Pitsford update

Hello

Minimal birding opportunities today I'm afraid, but a family party of Spotted Flycatchers around the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir this evening was a pleasant surprise.

The Pitsford Reservoir reserve as managed by Wildlife Trust wardens has for many years attracted a team of volunteers keen to monitor all aspects of wildlife on-site. We enjoy regular meetings, and it is a fine opportunity to share information and support one another in all aspects of wildlife disciplines.

Although a warm (and wet) summer, the numbers of moths captured and monitored on-site this year has only been about on par with average years. Two moth traps are run every night and all specimens attracted are examined, identified and released every morning. A Small Rufous moth captured on 1st August was a first for Pitsford, despite being a wetland species. A recent 'moth night' event held at The Fishing Lodge to coincide with National Moth Night was successful and well-attended, despite a very poor weather forecast.

National Moth Night for 2015 will be 12th - 15th September and again Pitsford will be holding an event on the reserve.

To date, about 1730 birds have been ringed at the reservoir this year which includes juvenile Common Terns on the rafts, juvenile Tawny Owls from the boxes, some waterfowl and of course plenty of warblers, tits etc. Ten of the required twelve Constant Effort Site sessions have been completed.

Other breeding bird monitoring requires eight Common Bird Census visits to the reserve, whereby a recorder walks a set transect around the whole of the reserve recording all relevant birds seen and heard in an effort to successfully plot breeding territories. All these CBC visits were completed by the end of July and these sheets will be scrutinised in an effort to evaluate such territories and the health of most species.

Plenty of other monitoring is on-going, which by example includes identification of freshwater plankton and the recent discovery of a very rare slime mould. Much of this activity is documented in an annual report which is due to be published this month.

To conclude, Sarah Gibbs the Senior Reserve Warden, took to the air recently on a private light aircraft flight and some of her images of Pitsford Reservoir feature as the footer to this blog (please scroll down to the bottom to view).

Regards

Neil M

Ditchford WeBs

Hello

The first part of today was taken up completing a WeBs count at Ditchford Gravel Pits. In breezy but sunny conditions, large numbers of dragonflies and butterflies were on the wing, the best perhaps being quite a number of Clouded Yellow butterflies. Seven species of raptor included two Hobby, three Peregrine and a juvenile Marsh Harrier heading west. A pair of Egyptian Geese with eight goslings was a nice surprise, and a brood of Tufted Duck were noted too. A family party of Cetti's Warblers with just-fledged youngsters were a treat and a Willow Tit was the first recorded here for many long years. Waders were poorly represented with just a Common Sandpiper and three Oystercatchers but there were at least nine Kingfishers whizzing around. Other birds included four Little Egrets and about half a dozen Grey Wagtails.

At Pitsford Res this evening, the gull roost provided two juvenile Mediterranean Gulls and three adult Yellow-legged Gulls. The Common Scoter was still present just north of Pintail Bay and the pair of Ruddy Shelduck flew in with the geese. Other birds included singles of Little Egret and Common Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

Egyptian Geese

Hobby

Peregrine

Common Tern

Female Banded Demoiselle

Greylags

Pitsford Res from the
yacht club looking towards
Holcot church

Tuesday Part Three!

Hello

Eleanor is just back in from a good hike around the Blueberry Farm complex this afternoon.  Birds on show included a female Peregrine, a Barn Owl, a Redstart and two Whinchats...

Regards

Neil M

Pitsford Pm

I was rather hoping that the strong wind would produce a good bird, but if it has I cannot find it !! Pitsford Reservoir looks interesting as the water level is beginning to fall revealing muddy margins. However the birds have yet to discover this.
The two Ruddy Shelduck were just south of the causeway, whilst birds north of the causeway included 2 Red Crested Pochard, Goldeneye, 2 Black Swans, 4 Little Egret, 2 Common Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper.


Regards Eleanor

Harrington Am

I was beginning to suffer "withdrawal symptoms" as I hadn't visited Harrington for a few days !!!!! but I'm feeling much better after my visit this morning with my collie companions.
As I drove from the chippings compound to the main gate I was aware of birds flitting about in the roadside bushes, mainly Whitethroat and Blackbird, but also a Redstart. A Marsh Harrier, presumably the same long staying individual, and 2 Red Kites were hunting the obvious harvested field on the left hand side of the road. I later saw the Marsh Harrier again near the pond.
A walk along the main track was fairly quiet. The large flock of Linnets, Goldfinches etc were nowhere to be found and the bushes silent.
At the end of the track there is a grassy area where I play with the dogs and there were 2 Turtle Doves and a bright male Redstart in the bushes.
Around the bunkers were more Whitethroats, a Whinchat, Wheatear and another Redstart.


