Iceland - 4th - 8th March 2022

Tuesday, 18 June 2019

Ringing at Pitsford Reservoir

Hello

Today's weather provided near perfect bird ringing conditions and with the rain of previous weeks and it seems with yet more to come, efforts were made to conduct some ringing at Pitsford Reservoir. Setting up and some initial ringing began yesterday (Monday) evening, but the majority of the action was this morning and into the early afternoon. Five ringers managed to process over 220 birds of 24 species, all being locally breeding birds or their offspring. It was good to see so many young birds after the low temperatures and rain of this month.

This total was made up of nine Mallard, twenty Common Terns, a Kingfisher, three Great Spotted Woodpeckers, six Blackbirds, a Song Thrush, four Dunnocks, nine Robins, ten Wrens, six Treecreepers, thirty-nine Blue Tits, forty-six Great Tits, a Marsh Tit, twenty-one Blackcaps, two Whitethroats, four Garden Warblers, a Reed Warbler, seven Chiffchaffs, twenty-three Tree Sparrows, a Bullfinch, two Chaffinches, two Goldfinches, four Yellowhammers and a Reed Bunting.

Damselflies were emerging in large numbers, some using mist net poles and nets as their metamorphic staging posts! Meadow Brown butterflies were on the wing plus a few Small Tortoiseshell and a Painted Lady.

Eric was at Thrapston Pits today, noting a Hobby, an Osprey, lots of common warblers, a Kingfisher, four Oystercatchers, three Cuckoos and a Little Egret. Plenty of common butterflies and odonata were on show too including the localised Scarce Chaser dragonfly.

Harrington Airfield held two Turtle Doves today, a Grasshopper Warbler and an adult male Peregrine and nearby there was a singing Grasshopper Warbler near to Blueberry Farm and a Barn Owl in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M


Meadow Brown butterfly.

Pitsford rainbow.

Tree Sparrow.

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