Mild and breezy

Hello

Another mild but very breezy day which is steadily drying out the topsoil and more spring flowers are now emerging.

The Great Northern Diver, a Great White Egret and a Water Rail were all in the vicinity of Catwalk Bay at Pitsford Reservoir today with a Grey Wagtail at the dam. Another Grey Wagtail and a Raven were the most note-worthy birds at Welford Reservoir and a visit to Harrington Airfield this afternoon provided views of the female Merlin again, one or two Brambling(s) and between three hundred and four hundred Golden Plovers.

Over at Thrapston Pits the Glossy Ibis was on the Titchmarsh Reserve and a little later a 'redhead' Smew materialised too. Other birds on the reserve included six Great White Egrets, a pair of Redshank, a Curlew and a drake Goosander. Not far away nine Barnacle Geese were in fields near Stanwick Pits and at Ditchford Pits a pair of Smew were on the eastern end of Main (Higham) Lake.

Fifteen Crossbills were still investigating the conifers at Hollowell Reservoir today and the juvenile Iceland Gull was in fields south of Rushton Landfill this afternoon.

A pair of Stonechats were visible in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Iceland Gull.

'Redhead' Smew courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Robin courtesy of
Robin Gossage.
Some resident pairs are
already nesting, some are
on the move through the county
 and others currently south of us
 wintering in the south of the UK
and in Portugal and Spain have yet
to arrive!