Iceland - 4th - 8th March 2022

Friday, 3 January 2020

New Year birds

Hello

Yesterday (Thursday) and a visit to Harrington Airfield produced a pair of Raven and a flock of twelve partridges which were probably the usual Grey covey wintering on-site.

Pitsford Reservoir yielded a couple of Great White Egrets and the two drake Red-crested Pochard were seen again. Stanwick Pits retained the Scaup, two early Shelducks, seven Redshank and nine Golden Plovers with four Cattle Egrets later on the layby pit. A Great White Egret was at Ditchford Pits and seven Little Egrets on the River Ise at Burton Latimer provides an indication where the food is at this time of the year. Two White-fronted Geese at Clifford Hill Pits was a good find with a Great White Egret there too.

Today (Friday) and Harrington Airfield hosted a flock of about 150 Golden Plovers plus an attendant Peregrine and two Bramblings.

The two White-fronted Geese were still at Clifford Hill Pits as was a Barnacle Goose and a drake Goosander. The DIRFT3 site near Crick continues to weave it's magic on the Great Grey Shrike (that relatively small area must be rich in rodents) plus a pair of Stonechat. A Green Sandpiper was on the dam at Stanford Reservoir and a Woodcock was seen in flight near Whilton Locks.

Other birds today included a Great White Egret in the Holcot Bay at Pitsford Reservoir, four Cattle Egrets at Ditchford Pits to the west of Ditchford Lane and later five Cattle Egrets were back at the layby pit at Stanwick Lakes, with the Scaup and two Great White Egrets on the Main Lake.

Finally Eleanor enjoyed watching a stunning adult male Hen Harrier in the Brampton Valley this afternoon, flying from Hanging Houghton towards Blueberry Farm.

Regards

Neil M


Goosanders.

Kingfisher.

Images from Abington Park, Northampton
courtesy of Dave Jackson.

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