Garden Snaps

Hello

A stunning day's weather today with a cool air but loads of gorgeous sunshine and just a very light breeze.

Fiona Barclay found a flock of ten Yellow Wagtails in a field near Lamport - they seem to be coming through in good numbers rather early this year. I didn't hear or see any winter thrushes today, the first day for a long while without the chatter of a Fieldfare or call of a Redwing overhead. Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs are in good numbers locally and Willow Warblers will be a mixture of local breeders and birds en-route to Scotland.

Two Cattle Egrets were seen near Irthlingborough Lock today and a drake Garganey was on North Lake on the eastern section of Ditchford Pits. A Peregrine was seen over Far Cotton, Northampton.

Birds over our garden included the usual four species of raptor and Raven but Ian Pretty had a very large raptor pass over Grange Park, Northampton this afternoon - was it the return of the eagle? The bird was seen heading north-east...

Nearby we found a couple of pairs of Grey Partridge and a solitary Yellow Wagtail and this afternoon I took some images of common birds in the garden...

Regards

Neil M

Woodpigeon.

Collared Dove.

Second calendar year male
Blackbird. This bird was hatched
last year but is already collecting
food for it's own brood!

A couple of the garden
Robins like the 'Flutter
Butter' - bird safe peanut butter!

First there were Goldfinches
on the feeder...

...then it was Greenfinches!

Red Kite perched up
near Sywell today courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.