Peregrines, a returning Osprey and owls.

Hello

It seems that up to three Peregrines are now frequenting the church at Market Harborough with two more joining the semi-resident female two days ago. One of these new birds is a colour-ringed male that was ringed as a nestling at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in June 2018 some 100km away. My thanks to Chris Green and others for this info.

Today the first female Osprey returned to Rutland Water, apparently the same individual that was first back last year. The regular Northamptonshire Ospreys tend to be a week or two later but it won't be long now and we particularly look forward to sighting any youngsters returning from Africa for the first time.

Locally we were able to count nine Reed Buntings in our garden at Hanging Houghton and there was also a Chiffchaff just below the village, a Barn Owl in the valley and a couple of Ravens too. Sadly a Roe Deer was dead at the side of the A508 just south of the village this morning. A certain amount of frog activity in our garden ponds has resulted in a couple of clumps of spawn.

Jacob's sound recordings from overnight at Scaldwell provided wing-beats consistent with an unknown number of Common Scoters flying over, plus three Moorhens, an Oystercatcher, a Black-headed Gull, five Rooks, a Fieldfare, twenty-nine Redwings and a Song Thrush. Audible recordings from static birds emanated from a Pheasant, a Barn Owl and two Tawny Owls.

Nearby and a Barn Owl was at Rectory Farm, Old and at Harrington Airfield this morning the Short-eared Owl again flushed up from Bunker Three, a Merlin was feeding on prey in one of the top fields, there were at least eighty Golden Plovers, four Bramblings, two Ravens and two Grey Wagtails. North-bound movers included a steady flow of Meadow Pipits here and at Pitsford and Hanging Houghton with small numbers of Starlings and Fieldfares on the move in the same direction too.

Birds on show at Pitsford Reservoir today were made up of the drake Scaup and female Scaup x Tufted Duck hybrid, a Great White Egret, a Little Egret, two Yellow-legged Gulls and two Oystercatchers.

First year Caspian Gulls were reported from Daventry Country Park and Rushton Landfill today.

Eric's efforts at Thrapston Pits today yielded five Great White Egrets, several Little Egrets, two Oystercatchers, a double figure count of Chiffchaffs and fourteen calling Cetti's Warblers. The Glossy Ibis was again seen today in the horse field between the A605 layby and Town Lake.

Over at Stanwick Pits, two adult Mediterranean Gulls were still present and there was an adult Kittiwake present for a short time this morning and a Dunlin too. The Summer Leys LNR hosted a Black-tailed Godwit, a Curlew, a Dunlin and a Great White Egret.

Regards

Neil M

Golden Plovers
Harrington Airfield.

Yellow-legged Gull
at Pitsford Reservoir
courtesy of Dave Jackson.

This is a brute of a bird
and it's power can be evidenced
by its ability to tug this dead but
large trout along with much of the
fish still immersed in water. This
particularly aggressive bird is given
a wide berth by everything else at
the reservoir - it even bullies the
Great Black-backed Gulls! The jury
is out on it's exact age but it is either 
an advanced second calendar year
or a third calendar year bird.

Drake Scaup at
Pitsford Reservoir
courtesy of 
Robin Gossage.

Even Red Kites become
discombobulated in the
strong winds of recent times!