A cool Good Friday

Black Redstart.

Hello

Sadly there was no sign of the Black Redstart at Hanging Houghton this morning, which I found remarkable considering how late it was still active yesterday evening. A Yellow Wagtail was in a grass field next to the village and a male Brambling was a brief visitor to one of our sunflower feeders.

A visit to Desborough Airfield provided sightings of sixty Golden Plovers and seventeen Common Snipe and Harrington Airfield late this afternoon hosted a Wheatear, a Redpoll and about six Bramblings plus twelve Fieldfares flew east.

The Earls Barton section of the River Nene valley was busy with birds today which included three Black-tailed Godwits, a Yellow Wagtail and plenty of Swallows on the Summer Leys LNR, two Egyptian Geese, Willow Warbler and Sedge Warbler around Mary's Lake and Little Ringed Plover, two Green Sandpipers, two White Wagtails and two Yellow Wagtails near to Whiston Lock. The new workings next to the A45 below Earls Barton was the location of two reported Water Pipits, a Yellow Wagtail, a White Wagtail, three Little Ringed Plovers and a Shelduck.

At Stanwick Pits today single Marsh Harriers flew east at 7.10am and 7.20am and there was a drake Smew and two Curlew and a Common Tern on the Main Lake. Clifford Hill Pits was again the venue for a drake Ring-necked Duck, a Ringed Plover, two Little Ringed Plovers and Swallows and Sand Martins. The Dark-bellied Brent Goose was still at the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve today and there was a Little Ringed Plover and three Green Sandpipers at Lower Barnwell Lock floods.

At Thrapston Pits the Glossy Ibis showed well at the north end of the Titchmarsh reserve, there were four singing Sedge Warblers, two or three Great White Egrets and three to five Oystercatchers and plenty of hirundines, with a Brambling in trees at Town Lake and a Yellow Wagtail at Islip Water Treatment Works.

At Pitsford Reservoir the drake Scaup and hybrid female were mobile due to disturbance from sailing activity but spent much of their time at the south end of the reservoir. A first year Kittiwake overflew the Scaldwell Bay this evening heading south but couldn't be found subsequently, albeit a single Yellow Wagtail was below the dam with a group of Pieds.

An Osprey and a Yellow Wagtail were at Hollowell Reservoir this afternoon but Ravensthorpe Reservoir seemed very quiet.

An afternoon venture to Borough Hill Country Park at Daventry provided several good passerines in the shape of a grey Black Redstart and three Wheatears by the main mast and a good-looking summer plumage Water Pipit was flushed twice and was watched feeding in the summit meadow - it's actions suggested it had just arrived.

Stuart visited Wakerley Wood car park this morning for a finch fest of four Crossbills, four Bramblings, ten Redpolls and six Siskins.

Regards

Neil M

Pitsford's overflying Kittiwake
today - images courtesy of Beth
Clyne.

Yellow Wagtail.

White Wagtail.

Water Pipit.