Thursday 4 February 2021

Buntings, snowdrops and maybe more snow!

Hello

A foggy morning and a wet afternoon didn't really provide the perfect backdrop for finding much out there today! It looks like that at least some of the county will experience more snow this coming week-end!

A male Bearded Tit was seen by the gritting table at Stortons Pits today, probably one of a pair wintering there.

At Stanwick Pits Steve located two Cattle Egrets and five Redshanks and Harrington Airfield still supports at least one Brambling, and an undetermined number of Golden Plovers and Lapwings were calling in the fog.

An interesting ringing recovery received today was of an adult male Reed Bunting which was ringed at Harrington Airfield on 7th September 2020 and then caught again at Besford Bridge, Worcestershire on 2nd January this year. This is a distance of 91km with this small bunting travelling West South West during a 117 day period. Most Reed Bunting recoveries tend to be local and we have quite a number of records of birds moving around the county but also with a movement between Harrington Airfield and the Cambridgeshire fens. In contrast, over the years we have ringed hundreds of Yellowhammers and have not received any records that suggest these birds of farmland and marginal habitats stray far.

Neil Hasdell has been busy again (with the kind assistance of Adam Homer) and a map relating to Stanford Reservoir has been added to the Birdwatching Sites Map tab.

Last night was the Northamptonshire Bird Club's annual photographic competition and congratulations to Robin Gossage for being victorious and winning the Graham Soden shield. If you would like to see the three winning images from all thirteen categories please visit:-

https://northantsbirdclub.blogspot.com/p/photographic-competition.html

Regards

Neil M


Male Reed Bunting (in
winter plumage).

Male Yellowhammer. A
bunting regularly in the same
habitat as the Reed Bunting
but with a different wintering
strategy.

Bobsie hiding in the snowdrops!



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