Sunday 30 October 2016

Sunday's birds...

Hello

This morning we spent a couple of hours at Ditchford Gravel Pits on the pits west of Ditchford Lane. Birds noted included three Egyptian Geese, a Snipe, a Kingfisher, two Water Rails, three Cetti's Warblers and three Stonechats. A group of four Rock Pipits touched down briefly but after only about five minutes of foraging around the edge of one of the pits they appeared to fly off.

Kenny Cramer and team enjoyed another ringing session at Linford Lakes near Milton Keynes this morning, processing forty-six birds. Thrushes dominated with seven Redwings, two Song Thrushes, two Blackbirds and a single Fieldfare. Six new Robins and four new Goldcrests suggested an influx. Amphibians on show amounted to Great Crested Newt, Common Newt and Common Toad and there was a late Grass Snake visible too.

John Woollett and team were industrious at Stortons Gravel Pits this morning with thirty-nine birds caught. One of these was a re-trap Goldcrest which was first caught in November 2015 and again in February 2016, suggesting that this individual treats the vegetative borders of the gravel pits complex as a suitable wintering site (generally there are no Goldcrests on-site during the summer months). Other birds captured included a Chiffchaff, three other Goldcrests, a Reed Bunting, a Song Thrush and three Redwings. Other birds overflying included a Siskin and a pair of Raven.

A Woodcock and three Snipe were flushed from field margins near to Lamport Hall this afternoon and birds in the village at Hanging Houghton today included a Nuthatch, a Siskin, a Brambling and two Grey Wagtails.

Regards

Neil M


Goldcrest at Stortons
GP, courtesy of John Boland.

The Redwing has featured
heavily on the blog recently
but I couldn't resist this image
from Chris Payne of one of the
birds captured at Stortons GP today...


House Sparrow x Tree Sparrow
hybrid. This bird was caught at
Hanging Houghton this afternoon.
Superficially this bird most
resembled a Tree Sparrow but was much
too large and note the extensive bib,
absence of a clear cut cheek patch, grey/
brown flecking to the front of the
crown and almost a hint of a pale
supercilium. The underside was greyer
than a pure Tree Sparrow. It is likely that
this is a male bird.

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