Weekend Roundup

 It has certainly been a very warm and sunny Bank Holiday weekend which has been enjoyed by us all following the lengthy period of cold and rain. It is amazing how the gardens, hedgerows, fields and crops has responded to the warmth. Our lawn has gone mad but I have resisted the urge to mow it and instead am leaving it for the bee's and wildlife to enjoy,  well that's my excuse.

It has been very quiet for birding over the weekend with both the Quail and Purple Heron moving on.  However there was more excitement today and a mad dash by some to get to Summer Leys where yet again a good bird was found by a photographer, this time a Red Necked Phalarope which is  also rare in the county. Just goes show that you never know what might pop out infront of you.

Meanwhile Kenny held a ringing session at Linford Reserve, Milton Keynes yesterday. A busy session with 77 birds captured, 57 of which were new and an amazing 20 different species. Good selection of Warblers including Blackcap, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, and Garden , Reed and Willow Warbler.    But making the headlines were 5 Cuckoo's which included 1 new male and 2 female,  a retrap male from 2020 and a retrap of the female caught in the last session now carrying an egg.  Quite remarkable really as I have only heard a couple of Cuckoo's this spring whist many folk are struggling to hear or see one.

Regards Eleanor 

Cuckoo

Juvenile Robin.

Juvenile Long-tailed Tit.

Jackdaw.

Grass Snake.

All images courtesy of
Kenny Cramer.

Purple Heron and Quail

 The last couple of days have been dominated by a Quail calling and seen occasionally between Hanging Houghton and Cottesbrooke and a Purple Heron at Summer Leys. The Purple Heron was found and photographed by some of the regular photographers at Summer Leys, an amazing find and some stunning pictures posted on the Summer Leys facebook page. Despite extensive searching it was only seen again briefly yesterday but I understand that it has been seen on and off all day today. Obviously this bird is a major attraction for both birders and photographers alike and as such the hides have been rather busy.  This is the 20th record of this species in the county with the last 3 being in 2011.  I  cannot believe that it has been this long since I saw one in the county and I hope that this bird stays a bit longer to give me chance of catching up with it. 

Hopefully these birds will fuel everyone's enthusiasm to get out and about over the weekend to enjoy the birds and wildlife around us. Plus the weather is looking good  !

Regards Eleanor 

Purple Heron at Summer Leys LNR
courtesy of Magda Toruj.

Odds and Ends

I have been out and about to some of my regular places but have seen very little of note. A reeling Grasshopper Warbler made a brief appearance at Harrington Airfield. We have continued to feed the birds there but the numbers and species have greatly reduced. Plenty of Yellowhammers and Chaffinch.  Willow Warblers are still singing well and in reasonable numbers whereas every bush seems to have a Whitethroat calling from it.

Pitsford Reservoir has been very quiet as is the Valley area below Hanging Houghton, that is until this evening.  I had taken the dogs on ramble as it was such a beautiful evening and very still. I had seen several Grey Partridge, Barn Owl, Hobby and Cuckoo as well as Roe Deer and a family of foxes. I was heading back towards home and thought I'd do some training with the young collies so I was practicing their "sit and stay" whilst I walked on ahead. All was going well until I heard the unmistakable call of a Quail coming from the crops. I told them to stay whilst I went a bit closer and loitered just on the off chance it might break cover. After about 15 minutes nothing showed and I realised that the 2 collies were still sitting where I had left them, amazing self control for those two so a hefty reward of sausages was called for.

As I mentioned,  it has been quiet for a while in the County both with birds and butterflies. Hopefully with predicted changes in the wind direction and slight rise in temperatures we may see some new activity.  Eric has been watching Titchmarsh  where there have been hundreds of hirundines  and the Sand Martin Wall has been very active. There is still a Nightingale singing well and other birds include Oystercatcher, Hobby and Peregrine.

Other birds noted in the county over the last few days include Marsh Harrier, Sanderling,  Black Tern and Cattle Egret.

Watching the birds in the garden continues to be both entertaining and stressful. I could watch the antics of the young Starlings all day as they are so entertaining,  much better than any TV. They are eating me out of house and home and their constant chattering is deafening at times. There has also been a young independent Blackbird in garden but it soon became clear that he/she had absolutely no sense danger and during a Sparrowhawk attack on the Starlings it just sat in the middle of the lawn trying to peck up. I found myself regularly doing a welfare check on this Blackbird. Sadly during another Sparrowhawk attack he was snatched before my very eyes before I could do anything about it. I felt quite sad but I did think that he wasn't going to make it to adulthood.  But that is the  harsh reality for these young birds. Several folk who I have spoken to recently have reported clutches of young tits dying in their nest boxes. I suspect that these have died as a result of the cold, wet and windy weather. 

Fingers crossed that things will start to improve and that we can all enjoy some warmer weather and good wildlife sightings 

Regards Eleanor 

Lime Hawk-moth courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Hobby courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Dorset Dartford Warbler
courtesy of John Gamble.

Hard Work !!

