Happy New Year!

Hello

I don't think we will forget 2020 in a hurry and we still have some major health challenges for the first part of 2021 it seems!

Another very cold day sees the old year out with a continuation of bitter weather forecast well into January. There was more evidence of displaced birds arriving in the county today - there were thirty Blackbirds crammed on to our small back lawn at dawn with plenty of fresh Goldfinches and new Robins too. These and others are probably fleeing snow and harsh conditions elsewhere in the UK. A bright male Nuthatch was another additional garden bird.

Down at Greens Norton Chris still has his pair of Blackcaps visiting the garden and today a Fieldfare was a new arrival on the fallen apples.

Kenny and Keith completed a last fling ringing session of the year at Linford Lakes, catching a small number of birds which again included a new Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest as well as more common fare. A re-trapped Robin was ringed as a juvenile there in 2015.

A flock of fifteen finches disturbed from hedging along the Brampton Valley Way near Draughton Crossing included at least some calling Bramblings and singles of Grey Wagtail were at both Hanging Houghton and Kelmarsh Hall.

The twenty-six White-fronted Geese and a Great White Egret were again in the Nene Valley at Earls Barton with seven more still at Stanwick Pits together with six Cattle Egrets and three Redshanks. Interestingly the White-fronted Geese at Earls Barton were seen to head off east at 11.10am by Adrian and were seen continuing east over Oundle at 3.20pm (Phil Horsnail) and so have presumably left the county.

Another Great White Egret was seen in flight over Stortons Pits and twenty-three Crossbills were located at Bucknell Wood in the south of the county.

Two adult Caspian Gulls appeared again at the Rushton Landfill site today and birds at Pitsford Reservoir amounted to the Great Northern Diver, a Great White Egret and two Stonechats.

Tomorrow (New Years Day), there will be ringing operations being conducted at Harrington Airfield in the morning and access to the old airstrip and bunkers will be restricted during this time. It is anticipated this will be the last ringing session there for quite a while.

Happy New Year!!

Neil M

Robin.

Today's Chiffchaff at
Linford Lakes courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Drake Goosander courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Late December birding

Hello

Some ringing at Linford Lakes today was responsible for ninety captures, fifty-two of which were new birds. Blue Tits and Great Tits made up the bulk of the catch but also a Chiffchaff was newly-ringed and other birds included a Coal Tit, four Goldcrests, seven Robins, five Dunnocks and four Blackbirds.

Another session with the minimum of nets at Harrington Airfield was targeted towards the residual thrushes left on-site and five Fieldfares, twenty Redwings and three Blackbirds were quickly processed. Birds seen there included twenty-five Golden Plovers, a Barn Owl and four Ravens.

The flock of Redpolls remain at Rothersthorpe village, numbering over a hundred birds and I spent some time working through over two hundred finches and buntings in the Brampton Valley near Hanging Houghton which included one hundred and fifty Linnets with smaller numbers of Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers. The two pairs of Stonechats were present too.

The Great Northern Diver remains at Pitsford Reservoir and today it seemed to linger in the vicinity of the Gorse Bushes (half way between the causeway and the dam). Other birds included a Great White Egret, a Stonechat and thirty Snipe north of the causeway and an adult Yellow-legged Gull off the dam. Nearby and there were two Water Rails, eight Snipe and two Grey Wagtails at Brixworth Treatment Works.

Three Crossbills were located on the south side of Badby Wood today by Mike and Mark, and John Friendship-Taylor located a Barnacle Goose on the county border just east of Clifton and later a first year Mediterranean Gull in the Boddington Reservoir gull roost. A small passage of Common Gulls this afternoon were presumably a cold weather movement linked to snow elsewhere.

The Nene Valley continued to host the flock of twenty-six White-fronted Geese and at least three Great White Egrets at Earls Barton Pits with Stanwick Pits continuing to attract eight White-fronted Geese, five Cattle Egrets and five Great White Egrets.

A Great White Egret was seen at Stanford Reservoir and three Caspian Gulls were reported at Rushton Landfill site.

Regards

Neil M

Redpoll.

Linnet.

Blackbird. A male caught
and ringed at Harrington
Airfield today boasted a
wing length of 140mm,
normally a feature associated
with birds from the far north
of Europe.

