Local birding mid-winter

Hello

A cool, settled and rather grey day but thank-fully without the fog.

The Great Northern Diver was again between the causeway and the dam at Pitsford Reservoir and a couple of Tree Sparrows were joined by a House Sparrow at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station north of the causeway.

Eyebrook Reservoir was still the venue for five Smew (four drakes) and two fly-over Bewick's Swans. Two Egyptian Geese were in the Welland Valley below Cottingham where there was also a Green Sandpiper and a Grey Wagtail.

At Stanford Reservoir today there was an adult Caspian Gull in the gull roost, a Great White Egret, eight Goosanders, a Water Rail and a Stonechat. Forty-eight Golden Plovers and a Raven were the only note-worthy birds seen at Harrington Airfield today.

A couple of Grey Wagtails were in the Brampton Valley at Brixworth and the valley below Hanging Houghton attracted a Barn Owl, a Green Sandpiper and a Grey Wagtail. There were two Ravens in the village. A Barn Owl was a roadside bird between Arthingworth and Kelmarsh this afternoon.

An adult White-fronted Goose was again sighted at Whiston Pits with the large Greylag flock and the Glossy Ibis was reported again from Summer Leys LNR where also a Redpoll. A pair of Egyptian Geese were in a field off the Embankment at Wellingborough this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Little Egret courtesy of
Jonathan Pitt.

Drake Shoveler courtesy
of Jonathan Pitt.

Kestrel courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Grey Heron courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

More ringing recoveries

Hello

Very little reported in the county today although the morning fog probably didn't help!

At Stanford Reservoir there were two Water Rails, a Common Snipe and a Chiffchaff and at least six Smew remained at Eyebrook Reservoir. A Raven was in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth.

Some more ringing recoveries associated with the Northants Ringing Group are as follows:-

1. A juvenile Reed Warbler was ringed at Stortons Pits on 21st July 2019 and caught again by a ringer at Noyant, Soulaire-et-Bourg, Maine-et-Loira, France on 21st August 2023, 1492 days elapsing and the French site being directly south from where originally ringed. Having successfully wintered in Africa during the previous four winters it appears it was on it's way to try again!

2. An adult Reed Warbler was ringed at Linford Pits on 13th April 2024 and captured again on 24th July 2024 at Beal in North Yorkshire when assessed as being a male. It would appear that Linford was a staging post with 102 days elapsing between the two dates and the bird travelling on another 183km in a northerly direction;

3. A juvenile Reed Warbler was ringed at Pitsford Reservoir on 24th August 2023 and caught again on 24th July 2024 as an adult at Anglers Country Park, Wakefield, West Yorkshire. This bird had successfully wintered in Africa between these two dates and the distance between the two sites in England is 149km;

4. A juvenile Blue Tit was ringed in Astcote near Towcester on 25th June 2021 but was taken by a cat in the same village on or about 24th July 2024, 1125 days elapsing between the two records;

5. A juvenile male Siskin was ringed at Durris, Aberdeenshire on 12th July 2023 and captured again at Greens Norton on 21st March 2024, 253 days elapsing between the two dates and Greens Norton being 550km south from where first ringed;

6. A Kestrel was ringed as a nestling at Stanwick on 26th May 2019 and found dead at Stanion, Corby on 17th July 2024 just 16km away and with 1879 days elapsing between the two dates.

Regards

Neil M

Drake Goldeneye.

Common Snipe.

Drake Pintail.

Lapwing.

Images courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Limited reports today

Hello

The count of Smew at Eyebrook Reservoir just outside the county went up to seven today (five adult drakes), but they have been very scarce in the county so far this winter.

Chris and the regular birders at Stanford Reservoir keep almost daily tabs on what appears there and today there was a Great White Egret, two Goosanders, a Water Rail, two Stonechats and a Chiffchaff.

The Great Northern Diver was seen in the Pintail Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this morning and birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton were two Barn Owls, a male Merlin, two Grey Wagtails, a Green Sandpiper, two Common Snipe, a Chiffchaff and two Bramblings.

Ravens were noted at Hanging Houghton and Little Billing, Northampton. A Brambling was with other finches between Wakerley Wood and the A43 crossroads.

Regards

Neil M

Blue Tit. This bird exhibited
an injured left leg which was
tucked up under the body. Tits 
like to peck at their items of food
whilst holding it with their feet so
hopefully this first year male will
adapt to manage.

Robin.

