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Eric's sustained efforts at Thrapston Pits today yielded a perched Osprey surveying Elinor and Aldwincle Lakes, three Pink-footed Geese, two Egyptian Geese, a Great White Egret, six Common Terns, a pair of Oystercatchers and plenty of early warblers.
Stanwick Pits attracted a migrant Knot today plus an adult Little Gull and the Summer Leys reserve continues to hold on to it's drake Garganey (Gull Island) and a Great White Egret was on the scrape.
Some bird ringing took place at Harrington Airfield during the last two days which provided the temporary capture of eighty birds of fifteen species. This number was made up of 33 Yellowhammers, 3 Reed Buntings, 14 Linnets, 4 Chaffinches, a Goldfinch, a Robin, 8 Dunnocks, 2 Wrens, 2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Willow Warblers, 3 Blackcaps, a Long-tailed Tit, 3 Great Tits, a Blackbird and a Song Thrush.
Two of the Willow Warblers were ringed there as adults on 3rd May 2018 and 14th June 2017 so have presumably returned to breed on the scrubby habitat around the bunkers. Several of the Yellowhammers were also several years old and are likely to breed close by. A Raven was seen to over-fly the old airfield but nothing else of note was seen.
The long-staying Great Grey Shrike was seen a couple of times in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today, showing better in the morning (as did a Barn Owl). I was there late this afternoon but couldn't locate it, but was rewarded with a fly-by Swallow, then two Ravens and then a high-flying Common Crane flapping slowly north over the village.
Up to a hundred and fifty Fieldfares were flying over Hanging Houghton this afternoon (probably held up by the northerly winds) and our garden was brightened up with at least seven feeding Yellowhammers.
A strong relationship exists between members of the Northants Ringing Group and the diminutive but very special Pembrokeshire island of Skokholm. Chris Payne has cemented this further, using his entrepreneurial and technical skills to successfully apply for a grant and build and utilise high tech camera equipment to remotely record the antics of breeding sea-birds on the island. Chris has just returned from the island where he has sought to set up and maintain cameras as activated by hand-held digital devices. These cameras can be used to monitor the activity of adults and nestlings, thus preventing physical intervention/disturbance and will be used with species such as Storm Petrels, gulls and auks. Chris will be returning during the year to ensure smooth progress and quality data collection.
Regards
Neil M
Eric's sustained efforts at Thrapston Pits today yielded a perched Osprey surveying Elinor and Aldwincle Lakes, three Pink-footed Geese, two Egyptian Geese, a Great White Egret, six Common Terns, a pair of Oystercatchers and plenty of early warblers.
Stanwick Pits attracted a migrant Knot today plus an adult Little Gull and the Summer Leys reserve continues to hold on to it's drake Garganey (Gull Island) and a Great White Egret was on the scrape.
Some bird ringing took place at Harrington Airfield during the last two days which provided the temporary capture of eighty birds of fifteen species. This number was made up of 33 Yellowhammers, 3 Reed Buntings, 14 Linnets, 4 Chaffinches, a Goldfinch, a Robin, 8 Dunnocks, 2 Wrens, 2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Willow Warblers, 3 Blackcaps, a Long-tailed Tit, 3 Great Tits, a Blackbird and a Song Thrush.
Two of the Willow Warblers were ringed there as adults on 3rd May 2018 and 14th June 2017 so have presumably returned to breed on the scrubby habitat around the bunkers. Several of the Yellowhammers were also several years old and are likely to breed close by. A Raven was seen to over-fly the old airfield but nothing else of note was seen.
The long-staying Great Grey Shrike was seen a couple of times in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today, showing better in the morning (as did a Barn Owl). I was there late this afternoon but couldn't locate it, but was rewarded with a fly-by Swallow, then two Ravens and then a high-flying Common Crane flapping slowly north over the village.
Up to a hundred and fifty Fieldfares were flying over Hanging Houghton this afternoon (probably held up by the northerly winds) and our garden was brightened up with at least seven feeding Yellowhammers.
A strong relationship exists between members of the Northants Ringing Group and the diminutive but very special Pembrokeshire island of Skokholm. Chris Payne has cemented this further, using his entrepreneurial and technical skills to successfully apply for a grant and build and utilise high tech camera equipment to remotely record the antics of breeding sea-birds on the island. Chris has just returned from the island where he has sought to set up and maintain cameras as activated by hand-held digital devices. These cameras can be used to monitor the activity of adults and nestlings, thus preventing physical intervention/disturbance and will be used with species such as Storm Petrels, gulls and auks. Chris will be returning during the year to ensure smooth progress and quality data collection.
Regards
Neil M
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| Willow Warbler. |
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| Reed Bunting. |
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| Yellowhammers. |
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| Chiffchaff. |
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| Blackcap. |
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| Linnet. All images above courtesy of John Tilly. |
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| Guillemot ledges. |
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| Herring-bone design 'petrel station' wall purposely built for breeding Storm Petrels. |
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| Camera monitors set up and running! Images from Skokholm courtesy of Chris Payne. |
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