Hello
The strong gusty winds from the north continued today but at least there were periods of sunshine to soften the blow.
Typically as spring progresses and our winter visitors slip away and are replaced by the regular summer visitors which become the norm, passage migrants dwindle and birds of interest are often reduced to a few individuals rare to the county. And so it proved today with very little reported on the birding scene but with a rare bird in the shape of a Montagu's Harrier seen by Gary Pullan at Boddington Reservoir this morning. This female bird was on show for up to fifteen minutes before moving away to the west. Officially the rarest breeding raptor in the UK, it is naturally a rare visitor to the county and Gary is to be congratulated on this find in cold, blustery conditions.
A Dunlin and a Ringed Plover were noted at Summer Leys today and Pitsford Reservoir still hosts two long-staying Yellow-legged Gulls (a first summer and a third summer).
The only recent additions to our 'recorded from the garden list' from the last couple of days has been Mallard and Lesser Black-backed Gull but I would love to know how far the Starlings are coming from to feast on our dried mealworms or gather them up to take to nestlings. I had estimated 5-8 pairs nesting in the village but there is more than that coming in for them and the peanut 'Flutter Butter'!
Regards
Neil M
The strong gusty winds from the north continued today but at least there were periods of sunshine to soften the blow.
Typically as spring progresses and our winter visitors slip away and are replaced by the regular summer visitors which become the norm, passage migrants dwindle and birds of interest are often reduced to a few individuals rare to the county. And so it proved today with very little reported on the birding scene but with a rare bird in the shape of a Montagu's Harrier seen by Gary Pullan at Boddington Reservoir this morning. This female bird was on show for up to fifteen minutes before moving away to the west. Officially the rarest breeding raptor in the UK, it is naturally a rare visitor to the county and Gary is to be congratulated on this find in cold, blustery conditions.
A Dunlin and a Ringed Plover were noted at Summer Leys today and Pitsford Reservoir still hosts two long-staying Yellow-legged Gulls (a first summer and a third summer).
The only recent additions to our 'recorded from the garden list' from the last couple of days has been Mallard and Lesser Black-backed Gull but I would love to know how far the Starlings are coming from to feast on our dried mealworms or gather them up to take to nestlings. I had estimated 5-8 pairs nesting in the village but there is more than that coming in for them and the peanut 'Flutter Butter'!
Regards
Neil M
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| Female Montagu's Harrier courtesy of Eleanor. |
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| A migrant flock of Ringed Plovers and Dunlin at Pitsford Reservoir during 2015. With the high water levels this spring, waders have been in short supply at Pitsford this year. |
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| A stunning shot of a Swift by Dave Jackson. Now back in reasonable numbers and currently decorating the skies above our reservoirs and gravel pits. Some are already back in purpose-made nest boxes erected for them locally. Sadly the Covid 19 virus has delayed the ambitious plans to create an entirely new colony of these threatened birds with the erection of a large Swift nesting tower within the NN6 postal district. |
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