Hello
I completed another Common Bird Census on the reserve at Pitsford Reservoir today. All the plantations appeared to contain gangs of young tits and it seemed that juvenile Coal Tits in particular were in good numbers. It was more quantity rather than quality though and I failed to find anything rare or unusual!
There was evidence of the start of the usual summer build up of ducks with over fifty Tufted Ducks, thirty-one Pochard and about ninety Gadwall. Thirty-nine active Cormorant nests were visible and other breeders present included Oystercatcher, Black-headed Gull and Common Tern. A Little Egret was seen, plus a first summer Yellow-legged Gull, a day-hunting Tawny Owl, a Nuthatch and two broods of Mute Swans. The Great Crested Grebes are slow off the mark with no successful breeding yet and only a few pairs of Coot have so far produced any young.
However the earlier arriving warblers are now producing fledged young with Blackcaps in very good numbers (and still 47 males singing) with some juvenile Chiffchaffs about too. Reed Warblers are notoriously late breeders at this site as they wait for the 'glyceria' reeds to grow and the only active birds are in the very limited patches of 'phragmites' reeds. Sedge Warblers and Grasshopper Warblers are completely absent this year but the male Cetti's Warbler remains on territory in the Walgrave Bay.
Garden Warbler song tends to peter out from about now but there were still thirteen singing birds and the majority were at regular breeding spots. Very few Willow Warblers breed here now but one bird was still singing and possibly as many as four Whitethroat territories were mapped.
The sunny but breezy conditions corralled the dragonflies to the confinements of the small pools at the back of the Walgrave Bay where there were plenty of Four-spotted Chasers and singles of Broad-bodied Chaser and Blue Emperor. Common Blue Damselflies were in excellent numbers and singles of Large Red Damselfly and Beautiful Demoiselle were seen. Butterflies only amounted to seven species and there were still day-flying Chimney Sweeper moths visible in most of the meadows.
Away from Pitsford and at least one Barn Owl was on show in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and Eric's visit to Thrapston Pits yielded common warblers, two Cuckoos, a pair of Oystercatchers and five Painted Lady butterflies.
Regards
Neil M
I completed another Common Bird Census on the reserve at Pitsford Reservoir today. All the plantations appeared to contain gangs of young tits and it seemed that juvenile Coal Tits in particular were in good numbers. It was more quantity rather than quality though and I failed to find anything rare or unusual!
There was evidence of the start of the usual summer build up of ducks with over fifty Tufted Ducks, thirty-one Pochard and about ninety Gadwall. Thirty-nine active Cormorant nests were visible and other breeders present included Oystercatcher, Black-headed Gull and Common Tern. A Little Egret was seen, plus a first summer Yellow-legged Gull, a day-hunting Tawny Owl, a Nuthatch and two broods of Mute Swans. The Great Crested Grebes are slow off the mark with no successful breeding yet and only a few pairs of Coot have so far produced any young.
However the earlier arriving warblers are now producing fledged young with Blackcaps in very good numbers (and still 47 males singing) with some juvenile Chiffchaffs about too. Reed Warblers are notoriously late breeders at this site as they wait for the 'glyceria' reeds to grow and the only active birds are in the very limited patches of 'phragmites' reeds. Sedge Warblers and Grasshopper Warblers are completely absent this year but the male Cetti's Warbler remains on territory in the Walgrave Bay.
Garden Warbler song tends to peter out from about now but there were still thirteen singing birds and the majority were at regular breeding spots. Very few Willow Warblers breed here now but one bird was still singing and possibly as many as four Whitethroat territories were mapped.
The sunny but breezy conditions corralled the dragonflies to the confinements of the small pools at the back of the Walgrave Bay where there were plenty of Four-spotted Chasers and singles of Broad-bodied Chaser and Blue Emperor. Common Blue Damselflies were in excellent numbers and singles of Large Red Damselfly and Beautiful Demoiselle were seen. Butterflies only amounted to seven species and there were still day-flying Chimney Sweeper moths visible in most of the meadows.
Away from Pitsford and at least one Barn Owl was on show in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and Eric's visit to Thrapston Pits yielded common warblers, two Cuckoos, a pair of Oystercatchers and five Painted Lady butterflies.
Regards
Neil M
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| Swallow nest with eggs and another nest with very young Swallows! Images courtesy of Chris Payne. |
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| Juvenile Pied Wagtails courtesy of John Tilly. |
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| A very young 'Cootling' courtesy of John Tilly. |
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| Barn Owl courtesy of John Tilly. |
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