Regards    Eleanor

Evening birds

Hello 

Despite plenty of effort today it seemed like hard work out there today to find much out of the ordinary.  An early morning recce of the Brampton Valley and Pitsford Res failed to locate anything noteworthy.

This afternoon Eleanor again saw a female Peregrine at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell but the best I could find was a single Grey Wagtail at Brixworth Sewer Works.

This evening a visit to the yacht club at Pitsford Res paid off with a sustained view of a fishing Osprey which successfully caught and took off a wriggling trout.  A juvenile Common Scoter in the Pintail Bay was unexpected.  The relatively small gull roost contained five Yellow-legged Gulls (one juvenile) and three juvenile Mediterranean Gulls (two moulting in to first winter plumage).

Regards

Neil M

Stormy Sunday

Hello

This morning Eleanor located a Redstart in 'shrike hedge' in the Brampton Valley between Hanging Houghton and Cottesbrooke, and before the deluge from mid-morning!

Garden birds at Hanging Houghton still include the two Nuthatches and a Marsh Tit, coming mostly to a sunflower feeder.

At Pitsford Res this afternoon, I struggled to find anything out of the ordinary on the reserve, a Little Egret, the regular adult Yellow-legged Gull and the Goldeneye being about the best.  Two new broods of Tufted Duck now confirm four successful females on the reserve this year.

Scanning at the gull roost from the yacht club produced a Little Egret, two juvenile Mediterranean Gulls and the pair of Ruddy Shelduck (now capable of flight).

Regards

Neil M

A trip to the west

Hello

Today we wandered towards the west of the county, our first venue being the Hellidon area where we managed to locate a Wheatear and a Redstart. Next we took a circular walk around Boddington Reservoir, which as usual bristled with carp fishermen.  There were plenty of Common Blue butterflies on the wing but the birds were rather minimal with common warblers and a Grey Wagtail being the best.

A visit to Catesby produced a flock of eight Ravens playing in the strong south-westerly and a Hobby. Borough Hill Country Park was our next venue, with two Redstarts on the west side of the hill, a pair of Spotted Flycatcher with nestlings and a juvenile Siskin being the best of the birds.  This site has to be one of the best in the county for Harebells, with small colonies dotted all over the hill grassland.

Daventry Country Park hosted a Garganey, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, two Green Sandpipers and an adult male Peregrine.  Three broods of Tufted Duck was a good breeding record.

A late evening visit to the reserve section of Pitsford Reservoir provided views of a Hobby, two adult Yellow-legged Gulls, three Little Egrets and a Kingfisher. The southern end of Blueberry Farm attracted two Whinchats and a female Peregrine, the latter putting off a male Kestrel as it was about a rob a Barn Owl of it's prey.

Regards

Neil M

Wheatear

Grasshopper sp

Male Grey Wagtail

Common Blue butterfly

Ravens

Harebells

Spotted Flycatcher nestlings

Garganey

Red-necked Grebe

Hello

A period of ringing along the old airstrip at Harrington Airfield today provided 43 captures.  This was made up of 12 Willow Warbler, 4 Chiffchaff, 4 Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler, a Dunnock, 6 Robin, a Wren, a Reed Bunting, 5 Yellowhammer, a Blue Tit, a Great Tit, 3 Blackbird and 3 Linnet.  Other birds noted on-site included Hobby and singles of Spotted Flycatcher and Redstart.  My apologies if this operation thwarted your birding plans at Harrington today.

Afterwards a visit to Pitsford Res immediately yielded a surprise with a summer plumage Red-necked Grebe displaying noisily to Great Crested Grebes on the reserve from the Maytrees Hide!  Two drake Red-crested Pochard and a Pintail were in the Walgrave Bay and a Goldeneye and a Snipe were in the Scaldwell Bay.  In total there were 5 adult Yellow-legged Gulls in residence and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull was again off the yacht club in inclement conditions this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Red-necked Grebe with
Great Crested Grebes
Pitsford Reservoir

Harrington Airfield - restricted access Friday 8th Aug

Hello

Tomorrow (Friday 8th August), a ringing session is planned for the bushes around the old airstrip at Harrington Airfield.  This means that these areas will be out of bounds to birders and others whilst the nets are in situ (unless you have specific permission to be there from the landowner).  Access around the remainder of the site is unaffected with unrestricted access to the concrete track and footpaths as usual.  As it is, many of the more interesting migrants are not actually in the ringing area!

Thank-you in anticipation for your co-operation and patience.

Neil M

Harrington Madness !!

