Friday 20 November 2015

Pitsford WeBS count...

Hello

Much of today was spent completing the monthly WeBS count of waterbirds at Pitsford Reservoir in pleasant weather conditions. Two Great White Egrets remain (Walgrave Bay) and there were up to twenty Little Egrets present too. Waders included two Golden Plover, a Redshank, four Green Sandpipers, forty-eight Snipe and a Jack Snipe. Waterfowl were not present in large numbers, with scarcer birds being just six Pintail and thirteen Red-crested Pochard (all present north of the causeway). A juvenile female Peregrine was active around the reserve section first thing and passerines included a Grey Wagtail and just a few each of Brambling, redpoll sp and Siskin.

Nearby, Brixworth Country Park attracted a Crossbill, fifteen Siskins, three Bramblings and six Lesser Redpolls.

Eleanor visited Blueberry Farm near Maidwell twice today and noted a male Peregrine, two Short-eared Owls, a Barn Owl, ten Stonechats and more mobile Bramblings, redpoll sp and Siskins. A small flock of five Pink-footed Geese flew low over Blueberry Farm in to the Brampton Valley and on towards Pitsford Res (but were not seen there) at about 8.20am.

Regards

Neil M


Little Egret

Grey Heron

Mute Swans hunkering down
before a squall

Common Buzzard

All images taken today at Pitsford
Reservoir by Robin Gossage.

Thursday 19 November 2015

Quiet day

Hello

Not much to report today due to a variety of commitments but Eleanor saw a pair of Stonechat still in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and at 12.05pm I happened to be at Riverside Retail Park off the A45 on the outskirts of Northampton when four vocal Ring-necked Parakeets decided to fly around!

Regards

Neil M

Wednesday 18 November 2015

Crooked Spire 0 Birders 2

Hello

A fourth visit to Chesterfield this morning finally provided us with an opportunity of seeing the vagrant Crag Martin. This astute bird appears to be using the football stadium in the town as it's home base, and with the strong winds and inclement conditions recently it can clearly choose which of the four stands is the most protected. We also saw it briefly around the Crooked Spire of the St Mary's and All Saints church in the centre of this well-maintained town.

Back in the county and a quick look around the Sailing Club at Pitsford Reservoir provided views of just a single Ruddy Shelduck. Eleanor spent some time around the Blueberry Farm area again today and saw just one Short-eared Owl...

Regards

Neil M

Tuesday 17 November 2015

Blustery Blueberry Birding

Today most of my birding has been around Blueberry Farm area. 
This morning I was constantly wiping my binoculars due to the heavy drizzle and I did get pretty wet, but the weather did not deter the birds.  There were literally hundreds and hundreds of Fieldfare and Redwings chattering in the hedgerows or feeding on the soggy fields. Certainly no shortage of food for them. I wasn't at all surprised when a male Peregrine put in an appearance, his presence causing panic and chaos. He didn't have a thrush for breakfast but instead a Skylark which he pursued and caught.

About an hour later as I was scanning from the shelter of a hedge I saw a female Merlin who also was in "hunting" mode and she flushed up quite a few passerines from the grass but I didn't see her catch anything. 

On my walk back I caught a very slight movement in a hedgerow and came face to face with two pairs of eyes looking at me, two Short-eared Owls. I think that they were sheltering from the weather and rather reluctantly they flew across the field [ southern most field] and sat in the hedgerow I had just walked along.  I suspect that these are very recent arrivals as I have been checking this area regularly. Other birds of note were 2 pairs of Stonechat, 2 Grey Partridge and a Barn Owl.

The larger raptors were absent this morning, not a single Kite or Buzzard.  However this afternoon it was quite a different story. It was extremely blustery with grey skies and some amazing cloud formations. At times the skies looked quite eerie and more akin to what you expect in a horror movie. Then I became aware of "shapes" twisting and turning and hanging in the air......Red Kites. The kites were flying straight into the wind and as such were seemingly being tossed about in slow motion. In the space of 30 minutes I counted a staggering 30+ Red Kites all following the same path. It really was an incredible sight and I just wish that I could have captured the atmosphere. It certainly was an exceptional sight.

They weren't the only ones being tossed about as the two Short- eared Owls were literally being blown about all over the place so I wouldn't like to say where they ended up.

Watch this space tomorrow for the latest scoreline in the Crag Martin versus birders match !!!!!!!

Regards Eleanor

Monday 16 November 2015

Crooked Spire 3 Birders 0 !

