Birds of wood and valley

Hello

A ringing session at Kelmarsh Hall today netted 141 birds of 15 species made up of five Blackbirds, a Redwing, a Robin, eight Dunnocks, a Treecreeper, two Nuthatches, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, three Goldcrests, four Long-tailed Tits, seventy-five Blue Tits, nineteen Great Tits, two Coal Tits, three Chaffinches, two Greenfinches and fourteen Goldfinches.

Other birds on-site included at least fifteen Siskins, one or two Woodcock, a Grey Wagtail and a Barn Owl.

Birds in the the north of the county included a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at Fineshade Wood where there were also two Crossbills, about fifty Siskins, a Brambling, at least four Redpolls and two Ravens.

Nearby at Wakerley Wood and someone has added a number of bird feeders to the car park which proved very popular with a number of birds including over a hundred Siskins which were creating a deafening cacophony! At least ten Redpolls were also trying to get on to the feeders but were being pushed around by the Siskins. Twenty Crossbills were feeding in the car park larches and included some spectacular red males.

Away from the car park and another Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was located in the wood which also supported another fifty or so Siskins, four Redpolls, a Chiffchaff, two Ravens and a pair of Peregrines overhead.

Blatherwycke Lake hosted eighteen Mandarin Ducks, a Little Egret, two Egyptian Geese and an Otter! Just down the road and Deene Lake supported two Egyptian Geese, twelve Shelducks and a pair of Stonechats.

Floodwater and plenty of damp areas and some mud in the Welland Valley attracted large numbers of Common and Black-headed Gulls and near Harringworth there were two Oystercatchers, four Shelducks and three Little Egrets and near Cottingham there were two more Oystercatchers and a Peregrine.

Over at Thrapston Pits the Glossy Ibis was still present on the Titchmarsh Reserve, there were up to ten Great White Egrets, plus the 'redhead' Smew, three Oystercatchers, a Water Rail and a pair of Stonechats. 

Five more Great White Egrets were at Summer Leys LNR as were four Goosanders and there were three Cattle Egrets at Stanwick Pits today.

There will be ringing sessions at Harrington Airfield tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday which requires access restrictions to the bunkers and scrubby areas but footpaths remain unaffected - there were about two hundred and forty Golden Plovers on the fields there this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Oystercatcher.

Otter.

Egyptian Geese.

Male Siskin.