Winter weather not far away!

Hello

Another cold rather raw day but with good visibility and it seems we have missed the snow that has visited not too far away!

The Great Northern Diver was again off the dam at Pitsford Reservoir today and a Great White Egret was in the Walgrave Bay with the Redshank still on the causeway. The two Bearded Tits remain at Stanford Reservoir (believed still on Leicestershire bank). The Ruddy Shelduck was again reported from Hollowell Reservoir, sticking with the Canada Goose flock.

In the Nene Valley, twenty-six White-fronted Geese were in meadows near to Summer Leys LNR (with a Great White Egret on the reserve) and at least five were still at the north end of Stanwick Pits. The Bittern was seen again late morning in flight at the Quarry Walk reedbed, Earls Barton.

At Abington Park, Northampton today there were six Goosanders and twelve Ring-necked Parakeets present (and a lot of people)! Four Stonechats were still in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

There seems to be plenty of garden Blackcaps around this winter - Phil Jackman has three visiting him regularly at his Kettering garden (plus a Grey Wagtail).

This afternoon fifty Golden Plovers were in flight over Harrington Airfield - tomorrow there is a ringing session planned at this site and there will be no access to the old airstrip and bunker areas during the course of the operation - access along the concrete track and other footpaths is unaffected.

Regards

Neil M

Goldcrest.

.

Goldfinch.

First year Grey Heron.

All images courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Cold and murky Monday

Hello 

A cold and murky day with difficult visibility this morning and again late afternoon.

The Great Northern Diver played hide and seek in the fog at Pitsford Reservoir but then showed very well off the dam.

Mark tried hard to locate his Siberian Chiffchaff at Hollowell Reservoir today but it wasn't found, but there was an adult Caspian Gull, the female Ruddy Shelduck and a Crossbill. Stanford's birds included the four wintering Black-necked Grebes, a Great White Egret and a noteworthy adult Kittiwake.

The Nene Valley today provided views of five Cattle Egrets at the east end of Stanwick Pits and at least twelve White-fronted Geese and two Great White Egrets were visible from Summer Leys LNR.

The Welland Valley is also very flooded and although the Bewick's Swans were not seen in the valley between Gretton and Rockingham today, other birds included three Shelduck, large numbers of Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Shovelers and Mallard, two hundred Lapwings, three Dunlin, hundreds of large gulls, flocks of Black-headed Gulls, Fieldfares and Starlings and a flock of over eighty-five Pied Wagtails.

Similar species of wildfowl were present on the floods at Harringworth together with more Lapwings and a female Peregrine.

Not far away and Deene Lake hosted two Egyptian Geese, three Shelducks and a pair of Stonechats with twenty-four Mandarin Ducks, two Little Egrets, a Water Rail, a Kingfisher and a Cetti's Warbler  all at Blatherwycke Lake.

Fineshade Wood provided a surprise in the shape of a Water Rail on the disused railway line; more typical birds were two or three Woodcock, four Redpolls and about twenty Crossbills. On the opposite side of the A43, Wakerley Wood hosted thirty flighty Crossbills, about fifty Siskins and two Woodcock.

A Water Rail, four Snipe and a Grey Wagtail were at Brixworth Treatment Works this morning and the bird/nectar crop in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton was full of birds including up to two hundred Linnets plus Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, Chaffinches and a pair of Stonechats.

Regards

Neil M

Water Rail courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Peregrine courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Male Pied Wagtail.

Sunday's sightings

Hello

The birds at Pitsford Reservoir were elusive again today but sightings included the Great Northern Diver seen off the dam this morning and just north of the Pintail Bay early this afternoon. Two Great White Egrets appeared in the Scaldwell Bay and at least one pair of Stonechats remained.

Four Woodcock were flushed from underneath a hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning and a pair of Stonechat were present too.

The birds at Harrington Airfield first thing this morning included a lingering first year Peregrine and about a hundred Golden Plovers, with the female Merlin being seen again this afternoon.

At least two Black-necked Grebes and the two Bearded Tits were at Stanford Reservoir today and two Bewick's Swans were discovered in the Welland Valley (presumably flooded) between Rockingham and Gretton - this was once a traditional stop-over site.

