Common and Wood Sandpipers

Hello

Windy and sunny again and Summer Leys LNR seems to be hogging most of the birds today with the Glossy Ibis, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Bar-tailed Godwit, up to four Wood Sandpipers (an excellent spring for them), two Avocets, a Ringed Plover, a Curlew, a Whimbrel, a Ruff, a Common Sandpiper, one or two Mediterranean Gull(s), a Black Tern and two Grey Partridges. The Glossy Ibis subsequently visited Hardwater Lake.

Early afternoon at the New Workings section of Earls Barton Pits/Whiston Wetlands yielded four Wood Sandpipers, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Whimbrel, two Greenshanks, two Ruff and a Sanderling.

Stanwick Pits provided a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Whimbrel and a Greenshank with two Greenshanks on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits.

A female Yellow Wagtail at Clifford Hill Pits yesterday evening had a dull blue head and full supercillia resembling a Blue-headed race or similar. Today birds on-site included a Wood Sandpiper, three Whimbrel, a Greenshank, three Common Sandpipers, two Oystercatchers and four Little Ringed Plovers.

Two singing Nightingales remain at Stortons Pits and adjacent scrub at Sixfields Lakes, Northampton, and a Cuckoo is mobile in the same area.

Eight Common Sandpipers at Hollowell Reservoir were mirrored by eight more at Ravensthorpe Reservoir!

Five Wheatears and two pairs of Grey Partridge were located at Harrington Airfield this morning, an Oystercatcher and a Common Sandpiper were north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir and three Tree Sparrows remain at Rectory Farm, Old where we hope they will produce some youngsters.

Regards

Neil M

Sanderling.

Sheep of all sorts dominate
the fields at the Lilbourne Water
Meadows reserve. The lambing
season may have finished there but
it's just starting on some farms!

The fourteen or so Roe Deer
present on the Lilbourne Water
Meadow reserve do a good job
of keeping the bushes in check and grasses
to a reasonable length. With the M1
motorway on one side and the A5 
and DIRFT complex on the other
sides they are pretty much hemmed
in, unless they wander west into rural
Warwickshire.

Clifford Hill Wood Warbler

Hello

More wind today but plenty of sunshine too!

Bird of the day was another Tyler Atkinson find, this time of a singing Wood Warbler at the Nene Barrage of Clifford Hill Pits in the unlikely spot of some trees north of the River Nene. Vigour and young eyes is something I can barely remember now!

Other birds on-site included three Arctic Terns and four Greenshanks that flew east, a Black Tern, three Whimbrel and two Cattle Egrets that flew over heading north.

Stanwick Pits attracted a near-adult Little Gull, a Cattle Egret and two Greenshanks.

Summer Leys LNR provided views of the Glossy Ibis again, a Black Tern, an Arctic Tern, a Wood Sandpiper, two Whimbrel, two Avocets, a Grey Plover, a Common Sandpiper, two Redshanks, a Ringed Plover and two Little Ringed Plovers.

A Black Tern was noted at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and at Stanford Reservoir there were two Hobbies, a Cuckoo, a Great White Egret, a Shelduck, two Common Sandpipers, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Cetti's Warbler.

A Cuckoo was at Woodford Halse and Lilbourne Water Meadows was the venue for an Egyptian Goose, about thirteen Little Ringed Plovers, a Redshank, two Oystercatchers, a Golden Plover and a Common Sandpiper. A Barn Owl was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Garden Warbler courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Today's Wood Warbler courtesy
of Tyler Atkinson.

Nene Valley migration

Hello

The rain from yesterday evening and with a little this morning was very welcome as the ground has been so dry. Sadly though the strong wind has probably dried the topsoil out again but at least the thrushes, Rooks etc had something of a reprieve in their daily search for invertebrates.

The Nene Valley in Northamptonshire always dominates local migration birding in the spring and today was no exception. The strong winds and light rain ensured that some of the migrants passing through the county either came down or were seen flying over.

