After the rain

Hello

Very much a wash-out with constant rain yesterday and it started dull today but the warm weather hit this afternoon and looks likely to stay for the week-end.

Nothing much reported yesterday (11th) but three Oystercatchers were at Stanford Reservoir where also two Cuckoos and a Cetti's Warbler. Up to four adult Barn Owls were located on the Cottesbrooke estate also yesterday.

Today (12th) and an early morning venture to Lilbourne Meadows reserve didn't provide much in very dull and breezy conditions but three Little Ringed Plovers were present. The pair of Oystercatchers and summering Lapwings have all given up trying to raise any chicks (no young successfully raised this year).

At Titchmarsh reserve, Thrapston Pits a Bittern was booming today and the Cattle Egret colony in the Nene Valley has had another good year with three broods of young supported by nine adults.

An Osprey was fishing north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir today where also a male Cuckoo.

Regards

Neil M

Grey Heron courtesy
of John Tilly.

Lapwing courtesy of
John Tilly.

Barn Owl courtesy of
Tyler Atkinson.

Little Owl courtesy
of Tyler Atkinson.

Cetti's Warbler courtesy 
of Tony Stanford.

Summer birding

Hello

At least two Tree Sparrows (a juvenile and an adult) were at Rectory Farm, Old this morning - hopefully a second brood might be on the way.

At Pitsford Reservoir there were two drake Wigeon and a Great White Egret in the Scaldwell Bay and a British colour-ringed Black-headed Gull is breeding on one of the rafts there and has offspring.

Two hunting Barn Owls were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this evening and a Little Owl and a Barn Owl were near Little Houghton.

The adult Yellow-legged Gull was again at Summer Leys LNR today and a Cuckoo and an Oystercatcher were in situ at Stanford Reservoir.

Regards

Neil M

Large Skipper.

Small Tortoiseshell.

Beautiful Demoiselle.

Osprey.

Naturetrek Day Tour

Hello

A Naturetrek Day Tour took place today at Rectory Farm, Great Easton with a walk around the award winning farm which utilises modern farm techniques entwined with nature conservation. This is also the home of Eyebrook Wild Bird Foods. It was blustery and cool with squally showers but also plenty of sunshine. Birds of note were Grey Wagtail, Lesser Whitethroat and Spotted Flycatcher with the adjacent Eyebrook Reservoir providing fifteen Egyptian Geese, thirty Common Terns, two Great White Egrets, a leucistic Great Crested Grebe, a pair of Shelduck with a single duckling and a fishing Osprey. Several Brown Hares were visible despite the well-grown crops.

Odonata included Blue Emperor, Black-tailed Skimmer, Beautiful Demoiselle and Common Blue Damselfly and butterflies were Painted Lady (in some numbers), Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White, Speckled Wood, Large Skipper, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.

Two Oystercatchers and a pair of Egyptian Geese were with well-grown goslings in the Welland Valley below Cottingham. A pair of Grey Partridge were at Harrington Airfield.

A 'reeling' Grasshopper Warbler was at Stanford Reservoir plus two Oystercatchers and an adult Yellow-legged Gull was in a field at Summer Leys LNR.

Violence at the Titchmarsh reserve, Thrapston Pits this evening saw an Egyptian Goose attack, drown and toss aside a Gadwall ducking. The goose had well-grown goslings.

A Barn Owl was hunting in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Egyptian Goose.

Black-tailed Skimmer.

Painted Lady.

Beautiful Demoiselle.

The next generation of birds

Hello

A wet morning but a dryer, sunny afternoon.

Over at Stanford Reservoir today the best birds were a Barn Owl, a Cetti's Warbler and three Oystercatchers.

At Pitsford Reservoir birds north of the causeway were an Osprey, a Great White Egret and a calling Cuckoo and Small Heath butterflies were active in Scaldwell Meadow.