The flooded Nene Valley continues to attract White-fronted Geese with an impressive flock of twenty six at Earls Barton Pits, visible from the old railway line in flooded fields opposite the Summer Leys LNR. Six Great White Egrets were also present. At least seven White-fronted Geese were still present at the north-east end of Stanwick Pits and other birds in the complex included seven Cattle Egrets and a Great White Egret. A Bittern was seen in flight over the Earls Barton Pits Quarry Walk reedbed.

Regards

Neil M

Female Merlin.

First year Peregrine.

Bittern.

Boxing Day birds

Hello

A much milder day weather-wise but seemingly with powerful gusts overnight courtesy of yet another storm!

Visits to the Kelmarsh Estate today didn't provide any sightings of interest and a succession of would-be observers to Pitsford Reservoir left disappointed as the Bewick's Swans of yesterday had seemingly departed and the Smew weren't located either. The Great Northern Diver was proving difficult to see but eventually it was seen this afternoon off the dam. It could well be the Hollowell bird as there was negative news from there today. Four Stonechats were still on show in the Scaldwell Bay.

A new bird in at Hollowell Reservoir was a Siberian Chiffchaff found by Mark Piper in the bay near to the Sailing Club. Other birds included a nominate Chiffchaff, a single Great White Egret, the female Ruddy Shelduck still and two Jack Snipe. Nearby and there were five Great White Egrets together at Ravensthorpe Reservoir which probably included the Pitsford birds as there were none reported today.

Stanford Reservoir again provided the right habitat for the four Black-necked Grebes and in the flooded Nene Valley the Bittern was seen again at Summer Leys LNR. A male Blackcap was in a East Hunsbury garden today.

Regards

Neil M

Siberian Chiffchaff.

Great White Egret.

Birds of Christmas Day

Hello

Lovely cool, crispy weather provided the stimulus to be out and about for much of the day, the last two cold nights also ensuring there were lots of hungry birds to feed too!

An enjoyable stroll around Harrington Airfield catalogued plenty of common birds but the only ones of note were a single Raven, ten Golden Plovers and a covey of five Grey Partridge.

A Raven was very noisy at Hanging Houghton on my return as I fed the birds in the garden for the second time - three Pied Wagtails and plenty of Starlings and Blackbirds and others were quickly back in to hoover up all the treats.

With similar duties to perform at Pitsford Reservoir, I visited the south end and after topping up the feeders etc I had time for a scan around and picked up on a juvenile Great Northern Diver initially in the Pintail Bay but later off the dam. With multiple Great Northerns at other large waters in middle England during November/December I think we've all been scratching our heads as to why we only had the one at Hollowell. Two Yellow-legged Gulls were off the Sailing Club.

With more birds to feed at the Brixworth Feeding Station I moved on to there next and was then able to count three Water Rails (two seen) and a Grey Wagtail at the Treatment Works there.

It was afternoon before I arrived at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station at Pitsford Reservoir where the water level had risen considerably to 100% capacity. David Arden had located four 'redhead' Smew in the Scaldwell Bay in the morning and after I had filled up the feeders etc I had a scan around. A Great White Egret flew past and I located the Smew with a stunning drake leading them around (a total of five birds). They were active and as I continued 'scoping them they swam past a small gathering of swans which included three adult Bewick's! The swans went on to graze the Scaldwell Meadows with the geese.

An adult Yellow-legged Gull may have been a third individual for the day and a pair of Stonechat, a Redshank and six Snipe were found along the water's edge with a Chiffchaff in the perimeter hedge.

Elsewhere and Bob Webster located eight Cattle Egrets and a Great White Egret at the north-east section of Stanwick Pits.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Great Northern Diver.

Drake Smew.

Bewick's Swan.

Merry Christmas!

Hello

A ringing session planned for Kelmarsh Hall was called forward to today due to the uncertainty of future pandemic restrictions post Christmas. The significant flooding of yesterday at Kelmarsh had subsided but it was still a sticky, muddy affair trudging to the nets and back. One hundred and twenty birds were processed, the highlights being four Fieldfares, three Redwings, four Blackbirds, a Nuthatch, twelve Goldfinches, a smart adult male Siskin and a Grey Wagtail. Two Ravens were vocal and displaying.