The Earls Barton Pits complex was at the centre of attention and the New Workings/Whiston Wetlands provided some excellent totals of six Wood Sandpipers, five Greenshanks, two Dunlin and five Bar-tailed Godwits plus two Grey Partridges. The Summer Leys LNR attracted a Black Tern, at least one Arctic Tern, a pair of adult Mediterranean Gulls, a Turnstone, a Ringed Plover, a Whimbrel, a Black-tailed Godwit and two Common Sandpipers.

Stanwick Pits was also in on the action with a Little Gull, an Arctic Tern, a Ruff, two Wood Sandpipers, two Greenshanks, a Ruff and a Greenland-type Wheatear.

Birds on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits included five or six Arctic Terns, fifteen Swifts, four Common Sandpipers, two Greenshanks and over a hundred Swallows.

Clifford Hill Pits was the venue for a fly-through flock of nine Bar-tailed Godwits with a single Whimbrel in with them. Birds on the shoreline included five Greenshanks, a Dunlin, two Whimbrel and  a Cattle Egret.

Three Common Sandpipers were at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and two Arctic Terns and two Swifts were at Pitsford Reservoir.

Regards

Neil M

Sedge Warbler.

Lesser Whitethroat.

Reed Warbler.

Warblers from Stortons Pits
yesterday courtesy of Chris Payne.

Woodpigeon courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Summer passerines to the fore

Hello

Another ringing session took place today, this time at Stortons Pits where some fifty-one birds were caught and processed, again with warblers at the forefront - seven Common Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, five Sedge Warblers, twelve Blackcaps, five Reed Warblers and two Cetti's Warblers. One of the Reed Warblers was ringed as an adult at the same site back in 2019 by John Woollett. Other birds included two Song Thrushes, a Blackbird and a couple of Reed Buntings.

Two Nightingales were on the edge of the reserve, one showing well at times, and other birds included a Bittern and a Cuckoo.

Two Grasshopper Warblers were located at Stanford Reservoir today where also two Common Sandpipers, a Water Rail and a rufous morph female Cuckoo.

At Pitsford Reservoir today there was a Great White Egret and a third year Yellow-legged Gull north of the causeway and three Tree Sparrows remain at Rectory Farm near Old village. At least three hundred Stock Doves remain on the top fields at Harrington Airfield.

An early Spotted Flycatcher was at Braunston today and at Summer Leys LNR the Glossy Ibis was present, a first year Little Gull stayed awhile and a Ruff was seen with a Whimbrel nearby in a field next to the old railway line. The New Workings section/Whiston Wetlands provided a cracking record of three Wood Sandpipers this evening. 

A Hobby was seen at the Titchmarsh reserve, Thrapston Pits, a Peregine was noted over Far Cotton, Northampton and a Greenshank was on pools in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth.

Clifford Hill Pits attracted three Whimbrel, two Common Sandpipers, a Wood Sandpiper, an Oystercatcher, a Cuckoo and a Wheatear.

Single Cuckoos were recorded from Delta Pit at Ditchford Pits and Hazelborough Forest.

Regards

Neil M

Male Yellowhammer.

Female Green Woodpecker.

Above images from Harrington Airfield
yesterday courtesy of Dr Sean Gower.

Nightingale today at Stortons
Pits courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Weekend Bird Ringing

Hello

A bird ringing session this morning at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes provided the numbers and the quality with two Ring-necked Parakeets, a Jackdaw, a Cuckoo first ringed in 2022, a Mute Swan and a good number of warblers made up of eight Garden Warblers, five Blackcaps, four Common Whitethroats, three Chiffchaffs, seven Sedge Warblers and four Reed Warblers. Other birds were a Woodpigeon, two Song Thrushes, two Goldfinches and sixteen Greenfinches.

A more modest set-up at Harrington Airfield provided forty-three birds with ten Willow Warblers, a Garden Warbler, three Blackcaps, three Chiffchaffs, five Common Whitethroats and a Lesser Whitethroat. A female Green Woodpecker was a bonus bird and five Linnets and eight Yellowhammers were admired.

