Wednesday 31 October 2018

Halloween Birds

Hello 

Another cracking weather day today but not a huge amount of time for birding!

Thrapston Pits still features with the continuing presence of the six first year Velvet Scoters and Eric also espied 50+ Goldeneye, a pair of Red-crested Pochard, a Water Rail, a Brambling on the feeders, plenty of Goldcrests, several Cetti's Warblers and still some dragonflies and Red Admiral butterflies.

A couple of Brambling were here in the village at Hanging Houghton this morning and a female joined the Chaffinches feeding on seed on our back lawn. At 10.15am three calling Crossbills flew low east over the houses and away.

The eleven Whooper Swans were still in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir late morning but were quite flighty at times. At least two Great White Egrets were on show, the flock of Red-crested Pochard had risen to twenty birds (now with two leucistic individuals), and they had transferred to the Walgrave Bay.

The gull roost off the Sailing Club/dam is counted at least once a month and amongst the 9000 plus birds there was an adult Yellow-legged Gull and two Mediterranean Gulls (adult and first year). A Scaup was patrolling the shore and diving regularly between the dam and Moulton Grange Bay and a pair of Raven were at Brixworth Country Park.

Elsewhere there were forty Golden Plovers and a covey of nine Grey Partridges at Harrington Airfield and another covey of eight Grey Partridges and a Barn Owl in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M





The Thrapston Velvet
Scoters courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

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