Northamptonshire Birding: Pitsford WeBS count.

Hello

It was the turn of Pitsford Reservoir to receive the WeBS count treatment today although there were plenty of wildlife distractions along the way!

A trio of counters wandered in to the Scaldwell Bay first, encountering various local naturalists along this migration throughfare! On the avian front two Common Redstarts (first year male and female) in the hedge on the left hand side en-route to the Bird Club hide pulled in a few observers. The shoreline held a Green Sandpiper (one of two present), two Dunlin, three Snipe and a Ringed Plover and two Redshanks were observed in flight. The Bird Club Hide provided the ideal venue to see a Marsh Harrier flying off into the Walgrave Bay and a Garganey feeding next to the stumps to the left of the hide. Three Great White Egrets were initially all together in the tangles left of the hide but one by one dispersed during the morning.

In the meantime the four juvenile Shags were located by Eleanor swimming around between the dam and Moulton Grange Bay and spectacularly the later total seen by Nick Parker was seven birds! A juvenile Osprey flew south from out of the Scaldwell Bay, two drake Red-crested Pochard were showing distantly in the Walgrave Bay and a single Crossbill flew south over the Fishing Lodge this afternoon. A Painted Lady, a Large Red Underwing moth and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth were around the flowers by the Fishing Lodge and Small Copper, Small Heath and Common Blue were active in the Scaldwell Meadow.

Nearby the Common Redstart count along the footpath between Walgrave village and Pitsford Reservoir went up to five birds this afternoon and two more Common Redstarts were in hedging on the south side of Lamport Hall.

Stanwick Pits today provided two Cattle Egrets and mating Small Red-eyed Damselflies and Clifford Hill Pits produced a Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover and three Ringed Plovers. Jim Dunkley watched an Osprey fly over his Sywell garden this afternoon, the bird heading for the Nene Valley.

Yesterday evening a Clifden nonpariel (or Blue Underwing) moth was captured at Cogenhoe and also yesterday a Barnacle Goose was seen at Thrapston Pits.

Regards

Neil M