Birds noted at Harrington Airfield were much the same as yesterday with about three hundred Stock Doves, a Raven, a Redpoll and at least one pair of Grey Partridges.

A Grasshopper Warbler was visual at Becks Meadow, off the Bedford Road, Northampton, a singing Nightingale was at Stortons Pits/Duston Mill, a Curlew lingered at Hollowell Reservoir, and an Osprey was seen over Great Oxendon.

Two Avocets were at Summer Leys LNR early this morning and the Glossy Ibis was there this evening, with a Marsh Harrier at Earls Barton New Workings/Whiston Wetlands.

A Great White Egret was at Stanford Reservoir today where also two Common Sandpipers, two Oystercatchers and two Cuckoos

Breeding Tree Sparrows were found near Sibbertoft today and a Barn Owl was hunting in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Reed Warbler.

Ring-necked Parakeet.

Cuckoo.

Jackdaw.

Common Whitethroat.

Garden Warbler.

All above images courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Grasshopper Warbler at Becks Meadow
today courtesy of Tyler Atkinson.

Late April birding

Hello

A wander up to Harrington Airfield first thing didn't provide much in the way of migrants although the summer warblers have arrived in force now. A pair of Grey Partridge, a Raven and a Redpoll were the only other birds of interest. This afternoon and a flock of three hundred Stock Doves had descended on the dry, top fields close to the minor road connecting Draughton with the B576. I assume these were migrants as I only saw two there this morning!

Tomorrow (Sunday) and there will be some bird ringing on-site, mostly around the bunkers. Access to this area and the section between the Chippings Compound and the concrete track will be restricted during these operations. The public footpath along the concrete track is unaffected.

Birds in the Hanging Houghton area included a trilling Whimbrel flying over towards Pitsford Reservoir, and a hunting Barn Owl and two Whinchats were in the Brampton Valley below the village. A male Common Redstart was very vocal and showy at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

Three Cuckoos at Stanford Reservoir was a good number where also a Common Sandpiper and an Oystercatcher. Hollowell Reservoir provided an Osprey sighting plus a Common Sandpiper, and two more Common Sandpipers were seen at Ravensthorpe Reservoir.

Early mornings at Clifford Hill Pits continue to pay off and today's list included three Caspian Gulls, a Cuckoo, a Wood Sandpiper, three Whimbrel, three Common Sandpipers, a Common Snipe and four Little Ringed Plovers.

A Stanwick Pits purple patch this morning provided a Garganey, an Osprey, eleven Cattle Egrets and two Greenshanks.

The Glossy Ibis was noted at Summer Leys LNR again plus two Whimbrel and a Ruff. The New Workings/Whiston Wetlands area provided a Green Sandpiper, a Cattle Egret, two Ruff, a Ringed Plover and a Grasshopper Warbler. A female Ring Ouzel was seen in fields between Ecton and Earls Barton before being chased off by a Blackbird. Two Ravens were south of Earls Barton this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Drake Garganey courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Willow Warbler.

Male Common Redstart
courtesy of the late David Arden.

Black Terns and friends

Hello

Plenty of migrants on the loose today with perhaps Black Terns dominating the action but also waders on the move too.

Two Little Gulls were at Stanford Reservoir this afternoon and other birds included a Redshank, two Oystercatchers, a Hobby and a Cuckoo.

Ravensthorpe Reservoir was the venue for eight Black Terns this morning before they moved on. A little later and ten Black Terns and five Little Gulls dropped in until they also departed.

Another twelve Black Terns were seen at Boddington Reservoir this afternoon and at Pitsford Reservoir there were two mobile Avocets this morning which left to the south and arriving migrants this afternoon/evening were seventeen Black Terns, and for a while, at least five Little Gulls before they disappeared.

Summer Leys LNR also attracted four Black Terns plus a Bar-tailed Godwit, three Black-tailed Godwits, a Wood Sandpiper, a Whimbrel and four Greenshanks with nearby Hardwater Lake hosting the Glossy Ibis (also visited Summer Leys), and a summer plumage Spotted Redshank with two Common Redshanks and two Whimbrel for a time.

