Tuesday 20 February 2018

Still the birds of winter...

Hello

Yesterday John Hunt saw a couple of Hawfinches in Oundle, in tall hornbeam trees at the junction of South Road and Riverside Close. This was a traditional site from the eighties but no birds have been recorded there in recent years. As food sources dry up it is likely that the Hawfinches locally will be visiting fresh sites in pursuit of hard tree seeds.

A ringing session today at Glyn Davies Wood in the far west of the county was productive with 97 captures made up of 45 Blue Tits, 28 Great Tits, 5 Long-tailed Tits, a Marsh Tit, 3 Coal Tits, 2 Nuthatches, a Treecreeper, 2 Goldcrests, a Wren, 2 Dunnocks, 4 Robins and 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Two or three Woodcock were found sheltering in the wood.

The usual Barn Owl was seen at Hanging Houghton and two Ravens overflew the village. Two more Ravens were between Buckby Wharf and Daventry and the juvenile Whooper Swan was present at Ravensthorpe Reservoir. A Grey Wagtail was noted at Kelmarsh Hall and birds seen at Sywell Country Park included the female Scaup still, 2 Little Egrets, a Water Rail, a Cetti's Warbler and a pair of Stonechat.

Sightings at Pitsford Reservoir today included the Slavonian Grebe still, a Water Rail and the gull roost attracted a second winter Caspian Gull and two Mediterranean Gulls (adult and first winter). Ten Siskins were in the adjacent Brixworth Country Park.

On 21st December 2017 a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull was noted at Pitsford Reservoir by Jacob Spinks - it transpires this bird was ringed at Hamburg, Germany on 4th February 2012 - so it seems it has decided to winter 739km further west this time!

Regards

Neil M


Male Goldcrest.

Female Great Spotted Woodpecker.

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