Hundreds of thrushes and Starlings were gleaning the saturated fields in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today where there was also a pair of Stonechats. A Barn Owl was between Upper Catesby and Hellidon this morning and a Woodcock was seen flying into Scotland Wood pre-dawn.

Stanford Reservoir today hosted at least one Black-necked Grebe, a female Scaup and one of the Bearded Tits was heard calling. Five Jack Snipe were located at Daventry Country Park this morning.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas wherever you happen to be and your circumstances. The year has been a tough one for many people and fortitude, patience and goodwill will also be required for a chunk of 2021 too. Thank-you for the support of readers, photographers and all nature lovers who have helped in supporting this blog and providing information, images, videos, maps and more!

Best Wishes

Neil and Eleanor

Robin.

A Northamptonshire sunset
taken this afternoon by Helen Franklin.

Severe weather and Blue Tits!

Hello

A day of heavy rain linked with mild temperatures and strong winds this evening and many places in the county are flooded - the weather forecast for tomorrow is quite different!

Very few reports of birds today but Stanford Reservoir continued to support the four Black-necked Grebes, a Great White Egret and the long-staying pair of Bearded Tits.

I visited three feeding stations in very wet conditions today but saw very little for my trouble but there was still a Grey Wagtail and a few Siskins at Kelmarsh Hall this afternoon.

So some pictures from the ringing session at Pitsford yesterday courtesy of Bethan Clyne...

Regards

Neil M

First year male Fieldfare.

Unusually coloured claws
on the Fieldfare...!

Blue Tits. Although more difficult
in the field, in the hand (for much of the year)
it is often possible to assess both age and gender.
 In general the females tend to smaller and duller with
the adults brighter and bluer. The males
tend to exhibit broader collars with more 
contrast on the face and head and azure
edges to the tail feathers (and proportionately
more azure in the crown that the females),
and the lesser and median coverts are a rich
almost cobalt blue colour. The adult males
exhibit blue primary coverts (with minimal contrast
in the depth of blue from the lesser/median coverts)
 with first year males exhibiting different primary
covert colours that can range from a bright turquoise
to a dull green, and contrast with the blue of the 
lesser/median coverts. 

Owls, newts and a Weasel!

Hello

A ringing session at Linford Lakes today yielded two Tawny Owls, a re-trap male from 2017 and a new female which weighed 150g more than the male. Other birds included five Redwings and a Chiffchaff and a six year old Great Tit. Non avian highlights included an inquisitive Weasel and a number of Frogs and two species of newt. 'Bob' the Robin of course tracked Kenny and Keith down and demanded his festive mealworm treat!

More ringing at Pitsford Reservoir today provided over a hundred captures which included forty-seven birds newly ringed with highlights of a Fieldfare, five Blackbirds, a Song Thrush, eight Redwings, four Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff. Other birds seen included a Barn Owl, a fly-over Crossbill, two or three Siskins, two Redpolls, two or three Woodcocks and three Great White Egrets.

Another Barn Owl was between Spratton and Brixworth early this morning and two Woodcock were mobile roadside birds between the villages of Scaldwell and Old pre-dawn.

Other observations included ten Crossbills (in larch) and a Raven at Harlestone Heath, a female Red-crested Pochard was located at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and Hollowell Reservoir continued to host the juvenile Great Northern Diver and wintering flock of eleven Pink-footed Geese plus two Great White Egrets and the Ruddy Shelduck.

The four Black-necked Grebes and a Great White Egret plus one or two Bearded Tit(s) all starred at Stanford Reservoir and three White-fronted Geese were seen in flight SW over Islip.

Regards

Neil M

Tawny Owls courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Count the newts (seemingly
of two different species)!
Images courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

More ringing recoveries

Hello

My day was taken up maintaining wild bird feeding stations today - despite the mild conditions there are still plenty of hungry birds out there!

At Pitsford Reservoir today there were two Great White Egrets north of the causeway and an adult Yellow-legged Gull off the dam.

The Bittern was again seen briefly in flight at Summer Leys LNR today and the four Black-necked Grebes were near the dam at Stanford Reservoir. A Raven flew over Hanging Houghton and a few Siskins were noted at Kelmarsh Hall.