Another beautiful Autumn morning lured me and my 4 legged companions to Harrington Airfield where an early morning saunter lasting two and a half hours proved very productive.
At the moment I have two dogs with gammy legs so I am having to walk very slowly and take plenty of rests, but rather than hinder me this is providing me with better birding opportunities and often whilst we are stationary the bird[s] literally pop out of the bushes and "give themselves up "!

I must admit that when I started off this morning the airfield had the appearance of being quiet as the bushes along the main track seemed ominously silent, whereas these bushes have been busy with birds, especially Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Linnet.

Anyway at about 07.45hrs I had a mad 5 minutes as I stood scanning the bushes around the shooting wall. There was a small bird flock which included a female type Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher and a first for me at Harrington, a Pied Flycatcher. Whilst watching these the Marsh Harrier flew over !!  Amazing, you just never know what is going to turn up at this site. Yesterday I saw nothing at all and less than 24 hours later all these birds and more.

I continued to the end of the track and deviated along the grassy track off to the left and the Grasshopper Warbler was singing and 2 Turtle Doves came out of the bushes.

On my way back I checked the rough grassy strip which joins the main track to the rough area with the obvious bunkers. There have been several Redstart in these bushes for a while, but they can be elusive.  I saw a male Redstart here this morning. He was calling very quietly and flittered around the bushes and again I only saw him because I was letting the dogs have a rest !!

I saw the Marsh Harrier again at about 08.45hrs and other raptors included Red Kites, Common Buzzards and Hobby. A brief stop to pick some blackberries which we will be having for tea tonight and home for a much needed cup of coffee.

Already this morning over the garden there has been 2 Crossbills, Grey Wagtail and Raven.

Regards
Eleanor

Harvest time!

Hello

A Constant Effort Site ringing session at Pitsford Reservoir this morning followed on from a start-up session the evening before. Over 70 birds were caught and included 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Kingfisher, 2 Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, a Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Whitethroats, 2 Reed Warblers, 2 Sedge Warblers, 3 Chiffchaffs, 3 Willow Warblers and 10 Wrens!  Five Mallard were also caught and ringed.

A Cuckoo was seen in the Scaldwell Bay and a Hobby and a Grey Wagtail were by the dam.

Birds at Harrington Airfield between 7am and 9am this morning included singles of Wheatear, Whinchat, Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart and Grasshopper Warbler, and the 'cream crown' Marsh Harrier was also present as were 2 Turtle Doves.

This afternoon 2 Ravens and a Whinchat were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and a Redstart was in thick hedging a field south of Blueberry Farm this evening.

A field being ploughed near Kelmarsh this afternoon attracted plenty of gulls including an adult Yellow-legged and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull
Kelmarsh

Evening watch

Hello

This evening a Barn Owl was hunting at the southern end of Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.  It seems that the local Barn Owl population is enjoying an exceptionally good year with plenty of vole food on offer.  Many pairs are double-brooding but bizarrely there is so much food about that these birds are not hunting much during the day time and consequently showing very infrequently!

Birds visible from the yacht club at Pitsford Reservoir this evening included the pair of Ruddy Shelduck, 2 Little Egrets, 3 adult and 1 juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull.

Regards

Neil M

Visible 'bush migration'

Hello

A quick visit to the reserve section of Pitsford Res this morning provided views of the lingering adult Yellow-legged Gull in the Scaldwell Bay and two drake Red-crested Pochard in the Walgrave Bay.

Large numbers of migrants were in the Brampton Valley between Hanging Houghton and Blueberry Farm this morning.  Whitethroat was easily the most common warbler, accompanied by Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Garden Warbler and Blackcap.  Two Grasshopper Warblers sang at Blueberry Farm and there were two Whinchats in the field just north of the farm complex.  A Hobby took a Swallow there.

Three Redstarts were showy next to the farm in hedging adjacent to the footpath leading towards Lamport.

At Harrington Airfield this lunch-time, a juvenile Ring Ouzel made a brief appearance amongst a throng of more common migrants.

Regards

Neil M

Sunday's birds

Hello

A period of ringing at Stortons Pits this morning yielded about forty captures which included Cetti's Warbler, Reed Warbler, Garden Warbler, Blackcap and Whitethroat. Overhead visible migration included Sand Martins moving south, Swifts moving over and 2 Grey Wagtails.  Birds utilizing the reed fringes included vocal Water Rails and at least one Kingfisher.

Pitsford Reservoir again hosted the two Ruddy Shelduck off the dam early afternoon, and birds in the Scaldwell Bay included a Goldeneye and an adult Yellow-legged Gull.

