Nene Valley birding

Hello

Last night's nocturnal sound recordings over Scaldwell village logged a Pink-footed Goose over at 9.15pm. Other birds passing over included six Wigeon, a Teal, a Little Grebe, a Water Rail and three Moorhens. Stationary birds included a Barn Owl and two Tawny Owls.

Visible migration at Harrington Airfield this morning included forty-eight Meadow Pipits, thirty-nine Fieldfares and a Dunnock north with nine Golden Plovers flying east. Sixteen Bramblings were feeding on the seed with an additional male in nearby Draughton village. A female Stonechat was also present at Harrington Airfield.

A few each of Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings were in our garden today and a Chiffchaff visited too.

Birds at Pitsford Reservoir today included the drake Scaup and the hybrid Scaup x Tufted Duck just off the dam, a drake Mandarin Duck was in the Catwalk Bay, two Dunlin were on the dam first thing and there were brief visits from four Sand Martins. Hollowell Reservoir attracted an adult Caspian Gull, a Crossbill and a Jack Snipe and a Peregrine was on the communications tower at St Peter's Way, Northampton.

The Nene Valley was responsible for the majority of other reported sightings which included five Black-tailed Godwits on the Lower Barnwell Lock flooded field, and the Glossy Ibis was on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits together with four Great White Egrets, a pair of Oystercatchers, a Kingfisher and plenty of Cetti's Warblers and Chiffchaffs.

Three adult Mediterranean Gulls were at Stanwick Pits and at Ditchford Pits a dark-bellied Brent Goose was a great find on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve (plus a White Wagtail and a Sand Martin). A Mediterranean Gull was also seen on the Summer Leys LNR and Clifford Hill Pits also came up trumps with a lingering Avocet on the main barrage lake.

Regards

Neil M

Yesterday's Wheatear at
Wigsthorpe courtesy of
Tom Green.

Nestling Robins in Chris
Payne's garden!

'Surrounded!' courtesy
of Robin Gossage!

Water Rail courtesy
of Laurence Arnold.