Flying Barn Door!

Hello

It's finally happened! With near-misses and birds moving around in counties close to us, one of the reintroduced White-tailed Eagles from the Isle of Wight scheme has landed and spent a few days with us in Northamptonshire. The bird, G393, is a male bird released in 2019 so is now in it's third calendar year. He is fitted with a satellite transmitter and this indicated that he arrived in Northants on Thursday from the north (after spending quite a time in Norfolk and then subsequently Lincolnshire and Leicestershire) and roosted near Desborough. On Friday satellite data indicated he then flew south and arrived at Pitsford Reservoir during Friday afternoon. Since about 4th January his travels have mostly gone unnoticed by the human eye. Remarkably this was the same bird seen moving north east over the county in the spring of 2020 when Steve Fisher saw it over Irthlingborough!

Today G393 has been quite mobile, spending time on the reserve north of the causeway and visiting all three bays. He has also been spending time in hedgerow trees north of the reservoir just south of Old and Cherry Hill villages. If we are fortunate he may remain with us for a while yet before presumably travelling slowly back to the south coast - albeit we would much prefer it if he makes Pitsford his home!

To see the bird it is recommended that viewing points on the Pitsford causeway, Old Scaldwell Road and high ground to the north are the best areas. Would-be observers should adhere to Covid restrictions and keep strictly to public footpaths and bridle tracks. Anyone failing to comply is at risk of damaging the reputation of birdwatchers and naturalists as a whole and also the innovative introduction scheme.

Other birds noticed in the immediate area included a Brambling near Old, two Peregrines and two Ravens between Old and the reservoir, a female Stonechat near Cherry Hill and a Great White Egret and a roost of 415 Fieldfares in the Scaldwell Bay.

Harrington Airfield hosted sixteen Golden Plovers, a Brambling and two Ravens today with a couple of Grey Wagtails at Brixworth.

Over at Stanwick Pits, Steve found a female Ferruginous x Pochard hybrid and other birds there included a Great White Egret and a Cattle Egret and nearby Ringstead Pits had a Great White Egret on Kinewell Lake. At St Mary's church, Higham Ferrers there were two Peregrines today, one with prey.

At Thrapston Pits today there were four Goosanders on Town Lake and a pair of Pintail on a badly flooded Titchmarsh Reserve. Stortons Pits sported a Great White Egret and three Goosanders, a Blackcap turned up in an Irchester garden, a pair of Stonechats and fifteen Redpolls were in the Brampton Valley near Boughton Crossing/Martin Moore wood and a pair of Stonechats were in a field near Raunds.

At Hollowell Reservoir today there was a Jack Snipe, a Common Snipe and two Woodcock (nice trio!).

Regards

Neil M

White-tailed Eagle
in flight courtesy of
Bethan Clyne.

White-tailed Eagle
courtesy of Stewart Short.