Friday 17 January 2014

It's all happening!

Hello

Yesterday afternoon (Thursday) saw Eleanor hiking around Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and she was able to confirm the continuing presence of the pair of wintering Stonechat (in the southern-most field) and a Barn Owl.

Today local birder Dave Jackson watched and photographed a Lesser Whitethroat coming to a garden feeder in his Kingsthorpe garden.  This is a species we consider as a summer migrant to the UK, and any individual that pops up at this time of the year will always attract considerable interest as there is a reasonable likelihood that it might be an eastern race bird.  Images of this bird are below and I think we have to be grateful that it pitched up in the garden of such a good photographer!

It seems that the Otters at Market Harborough are continuing to perform with further sightings for yesterday and today!

A female Peregrine was present at Harrington Airfield today, but the site is currently busy with trucks using the concrete track entrance and the finch/bunting flock is being disturbed.  A few Brambling were present but feeding them is proving difficult with vehicles moving through the feeding area.

Three of us conducted some bird ringing at Kelmarsh Hall today and we were fortunate to catch 90 small birds, the close quarter highlights being two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, two Nuthatches, a Marsh Tit, seventeen Goldfinches and a smart male Lesser Redpoll.  At least one Siskin was present but not captured.

Finally a reminder that this Sunday there will be a Bird Ringing demonstration at Barnwell Country Park near Oundle (details below)!

Regards

Neil M



 
Lesser Whitethroat
Northampton courtesy
of Dave Jackson
 

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