Hello
Eleanor's two visits to the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton paid off today with a female Merlin, a pair of Stonechat and six Bramblings in the morning, and a 'ringtail' Hen Harrier there this afternoon.
Despite the floods in the Nene Valley I had a go at completing the monthly WeBS count at Ditchford Pits. It wasn't a great start with Ditchford Lane closed for bridge repairs and the river and the pits had broken their banks at numerous points. It didn't take long before I was pretty wet and completing plenty of 'U' turns in an effort to find alternative routes around the complex. In the end I was wading up to my thighs simply to get around; Jaeger the dog I had with me wasn't impressed!
The floodwater caused spiders, snails and insects to climb to the tops of nettles, voles didn't know where to go and many of the water birds were displaced.
I spent some time checking through the numerous roving tit flocks (as always) and started to find a few Chiffchaffs. The distinctive, loud and metallic (almost Dunnock-like) calls of Siberian Chiffchaffs could be heard from the willows and two of these pretty distinctive grey birds were roaming around in the willows, one seemed to be with the tits and the other seemed more sedentary on the little causeway separating the Coton Reel and The Perch Pits (both birds being between the main pit and Irthlingborough). In the end I saw about six Chiffchaffs within the complex.
Other birds there today included twelve Egyptian Geese, eight Snipe, a Water Rail, a Raven, two Grey Wagtails, three Kingfishers, a female Stonechat, seven Cetti's Warblers and singles of Siskin and Brambling.
Elsewhere and a Barnacle Goose and a Pintail were on the floods at Bozenham with a Raven there too, and a Short-eared Owl was seen at Neville's Lodge, Finedon at dusk.
Regards
Neil M
Eleanor's two visits to the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton paid off today with a female Merlin, a pair of Stonechat and six Bramblings in the morning, and a 'ringtail' Hen Harrier there this afternoon.
Despite the floods in the Nene Valley I had a go at completing the monthly WeBS count at Ditchford Pits. It wasn't a great start with Ditchford Lane closed for bridge repairs and the river and the pits had broken their banks at numerous points. It didn't take long before I was pretty wet and completing plenty of 'U' turns in an effort to find alternative routes around the complex. In the end I was wading up to my thighs simply to get around; Jaeger the dog I had with me wasn't impressed!
The floodwater caused spiders, snails and insects to climb to the tops of nettles, voles didn't know where to go and many of the water birds were displaced.
I spent some time checking through the numerous roving tit flocks (as always) and started to find a few Chiffchaffs. The distinctive, loud and metallic (almost Dunnock-like) calls of Siberian Chiffchaffs could be heard from the willows and two of these pretty distinctive grey birds were roaming around in the willows, one seemed to be with the tits and the other seemed more sedentary on the little causeway separating the Coton Reel and The Perch Pits (both birds being between the main pit and Irthlingborough). In the end I saw about six Chiffchaffs within the complex.
Other birds there today included twelve Egyptian Geese, eight Snipe, a Water Rail, a Raven, two Grey Wagtails, three Kingfishers, a female Stonechat, seven Cetti's Warblers and singles of Siskin and Brambling.
Elsewhere and a Barnacle Goose and a Pintail were on the floods at Bozenham with a Raven there too, and a Short-eared Owl was seen at Neville's Lodge, Finedon at dusk.
Regards
Neil M
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| Muntjac |
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| Egyptian Geese. |
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