Quackers!

Hello

The usual morning foray to Harrington Airfield to feed the birds was bright and sunny in cool temperatures. The flock of Golden Plovers was about two hundred and fifty strong and they were quite confiding, a fair proportion of them now moulted into summer plumage denoting them to be of the northern form with the extensive black undersides and face. A male Common Redstart was on the concrete track near to the trackside bunker and shooting wall and feeding finches included about a dozen Bramblings.

More feeding station maintenance at the Old Scaldwell Road at Pitsford Reservoir and the distinctive dry creaking call of a drake Garganey could be heard from the margins - a pair subsequently appeared and made their way into the Scaldwell Bay. A Yellow-legged Gull was the only other bird of note seen from there.

There was plenty of birding action at Earls Barton Pits and adjacent areas today with three pairs of Garganey, two Mediterranean Gulls, a Great White Egret, a Ring Ouzel discovered this afternoon, a Blue-headed Wagtail, a 'Channel' Wagtail, a White Wagtail. a Peregrine chasing a Redshank, a Whimbrel briefly, a Common Sandpiper and eighteen Snipe.

Clifford Hill Pits hung on to the drake Ring-necked Duck plus four Ringed Plovers and three White Wagtails, fifty-four Meadow Pipits, a flock of sixty-two Carrion Crows and a Wheatear. A male Common Redstart and two Wheatears were good finds at Hinton Airfield and a Green Sandpiper was seen at Kislingbury Pits/Upton Mill CP.

A/the drake Smew was on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits this morning and sightings at Hollowell Reservoir included an Osprey, a Jack Snipe, a Common Sandpiper and a flock of thirty-two Common Gulls moving north.

Regards

Neil M

Yesterday's snow on 
the Kelmarsh Estate
courtesy of Lynne Barnett.

Teal courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Gadwall courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Garganey courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Garganey courtesy of
Dave Jackson.

Drake Ring-necked Duck
courtesy of Dave Jackson.

Tufted Duck courtesy
of Robin Gossage.