Cormorants courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Milder and the ice is melting

Hello

At Pitsford Reservoir today birds south of the causeway were the Great Northern Diver still, a pair of Stonechats, two Kingfishers, a Barn Owl, a Chiffchaff and twenty Siskins; a Woodcock was at Christies Copse on the reserve and a couple of Tree Sparrows were at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station.

Stanford Reservoir hosted a Caspian Gull, a Great White Egret and a Goosander and Eyebrook Reservoir appears to be the main site in the UK for Smew this winter with five present today (four adult drakes).

Four Ravens were at Harrington Airfield this morning and a Raven and a couple of Grey Partridges plus about one hundred and fifty Goldfinches, two Barn Owls, a male Merlin, two Grey Wagtails and a Green Sandpiper were in the Brampton below Hanging Houghton. Three Grey Wagtails were in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth.

Summer Leys LNR today was the venue for four Great White Egrets, thirty Golden Plovers, five Lesser Redpolls and a Grey Wagtail.

Regards

Neil M

Skylark courtesy of
Jane Neill.

Song Thrush.

Reed Bunting.

Grey Wagtail.

Above four images courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Still cold and icy

Hello

Well despite what the weather forecasters suggested, today was another cold day with sub-zero temperatures pre-dawn and a hard frost!

A collection of small birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning included two hundred Linnets, a hundred Goldfinches and smaller numbers of Chaffinches and Skylarks and was enough to create two Merlin observations involving at least one male and possibly two. Grey Partridges were calling and a couple of Red Foxes were on the prowl and at least one Barn Owl was hunting with a Brambling coming down for seed.

Nearby and a Peregrine and a Short-eared Owl were at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and a Raven was in Hanging Houghton village.

A new bird in was a Black Redstart at Daventry as found by Ian at his works address at Cummins Engine Plant. A Cattle Egret was at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows LNR and birds at Clifford Hill Pits amounted to a Pink-footed Goose, six Goosanders, a Great White Egret and a Yellow-legged Gull.

Three Yellow-legged Gulls were in the roost at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and birds at Stanford Reservoir included a Caspian Gull, fifty-five Great Black-backed Gulls, a Great White Egret, seven Goosanders, a Kingfisher and a Cetti's Warbler. An adult drake Smew was seen at Eyebrook Reservoir.

Regards

Neil M

A mixture of gulls at Stortons
Pits including Great Black-backed
Gulls courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Tawny Owl courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Little Grebe courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

A red morning beginning

Hello

Hopefully our last cold day for a while but still a day of feed station maintenance locally.

Birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton included three Grey Partridges, a Raven, a Golden Plover and one or two Barn Owl(s).

Stanford Reservoir hosted a drake Pintail, seven Goosanders, a Great White Egret, a Stonechat, a Water Rail, a Golden Plover, a Kingfisher and a Chiffchaff.

Birds at Pitsford Reservoir included the now long-staying Great Northern Diver, three or four Stonechats and a Barn Owl. At Ravensthorpe Reservoir the two White-fronted Geese were still present and a drake Smew was present in the ice hole. Up to five Smew and a Scaup were still at Eyebrook Reservoir.

A late afternoon visit to Harrington Airfield yielded sightings of a Short-eared Owl, a Barn Owl and a Woodcock.

At Titchmarsh reserve today there was a Great White Egret, a Goosander, four drake Pintail and a couple of Common Snipe. Blackcaps turned up in gardens at Wellingborough and Oundle today and Fieldfares were reported in several gardens too.

Deene Lake provided some good birding with a Jack Snipe, two Whooper Swans in flight, a Great White Egret, ten Shelducks, three Black Swans, two Egyptian Geese, a pair of Stonechats and a Redpoll.

Two Peregrines were in Northampton today, two Redpolls were at Kelmarsh and a Siskin was at Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

A very red morning in the
Brampton Valley.

Muntjac.

Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Ring-necked Parakeet courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

A cold January Saturday

Hello

Another cold, crispy day but it looks as if this period of cold weather will be changing to warmer weather in the new week.

The Pitsford Reservoir Great Northern Diver was still present again today in The Narrows with a pair of Stonechats nearby, three Pintail in a break in the ice north of the causeway, three Tree Sparrows at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station and a Jack Snipe which was flushed from a field between Scaldwell village and the reservoir, flying towards the latter.

Two drake Smew and the Scaup were still at Eyebrook Reservoir and the Nene Valley provided a White-fronted Goose in flight over Whiston Pits and nearby birds below Cogenhoe and in the vicinity of Cogenhoe Lock included a Cattle Egret, a Marsh Harrier, a fly-over Curlew, two Green Sandpipers and several Common Snipe. Seven Goosanders were at Clifford Hill Pits late this morning.

