Sunday's county birds

Hello

I spent the early part of today checking local Raven territories with mixed results but at least there were pairs in the right areas and most of the nests were intact from previous years.

The singing Blackcap remained in the village at Hanging Houghton, it's very simple dialect suggests it's not a breeding bird from around here or perhaps a first year bird which has yet to develop a distinctive flourish!

Below the village in the Brampton Valley the Barn Owl was hunting both this morning and late this afternoon with another at nearby Blueberry Farm. Two pairs of Stonechats remained in the valley and this afternoon there was a passage of Fieldfares and Meadow Pipits moving north along the valley.

Pied Wagtails and gulls were the other visible movers of the day as the spring momentum continues and Redwings and Fieldfares were seen moving east over Scaldwell village with eight Siskins going south west.

Local rarities hanging on in the county included the Glossy Ibis seen again at Islip Meadows (Thrapston Pits) and the drake Ring-necked Duck was with a small flock of Tufted Ducks on the Big Lake at Ditchford Pits. The juvenile Iceland Gull was at Rushton Landfill this morning and there was a pair of Stonechats in the afternoon.

A White-tailed Eagle was reported flying over the Boughton Estate north of Kettering today but seemingly isn't one of the satellite-tracked Isle of Wight released birds.

The Great Northern Diver was seen again at Pitsford Reservoir today, south of the causeway and near the Catwalk Bay and there was a Great White Egret in the Scaldwell Bay plus two Stonechats, a Yellow-legged Gull and an Oystercatcher.

Stanwick Pits hosted two Great White Egrets, a Bar-tailed Godwit, the Ferruginous Duck hybrid and two Dunlin and other birds at Thrapston Pits included a fly-over Cattle Egret, two Great White Egrets, four Little Egrets, a Water Rail and four Goosanders.

Single Peregrines remained at St Mary's church, Higham Ferrers and on the mast at St Peter's Way, Northampton, and a Black-tailed Godwit and a Shelduck were at Summer Leys LNR and a female Blackcap was seen in a Wollaston garden. At Hollowell Reservoir a Crossbill was still present and a large flock of seven hundred Common Gulls were resting on the water.

Regards

Neil M

Male Stonechat at
Pitsford Reservoir
courtesy of Dave Jackson.

Male Siskin courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Kestrel courtesy of
Robin Gossage.