John Woollett has now caught over 200 Siskins in his garden at Astcote recently, which includes four controls (birds ringed elsewhere).

Regards

Neil M



Great White Egret

Spawning Pike

Thought to be a Dace, but a couple
of other species of  'silver fish' not
eliminated.


Not sure you can have a
'murmuration' of flies, but
it was an impressive display
of synchronized flying!

Great Crested Grebe

No comments: