Hoopoe, Hawfinch and Bearded Tits

Hello

Another busy bird day in the county today! 

At Harrington Airfield this morning a Great White Egret flew NW and other birds included ca150 Golden Plovers, ca60 Linnets, 1 Siskin and a Raven. A Crossbill flew SW over Hanging Houghton where there was also a Raven and a Grey Wagtail.

At Pitsford Reservoir this morning, the best bird in the county today was a Hoopoe seen briefly in flight by Dave Jackson. This was near Christies Copse in the Walgrave Bay but it wasn't seen thereafter. Two Yellow-legged Gulls were in the gull roost this afternoon (adult and third calendar year).

Yesterday there was a ringing session at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station at Pitsford resulting in forty captures (27 new birds) made up of two Chiffchaffs, twelve Blue Tits, five Great Tits, five Tree Sparrows, four Robins, three Dunnocks, a Chaffinch, two Greenfinches, a Song Thrush and five Moorhens. It seems that someone has pinched the suspended bird feeders at this site sometime between Monday and Wednesday!

A further ringing session took place at Linford Lakes again today with Kenny and Keith carrying on from their success of yesterday. This resulted in 36 captures including twelve Redwings, a Blackbird, a Song Thrush and yet another Mistle Thrush! Three new Cetti's Warblers materialised from somewhere and other birds included a Chiffchaff and a Skylark - probably a rarer mist net capture than the Mistle Thrush! Two Great White Egrets were on-site during the two days and late season wildlife included a Grass Snake, a Frog, plus singles of Common and Great Crested Newts.

Eleanor's excursion today took her to Fineshade Wood where a profusion of Crossbills were estimated at about fifty birds present plus good numbers of Siskins. At neighbouring Wakerley Wood there were some forty Crossbills spread about the complex plus more Siskins and at least one Hawfinch in bushes on the old airfield adjacent to the wood (a regular spot for wintering birds in small numbers). Blatherwycke Lake supported twenty-four Mandarin Ducks, a pair of Egyptian Geese, a Kingfisher, two Grey Wagtails and a Pink-footed Goose (which seem to be everywhere this year). About six Crossbills were in the Fermyn Wood complex.

Two Bearded Tits were found at Stortons Pits today and other birds in the Nene Valley included a Great White Egret at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows (Ditchford Pits) and eight Cattle Egrets and four Stonechats at the north-east end of Stanwick Pits.

Regards

Neil M

Dawn at Linford Lakes.

Song and Mistle Thrushes.

Skylark.

Images courtesy of Kenny Cramer.