Thursday 26 October 2017

October offerings

Hello

Just back from a week's tour on the fabulous Scottish islands of Islay and Jura where as a group we managed to find plenty of otters, deer, eagles and of course lots of geese!

During the last week Eleanor has seen two different migrant Ring Ouzels at Harrington Airfield and yesterday (Wednesday) saw a Merlin and two Bramblings there.

This afternoon (Thursday) and David Sharp enjoyed watching a Black Redstart in Orlingbury village on his neighbour's building and managed a distant shot of this still very scarce visitor to Northants.

Eleanor and I completed a late WeBS count at Ditchford Gravel Pits today in very mild, grey conditions. Not much to report with most of the migrating passerines flying over very high up and often barely audible or visible. Birds on and around the water included two Egyptian Geese, a Goldeneye, six Water Rails, plenty of Cetti's Warblers and Chiffchaffs and Kingfishers, a Green Sandpiper, three Stonechats and three redpoll sp.

Some of our local ringers were active today in perfect conditions for mist-netting. Efforts at Pitsford Reservoir ensured that 80 birds of 20 species were assessed, the highlight being two new Stonechats. Other birds were made up of 20 Blue Tits, 13 Great Tits, 2 Coal Tits, a Marsh Tit, 6 Tree Sparrows, 6 Dunnocks, 5 Wrens, 5 Robins, a Blackcap, a Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrests, 2 Meadow Pipits, a Redwing, a Song Thrush, a Blackbird, 2 Goldfinches, 5 Chaffinches, a Reed Bunting and 3 Yellowhammers.

Chris Payne and John Woollett committed to some ringing at Bradden where common tits proved to be the mainstay of 77 birds caught (38 Blue Tits and 27 Great Tits), and other birds included Goldcrest, Treecreeper, Wren, Robin, Blackbird, Goldfinch and Chaffinch. Ravens were noted in the immediate area.

Chris went on to ring in his garden at Greens Norton for a couple of hours in the afternoon and added another 42 captures made up of 14 Goldfinches, 18 Blue Tits, 4 Long-tailed Tits, 4 Great Tits, a Coal Tit and a House Sparrow.

Regards

Neil M


Black Redstart at
Orlingbury today
courtesy of David Sharp.

Stonechat at Hollowell
Reservoir courtesy of
Cathy Ryden.



Common Buzzard.

Little Grebes.

Above images of the Common
Buzzard and Little Grebes taken
by Steve Bennison at Brixworth CP/
Pitsford Reservoir.

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