Thursday 21 March 2019

Spring wildlife

Hello

For a couple of hours yesterday afternoon and for much of the morning today, a ringing session was undertaken at Pitsford Reservoir around the main feed station at the Old Scaldwell Road. Eighty-eight birds were processed with singles of Mute Swan, Wren, Goldfinch, Robin and a Common Snipe, two Blackbirds, three Meadow Pipits, four Chaffinches, four Blue Tits, six Great Tits, twelve Tree Sparrows, fourteen Reed Buntings and thirty-eight Yellowhammers all being assessed.

A Little Owl paid the ringing site a visit, a drake Red-crested Pochard was again present in the Scaldwell Bay and an Otter was being mobbed by Great Black-backed Gulls near to the causeway.
Later Pete Gilbert saw two Curlews overfly the reservoir and Jacob confirmed the continued presence of the two Great Northern Divers north of the dam this afternoon.

A little further north and Rutland Water apparently now has five Ospreys back at the reservoir!

Nick Parker came up trumps in the county today, locating a drake Ring-necked Duck at Thrapston Pits at 3pm this afternoon, the bird showing on Aldwincle Lake from Kirby Hide. Other birds located in the county today included a Jack Snipe at Stortons Pits, a single Snipe at Harrington Airfield and two Short-eared Owls still at Neville's Lodge, Finedon (courtesy of Tom Green).

Eleanor's daily venture into the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning again yielded the Great Grey Shrike plus a Corn Bunting, a Barn Owl and three Bramblings (two cracking males) on seed by the large barn.

Regards

Neil M





Barn Owl.


Weasels!

All images courtesy
of John Gamble.

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