The New Workings Section of the Earls Barton complex was good for two Ruff this morning plus a Greenshank and what was probably the same Spotted Redshank seen later at Hardwater Lake.

At Stanwick Pits there were again two Bar-tailed Godwits and two Greenshank and Clifford Hill Pits provided a Wood Sandpiper, three Whimbrel, a Greenshank, five Common Sandpipers, a Caspian Gull and four Wheatears. A Common Sandpiper and a Dunlin visited Titchmarsh LNR at Thrapston Pits and another Common Sandpiper was at Sixfields Lake, Northampton with a Cuckoo at neighbouring Stortons Pits.

An Osprey was at Hollowell Reservoir this afternoon and a Nightingale and Mandarin were just across the border at Castor Hanglands (Cambs).

Single Grey Wagtails were in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth and at Kelmarsh Hall, and a couple of Redpolls were at Hanging Houghton and Roade.

I have just returned from an eight day tour in the south of France and a few images are depicted on the page/tab 'Provence in Spring 2026.

Regards

Neil M

Common Whitethroat courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Little Gull.

Swallow courtesy of
Nathan Jones.

A bit of a lull !!

This week seems to have started off very slowly,  probably due to the return of the northerly winds putting the brakes on migration.    Yesterday was very quiet in the county with just a few records of Little Ringed Plovers,  Whimbrel, Bar Tailed Godwit,  Common Terns,  Northern Wheatears,  Swifts, Glossy Ibis and a 2nd year Caspian Gull in the Nene Valley.       I walked a large circuit between Hanging Houghton and Cottesbrooke checking the fields and clocked up at least 10 Northern Wheatears.                                              Today when I walked the same route I found absolutely nothing,  not a Wheatear in sight.   Harrington Airfield proved to be equally as quiet,  back to being a birdless zone!!    Looking at the birds reported today there has been a scattering of Whimbrel and Bar Tailed Godwits along the Nene Valley at Earls Barton GP (new workings), Summer Leys,  Clifford Hill GP,  Stanwick GP and Titchmarsh LNR. 

A ringing session at Linford Lakes at the weekend was productive with two Cuckoos caught and ringed, the first ones ever to be netted there in April. Other birds duly processed were a Kingfisher, seventeen Blackcaps, three Cetti's Warblers, three Sedge Warblers, a Chiffchaff, three Willow Warblers, fourteen Greenfinches and eight Goldfinches. Birds on-site included a Ring-necked Parakeet, a Great White Egret and a Bittern. 

Tomorrow is a whole new day,  hopefully it's going to be a bit warmer and it looks as if the wind direction will be more of an easterly.  What birds if any will this produce??

Regards Eleanor 

Cuckoo.

Sedge Warbler.

Juvenile Robin - the first
fledgling to be ringed this year.

Above images all courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Great White Egret.

Bar-tailed Godwit and 
Little Ringed Plover courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

A Good Weekend!!

I've had a very good weekend indulging in both my passions, agility and birding. Yesterday was devoted to agility and today birding.                                                                As usual I was up and out before the world awoke, just love being out at this time of day.  I stood around at shrike hedge below Hanging Houghton  and it was quite noisy,  especially with the sounds of Skylarks,  Meadow Pipits and Warblers etc.  I was reflecting on yesterday's agility competition where Jaeger was absolutely awesome and picked up two 1st places and a 2nd place and Rouzel, who tried her best picked up a 2nd place. These results mean they have both qualified for an agility final later in the year. Obviously Fridays extra training paid off.    It was whilst I was in this reflective mood that I was suddenly jolted back into the moment when I heard what I thought was a Common Crane.  It then seemed an eternity before I heard the call again which sent me into a bit of a panic trying to locate the bird. It is always difficult to pick up a bird against clear blue skies, no matter what size the bird is. I was very excited when I managed to get it through my bins and watch it fly away from me and I lost it to view over Hanging Houghton.  It may well have flown straight over our garden,  what a garden tick that would have been!!                                                                                                   The fields in the valley look really interesting at the moment as they have been recently scuffed and sown and they are attracting a lot of common birds.  I've been checking these regularly as I feel they have the potential to pick something good up.  The Northern Wheatears certainly like these fields and this morning there were at least 6 in the area between shrike hedge and Gamboro plantation.   Another breather at Gamboro,  my excuse for so many stops is that the old hound Tor needs a rest.  However it is also proving a good technique for finding birds and my stop at Gamboro provided a cracking male Common Crossbill.     Further on and there were another 4+ Northern Wheatears around Blueberry.                                      A quick stop at home for coffee and drop Tor off and I headed to Harrington Airfield with the others. Again I feel that the fields are currently looking interesting and again the Northern Wheatears agree as there was at least 7 birds present.  Interestingly the majority of the birds seen today have been males.

