Saturday 6 July 2019

Wildlife on tap in July

Hello

Yesterday (Friday) and Harrington Airfield continued to attract good numbers of Small Heath butterflies, Small/Essex Skippers and Marbled Whites at one section; a Grey Partridge was also seen,

Two Grasshopper Warblers were 'reeling' at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) and there was a hatch of Marbled Whites there too as well as Roe Deer and two Badger cubs active during the day.

An Osprey was over Pitsford Reservoir in the morning and a moulting male Ruff was seen at Summer Leys reserve.

Northants Ringing Group members were active today (Saturday) with sessions at Howe Park Wood in Milton Keynes (ringing demonstration as part of a 'Nature Day'), Stortons Pits and Christies Copse again in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir.

Kenny, Sarah, Helen and Nick managed to catch 48 birds at Milton Keynes and were able to demonstrate to the attentive crowd the ethos of ringing and it's role in wildlife conservation and monitoring. Members of the tit family entertained with the star bird being a juvenile Marsh Tit. Other birds of the 13 species temporarily captured were five Treecreepers (including one ringed as an adult in 2017), seven Blackcaps, a Coal Tit, a Goldcrest, a Chiffchaff and a Bullfinch.

Christies Copse delivered 81 captures of 17 species made up of a Blackbird, two Dunnocks, ten Great Tits, twenty-six Blue Tits, a Coal Tit, a Marsh Tit, thirteen Long-tailed Tits, four Treecreepers, three Wrens, a Goldcrest, a Chiffchaff, three Robins, a Lesser Whitethroat, eight Blackcaps, three Garden Warblers, a Goldfinch and a Bullfinch. Two drake Red-crested Pochard remain in the Walgrave Bay and a juvenile Cuckoo was reported.

The Stortons gang were busy with 94 birds which included a Jay and two Reed Warblers bearing rings from elsewhere (including a Portuguese-ringed bird). And twenty-one Long-tailed Tits made for a sizeable flock! The best bird seen there was a Bittern in flight over the reed-bed.

Other birds noted in the county today included a Garganey and a Cattle Egret at Stanwick Pits and the Ruddy Shelduck at Hollowell Reservoir still.

Regards

Neil M


Marsh Tit
courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

Juvenile Blackbird.



Male Bullfinch.

Garden Warbler.

Great Tit.

Juvenile Robin.

Juvenile Long-tailed Tit.
Images courtesy of
John Tilly.


Jay courtesy
of Chris Payne.

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