Black-tailed Godwits

Hello

Well it seems that Black-tailed Godwits were the migrant of the day in the county with an initial single seen at Summer Leys first thing (together with two Mandarin Ducks and singles of Green and Common Sandpiper), followed by another single at Stanwick Pits (plus three Mediterranean Gulls, a Cattle Egret and two Little Ringed Plovers) and then five on Dragonfly Lake on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadow reserve.

This afternoon and there were three Black-tailed Godwits on the scrape at Summer Leys and then an excellent record of about forty flying into Stanwick Pits just after 6pm. Most of this flock moved on leaving five birds in situ.

This afternoon the Ruddy Shelduck was reported again at Hollowell Reservoir with a Great White Egret present too.

Yesterday (Wednesday) evening and I went back to Market Harborough to look for Otters. At 9.35pm (when it was raining and dark) an Otter materialised and gave good close views for about fifteen minutes at the confluence of two channels near to the railway station. Although the Otter is not seen every evening, there is a small group of local naturalists who are there most evenings hoping to see this animal (it seemingly often appears at about 9.30pm).

Today and a small band of ringers completed a session at Stortons Pits where there were 65 captures recorded including good numbers of warblers. One re-trapped Reed Warbler was first ringed in 2011 and another was a bird ringed elsewhere. There was also eight Sedge Warblers, two Lesser Whitethroats, three Cetti's Warblers, a token Willow Warbler and good numbers of Reed Buntings.

A lengthy ringing session at Harrington Airfield today provided 130 captures of twenty species, 108 of these were newly-ringed birds. Highlights included a young Green Woodpecker, two Lesser Whitethroats, nine Common Whitethroats, two Garden Warblers, eleven Willow Warblers, twenty-three Yellowhammers and plenty of common finches. No birds of particular interest were seen on-site but there were still small numbers of Marbled White butterflies checking out the clover flowers.

Regards

Neil M

Otter at Market
Harborough yesterday
evening.

Lesser Whitethroat.

Robin.

Sedge Warbler.

Song Thrush.

All above bird images taken
by Chris Payne at Stortons Pits
this morning.

Young male Green Woodpecker
at Harrington Airfield today.