There have been a good variety of birds in the county over the weekend including a Woodcock roding at Nobottle Wood , Swift at town lake Thrapston and Ravensthorpe Reservoir.  2 Mediterranean Gulls at both Titchmarsh LNR and Summer Leys and 2 Avocets at Summer Leys which are likely to be the ones at Titchmarsh LNR on Friday.  It certainly isn't far for these birds to move along the Nene Valley.   Plenty of waders dotted around the Nene Valley,  Greenshank,  Common Sandpiper,  Dunlin, Little Ringed Plovers,  Oystercatchers and Whimbrel.   Two Bitterns were at Titchmarsh LNR and the very long standing Glossy Ibis seems to have settled at Hardwater Lake for the moment.     Away from the Nene Valley there were 4 Little Ringed Plovers, Snipe,  Siskins and Redpoll at Priors Hall Corby, a Common Sandpiper at Sulby Reservoir and Dunlin, Redshanks,  Oystercatcher and Little Ringed Plovers at Lilbourne Meadows. 

I'm hopeful that this coming week will bring us even more birds to keep us busy and on our toes . Have a good week. 

Regards Eleanor 

Red Kite.

Common Buzzard.

Small Tortoiseshell.

A Funny Friday!!

It's been a funny old day. I always go out birding with an open mind and hopefully with my ears and eyes wide open too, especially at this time of year when anything is a possibility.  I must admit that early this morning I wasn't expecting to hear and see 2 Whooper Swans flying over as I walked the dogs below Hanging Houghton.  This was quickly followed by a very tatty female Peregrine who was clearly on a mission. A quick scan of the fields produced 2 Northern Wheatears,  birds which I expect to see at this time of the year.                                                                               My morning was spent at Peterborough agility training with the collies.  We have a competition tomorrow so hopefully the extra training will pay off.                                     Whilst driving home I made a "spur of the moment " decision to visit some of our old birding haunts around Ashton Wold/Polebrook Airfield area. It has been a while since I have visited this area and access to some of the more interesting areas is quite restricted. I did manage to hear a Nightingale in full song at Ashton Wold and at least 4 Northern Wheatears at Polebrook Airfield.  We always used to visit the area to look for Dotterel in the many bean fields.   Not quite so many bean fields now but the ones I found looked perfect,  but despite extensive scanning I couldn't find anything.                                                                    Then I stopped off at Titchmarsh LNR.  The noise of the Black Headed Gulls was quite deafening as they squabbled amongst themselves vying for the best position on the islands. But this noise was superseded by the loud "booming" of a Bittern which took me completely by surprise. Once I'd recovered from this I started to scan the water and the first birds I saw were two Avocets swimming around.  I then spent a couple of hours wandering around.  Plenty of Warblers in full song, Cettis,  Blackcaps,  Chiffchaffs and Sedge Warblers. Plus plenty of hirundines constantly passing through. 

