Wednesday 13 May 2020

Birds of the cool spring breeze

Hello

Another breezy and cool day today but with periods of bright sunshine too and still dry, with a similar outlook for the next series of days ahead.

A female Sparrowhawk, possibly a first year, was marauding around our garden several times today and took a Blackbird at barely first light and later a Starling. Breeding female Sparrowhawks should be on the nest now with the male providing for her so she is either a non-breeding bird or she has lost her mate.

A day with opportunities to remain out and take plenty of exercise but the birding highlights remained rather lowly. Thrapston Pits though hosted an Osprey, three Hobbies, three Cuckoos and a mass of singing warblers on the Titchmarsh Reserve. Hobbies were also at Ringstead Pits and Earls Barton Pits and of course all our size-able waters are attracting large numbers of hirundines and in some cases Swifts.

There were three Common Sandpipers at Earls Barton Pits/Summer Leys today and a Little Owl and a Spotted Flycatcher in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. Our 'recorded from the garden list' for May has gained two more species with Magpie and Yellowhammer and we are now on 49 species (but still no Dunnock)!

Bethan Clyne a gifted photographer and birder, and girlfriend to Jacob, won the Birdguides photograph of the week with her images of a Grey-headed Wagtail at Spurn. Bethan has kindly provided a couple of images of the bird for our perusal. Congratulations Bethan!

Regards

Neil M



Grey-headed (Yellow) Wagtail
courtesy of Bethan Clyne.

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