Hello

Yes another visitation to Chesterfield this morning and no we didn't see the Crag Martin again! It was seen on three occasions during the day but sadly not when we were there or where we were! A fly-over Marsh Harrier was unexpected. Do we give up or try a fourth time? Only time will tell...

Sarah Gibbs saw three unidentified 'wild' swans at Pitsford Reservoir today as visible from the new Walgrave Hide and John Woollett caught and ringed a female Blackcap at Astcote today which weighed a heavy 20.1g. The mild conditions seems to be invoking passerines to sing with regular bursts of song from Wren, Dunnock, Mistle Thrush and even Blackbird during the last week or so.

Eleanor saw a Barn Owl in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning and an adult male Peregrine and two Little Owls there this afternoon. Two Chiffchaffs were present at Spring Pond alongside the Brampton Valley Way below Brixworth as were 6+ Siskins and 2 Ravens.

Eleanor also paid the River Welland at Market Harborough some attention today in case the Otters were on show. No Otters were seen but 2-3 Grey Wagtails and 2 Kingfishers were easy to see.

Regards

Neil M

Sunday 15 November 2015

Ditchford WeBS count

Hello

A very breezy but incredibly mild weather pattern today as we completed the Ditchford GP WeBS count. Not that many birds about, the highlights being a Great White Egret on a small pit west of Ditchford Lane, at least eight Egyptian Geese on fields near there, 6 Kingfishers, 4 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Little Egrets, 2 Water Rails, 3 Grey Wagtails and just a few Siskin and redpoll sp. 

It seems that storm-driven birds are mostly to the south and west of the Midlands but it will be interesting to see if an ocean-going bird turns up in Northants during the next couple of days...

A brief scan from the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon was sufficient to note a single Great White Egret on the reserve plus half a dozen Little Egrets and the very long-staying Shelduck. There was a pre-roost gathering of 75 Cormorants and the large corvid roost was looking and sounding lively!

Regards

Neil M

Saturday 14 November 2015

Grafham Boat Birds

Hello

A boat safari trip at Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire this morning was a little different and we managed to complete it before any heavy rain or high wind hit. Good numbers of common wildfowl were inevitably present with Tufted Duck, Coot and Mallard being the most common. Two Pintail, small numbers of Shoveler and a couple of flocks of Goldeneye provided some variety. There were particularly large numbers of Little Egret, one of which was watched consuming small Zander one after another. A Kingfisher, a Green Sandpiper and a flock of ten Redshank were located near to the Mander car park.

Back in the county this afternoon and some feed station maintenance in the lovely rain. It was good to see that the local Marsh Tits had found the Kelmarsh Estate feeders, joining numbers of Blue, Great and Coal Tits. By next week the Nuthatches, Long-tailed Tits, Great Spotted Woodpeckers and finches should be feeding regularly ahead of some early winter cold weather.

Regards

Neil M

Friday 13 November 2015

Crooked Spire 2 Birders 0

Hello

Out of the blue the Crag Martin reappeared at the Crooked Spire in Chesterfield town centre (Derbyshire) today, which caused a car-load of Northants birders to head up north along the M1! Typically this rock-loving hirundine had disappeared again by the time we arrived at 3pm. We watched the light disappear rapidly in the vain hope that it may show but to no avail! The much cooler air and lack of insects and the wet weather of the week-end causes me concern for it's welfare, albeit the Crag Martin is probably one of the hardier of the swallow family. Will it be third time lucky?

Regards

Neil M







Images of Crag Martin
taken in Georgia earlier
this year. A chunky brown
martin with creamy underparts
blackish auxiliaries and pale
tail spots. The typical habitat
is rock-dominated and they
particularly like gorges, rock-
strewn upland valleys and low
mountains. The eastern population
is at least partly migratory but many
birds in the west will endeavour to
winter north of the Mediterranean Sea.

Thursday 12 November 2015

Pitsford ringing

Hello

The last ringing session in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford this year was completed by Dave Francis and Neil Hasdell, taking down the Constant Effort nets as they worked. This provided 51 captures which included 6 Redwings, 5 Goldcrests, 2 Treecreepers, a Willow Tit, a Song Thrush, a Pied Wagtail and a Moorhen.

Most ringing sessions at Pitsford for the winter will concentrate on the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station with the occasional foray in the Walgrave Bay around Christies Copse and hopefully a couple of other efforts trying for Snipe and similar wintering and passage birds. Please let me know if you would like to come along and watch proceedings or would like to become more involved in the discipline of wild bird ringing.