A female Blackcap was in a garden at Wollaston and a pair of Blackcaps have been regular in a Spratton garden during the last week.

A Short-eared Owl was out hunting at Harrington Airfield this morning, followed a while later by a Barn Owl. Other birds included three Golden Plovers and plenty of Yellowhammers.

A Short-eared Owl was in hedging at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon with another not too far away on private land with no public access. A female Peregrine and two Woodcock were also at Blueberry Farm and birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton included two Barn Owls, a Grey Wagtail, thirteen Grey Partridges, two hundred Linnets, a hundred Goldfinches and forty Skylarks.

Regards

Neil M

Wintry scenes at Pitsford Reservoir
today with much of the reservoir
north of the causeway being ice.

Fallow Deer courtesy
of Jonathan Pitt.

Long-tailed Tits courtesy
of Jonathan Pitt.

Magpie.

SP54 Short Day Count

Hello

Potentially the coldest nights and day of the winter so far saw three of us complete the Banbury Ornithological Society Short Day Count in SP54 - in the deep south of the county!

We started at Thenford and found plenty of common finches which included a Redpoll and a few Siskins and several Greenfinches but not the hoped-for Hawfinches. The corvids were vocal and included a couple of Ravens and a Grey Wagtail was present too. More Ravens were at Marston St Lawrence and a couple of Siskins too and at least four Ravens were at Farthinghoe LNR and where a flock of twenty Golden Plovers were heading over south. Over three hundred Lapwings were seen flying south during the day in response to even more adverse conditions further north.

Another bird that was responding to the cold weather was the Skylark with about a hundred near Trafford Bridge, a flock of fifty near Sulgrave and small numbers elsewhere. An unidentified small egret was seen in flight also near Sulgrave and couldn't be found again, a covey of eight Grey Partridge were on the edge of the square towards Chacombe and a Barn Owl was seen at Weedon Lois. A female Shoveler in a hole in the ice was noteworthy at Edgecote where there was also a Grey Wagtail and thrushes were particularly evident today with good numbers of all five common species trying to feed in the frosty fields.

Mammals featured too with Fallow Deer, Roe Deer, Red Fox, Grey Squirrel, Rabbit and Brown Hare all being espied.

Elsewhere and three drake Smew and a Scaup were at Eyebrook Reservoir, the Ruddy Shelduck moved from Winwick Pools to Hollowell Reservoir (where there were also four Stonechats) and Stanford Reservoir continued to host the two Whooper Swans, a Great White Egret, five Goosanders, a Water Rail, three Chiffchaffs and a Stonechat.

At Pitsford Reservoir the Great Northern Diver was again seen in The Narrows and the two White-fronted Geese were still at Ravensthorpe Reservoir. Another White-fronted Goose was in the Nene Valley with Greylags at Billing Pits and birds nearby at Ecton SF included a Green Sandpiper, a Cetti's Warbler and at least two Chiffchaffs.

Other Nene Valley birds included the Glossy Ibis, a Caspian Gull, two Great White Egrets, two Golden Plovers and six Common Snipe at Summer Leys LNR, a Cetti's Warbler and a Water Rail at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows, a Great White Egret at Grendon Pond and a Caspian Gull at Whiston Pits between Cogenhoe and Earls Barton.

The two Short-eared Owls were still on private land near Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton included two Barn Owls, fifty Skylarks and a Grey Wagtail.

Birds for Harrington Airfield included the 'ringtail' Hen Harrier again, a Barn Owl and fourteen Grey Partridges and two Siskins were at the Sandy Lane Attenuation Pond at Duston.

Regards

Neil M

Mute Swan.

Grey Partridges courtesy
of Jacob Spinks.

Edgcote.

Lapwing.

A cold night ahead

Hello

A cold day with temperatures struggling to rise above freezing despite some lovely winter sunshine and some especially cold temperatures tonight and tomorrow morning.

The Common Guillemot wasn't reported at Eyebrook Reservoir today but a Scaup and four drake Smew were present.

Two Whooper Swans were at Stanford Reservoir this afternoon plus a Great White Egret, five Goosanders, a Water Rail, a Stonechat and three Chiffchaffs.

The Glossy Ibis was still at Summer Leys LNR as were three Great White Egrets and pairs of Peregrines were in situ at two urban sites in the county.

The two Short-eared Owls remain on private land not far from Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and a Barn Owl, fifty Skylarks and two Grey Wagtails were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton with another Grey Wagtail in the valley below Brixworth.

