Monday 29 March 2021

Birding in the warmth

Hello

It took a little while to get going, but the warmth of today brought forth a rush of insects including plenty of butterflies on the wing! The next two days should also be warm before the cool air and lower temperatures return just in time for Easter!

Harrington Airfield today recorded thirty Golden Plovers, three Grey Partridges, two Wheatears, a fly-over Swallow heading north and at least four Bramblings.

In the north of the county the car park at Wakerley Wood remains good with about ten Crossbills today plus at least three Bramblings, about a dozen Lesser Redpolls and small numbers of Siskins.

A Peregrine was soaring over Hanging Houghton at 1pm today, two Swallows were seen at Boddington Reservoir and John Friendship-Taylor found an excellent nine Wheatears at Hinton Airfield this evening.

Over at Thrapston Pits the Glossy Ibis was present on the Titchmarsh Reserve after flying from the horse field and there were two Great White Egrets too and a Common Tern again on Town Lake. Four House Martins were at Islip this evening.

Elsewhere in the Nene Valley there were four Wheatears at Clifford Hill Pits, three Mediterranean Gulls at Summer Leys LNR and two Avocets re-appeared at Otter Lake on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve and remained for much of the day, with four Cattle Egrets flying through there.

Reservoir birding provided an Osprey at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon, two - four Crossbills at Hollowell Reservoir this morning and the drake Scaup and female friend off the Sailing Club at Pitsford Reservoir plus some Siskins in the Walgrave Bay.

Regards

Neil M



Siskins courtesy of
Beth Clyne.

Swallow.

Brown Hare.


2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Neil. Please feel free to add this to your daily update... At least one (possibly more) cettis warbler singing by the River Nene backwater at Nassington this evening. First time I've heard them here so fingers crossed it / they will stick around and breed. Best wishes, Robert

northamptonshirebirding.blogspot.com said...

Thank-you Robert, I guess they are probably at their most numerous in the county currently, with the majority along the Nene Valley corridor but also with some at reservoirs and other sites. Let's hope they successfully colonise your backwater too!
Neil M