Ringing at Harrington Airfield

Hello

A ringing session was conducted at Harrington Airfield today which provided 110 captures of twenty-two species. Twelve of these birds had been ringed on a previous occasion, the remainder were new. Not surprisingly for the time of the year young birds predominated. The highlights were an adult female Common Redstart in full moult and an adult male Grasshopper Warbler. A juvenile Tree Sparrow found the mist nets and other warblers were made up of eleven Willow Warblers, a Chiffchaff, a Garden Warbler, two Blackcaps and eleven Common Whitethroats.

Harrington Airfield is a good site for Linnets and we caught thirteen today but Chaffinch was the most common capture with twenty-one birds processed. The Yellowhammer is perhaps the flagship bird and ten birds were mostly fresh juveniles. Three Swallows, a Magpie, a Green Woodpecker and a Great Spotted Woodpecker added more variety. Two Curlews were seen to fly south over the complex during the early morning.

More ringing is planned for tomorrow and general access to the bunkers and old airstrip has to be restricted whilst this occurs.

Pitsford Reservoir today provided some good birds and insects with the Scaldwell Bay pulling in the juvenile Marsh Harrier again, a Peregrine, two Hobbies, two Common Sandpipers, a Green Sandpiper and a Red-crested Pochard. In the Holcot Bay a Lesser Emperor dragonfly was again seen this afternoon and a Clouded Yellow butterfly was seen to fly through this morning.

Over at Thrapston Pits Eric notched up a Hobby, an Oystercatcher, a Common Sandpiper and three Little Egrets.

Summer Leys LNR today again hosted a juvenile Marsh Harrier, two Black-tailed Godwits in flight and two Curlew flew through with another Curlew through at Clifford Hill Pits. 

Birds at Hollowell Reservoir today included two Crossbills and singles of Green and Common Sandpiper with the Ruddy Shelduck at nearby Ravensthorpe Reservoir before flying off.

On the butterfly front six Wood Whites were in Salcey Forest south of the Horse Box car park and up to a dozen Clouded Yellow butterflies were on a series of nectar crop strips in the Brampton Valley between Hanging Houghton and Blueberry Farm.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile male Green Woodpecker.

Magpie, although with
it's erect posture it looks
more like a penguin!

Adult male Linnet.

Clouded Yellow butterfly.