Regards

Neil M

Wednesday 11 November 2015

Crooked Spire 1 Birders 0

Hello

A trip to Chesterfield in Derbyshire early this morning to see a lingering Crag Martin ended in failure! It seems that the bird was sharing the famous crooked spire with a pair of Peregrine and a Kestrel and there was no sign of it today. Oh well whilst we were looking up we saw a couple of Grey Wagtails, views of Sparrowhawk and a couple of large skeins of Pink-footed Geese presumably en-route to Norfolk from Lancashire.

Back in the county by lunchtime, some feed station maintenance was called for and then some scrub clearance at Kelmarsh Hall where birds of interest included c25 Siskins and a Kingfisher. Wagtail numbers at Brixworth Sewer Works included c30 Pieds and a couple of Greys and the Magpie flock was also about thirty birds. Scanning the gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir yielded an adult Mediterranean Gull.

Regards

Neil M

Tuesday 10 November 2015

Summer in November !!!!

I wore a T shirt today .......so what you might ask ? I cannot recall the last time that I went out walking across the fields during the middle of November without my fleece. 
I was not alone in enjoying the unexpected warmth as there were numerous Red Admiral butterflies flitting about along the hedgerows looking splendid in the sunshine . There were  many other winged insects about providing a welcome food source for the birds.
The hedgerows laden with their fruit are a magnet for huge numbers of Fieldfares and Redwings as they are busy gorging themselves. This afternoon I felt as if I was caught in a blizzard of birds as these Fieldfares decided to fly out of the hedgerows and onto the soggy fields to feed on the worms etc.  At times I could have reached out and touched these birds and their chattering was quite deafening.
Birds seen below Hanging Houghton today included a pair of Stonechat, Barn Owl and a Short Eared Owl following the ditch along.
Now that the Vulcan has come to the end of her flying life and the Blades put away in their hangar for the winter the skies are pretty empty and quiet. However today I heard the very distinctive low thumping noise of the Chinook helicopter and infact they came right over my head on three occassions . Firstly they literally came over the garden then twice over the valley below Hanging Houghton.  They were low and I felt compelled to wave at them whilst the dogs just looked, one of them would have liked to have given chase !!!. Goodness only knows what the crew thought to me and my woofs .

Regards Eleanor 

Grafham Water Guided Boat Trips

Opticron will also be demonstrating various
optics at this event and there is an opportunity
of trying them out in the field...

However, if you fancy a boat trip be warned because
I'm one of the boat guides!
Neil M

Monday 9 November 2015

Blueberry Farm

Hello

Eleanor spent two periods in the Blueberry Farm area today, the morning session concentrating on the southern-end providing a male Peregrine, a Barn Owl, 6 Stonechats and 25+ overflying Golden Plovers.

The afternoon period was spent in Hill Field and the most northerly fields and birds noted included a female Merlin, two pairs of Stonechat (total of ten for the day), 2 redpoll sp, 10 Siskins and a Barn Owl.

Regards

Neil M

Sunday 8 November 2015

November birding

Hello

A ringing session took place at Stortons GP this morning under John Woollett's leadership and birds caught included a juvenile male Sparrowhawk (please see below).

Some ringing at a garden in Scaldwell village this morning provided 34 captures of common birds which included a Lesser Redpoll and three Goldcrests. A significant passage of winter thrushes and a variety of finches over the village included a Crossbill at 10.10am, a Brambling, six Siskins and about another 15 redpoll sp.

A pair of Stonechat remain in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and another three were still present in the southern-most field of the Blueberry Farm complex.

A regular flock of Red Kites has been consistently present around the fields west of this seta-side area for the last couple of weeks, taking advantage of the winds and air currents lifting them above the escarpment and allowing them to pick of invertebrates in the fields below. This afternoon the flock was at an all-time high of thirty birds, far and beyond anything I have seen in this part of Northamptonshire.

Regards

Neil M




Juvenile male Sparrowhawk.

Images courtesy of John Boland.

Saturday 7 November 2015

Quiet Day!

Hello

Eleanor was over at Staverton again today and saw two of the local Ravens. A visit to Daventry Country Park yielded two Green Sandpipers and the feeders there attracted a couple of Nuthatch and half a dozen Siskins. Half a dozen Lesser Redpolls were in nearby trees. Two Green Sandpipers were also on show at Ravensthorpe Reservoir, visible from the causeway.

I spent some time in the Kelmarsh Estate woodlands today but only noted a few Siskins. And I'm afraid the Pitsford Reservoir gull roost was unspectacular with no gulls of note seen...

Oh well there is always tomorrow!

