Mid-way 2020

Hello

Yesterday evening (Tuesday) a revisit to the River Welland at Market Harborough didn't produce an Otter sighting. Speaking with some of the local naturalists on-site it seems there is a reasonably healthy population of Water Voles along this section and sure enough I did see one. Sadly though a Grey Heron had seen it first and my only view of the adult vole was it struggling in vain in the heron's bill, before being doused in the water, subdued and swallowed!

Also yesterday evening an excellent count of 15 Common Sandpipers (plus three Oystercatchers) was made at Stanford Reservoir, a high number of returning (and presumed failed breeding) birds so early in the season.

This morning (Wednesday) and a walk at Harrington Airfield produced a distantly calling Quail (audible to the west of the concrete track), a Barn Owl, a couple of Siskins and the Common Redstart again (this time some 300m north of the chippings compound towards Bunker One). There will be some ringing on-site tomorrow morning during which time access to the old airstrip and bunkers will be restricted. Another ringing session is planned for Stortons Pits tomorrow morning with likely a short session at Pitsford Reservoir on Friday morning. In due time we are hoping to be able to invite observers to these sessions but at the moment the Covid -19 conditions necessitates restrictions on attendees.

Steve Fisher's efforts at Stanwick Pits this morning provided views of a Cattle Egret, three Mediterranean Gulls, three Little Ringed Plovers, two Redshanks, a Common Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper. The usual third calendar year Yellow-legged Gull was off the dam at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon.

A few more ringing recoveries have been received as follows:-

1. A Long-tailed Tit that was ringed at Brixworth on 24th January 2019 found a mist net again at Stanford Reservoir on 7th June this year, 500 days later with the bird having travelled 17km in a NW direction;

2.  A first year female Blackbird was ringed on the outskirts of Northampton on 20th December 2017 and was found dead (believed to be a road casualty) at Weston Favell, Northampton on 12th June this year, 905 days later and about 4km from where first ringed;

3.  A juvenile Garden Warbler was caught and ringed at Beachy Head, East Sussex on 23rd July 2019 (presumably as a departing bird beginning it's journey to Africa). This bird was extracted from a mist net at Chase Park Farm, Yardley Chase on 19th June this year when assessed as a breeding female. This is not the first county Garden Warbler to have used Beachy Head as a stop-over site, which is about 176km SSE of Chase Park.

Finally Neil Hasdell is currently working on adding further birding location maps to the Birdwatching Site Maps Tab/Page on this blog and we'll be reviewing the current maps to see if they need to be amended.

Regards

Neil M

Long-tailed Tit.

Female Blackbird.

Garden Warbler.