A Grey Wagtail was in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth and Summer Leys LNR provided sightings of a Bittern, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Little Ringed Plover, a Hobby and a Peregrine. Two Avocets were in the Whiston Locks area of the Nene Valley this evening.

Black Hairstreak butterflies were active in Brampton Wood today, a relatively new site in the county.

Regards

Neil M

Young Barn Owls ringed today,
courtesy of Chris Payne.

A family party of Blackcaps
at Stortons Pits today courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

NRG Ringing Recoveries

Hello

A male Marsh Harrier was hunting in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning with two hunting Barn Owls this evening, and two Spotted Flycatchers were noted at New Covert, Kelmarsh today.

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

1. Two juvenile Blue Tits ringed at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes on 30th May 2026 were killed by a cat at Milton Keynes on 3rd June and 4th June 2026;

2. A young Reed Warbler was ringed at Stanford Reservoir on 20th September 2025 and captured again on 25th May 2026 at Linford Lakes when assessed as an adult male. Two hundred and forty-seven days elapsed between these two dates with the bird migrating to and back from Africa in the meantime;

3. A young Reed Warbler was ringed at Hayes, Greater London on 12th September 2025 and was caught again at Stanwick Lakes on 24th May 2026, some two hundred and eighty-five days later and 93km further north and with a visit in-between to Africa;

4. A young Reed Warbler was ringed at Pitsford Reservoir on 30th August 2024 and re-appeared at Stanford Reservoir on 30th May this year as an adult male, six hundred and thirty-eight days later and with two migrations to and from Africa under it's belt;

5. An adult male Reed Warbler was ringed at Linford Lakes on 10th June 2023 and captured again near Beja, Portugal on 4th August 2024, 421 days later and 1711km further south-west;

6. A young Reed Warbler was ringed at Pitsford Reservoir on 16th August 2023 and caught again at Leighton Moss, Lancashire on 10th August 2025 when an adult female. Seven hundred and twenty-five days elapsed between the two dates with two visits to Africa in that time;

Reed Warbler courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

7. A young male Greenfinch was ringed at Stortons Pits on 13th November 2024 and just the leg and ring were found in Northampton on 14th January 2026, 427 days later;

8. A nestling Sand Martin was ringed at Rutland Water on 11th June 2025 and was found dead with injuries at Pitsford Reservoir on 29th April 2026, 322 days later and with a migration to Africa and back during the intervening winter;

9. A nestling Common Gull was ringed at Amrum, Nordfriesische Inseln, Germany on 2nd July 2023 and fitted with a colour ring AO9V. This bird was seen at Pitsford Reservoir when an adult on 7th January 2026, 920 days later and 660km WSW from where originally ringed;

10. A young Jackdaw was ringed at Greens Norton on 21st August 2014 but was found with injuries and destroyed on 13th April 2026 at Church End, Buckinghamshire, 4253 days later and 43km further south;

11. An adult female Mute Swan was ringed at Furzton Lake, Milton Keynes on 9th November 2021 and found predated on a nest in the Emerson Valley, Milton Keynes on 6th April 2026, 1609 days later;

12. A female Redpoll was ringed at Stortons Pits on 4th March 2026 and on 18th April 2026 she was caught again at Budby Corner Plantations, Carburton, Notts, 45 days later and having traveled 113km in a northerly direction;

13. A Lesser Redpoll was ringed at Linford Lakes on 13th April 2024 and was found sick and subsequently died 454km away at Ballyclare, Antrim, Northern Ireland on 6th April 2026, 723 days later after travelling North West;

14. A first year Goldfinch was ringed at Overstone Park, Northampton on 9th March 2024 and captured again at Bourne Wood, Lincolnshire on 9th March 2026, 751 days later;

15. An adult male Goldcrest was ringed at West Vlaanderen, Belgium on 22nd October 2025 and hit a mist net again at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes seventeen days later on 8th November 2025 having travelled 297 km in a WNW direction;

Goldcrest courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

16. A first year Sedge Warbler was ringed at Pitsford Reservoir on 10th August 2025 and re-captured fourteen days later at Brandon Fen, Suffolk having travelled 96km in an easterly direction.

