August migration

Wheatear at Harrington Airfield.

Eleanor McMahon.

Hello

Eleanor's early morning foray to Harrington Airfield today paid off with a small fall of passerine migrants which included a Redstart, two adult Whinchats, a Wheatear, and plenty of common warblers. Other birds included a Hobby, two Ravens and two Turtle Doves.

A ringing session in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir was very quiet and provided just 27 captures. The best was a new juvenile Kingfisher, other birds processed including a Marsh Tit, a Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, three Blackcaps, a Treecreeper and four Bullfinches. Other birds noted included a Curlew, a Green Sandpiper and a Willow Tit. An Osprey was fishing south of the causeway this afternoon.

The ringing at Stortons Gravel Pits today was much better, resulting in the capture of 31 warblers made up of a Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Whitethroats, 5 Garden Warblers (including a bird ringed elsewhere), 8 Blackcaps, 4 Reed Warblers, 4 Sedge Warblers, 3 Chiffchaffs and a Willow Warbler.

This afternoon four more Whinchats were located in the southern-most field at Blueberry Farm and a Hobby and a 'kettle' of 16 Common Buzzards were cruising over the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

An evening visit to Welford Reservoir provided views of a Common Sandpiper, a Kingfisher and 2 Grey Wagtails and at dusk a Hobby was hawking insects arounds the tops of trees in Hanging Houghton village.

Regards

Neil M

Small Copper butterfly

Roesel's Bush-cricket

Kingfisher

All images courtesy of Cathy Ryden
and taken at Pitsford Reservoir.