Regards

Neil M

Friday 6 November 2015

Soggy Sywell

Another day of wet dog walking !!
A pair of Stonechat remain below Hanging Houghton but the surrounding fields and hedgerows appeared very quiet.
I walked around Sywell Reservoir this afternoon. It was such a pity that it was raining as it detracted from the beautiful Autumn colours and the fallen leaves were simply a soggy mess. However the dull day was brightened up by the sight and sound of at least 80+ Siskins. Such gorgeous little birds and always so happy.
Other birds in the wooded areas were several noisy Jay's, 6+ Lesser Redpoll, 2+ Brambling and plenty of Goldfinches.
Two Water Rails were making all sorts of high pitched squeals as they chatted to each other and at times popped out from the cover of the reeds. 
I nearly over looked a pair of Red Crested Pochard which were sitting among the Wigeon and blended in very well.
My surprise find was a Jack Snipe, found accidently as I went to retrieve the ball which the dog had lost !!
Other birds present included Tawny Owl, Kingfisher, 2 Grey Wagtail and a flock of 50+ Skylark on the nearby fields.

Regards Eleanor

Wednesday 4 November 2015

Harrington in the rain

Hello

This morning's rain ensured that no ringing took place at Harrington Airfield. Birds present included a vocal Water Pipit over there heading south at 8.05am and a mobile Short-eared Owl. Only small numbers of Golden Plover were present and the thrush numbers were unspectacular, both perhaps because of the mild weather. A few Siskins and redpoll sp joined the Linnet and Goldfinch flocks briefly.

Eleanor espied two Ravens near Walgrave this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Tuesday 3 November 2015

Less fog, more birds...

Hello

A second morning ringing at Harrington Airfield today was more productive than yesterday with 45 birds caught and assessed. Eight thrushes were made up of four Redwings, two Song Thrushes, a Blackbird and a handsome Fieldfare. Smaller birds included two more diminutive Goldcrests, four Reed Buntings and eight Yellowhammers plus a couple of Chaffinches and eight Goldfinches. Three re-trap (birds ringed previously at this location) Green Woodpeckers provided more colour, this area being a focal site for local birds.

Other birds noted at Harrington Airfield today included a Raven, a Chiffchaff, six Bramblings and a couple each of Siskin and redpoll sp plus a flock of up to seventy Linnets.

Eleanor saw a Barn Owl and a pair of Stonechat in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Monday 2 November 2015

Fog!

Hello

Foggy all day today which prevented much in the way of birding, but local ringers were active in the murk...

Chris Payne ringed birds in his garden at Greens Norton and caught an impressive 84 birds which included a superb total of 46 Goldfinches. Other birds included 3 Coal Tits, 9 Long-tailed Tits, a Goldcrest and 2 Collared Doves.

In the meantime Neil Hasdell and I checked nets at Harrington Airfield which were surprisingly quiet with just 30 birds caught and processed. These included migrants in the shapes of 4 Redwings, a Song Thrush and a likely continental Blackbird. Other birds included a Magpie, 6 Chaffinches, 3 Yellowhammers, a Reed Bunting and 2 Goldcrests.

Birds noted consisted of a single Brambling and a couple of Siskins cruising about.

Eleanor located a pair of Stonechat in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Sunday 1 November 2015

Is it really November?

Hello

Several members of the Northants Ringing Group provided a bird ringing demonstration at the Wildlife Trust Pocket Park at Woodford Halse this morning. Ian Dobson the reserve warden organised a wildlife day for residents of Woodford Halse and was keen to provide an opportunity to showcase a variety of fauna and flora.

The ringing provided a modest catch of birds but of a significant variety which included all the common tits, Goldcrest, Wren, Robin and several species of finch including a single Lesser Redpoll. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blackbird and Treecreeper provided more variety.

Other birds noted on-site included a couple of Bramblings, c6 Siskins and another 4+ redpoll sp plus a couple of Ravens. The incredibly warm weather brought forth insects such as Brimstone and Red Admiral butterflies, wasps, bees and a Hornet.

A brief stop on the causeway at Ravensthorpe Reservoir early this afternoon provided views of three Green Sandpipers, three Goldeneye, a Snipe and a couple of Kingfishers. Significant disturbance caused the ducks to fly and we couldn't see the long-staying Garganey (and reported today).

Simon Hales took a photo of a Comma butterfly near Oundle today (please see below) and reports that a small murmuration of Starlings took place at Titchmarsh Local Nature Reserve this afternoon, possibly a modest start to greater numbers later this month as happened last year...

Regards

Neil M


Comma butterfly on
bramble/blackberries

Courtesy of Simon Hales