Regards

Neil M

Wet and breezy June day

Hello

A day of sunshine, rain and bluster seems to be a typical weather day in June in recent years.

A calling Quail in fields to the south of Clifford Hill Pits this morning was another good find and a Cattle Egret was also there in a field with cattle.

A Grey Wagtail and Banded Demoiselle were on the River Welland at Market Harborough today and a couple of Barn Owls and two Hobbies were hunting the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton yesterday evening.

An hour at the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Pits this afternoon was sufficient time to see two Avocets, a Bittern in flight, an Osprey, a Hobby and two Cuckoos.

Regards

Neil M

Peregrine courtesy
of Pete Gilbert.

Sand Martin courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Carrion Crow courtesy
of John Tilly.

The breeding season.

Hello

My ornithological calendar identifies June as the only month of summer; I class July and onwards as autumn! Aside from occasional overshooting vagrants from the south and local movements, June is all about breeding birds in Northamptonshire and a mixed bag of heat, cold temperatures and short periods of rain appears to suggest that it already looks like a decent year for many breeders.

The early indications are that the owls are faring better this year after a 'bust' year last year and there are plenty of 'branching' juvenile Tawny Owls and broods of rather early Barn Owls being reported all around.

The intense heat will have caused casualties in the nest and the sometimes cold night-time temperatures would have suppressed insect activity with a knock-on effect for the smaller birds that rely so heavily on them.

Bigger birds have perhaps shrugged off these issues and there seems to be plenty of young Starlings, Blackbirds etc out and about and raptor productivity looks good too.

For much of the spring I have been away with tours in France, Iceland and most recently a cruise around the islands of the UK. I have added a few more images to the 'Go Slow in Iceland' page but it will be a little while before I can add many images from the cruise around the UK with visits to Lundy, the Isles of Scilly, the Calf of Man, Rathlin Island, St Kilda and various islands in the Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetlands. An epic and much-awaited Naturetrek trip on board a small cruise ship and using zodiacs to make landings every day.

Regards

Neil M

Green-eyed (Norfolk) Hawker at Stortons Pits
today courtesy of Tony Stanford, and perhaps a new
site for this species which is colonising the county.

Garden Warbler at Stortons Pits today
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Rusty Soldier Beetle courtesy of
John Tilly.

Lapwing and chick courtesy
of John Tilly.

Midweek Already!!

Not only is it "midweek " already but it is very nearly the half way point of 2026, how did that happen??!!! We are rapidly heading towards the longest day and the start of summer.  I think that the poor birds are wondering what has happened to the weather as today has been very wild, wet and windy. I've managed to get caught in three squally showers much to the disgust of the dogs who were desperately trying to get into the hedgerows for some shelter. 

Very few birds reported this week. The most interesting being a Turtle Dove in a private garden in Cogenhoe before flying off. A couple of Avocets,  Cattle Egrets and Whimbrel at Clifford Hill GP and 2 Nightingales remain at Stortons GP.                                                                                                         Again I have seen very little of note.  The 2 families of Tawny Owls are still in the area and I was pleased to watch a Barn Owl hunting successfully,  fingers crossed that they have a better year.  What I have noticed is an absolute explosion of young birds everywhere.  This was really noticeable a couple of days ago when we had some much needed rain. Everywhere has been refreshed and rejuvenated and the hedgerows and our garden full of young birds.  The sound of young Blue Tits and Great Tits was deafening as I ran along the Brampton Valley Way. Our garden has been heaving with young Starlings,  Jackdaws, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Blackbirds, Blue Tits and Great Tits.  We seem to be a magnet for all the noisy argumentative birds which arrive before 05.00hrs and wake everyone up. Our most unusual family are a family of Rooks who just add to the chorus.             I  do wish that these young birds were a bit more "streetwise " or "gardenwise " . It is such a stressful time keeping an eye on them and trying to keep them safe. Yesterday all I could hear was bang, bang, bang as one after the other young Starlings and Blackbirds were panicking and flying straight into the patio windows.  Thankfully all flew off after I sat them in a box to recover.  The cause of their panic was a Red Kite which kept swooping very low over the garden looking at the fat slabs/balls which I'd put out. Eventually I had to distract the Red Kite by putting some suitable food for it in my agility area.  Today the Sparrowhawk has been on a mission and I've managed to  save 2 young Starlings from it's clutches but no doubt he came back once I'd gone out.  Hopefully some of these youngsters will make it into adulthood. 

