Tuesday's tidings!

Hello 

Another grey day but perhaps not quite so raw as I listened to a singing Siskin in my neighbour's garden first thing and watched a female Sparrowhawk speed across the field behind the garden. Still reasonable numbers of birds in the garden with plenty of Goldfinches, small numbers of Chaffinches and Greenfinches and a few Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers. One of our Great Spotted Woodpeckers has a liking for sunflower hearts and the finches have to move over or off the feeder when he turns up.

Two Grey Partridges and two Grey Wagtails were near Brixworth and an afternoon walk at Harrington Airfield provided views of twenty Golden Plovers, a pair of Grey Partridge and at least three Bramblings.

Birds south of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir today included the regular Yellow-legged Gull, a Raven, a pair of Stonechats and two Grey Wagtails. North of the causeway and there were views of a Great White Egret, a Peregrine, two Snipe, two Oystercatchers, a Kingfisher, a Siskin and a Chiffchaff.

The drake Smew was reported at Skew Bridge Lake at Ditchford Pits again today and there were five Cattle Egrets and seven Redshanks at Stanwick Pits. A Peregrine was visible on the church at Higham Ferrers and another was again near the top of the communications tower at St Peter's Way, Northampton.

Jon found about eight of the Crossbills at Hollowell Reservoir on the north side of the Sailing Club bay.

Ringstead Pits has been added to the Birdwatching Sites Maps tab courtesy of Neil Hasdell.

Regards

Neil M

Cock Pheasants come
in a variety of colours
and markings, this one
sporting a blue head and 
collar with no white 
neck ring.

Fourth calendar year
Yellow-legged Gull, 
almost certainly the 
 same individual seen as
an advanced first year
bird in the autumn of 
2018, and has rarely strayed
from Pitsford Reservoir since.
Yellow-legged Gulls generally
exhibit a much more rapid age
 moult strategy than say the 
average Herring Gull.