At Harrington Airfield there were nine Grey Partridges, at least sixty Yellowhammers, at least eighty Skylarks and both Common Buzzard and Red Kite were attracted to a Red Fox corpse.

An adult Yellow-legged Gull was in the gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir and there were single Ravens both there and at Hanging Houghton. Four Tree Sparrows were noted at Pitsford's Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station.

A pair of Stonechats were at Towcester, a Goosander was at Abington Park, Northampton and seven Goosanders and a Great White Egret were at Daventry Country Park.

The two White-fronted Geese were still at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today where two Egyptian Geese and a Woodcock were also seen and the Ruddy Shelduck was still at Winwick Pools.

Regards

Neil M

Marsh Tit.

Great Tit.

Song Thrush courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Great White Egret courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Long-tailed Tit courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Hungry birds in the cold

Hello

Another cold day but without sunshine and little in the way of wind, the morning frost remained for a long time and the birds were hungry!

In this weather I tend to use far more bird food at the ten feeding stations we maintain including our own garden. Interestingly a field near Maidwell was being ploughed today and this pulled in gulls, Red Kites, Fieldfares, Starlings and Pied Wagtails all looking for this unseasonal bounty.

The Glossy Ibis was still at Summer Leys LNR, the Ruddy Shelduck was at Winwick Pools, the Great Northern Diver was at Pitsford Reservoir and perhaps most surprisingly, a Common Guillemot was reported at Eyebrook Reservoir this afternoon. The two White-fronted Geese were still at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today.

Three Kingfishers were looking for food at Upton Country Park, two Tree Sparrows were at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station at Pitsford Reservoir and birds at Ecton Sewage Farm and Billing Pits included two Green Sandpipers, a Great White Egret, Ring-necked Parakeets and in excess of fifteen Chiffchaffs.

Wintering Blackcaps were in gardens at Brixworth, Creaton, Hartwell and Duston, Northampton.

Two Short-eared Owls were still on private land near to Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and a female Peregrine was nearby. In the Brampton Valley there were two Grey Wagtails near Draughton Crossing and a Barn Owl, a Green Sandpiper and two Little Egrets were below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Early morning at Fawsley Park (yesterday).

Kingfishers.

Pied Wagtails.

Meadow Pipit.

Above five images courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

SP55 Short Day Count

Hello

A cold and partly-sunny winter day was just the weather for a Banbury Ornithological Society Short Day Count in SP55 in the west of the county. Fawsley Park dominates this 10km square as far as habitat is concerned and about half the day was spent exploring from the footpaths. A Barn Owl was one of the first birds noted and a Cetti's Warbler, three Water Rails and some noisy Ravens were next. An initial flock of nine Siskins was a precursor to a flock of seventy Siskins in the alders which also contained two Redpolls and a few Goldfinches.

The Catesby area was next with a pair of Stonechats and eight Siskins and a couple of Ravens being the best. A Kingfisher was at Byfield Pool, two Goosanders and a flock of Common Snipe outside the square were at Boddington Reservoir and a large flock of finches near West Farndon included 150 - 200 Chaffinches, two Bramblings and over a hundred Linnets. At least one Grey Wagtail at Byfield Water Treatment Works was in singing mode. Red Kites, Common Buzzards, Woodpigeons and corvids were high profile today but for the first time ever we couldn't find a Yellowhammer in the square. It is likely that the remaining Yellowhammers in the area are gathered together in one flock and we didn't find it but this species is still very much on the downturn nationally.

The Glossy Ibis remained faithful to Summer Leys LNR today, the Ruddy Shelduck was at Winwick Pools and the Great Northern Diver was still at Pitsford Reservoir between Pintail Bay and the dam. The two White-fronted Geese were also still at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today and three drake Smew remain at Eyebrook Reservoir.

Stephen Allen did well today, finding single Hawfinches at both Greens Norton and Towcester Churchyard.

Two Stonechats and six Common Snipe were at Upton Country Park, a pair of Stonechats were at Towcester and a Pink-footed Goose and three Egyptian Geese were on the south bank of the main lake at Clifford Hill Pits.  A Great White Egret flew over Greens Norton playing fields at lunchtime.

The birds recorded at Stanford Reservoir today included the first year Mediterranean Gull again, a Great White Egret, four Goosanders, a Kingfisher, a Stonechat and five Chiffchaffs. The two Short-eared Owls were again on private land near to Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and a Barn Owl was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Stonechats at Upton Country Park
today courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Roe Deer.