Iceland - 4th - 8th March 2022

Wednesday, 14 March 2018

Early spring migration

Hello

Yesterday (13th) and Dave Francis completed a little ringing in his garden on the outskirts of Northampton, successfully processing two Siskins, eleven Goldfinches, a Bullfinch, four House Sparrows and an unexpected male Sparrowhawk among more common fare!

Today (14th) and Eleanor watched two Barn Owls hunting this morning in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and later there were two Ravens in the village and a male Brambling graced our garden. Chris Payne hosted two female Bramblings in his Greens Norton garden and small numbers of Siskins were seemingly wherever I went today with birds in the Kelmarsh Estate woods, Hanging Houghton and Pitsford Res. A Siskin singing at Scotland Wood included Chiffchaff and Redpoll song phrases in it's repertoire!

The most notable north-bound migrants today were Starlings, Fieldfares, Redwings and Meadow Pipits with a constant light movement all day. Harrington Airfield seemed quiet although a flock of 16 Golden Plovers did drop in.

Pitsford Reservoir was well-watched today by a number of observers which resulted in sightings of a male Peregrine, a drake Mandarin Duck, the Slavonian Grebe still, two Oystercatchers, a Woodcock, two Snipe, a Jack Snipe, three Sand Martins, a Chiffchaff, a Redpoll and a first winter Yellow-legged Gull in the gull roost.

Regards

Neil M




Drake Mandarin Duck at
Pitsford Reservoir, sticking
remarkably close to three
Greylag Geese!

Male Muntjac.

Female Muntjac.
All images from
Pitsford Res today...

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