Birds of Scotland Wood

Hello

The day began with a pre-dawn visit to Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate where we were watching plenty of shooting stars and a passing satellite as well as trying to count the in-coming Woodcock as they flew in from their nocturnal feeding. With some birds flying around for some time we could only deduce that there were 'several'! 

The subsequent ringing session in the wood provided one hundred and fifty-five birds processed of thirteen species. There was plenty of evidence of a significant passage of winter thrushes and forty-eight Redwings were caught and ringed.

More typical woodland birds were made up of nineteen Great Tits, fifty-one Blue Tits, eighteen Coal Tits, three Marsh Tits, two Long-tailed Tits, five Goldcrests, three Chaffinches. a Nuthatch and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Other birds noted there included a pair of Raven, half a dozen Siskins and three Redpolls.

Not too far away the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton was good today with a 'ringtail' Hen Harrier flying north, a female Merlin chasing passerines, two pairs of Stonechats and a Barn Owl (all this afternoon).

At Pitsford Reservoir today there were three Great White Egrets, a Red-crested Pochard and two pairs of Stonechat and Blatherwycke Lake hosted over forty Mandarin Ducks, a pair of Egyptian Geese, a Black Swan and two Kingfishers. Two female Blackcaps have been visiting David Arden's garden recently at Spratton.

Wildfowl were well represented in the Nene Valley today - two White-fronted Geese were at the eastern end of Clifford Hill Pits, six Goosanders were on Kinewell Lake at Ringstead Pits, seven White-fronted Geese were at the east end of Stanwick Pits (looking NW from a black bridge) and Thrapston Pits supported two Barnacle Geese between Aldwincle and North Lake and four Great White Egrets. Summer Leys LNR had three Great White Egrets today and there were two Ravens at Walgrave village.

Regards

Neil M

Redwing.

Drake Goosander.

Coal Tit.