Hello
An excursion this morning to Harrington Airfield didn't reveal any significant birding highlights but the female Greenland Wheatear was still present (Bunker Two) and at least one pair of Grey Partridge were on show. If you enjoy the continuous song of many Willow Warblers around you then the rough scrubby strip connecting the bunkers is the place for you! However the mammals stole the show with a Stoat and five Brown Hares on the roam.
Fiona found two cracking male Wheatears on top of Blueberry Hill (near Maidwell) this morning.
Scanning upwards and outwards from the garden during lunch-time and early afternoon quickly provided plenty of common raptors enjoying the breezy and sunny conditions. I quickly saw the four common raptors and went on to see two Hobbies, one of which hawked insects over the village for some time, plus a passing immature Peregrine. The best of the butterflies in the garden were Orange-tip and Holly Blue.
Other birds seen today in the county included three Cattle Egrets at Stanwick Pits and Hobbies seen at several locations. A Barn Owl was hunting in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton both yesterday evening and this evening.
News released today indicates that Northamptonshire finally has a new county bird recorder after a gap of some years. This role demands much and it's perhaps not surprising that it has been vacant for a while. Our best wishes to Jonathan Cook who takes on this responsibility and deserves support from all of us amateur naturalists!
Regards
Neil M
An excursion this morning to Harrington Airfield didn't reveal any significant birding highlights but the female Greenland Wheatear was still present (Bunker Two) and at least one pair of Grey Partridge were on show. If you enjoy the continuous song of many Willow Warblers around you then the rough scrubby strip connecting the bunkers is the place for you! However the mammals stole the show with a Stoat and five Brown Hares on the roam.
Fiona found two cracking male Wheatears on top of Blueberry Hill (near Maidwell) this morning.
Scanning upwards and outwards from the garden during lunch-time and early afternoon quickly provided plenty of common raptors enjoying the breezy and sunny conditions. I quickly saw the four common raptors and went on to see two Hobbies, one of which hawked insects over the village for some time, plus a passing immature Peregrine. The best of the butterflies in the garden were Orange-tip and Holly Blue.
Other birds seen today in the county included three Cattle Egrets at Stanwick Pits and Hobbies seen at several locations. A Barn Owl was hunting in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton both yesterday evening and this evening.
News released today indicates that Northamptonshire finally has a new county bird recorder after a gap of some years. This role demands much and it's perhaps not surprising that it has been vacant for a while. Our best wishes to Jonathan Cook who takes on this responsibility and deserves support from all of us amateur naturalists!
Regards
Neil M
 |
| Male Greenfinch tucking into sunflower hearts. |
 |
| Adult male Pied Wagtail and the shyest of the four adult wagtails coming to our garden at the moment. The solid black mantle, extensive bib and white edges to the tertials and coverts help age this bird. |
 |
| Holly Blue butterfly. |
No comments:
Post a Comment