Some more ringing recoveries associated with Northants Ringing Group activities are as follows:-

1. A juvenile Blue Tit was ringed at Geddington, Northants on 17th June 2020 courtesy of our colleagues in the Rockingham Forest Ringing Group. This bird was found in a mist net at Kelmarsh Hall on 27th November 2020, the little sprite travelling 16km to find us in middle Northamptonshire 163 days later!

2. A second calendar year Black-headed Gull was caught and ringed near Pomorskie, Poland on 8th March 2018 and was marked with a yellow colour ring. The bird was re-sighted at two different locations in Poland on 9th July 2019 and 10th March 2020, and then seen at Grimsbury Reservoir not far from Banbury on 4th July this year. Bethan and Jacob re-sighted this bird at Pitsford Reservoir on 3rd December 2020 when it was off the Sailing Club and coming to bread;

3. A first year Goldfinch was caught and ringed at Hanging Houghton on 23rd September this year and then caught again at Dungeness Bird Observatory, Kent on 26th November. In the sixty-four days between records the bird had moved 205km in a south-easterly direction. I would speculate that this bird was perhaps en-route to winter in France/Iberia; 

4. A first year male Siskin was caught and ringed near Telemark in Norway on 27th September 2020 and then extracted from a mist net at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes on 7th December (71 days later). This little finch had travelled 1025km in a south-westerly direction.

Regards

Neil M

Sparrowhawk courtesy
of David Arden.

Male Siskin feeding
on alder, courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

A paddling of Goldeneye
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Pitsford Ringing

Hello

A rather intense and busy ringing session in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir today yielded 224 captures of sixteen species. Not surprisingly it was the tit family that made up the numbers with as many as 98 Blue Tits plus 39 Great Tits, 6 Coal Tits, 2 Marsh Tits and 14 Long-tailed Tits. Other birds encountered in mist nets included a single Fieldfare, 5 Blackbirds, 29 Redwings, 6 Goldcrests, a Chiffchaff, a Treecreeper, 3 Bullfinches and 4 Chaffinches. Other birds noted included a Great White Egret, two Bramblings, a Redpoll and at least one other Chiffchaff.

White-fronted Geese are still out there and on the move too with a flock of twenty-three flying over Summer Leys LNR today and still with two adults at Clifford Hill Pits. Also at Summer Leys early this afternoon there was an excellent gathering of 400 - 500 Golden Plovers with two Great White Egrets present late morning.

The mobile female Merlin was today in the Blueberry Farm area as were the two regular Woodcock plus a pair of Stonechats. Four more Stonechats were still in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. Harrington Airfield was quiet today with barely thirty Golden Plovers still present.

Stuart went looking for the Firecrests at Stortons Pits today but didn't find them, but he did hear a Bearded Tit calling from 'the southern bench' area.

Hollowell Reservoir's birds still included the juvenile Great Northern Diver which showed well at the inlet end of the reservoir early this afternoon, a Great White Egret, the Ruddy Shelduck and ten Pink-footed Geese.

Regards

Neil M

Blue Tit.

Canada Goose courtesy
of Phillip Davies.

Common Buzzard courtesy
of Phillip Davies.

Wren courtesy of
Phillip Davies.

Owls, a Merlin and creatures of the water!

Hello

Harrington Airfield was alive with birds today with large numbers of passerines including common finches, buntings, thrushes and Starlings and Skylarks. A female Merlin was chasing them and even had a go at the two hundred Golden Plovers too! Two high-up owls flying over proved to be Short-eareds - they weren't lingering and flew purposefully south. Other birds included two Woodcock.

At Thrapston Pits there were five Great White Egrets and a pair of lingering Stonechats and at Clifford Hill Pits there were still two White-fronted Geese, twenty-five Golden Plovers and two Stonechats. Summer Leys LNR provided a view of a flying Bittern.

A Peregrine was harassing the corvids at Boddington Reservoir and Hollowell Reservoir still supported the Great Northern Diver and ten Pink-footed Geese. There was a significant passage of Herring Gulls over Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and there were two Chiffchaffs and a Raven on the west side of the Walgrave Bay. 

Over twenty Crossbills were watched in larches in the car park at Wakerley Wood and a Cetti's Warbler and a Water Rail were near Brixworth. Two Ravens were noisy at Hanging Houghton.

