Owls, a Merlin and creatures of the water!

Hello

Harrington Airfield was alive with birds today with large numbers of passerines including common finches, buntings, thrushes and Starlings and Skylarks. A female Merlin was chasing them and even had a go at the two hundred Golden Plovers too! Two high-up owls flying over proved to be Short-eareds - they weren't lingering and flew purposefully south. Other birds included two Woodcock.

At Thrapston Pits there were five Great White Egrets and a pair of lingering Stonechats and at Clifford Hill Pits there were still two White-fronted Geese, twenty-five Golden Plovers and two Stonechats. Summer Leys LNR provided a view of a flying Bittern.

A Peregrine was harassing the corvids at Boddington Reservoir and Hollowell Reservoir still supported the Great Northern Diver and ten Pink-footed Geese. There was a significant passage of Herring Gulls over Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and there were two Chiffchaffs and a Raven on the west side of the Walgrave Bay. 

Over twenty Crossbills were watched in larches in the car park at Wakerley Wood and a Cetti's Warbler and a Water Rail were near Brixworth. Two Ravens were noisy at Hanging Houghton.

Stanford Reservoir continues to host two Bearded Tits and four Black-necked Grebes.

Regards

Neil M

Short-eared Owl.

Great Crested Grebe
with a Ruff or Pope,

Little Grebes.

Otter!

All images courtesy
of Robin Gossage.