The Stortons GP Nightingales, images Tony Stanford 

Regards Eleanor 

Extremely quiet weekend

It has been an extremely quiet weekend with only a handful of birds being reported.  The "star bird" was undoubtedly a White Stork which was seen and photographed by a lucky observer as it circled above the A605 at the Titchmarsh/Thrapston junction at about 15.00hrs yesterday. 

There have been a couple of recent ringing sessions.  At Stortons GP (28th) John Boland and team processed 45 birds of which 34 were new and 11 retraps of 17 species. As expected quite a few species of Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Common and Lesser Whitethroat and Reed, Sedge, Cettis and Garden Warbler.                                                Yesterday Kenny Cramer and gang were back at Linford Reserve where 115 birds were processed, of which 88 were newly ringed. 31 Blue Tits and 15 Great Tits were caught but no Long Tailed Tits.  Warblers were represented by 9 Reed Warbler, 5 Blackcap,  4 Sedge Warbler,  3 Garden Warbler, 2 Common Whitethroat,  Chiffchaff and Cettis Warbler.   2 Cuckoo's hit the net, one new bird and the other was one of the individuals ringed earlier in the week.  The larger birds were represented by a pair of adult Jackdaws and a rather hefty Wood Pigeon. 

I have seen very little myself due to being out of county with Jaeger and Rouzel who were competing.  We had a very successful weekend.  So my birding has been confined to early morning and late evening.  I have come across two different families of young Tawny Owls that have been placed in the trees by the adults so it looks as if they are having a better year. Fingers crossed that the Barn Owls have a better year too.

Images Kenny Cramer 

Sorry, couldn't resist,  Jaeger and Rouzel with all their placings 

Regards Eleanor 

Bye bye Savi's and hello Shrike!!

It would seem that the Savi's Warbler has moved on, nice whilst it lasted.  Just when we thought that things were going quiet again another great find of a Red Backed Shrike south of the railway line at Summer Leys was discovered early this morning by Laurence Kidd. Sadly, despite much searching this bird couldn't be relocated 

I had a frustrating time this morning as I found a Quail calling between Shrike hedge and Gamboro plantation(between Hanging Houghton and Cottesbrooke). Bad timing as the Foxhounds on their daily exercise came through the area and I never heard it again. The only other thing of note for me today is the continued presence of huge numbers of Painted Ladies.                                                  Very little reported today, 2 Little Gulls, Avocets and Bittern at Summer Leys and an Osprey at Hollowell Reservoir.   Yesterday there were a couple of Nightingales at Glapthorn Cow Pastures plus Black Hairstreak. 

Earlier in the week Kenny Cramer held a ringing session at Linford Reserve (Milton Keynes). As expected a good selection of Warblers.  It was estimated that 5 Cuckoo's were present,  2 new males were ringed and a further two birds were in the net briefly before jumping out  !!!. A few interesting retraps, a Reed Warbler ringed elsewhere in the UK,  a 6 year old Blue Tit ringed back in 2020 and has been recaptured a staggering 15 times, and a  5 year old Great Spotted Woodpecker ringed as a youngster in 2021 and recaptured 3 times.                                                                           A Magpie was a relatively unusual bird to catch from a ringing perspective but star bird of the day was awarded to an adult Stock Dove. These birds are rarely found in a mist net because as cavity nesting birds most individuals are ringed as chicks in nest boxes intended for owls.                      There are several owl boxes on the reserve which were checked and the last box yielded 5 Barn Owl chicks. 

