Hello
A quieter day of bird activity for me today! The garden provided small numbers of Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers coming in for broadcast seed (this is a particularly critical time for buntings as they struggle to find sufficient natural seeds), and a walk around the fields nearby was sufficient to find a few lingering Fieldfares and Redwings.
Over the week-end the bird food crop in the valley below the village continues to attract hungry birds which included a hundred Yellowhammers and a flock of 40 - 50 Stock Doves. Broadcast seed by the large barn near to the Brampton Valley Way continues to attract Chaffinches and other birds, and this morning two Bramblings were again with them. Close to this area and on the other side of the track, the Great Grey Shrike was hunting from vegetation in the ditch near to a large straw/manure heap and a Wheatear was nearby.
The sunshine and cool breeze brought out all the Common Buzzards and Red Kites again today, it seemed impossible to scan around today and not see examples of both species riding the air currents.
Yesterday I took photographs of a male Kestrel exhibiting very clean plumage features and sporting blue/grey secondaries which is normally a trait of the much rarer Lesser Kestrel. Analysis of the images today suggests it is just a male Common Kestrel, but interestingly it was this bird's behaviour that aroused my attention as it was feeding just like the rarer species and taking insects on the ground and in flight. Oh well maybe there are some Lesser Kestrel genes in there somewhere!
Harrington Airfield today provided fly-over singles of Redpoll and Siskin but little else and Eleanor saw the usual two Ravens at Green Acres, Staverton today. The Little Owl was vocal in trees near to the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station at Pitsford Reservoir again today and now seems to be very much on territory. Perhaps not good news for the local Tree Sparrows though!
Adrian saw the Ring-necked Duck on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston today plus a Jack Snipe too and Martin Swannel saw a Swallow at Merry Tom Lane near Chapel Brampton!
Kenny Cramer and team completed a stint of ringing at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes today and caught a good selection of birds. Ninety-one birds were processed of 14 species, 54 of which were newly-ringed birds. Totals were singles of Jay, Carrion Crow, Dunnock, Blackcap and Great Spotted Woodpecker, plus two Goldcrests, two Chiffchaffs, two Reed Buntings, three Wrens, seven Chaffinches, fifteen Goldfinches, ten Greenfinches, sixteen Blue Tits and twenty-nine Great Tits. Two Snipe were seen on-site and non-avian interest included two Common Shrews and two Grass Snakes.
Regards
Neil M
A quieter day of bird activity for me today! The garden provided small numbers of Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers coming in for broadcast seed (this is a particularly critical time for buntings as they struggle to find sufficient natural seeds), and a walk around the fields nearby was sufficient to find a few lingering Fieldfares and Redwings.
Over the week-end the bird food crop in the valley below the village continues to attract hungry birds which included a hundred Yellowhammers and a flock of 40 - 50 Stock Doves. Broadcast seed by the large barn near to the Brampton Valley Way continues to attract Chaffinches and other birds, and this morning two Bramblings were again with them. Close to this area and on the other side of the track, the Great Grey Shrike was hunting from vegetation in the ditch near to a large straw/manure heap and a Wheatear was nearby.
The sunshine and cool breeze brought out all the Common Buzzards and Red Kites again today, it seemed impossible to scan around today and not see examples of both species riding the air currents.
Yesterday I took photographs of a male Kestrel exhibiting very clean plumage features and sporting blue/grey secondaries which is normally a trait of the much rarer Lesser Kestrel. Analysis of the images today suggests it is just a male Common Kestrel, but interestingly it was this bird's behaviour that aroused my attention as it was feeding just like the rarer species and taking insects on the ground and in flight. Oh well maybe there are some Lesser Kestrel genes in there somewhere!
Harrington Airfield today provided fly-over singles of Redpoll and Siskin but little else and Eleanor saw the usual two Ravens at Green Acres, Staverton today. The Little Owl was vocal in trees near to the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station at Pitsford Reservoir again today and now seems to be very much on territory. Perhaps not good news for the local Tree Sparrows though!
Adrian saw the Ring-necked Duck on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston today plus a Jack Snipe too and Martin Swannel saw a Swallow at Merry Tom Lane near Chapel Brampton!
Kenny Cramer and team completed a stint of ringing at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes today and caught a good selection of birds. Ninety-one birds were processed of 14 species, 54 of which were newly-ringed birds. Totals were singles of Jay, Carrion Crow, Dunnock, Blackcap and Great Spotted Woodpecker, plus two Goldcrests, two Chiffchaffs, two Reed Buntings, three Wrens, seven Chaffinches, fifteen Goldfinches, ten Greenfinches, sixteen Blue Tits and twenty-nine Great Tits. Two Snipe were seen on-site and non-avian interest included two Common Shrews and two Grass Snakes.
Regards
Neil M
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| Male Blackcap. |
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| Carrion Crow. Both images courtesy of Kenny Cramer. |
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