At this time of year the Nene Valley is always attractive to migrating birds and I'm sure it will only get busier. At the moment there is Little Ringed Plovers, Oystercatchers, Common Sandpipers, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Northern Wheatears,  Arctic Terns, Yellow and White Wagtails at Clifford Hill GP. At nearby Summer Leys,  Whimbrel, Arctic and Common Terns.  The new workings at Earls Barton GP have attracted Green Sandpipers,  Bar Tailed Godwit, Cuckoo,  Osprey and Yellow Wagtails. A Swift and drake Ring Necked Duck were at Titchmarsh LNR yesterday.            The Reservoirs seem to be quiet in comparison with just Common Sandpipers at Pitsford,  Hollowell and Ravensthorpe and an Arctic Tern at Stanford Reservoir.        Yesterday Stuart bumped into a Ringtail Hen Harrier at Kingsthorpe Meadows flying towards Brampton Golf Course.  It just shows that we never know what to expect and it pays to keep your ears and eyes wide open. 

Regards Eleanor 

Cuckoo.

Green-veined White.

Speckled Wood.

Orange-tip.

All images from Stortons
Pits courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Rain at last!

Hello

The last few weeks have been very dry in the county, in stark contrast to the winter and early spring. The dryness and winds caused the daffodils to experience only a short flowering season so today's rain should rejuvenate plenty of plant growth.

At Clifford Hill Pits today the migrant Whimbrel was still present and no doubt feeding up before it's next hop to Iceland or Scandanavia. Other birds were a couple of Common Sandpipers, five Wheatears and a White Wagtail.

The drake Ring-necked Duck popped up again on the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Pits this morning.

Birds at Summer Leys LNR included two Avocets briefly, a couple of sightings of the Mary's Lane Ring Ouzel, an adult Mediterranean Gull, eleven Common Terns and a White Wagtail. A Common Redstart was also reported but details of the sighting are not known. 

Away from the Nene Valley and a Wheatear was at Desborough Airfield, a male Stonechat near Ashton Lock was very unseasonal unless there is some local breeding going on, and five Mandarin Ducks were at Barnwell Country Park with two more on the River Nene near the north bridge at Oundle.

Four Common Terns were at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and two Arctic Terns flew north there. An Osprey fished successfully at Hollowell Reservoir where the fish of choice is the large Bream and Bream hybrids. A few Common Terns have arrived back at Pitsford Reservoir and several Siskins were at Scotland Wood with at least one nearby at Kelmarsh Hall. Three Tree Sparrows were at Rectory Farm, Old.

Regards

Neil M

Cock Pheasants dueling on a frosty morning.

Drake Tufted Duck.

Whimbrel at Clifford Hill
Pits courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Mid-April birding

Hello

A wander around Harrington Airfield this morning provided some migrants with a male Ring Ouzel along the main concrete track close the shooting wall and a male Common Redstart by Bunker One being the best. Other birds were four Wheatears, common warblers, two Yellow Wagtails and two pairs of Grey Partridge.

In the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton there were two male Wheatears near shrike hedge and six Yellow Wagtails flying over. This afternoon a female Wheatear was where the missing males had been!

At Pitsford Reservoir this morning birds north of the causeway were an Arctic Tern, a Great White Egret, two Ravens, two singing Lesser Whitethroats, a Sedge Warbler and a Redpoll.

A Grasshopper Warbler was reeling near Weekley Hall, Kettering and Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows hosted three Sandwich Terns, a Common Tern and a Greenshank. A singing Lesser Whitethroat was in a garden in the old village at Corby, and seven Wheatears were in fields between Clopton and Bythorn.

Earls Barton Pits, particularly Summer Leys LNR, provided plenty of birds with two Ring Ouzels, the Glossy Ibis, a Wheatear, a Greenshank, a Ruff, a Dunlin and a singing Nightingale.

The Whimbrel was still at Clifford Hill Pits and Stanford Reservoir recorded a Peregrine, a Great White Egret, two Oystercatchers, two Common Sandpipers and a Fieldfare.

Regards

Neil M

Blackcap.

Long-tailed Tit.

Sparrowhawk.

Above images courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Cowslips.

Large White butterfly.