Have a good weekend and enjoy your birding and wildlife watching

Regards Eleanor 

 

Images from Kenny Cramer 

The Savi's still sings !!

The Savi's Warbler was present again at Stortons GP giving more folk the opportunity to catch up with very rare visitor to the county. It was first reported singing at approximately 06.00hrs but had gone quiet by late morning and was then not heard again until this evening at 19.40hrs. It did show well on occasions. 

I haven't managed to see any birds today with Gamboro plantation,  shrike hedge/blueberry area,  Harrington Airfield and Pitsford Reservoir all being birdless.  The only interesting thing that I have seen today are huge numbers of Painted Ladies. I have never seen such numbers.                 Very few birds reported over the last couple of days,  Avocet at Stanford Reservoir, Bittern and Osprey at Titchmarsh LNR. 

I will leave you with a few pics of Nightingale and Marsh Harrier taken at Stortons GP to enjoy.           We are always grateful receive your pics for inclusion on our blog as hopefully it makes it more interesting and although Neil has a camera he needs to try harder!!!

Images from Ken Prouse 

Images from Tony Stanford 

A splendid singing Savi's Warbler at Stortons GP

There was great excitement today when a rare Savi's Warbler was found at Stortons GP. This was due to the persistence of Ken Prouse birding his local patch day in and day out.  A find like this is rare but it makes all those visits of seeing very little all worthwhile and hopefully will encourage all of us not to give up on our own patches.  Well done Ken, not only did you find a rariety but you made a lot of people very happy.  I  wonder what you will find next ?!    As it was predicted to be our hottest day yet I was out very early with the dogs and when my phone pinged with the news of this bird my heart sank as I was at the furthest point possible away from my car. So by the time I got home, sorted the dogs out and got stuck in traffic heading through Kingsthorpe it was just after 10am and very hot when I finally arrived at Stortons GP.  There was a small group of birders who had been listening to and watching the Savi's a few minutes beforehand . I was cursing the traffic hold up.  I  stayed until midday when it became unbearable in the heat, no further sign of the Savi's but plenty of showy Reed and Cettis Warblers.  My plan was to return at 19.00hrs when it would be cooler and hoped that the bird would still be there.                                                                                          At 17.45hrs when I was eating my tea a message came through that the Savi's was singing again. I couldn't believe the timing of this bird !!. So it was off back to Stortons again where the bird was calling, such a strange metallic buzzing call, and showing intermittently.                                                   Other birds seen at Stortons today include a male Marsh Harrier, Cuckoo and Water Rail.                                                    Stortons GP is a place that I haven't visited for years.  My memories of this site are wading through smelly black mud whilst extracting birds from mist nets when I used to help with some ringing and it's a place where I'm not happy visiting on my own.                                                                          However if you are able to get to Stortons GP and see/hear the Savi's Warbler it is well worth it. There is a free car park (Saints Rugby) off Edgar Mobbs Way and a very obvious red bin on the pavement which is right next to one of the entrances to the reserve. 

Regards Eleanor 

Pictures from Tyler Atkinson 

Phew, it's hot !!

Unusually for a bank holiday the weather has been wall to wall sunshine and very high temperatures for the time of year. Of course we are now all moaning about how hot it is. I've been busy today making sure that our ponds are topped up as we have good numbers of tadpoles and other wildlife and of course the birds need access to plenty of water.  We have several bird baths dotted around the garden but their favourite one is a large shallow tin. I have lost count how many times I have replaced the water in this today as it has been in constant use by the noisy Starlings and Jackdaws who have been having a "wash and brush up". I even saw our regular Great Spotted Woodpecker enjoying a bath.  I will top the water up again later in readiness for the hedgehogs to use.