 It is certainly hard work at the moment to find any good birds or even insects now that the weather has turned cold, wet and windy.  I do feel sorry for the fledglings and for their parents as they have to work so much harder to find enough food for them.  The next few days are predicted to remain cold and wet so I suspect that this will take its toll on many young birds.

I have birded at Pitsford, Harrington airfield and the valley below Hanging Houghton and have notched up a reasonable list of birds including Grey Wagtail, Grey Partridge, Cuckoo, Kingfisher, Spotted Flycatcher,  Hobby and Barn Owl.   Meanwhile over at Titchmarsh Reserve, Thrapston Eric has encountered a good variety of birds including Hobby, Barn Owl, Oystercatchers, Osprey, Kingfisher, Teal, Pochard, Shovelar and Wigeon. 

Perhaps I will simply watch the garden and the antics of the young Starlings and wait for the next good bird to be found . But no doubt I will be out and about trying myself to find it. !!

Regards Eleanor

New Birds at last !!

Things remain quiet on the birding front with very little bird news reported.  However there have been a couple of "new" sightings, neither of which I have caught up with.  At DIRFT 3 a second summer Baltic Gull has been present for a few days. The bird has been ringed and the details reveal that it was rung at Horsvaer Nordland, Norway 2019.  The other new bird is also a visitor and a scarce one in the county, a Hoopoe, which was found in Croyland Park in Wellingborough.   You just never know where or what might turn up.

Our resident birds are busy simply getting on with breeding and raising their young.  Our garden is full of noisy young starlings which are very comical to watch. They absolutely love mealworms and I'm constantly topping up the feeders.  As I sat having my breakfast this morning there was an almighty commotion in the garden followed by several loud bangs on the patio windows and a flurry of birds coming into the house via the open back door. !!!  A Sparrowhawk had helped himself to a Starling and I could hear the awful death throes of the bird coming from our neighbours garden. There was nothing I could do as I didn't think that the neighbours would appreciate me knocking on their door at 6am and asking "for my starling back ".   My task was trying to catch the youngsters who were in the house flying around in panic much to the bemusement of the young collies. Finally I managed to get them outside and when I looked on the lawn there were 2 further stunned young starlings who soon recovered and flew off.  After all that excitement I took some of the dogs out for a walk and when I came back and walked into the lounge I was greeted by a young starling sitting on the arm of the sofa just above where my old collie was sleeping !!!  

It is at this time of year when the birding is quiet that most of us turn our attention to other flying things, namely butterflies.  At the moment there are many butterflies out on the wing.  Plenty of Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Brimstone and Orange Tip. These are now joined by Common and Holly Blue, Dingy and Grizzled Skipper, Painted Lady, Wood White, Small Copper and Small Heath. 

Regards Eleanor

Another Quiet Day

 Another quiet day.  Again very few birds of note reported. A Sanderling at Stanford Reservoir and 4 Cattle Egrets at Stanwick being the highlights.

My birds of the day were a pair of Hobbies which were calling and displaying over my head as I sat across the fields watching the world go by. They were absolutely fantastic to watch.                                      I understand that there have been good numbers of Hobby showing well at Summer Leys and I have seen some amazing pictures of these birds posted on other sites.   The Nene Valley is always a good place to watch these birds. At Thrapston today Eric counted 11 Hobby as well as a pair of Egyptian Geese, 2 Cuckoo and a Nightingale.

Kenny had a short but productive ringing session at Linford Lakes Reserve where he caught 43 birds of 16 species.  Warblers made up the bulk of the catch with 7 species. Garden Warblers were out in force with 10 birds including a returning bird from 2019. Other warblers included Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Blackcap,Sedge, Reed and Willow Warbler. But the star bird was an adult female Cuckoo and there were two further singing males on the reserve.

Regards Eleanor

Ringing images from the week-end

Hello

A few ringing images from the week-end...

Regards

Neil M

Magpie.

Adult male Starling.

Adult male Pied Wagtail.

Reed Warbler.

Swallow.

All above images and video
footage courtesy of Lewis Aaron.

Willow Warbler courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Adult female Cuckoo
courtesy of Kenny Cramer. 
The second bird to be trapped
and processed at Linford Lakes
this year.

Although I have been out and about I have seen very little. It would seem that things have gone quiet.  The Cattle Egret remains at Pitsford Reservoir and the only other bird of note reported was a Marsh Harrier at Polebrook Airfield.

Neil undertook a ringing session at Brixworth today. 58 birds were processed including 3 retraps, a Reed Warbler and Swallow from 2019. I wonder how many miles these birds have travelled during this time.  The other retrap was a local blackbird.      Only 7 species of bird at this session, Magpie, Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler, Pied Wagtail, Blackbird, Starling and Swallow.

