Thursday 11 June 2020

Young birds, Avocet and 'Chicken in the Wood'!

Hello

More strong breezes, some rain and a greyness that we didn't see in April and May!

Yesterday (Wednesday) evening's walk was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton where the highlights were my first fledged Common Whitethroats of the year, a nice specimen of 'Chicken in the Woods' fungi and a fine Hobby.

This morning there was a calling Cuckoo near Brixworth, a Little Gull at Stanford Reservoir that was still there at lunchtime and a lingering Black-tailed Godwit at Summer Leys LNR in wader bay. Stanwick Pits continued to attract the drake Red-crested Pochard and two Cattle Egrets, and there was a Grey Wagtail and a Blue Emperor dragonfly at Maidwell Dale early this afternoon.

I checked a few Swallow nests today and found one brood of youngsters on the verge of fledging and another that were only a day or two old.

Adrian found an Avocet at Thrapston Pits this afternoon, this bird on the Aldwincle Lake close to the channel behind the small island. Nick Parker saw it later and reported that it was often out of view depending on where you were standing. An Osprey also visited Elinor trout lake and completed an unsuccessful dive.

Today there was also a belated third hand report of a Golden Oriole along the river 'between Weston Favell and Billing Mills' on Thursday 4th June and also a third hand report of another Rosy Starling for yesterday when seen in a Great Houghton village garden.

This afternoon I saw my first fledged juvenile Marsh Tits of the year and Pitsford Reservoir hosted both a Peregrine and a Hobby.

News of the colour-ringed Common Tern photographed at Pitsford Reservoir on Tuesday indicates that it was ringed as a nestling at Brandon Marsh, Warwickshire in the summer of 2016 - I wonder how many thousands of miles that bird has traveled during it's time?

Regards

Neil M

Chicken in the Woods fungi.

Viper's Bugloss.
 Several specimens are always
present at the Old Scaldwell
Road section of Pitsford
Reservoir, possibly as a
result of the bird feeding
activities.

First summer
Black-headed Gull
Pitsford Reservoir.

Common Tern at Pitsford
Reservoir - this is the colour-
ringed bird emanating from
Brandon Marsh, Warwickshire.

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