A day out in Northamptonshire

Hello

Yesterday afternoon (Friday) saw the Ruddy Shelduck still in the grounds of the Sailing Club at Pitsford Reservoir and the singing Grasshopper Warbler was still 'reeling' in The Hill field at Blueberry Farm.

A modest ringing session at Brixworth this morning (Saturday) resulted in the capture of fifteen Starlings, three Yellow Wagtails, eight Pied Wagtails, a Grey Wagtail, a Reed Bunting and singles of Magpie and Moorhen.

This afternoon further efforts were made to check the larger nest-boxes on the reserve at Pitsford Reservoir and a further Tawny Owl nestling was located and ringed. Other birds noted included at least one Hobby and a Raven and the square pond in the Walgrave Bay was home to at least four Broad-bodied Chaser dragonflies.

One of the fishing wardens at Pitsford Reservoir found a freshly-dead Cormorant afloat south of the causeway today, and lodged in its gape was a particularly large and dead Brown Trout. It seems that for some reason the head and perhaps gills of the fish had somehow become stuck in the mouth of the Cormorant resulting in the deaths of them both...

A Barn Owl was hunting in the most southern field of the Blueberry Farm complex this evening.

Regards

Neil M

The Flying Scotsman paid
Northamptonshire a visit today
on it's journey up to York.

This image taken by Robin Gossage
at Irchester.

Garganey (and Little Egret)
Summer Leys NR today courtesy
of  Robin Gossage.

Goldfinch nest and clutch of eggs
nine feet up in an ornamental
 conifer in Greens Norton.

Image courtesy of
Chris Payne.

Tawny Owl nestling
at Pitsford Reservoir.

Courtesy of Neil Hasdell.