Stanford Reservoir continues to host two Bearded Tits and four Black-necked Grebes.

Regards

Neil M

Short-eared Owl.

Great Crested Grebe
with a Ruff or Pope,

Little Grebes.

Otter!

All images courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Birds of the wet and bluster

Hello 

A mild but blustery and wet day didn't produce many fresh sightings of interest in the county today.

The two White-fronted Geese were still present at Clifford Hill Pits yesterday (Thursday) and were seen again today. Also yesterday there was an impressive gathering of eight hundred Golden Plovers at Summer Leys LNR in the afternoon.

Today and the seven White-fronted Geese were still at the north-east end of Stanwick Pits and Summer Leys LNR attracted two Great White Egrets and also seven Ravens in sheep meadows between there and Wellingborough.

A flock of up to fifty Redpolls have been witnessed gathering in a paddock in the centre of Rothersthorpe village, generally in the afternoon. Four Black-necked Grebes were at Stanford Reservoir again today.

Birds at Pitsford Reservoir today included a Great White Egret and a Grey Partridge in the Scaldwell Bay where Bethan and Jacob also caught and ringed a Mallard and a Coot!

Regards

Neil M

Drake Mallard.

Coot,

Images courtesy
of Bethan Clyne.

Pitsford WeBS count.

Hello

It was time for the Pitsford Reservoir WeBS count today in pleasant conditions. The morning sunshine incited lots of the Goldcrests to sing and a Cormorant was even sitting on a nest!

However it was a cool start with a ground frost and there were plenty of common wildfowl on-site. Three or four Great White Egrets moved around the reserve north of the causeway and there were two Little Egrets, the leucistic drake Red-crested Pochard, two drake Pintail, a Woodcock, forty-five Snipe, six Kingfishers, a Cetti's Warbler, five Chiffchaffs, a pair of Stonechat, a Grey Wagtail, a Redpoll and a handful of Siskins. A Peacock butterfly was flying in the sunshine!

At Harlestone Heath today there were six Crossbills by the A428 entrance with a further twenty or so near the sawmills - other birds included three Bramblings, two Redpoll and fifty plus Siskins.

Lingering birds at Hollowell Reservoir included the Great Northern Diver, eleven Pink-footed Geese and eleven Crossbills, the seven White-fronted Geese were still at the NE section of Stanwick Pits and three Black-necked Grebes were again seen at Stanford Reservoir. A Great White Egret was reported from the fishing lakes at Ecton today and two Firecrests were reported from Stortons Pits this morning - seemingly showing in the tree line by the viewing area at the north end of the reedbed.

Regards

Neil M

One of seventy Goldeneye
present at Pitsford today.

Green Woodpecker.

Greylag Geese.

Cob Mute Swan.

The leucistic drake
Red-crested Pochard.

All images from Pitsford
Reservoir today.

Winter birding

Hello

An hour's visible migration scanning this morning at Harrington Airfield by Jacob confirmed the continuation of a huge Redwing migration still underway with a count of 482 heading west. When the rain hit this afternoon over two hundred Fieldfares and a hundred Starlings sought shelter in the airstrip bushes.

My first venue today was Kelmarsh Hall as part of my feeding station regime and half a dozen Siskins were very vocal in the alders there. A drive out to Sulby Airfield provided a flock of about a hundred aerial Golden Plovers and nearby Welford Reservoir held a Goosander, a Grey Wagtail and two Ravens.

Hollowell Reservoir has plenty of birds with eleven Pink-footed Geese still, the Great Northern Diver off the dam, two Great White Egrets, the Ruddy Shelduck with the Canada Geese flock, a super adult Caspian Gull, a second winter Yellow-legged Gull and at least three Stonechats. Nearby Ravensthorpe Reservoir was much quieter with two Ravens, a Chiffchaff, a Siskin and a Grey Wagtail.

A Cattle Egret was seen in a horse field near Grendon today before flying off west and the seven White-fronted Geese remained at the north east end of Stanwick Pits (plus a Great White Egret). Three Black-necked Grebes were still present at Stanford Reservoir today.

Regards

Neil M

Kingfisher.

Goldcrest.

First year Common Gull.