Monday 9 December 2019

Birds of a windy and wet December

Hello

Birds for yesterday (Sunday) in the county were a bit scant but included two 'redhead' Smew at Summer Leys and a Great White Egret, two Pintail and a Yellow-legged Gull at Pitsford Reservoir.

I took a wander at Upper Harlestone but it was probably too windy to find or hear the Firecrest from the day before. Still it is a smashing walk around the cottages of this traditional Northamptonshire village and there were two Goosanders on the lake there and a Raven playing around in the wind.

A Lesser Redpoll was in David Arden's garden on Saturday, attracted to a nyger seed feeder. So far this winter Redpolls of any description have been scarce locally.

Today (Monday) and the Brent Goose at/near Stanford Reservoir has been waddling and flying around either side of the Leicestershire/Northamptonshire border! Summer Leys is still the home of an adult male Red-crested Pochard and there was a Brambling at the feeding station there.

Grey Partridges today included a covey of twelve at Harrington Airfield, five in a field near Lamport Hall and a male calling in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton at dusk.

The south end of Pitsford Reservoir still retained the third winter Yellow-legged Gull and a female 'aythya' duck off the Valve Tower is probably a Tufted Duck x Scaup hybrid (first seen in November).

Regards

Neil M






Skylark courtesy
of John Tilly.



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