Egrets, Whinchats and a Short-eared Owl

 Hello

More strong winds and rain this afternoon made for unappealing conditions for wildlife watching!

Nevertheless there were things still out there to see and birds at Pitsford Reservoir today included a juvenile Shag, two or more Yellow-legged Gulls, two Garganey, a Great White Egret, a Hobby, a Common Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper and a Swift. One of the local Common Buzzards has made the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station it's regular spot and can be found sometimes perched on the bird table there where it brings prey for butchering (most of the time Brown Rats)!

Stanwick Pits provided views of six Cattle Egrets plus a Great White Egret, a Greenshank, two Common Sandpipers, two Little Ringed Plovers, a Dunlin and a Whinchat. Another Whinchat was found in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and Gary Burrows found a Short-eared Owl at Harrington Airfield this morning (Bunker Three).

The weather forecast for the coming week indicates that the weather will calm and it is anticipated that county ringers will again be active on Monday and Tuesday which again might provide captures of scarcer migrants.

Regards

Neil M

Common Buzzard.

Short-eared Owl courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Cattle Egret.