November birding and ringing

Hello

Yesterday Jim Dunkley saw a Short-eared Owl in a field edge on the Holcot Road, Sywell and a Grey Wagtail was in Sywell village.

Following a cold night and frosty morning, Hollowell Reservoir was the choice of venue for three observers today and between them they notched up the Great Northern Diver, five Pink-footed Geese, a Jack Snipe, two Great White Egrets, a male Crossbill and a pair of Stonechat.

Bob Bullock saw a pair of Red-crested Pochard at Clifford Hill Pits plus twenty Barnacle Geese (four colour-ringed birds). A female Stonechat was at Ditchford Meadows reserve today and two Crossbills and a Brambling were at Lamport Hall this afternoon.

Geoff Douglas watched several large flocks of migrating Woodpigeons over Barton Seagrave this morning.

At Harrington Airfield this morning a stint of visible migration by Jacob and Bethan provided totals of 1115 Woodpigeons, 610 Starlings, 32 Herring Gulls, 6 Siskins and a Grey Wagtail all going south-west. Whilst scanning they also saw about two hundred Golden Plovers and two different male Peregrines and other observations included a Snipe and two roving Crossbills. Ringing there provided sixty-three thrush captures made up of four Blackbirds, eleven Fieldfares and forty-eight Redwings.

A female Blackcap has been visiting a garden in Hanging Houghton recently and this afternoon we felt privileged to see a male in our garden - both birds have been feeding on apple.

An excellent two day ringing session at Linford Lakes provided 146 birds of 19 species, 125 of which were new. Probably the rarest bird was an apparent Siberian Chiffchaff among eight Chiffchaffs caught and ringed. Thrushes were well represented with a Fieldfare, seven Blackbirds, three Song Thrushes and fifty-five Redwings. Other notable birds included captures of a Meadow Pipit, a Reed Bunting, a Lesser Redpoll, two Goldfinches, six Goldcrests, a Treecreeper, a Cetti's Warbler and two Moorhens. A re-trap Robin was at least five years old.

'Bob' another Robin watched over proceedings landing on the ringers, the table and almost everything else - he clearly knew that Kenny had some mealworms on offer (and yes he was provided some at the end of the session)!

Other birds seen included a Great White Egrets and four Goosanders with a Peacock butterfly on the wing yesterday.

Regards

Neil M

The Hollowell Reservoir
Great Northern Diver courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.

Grey Wagtail courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.

Apparent Siberian Chiffchaff
courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

Fieldfare courtesy of
Kenny Cramer.

'Bob' the Robin in 
action, supervising affairs!
Courtesy of Kenny Cramer.