This morning Eleanor again espied a 'cream crown' Marsh Harrier between Cottesbrooke and Haselbech, and later at Harrington Airfield saw what may have been the same Marsh Harrier, together with two adult male Redstarts and a Whinchat.

Regards

Neil M

Yellow-legged Gull
Pitsford Reservoir

Saturday pm

Hello

This afternoon a quick circuit of Harrington Airfield was required after the heavy showers had passed over. Two or three Redstarts remained elusive and an adult male was possibly newly-arrived.  A Whinchat was present and there are still plenty of juvenile Whitethroats flitting around in a variety of vegetation.

This evening another Redstart was present at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and a 'cream crown' Marsh Harrier was quartering a field towards Haselbech.  A pair of Grey Partridge were also present.

Birds visible from the yacht club at Pitsford Res this evening included 2 juvenile Mediterranean Gulls again, two Yellow-legged Gulls (one juvenile) and the pair of Ruddy Shelduck too.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Whitethroat
Harrington Airfield

Juvenile Yellowhammer
Harrington Airfield

Saturday am

Hello

A quick recce at Pitsford Res this morning was sufficient to note a couple of Yellow-legged Gulls, 5 Little Egrets, 2 Black Swans, a couple of Common Sandpipers and a Willow Tit.  Three Whimbrel flew south at 10.05am.

Eleanor also saw two Whinchats working a field ditch in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Northants Bird Club Meeting

Hello

The next Bird Club meeting is an outdoor meeting at Pitsford Reservoir on Wednesday 6th August 2014 starting at 7pm.  This is half-an-hour earlier than normal, taking in to account the available light.  The venue is the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir where there is sufficient parking, and tea and coffee and biscuits will be available all evening.

The planned events for the evening will be dictated by the weather conditions but following a briefing in the Lodge classroom at 7pm, we hope to take a walk around part of the Holcot Bay in search of birds and general wildlife.  At the same time it is planned to run a bird ringing demonstration with mist nets being utilized nearby.  If we are fortunate to catch some birds, these will be processed just outside the Fishing Lodge for all to see.

With luck it is hoped that moths and other invertebrates will be available for general viewing and macro-photography, so please bring your camera and appropriate lenses!

At about 9pm, the diurnal wildlife will take a back seat as we think about the creatures of the night!  Graham Warnes will be on hand to show us the equipment to track bats, several species which regularly fly at Pitsford.  Excursions will be made around the Lodge in an effort to track down Pipistrelle, Daubenton and other species.

Should the weather not be conducive for lengthy outside excursions, we have a couple of indoor presentations lined up as a contingency.

We look forward to members and non-members alike to come along to the evening's events - all welcome!

Pitsford update

Hello

A single mist net erected in the garden for the first few hours this morning yielded over 50 captures, juvenile Blue Tits making up over half of this total.  However two juvenile Nuthatches were a treat.

A visit by Eleanor to Harrington Airfield this morning provided views of 2 Turtle Doves, a Redstart, a Wheatear, a Whinchat and 3 Crossbills.  A single Wheatear was in the Brampton Valley between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton this afternoon.

At Pitsford Res this morning it was difficult to muster much of interest on the reserve, the best being a Goldeneye, 2 Wigeon and 4 Little Egrets.  Two broods of Tufted Duck seem to be the only evidence of breeding on-site this year, and to date there appear not to be any Gadwall broods.  However there are large numbers of young Coots and Moorhens and the latter broods of Great Crested Grebes are doing well too.

Birds visible from the yacht club this evening included the pair of Ruddy Shelduck still, 2 Little Egrets, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 juvenile Mediterranean Gulls and at least 2 Common Sandpipers.

Regards

Neil M

The Yellowhammer

Hello

Simon Hales has kindly sent through some shots of a singing male Yellowhammer at Harrington Airfield. Locally we are fortunate in Northants as we still maintain a healthy population of these birds, but the picture isn't the same in other parts of the country where this species has diminished.

The Yellowhammer like many buntings has a lengthy breeding season and the males sing from early spring until early autumn. Although they feed their unfledged young on invertebrate food, they are reliant on seeds for much of the remainder of the year, and crucially it is a typical species that probably suffers the 'hunger gap' period in late winter/spring when there is very little natural food left.  It is very likely that the comparative lack of winter stubble fields these days is one of the reasons why there is less food available, and this species is always going to be responsive to local and national agricultural processes.

It as actually one of my favourite birds.  I think the adult males are absolutely stunning, but the plumage of the duller females is particularly intricate and full of super browns, russet and chestnut and soft yellow tones.

Regards

Neil M