Northamptonshire Birding: Ditchford WeBS Count

Hello

Ditchford Pits was the venue for much of the day, completing the August WeBS count. As is usual for this time of the year it was quiet for birds, the best west of Ditchford Lane was an adult female Peregrine with pigeon prey, an Egyptian Goose and two Green Sandpipers.

Cetti's Warblers were dotted about the complex as were common warblers and a couple of Kingfishers and odonata included Small Red-eyed Damselfly.

Pitsford Reservoir continued to attract birds and birders with a juvenile Shag still north of the causeway, plus a Garganey and a Common Redstart, two Great White Egrets, two Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin. To the south of the causeway a Sandwich Tern was seen early in the afternoon and the juvenile Arctic Tern was still present plus four Common Sandpipers. This evening there was a party of four juvenile Shags off the dam and two juvenile Mediterranean Gulls were in the pre-roost gathering. Several Yellow-legged Gulls included an adult with a still begging juvenile in tow!

Nearby a male Common Redstart and a Wheatear were seen along the footpath between Cherry Hill and Pitsford Reservoir next to the small horse paddock. At Stanwick Pits there was a Wheatear and a Whinchat, two Cattle Egrets, two Great White Egrets, two Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper with a Spotted Flycatcher at Barnwell CP. A single Wheatear was along the footpath between Collingtree and Blisworth and another individual was west of Little Brington on the track to Brockhall. Two Wheatears were noted at Clifford Hill Pits and Summer Leys LNR today supported two Great White Egrets, two Greenshanks, a Common Sandpiper, a Ruff and a Hobby.

Harrington Airfield this afternoon hosted three Common Redstarts (two between the Chippings Compound and Bunker One), a Wheatear and a Tree Pipit.

Regards

Neil M