Due to the heat I've been out walking the dogs early morning and late evening,  although I did have a quick visit to Harrington Airfield mid morning searching for 2 target species which I didn't find, just the usual common residents.  A couple of quick visits to Pitsford Reservoir have also been very quiet although an Osprey has been seen there a couple of times. All I have seen is large numbers of people everywhere.                                                    On Friday (22nd) I got engrossed in watching the wildlife around me, Roe Deer,  Fox cubs, Hobby,  Tawny and Little Owl so it was very late when I was walking back to my car. Luckily the moon was bright and I guided me back safely.  As I stood at shrike hedge/blueberry area I heard a call that I was not familiar with. I thought that it was either a wader or water bird but didn't really know what I was listening to.  It was a lovely call.  Earlier in the week I had downloaded the Merlin app . Anyone that knows me well would know that "I don't do apps". However curiosity got the better of me and I decided to find out for myself as this app does have mixed reviews.  I had been playing around with it by using it when I was actually watching the bird so I knew that it was telling me the truth!!. I quickly used the app on this bird call and it told me that I was listening to Common Scotors. It was 22.25hrs so no chance of seeing the birds but Common Scotors move around at night. As I wasn't sure whether to believe the app I managed to get onto the Xeno-Canto site which confirmed that the birds were indeed Common Scotors.                                                       On Saturday evening when I was again in this area I could hear a Quail calling between Blueberry and the Brampton Valley Way but I haven't heard it since. 

This morning there were 2 Common Cranes briefly in a field near Holcot before flying off eastwards.  A great find by Duncan.  Other birds today include a pair of Garganey at the New Workings Earls Barton GP,  drake Mandarin and Goldeneye at Stanford Reservoir,  Bittern and Avocet at Summer Leys and a Sanderling at Lilbourne Meadows.     Yesterday there were 3 Cattle Egrets between Clifton and Aynho and drake Garganey at Stanford Reservoir. 

Regards Eleanor 

Getting Warmer

I have seen so many happy people around today. It's amazing what a bit of sunshine can do although I don't think that it has brought us any different birds. Hopefully the warmth will help the fledglings and the adults in their search for food as I've heard of many broods of Blue and Great Tits failing due to the cold and lack of food.                    Currently our garden is full of Starlings and Jackdaws who are extremely noisy and eating us out of house and home. Goodness knows what the neighbours think as these two species visit the garden at first light and start arguing!!

During the week there have been Avocets,  Whimbrel,  Greenshank,  Common Sandpiper,  Bittern, Glossy Ibis and Osprey at Summer Leys. At Clifford Hill GP Sanderling,  Dunlin, Ringed Plovers and two Wood Sandpipers were present whilst at the New Workings Earls Barton GP Avocets, Ringed Plovers, Little Ringed Plover and Dunlin. A male Marsh Harrier was at Stortons GP, 3 Ringed Plovers at Titchmarsh LNR and a Cattle Egret and Ringed Plovers at Stanwick GP.            Away from the Nene Valley there was a single Common Crossbill at Gamboro plantation near Cottesbrooke and a flock of Tree Sparrows (10-20 birds) just west of Sulby Hedges viewpoint on the Naseby battlefield. 

Despite the lack of new birds there have been plenty of insects on the wing including Small Heath, Orange Tip, Peacock,  Small Tortoiseshell, Small Copper, Brown Argus, Speckled Wood, Painted Lady,  Brimstone,  Small White, Green-veined White, Common and Holly Blue Butterflies, plus Banded and Beautiful Demoiselles, Black-tailed Skimmer,  Broad Bodied Chaser, Large Red and Azure Damselflies. 

Have a good weekend,  enjoy the sunshine and the wildlife wherever you are. 

Regards Eleanor  

Cuckoo.

Reed Warbler.

Nightingale.

All images courtesy of
Tony Stanford.