Friday 27 September 2019

Pitsford WeBS count

Hello

Today a small team of us completed the WeBS count at Pitsford Reservoir and we were lucky to miss the heavier showers.

A Ruddy Shelduck was seen briefly in flight and two Great White Egrets were still in residence (Walgrave and Holcot Bays). Over 1800 Tufted Ducks were present, the majority south of the causeway and scarcer ducks included a drake Mandarin Duck by Catwalk Bay, two Goldeneye, eleven Pintail (between causeway and the Bird Club hide) and a Red-crested Pochard hybrid (not sure what it's exact parentage is but it was with Mallard). Other birds included eleven or twelve Little Egrets, six Yellow-legged Gulls, two Greenshanks, two Common Sandpipers, three Green Sandpipers, a Snipe, three Ringed Plovers, a juvenile female Peregrine, a Kingfisher, four Grey Wagtails and quite a flurry of House Martins passing through and plenty of Chiffchaffs in the bushes.

Yellow-legged Gull.


A second winter Mediterranean Gull arrived in the gull roost fairly early in the evening off the Sailing Club.


Chiffchaff

Elsewhere and the Little Stint was apparently present still at Boddington Reservoir...and Little Owls were visible at Delapre Park, Northampton and visible from the entrance road towards the abbey (a species that is much more difficult to see locally these days).

Regards

Neil M



Cormorant. Sadly one of
these birds was flying around
with fishing line and a pike lure
protruding from its beak at Pitsford
today, quite a common occurrence at
this site since coarse fishing has been
permitted at the reservoir.
Image courtesy of Robin.

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