Regards Eleanor

End of week sightings

Hello

A grey and damp Common Bird Census was completed on the reserve at Pitsford Reservoir where there were reasonable numbers of warblers with Garden Warblers the last ones in. A Little Egret was in the Scaldwell Bay and the Cattle Egret was between the causeway and Maytrees Hide and a Hobby was by the Fishing Lodge but on the bird front it was otherwise pretty staid. Muntjac Deer proliferated all the way around the reserve and an Otter was briefly visible running along a meadow in the Scaldwell Bay at about 10.30am. Amongst the moths caught in the moth trap today was a super Lime Hawk-moth.

Three Hobbies were seen hawking over Town Lake at Thrapston Pits this morning where there was also a Cuckoo and the Nightingale was singing by the bridge to the Titchmarsh LNR. Three more Hobbies were over the south east corner of Clifford Hill Pits and a Turnstone was reported on the north side of the barrage.

A Knot was seen near Lilbourne on the A5 roadside pools.

A second camera trap video from John Boland features Otters!

Regards

Neil M

You may require x ray vision to
make them out but these images
depict a Swift in a nestbox affixed 
to John Hunt's house in Spratton.
A pair have returned to the usual box
but the exciting news is that two further birds
have been spending time in a new box.
It seems the new pair had a bit of an
argument but hopefully they'll make up
and perhaps be a second successful pair.
Images courtesy of John Hunt.

Lapwing courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Cock Linnet courtesy
of Nathan Jones.

More owls and waders and a Fox

Hello

A revisit to Pitsford Reservoir to check more of the big bird boxes provided another recapture of an adult female Tawny Owl first ringed in March 2019. She had just one owlet she was caring for and this was ringed and they were both placed back in their box.

The Cattle Egret was still on-site today although becoming a little more mobile and spending some time on the banks south of the causeway. A Kingfisher and a Redpoll were the only other birds of note reported.

Eleanor's walk around Sywell Country Park provided a Redshank on one of the tern rafts, a Common Sandpiper, a Cetti's Warbler, a Grey Wagtail and a Spotted Flycatcher.

Thrapston Pits continues to hang on to at least two Cuckoos, a Common Sandpiper, a Hobby, three Oystercatchers and a pair of Egyptian Geese. The Hobbies continued to enthrall at Summer Leys LNR where the Spotted Redshank was still present and Clifford Hill Pits continues to entertain three Whimbrel plus a Turnstone and a Caspian Gull.

The excellent scrape-like pools alongside the A5 between Lilbourne village and the DIRFT complex attracted a Knot, a Sanderling, two Caspian Gulls and two Shelduck today with the adjacent Wildlife Trust reserve at Lilbourne Meadows making provision for a Dunlin, two Ringed Plovers and five Little Ringed Plovers.

Featured below is some trail camera video footage of the first of a couple of Northamptonshire mammals courtesy of John Boland.

Regards

Neil M

Today's Tawny Owl and her
chick at Pitsford Reservoir
courtesy of Pete Gilbert.

Cattle Egret in flight at
Pitsford Reservoir today
courtesy of Dave Jackson.

Hobby courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Tawny Owls

Hello

For some of us the day was dominated by one species - the Tawny Owl!

Chris and John were down at Greens Norton and checked an owl box to find an attendant female Tawny Owl and her two well-grown chicks, all of which were ringed and left as a family unit. At Pitsford Reservoir Pete and I checked several boxes. In one box there were two small young and the female was at home too. She was already ringed and it transpires that she is 17 years old after being initially ringed as a chick in May 2004! Since then she has been encountered on three occasions over the years. In another box there were two well-grown youngsters and they were duly ringed.

The longevity record for Tawny Owl is apparently 23 years, 5 months and 27 days but the average life-span is thought to be four years so the re-trap female at Pitsford is doing rather well!

Also today the floating rafts at Pitsford Reservoir were checked and held a record 43 Black-headed Gull nests with eggs so hopefully they are going to have a bumper year!

The Cattle Egret remained at Pitsford Reservoir today, still in the meadow between Maytrees Hide and the causeway and butterflies on the wing included plenty of Orange-tips.

Thrapston Pits again hosted an Osprey today plus two Hobbies, a day hunting Barn Owl, a Great White Egret and a singing Nightingale plus the two pairs of Oystercatchers and three Cuckoos.

The Spotted Redshank put in an appearance on the scrape again at Summer Leys LNR and a male Ruff was there too. Three Whimbrel remained at Clifford Hill Pits. A small unidentified egret was seen distantly in flight over fields near Arthingworth this evening.

On the insect front there were Dingy Skippers and a Small Heath on the wing at Twywell Hills and Dales Country Park and Large Red Damselflies and Banded Demoiselles were spotted at Whitemills Marina, Earls Barton.

Regards

Neil M

The female Tawny Owl and her two youngsters
at Greens Norton courtesy of Chris Payne.

The 17 year old Tawny Owl and
a chick from Pitsford Reservoir
courtesy of Pete Gilbert.

Orange-tip butterfly
courtesy of Pete Gilbert.

The Pitsford Cattle Egret
courtesy of Pete Gilbert.

Spring migration is slowing down

Hello 

A wander around Harrington Airfield this morning provided views of a silent Cuckoo, a male Wheatear and three Red Fox cubs playing!

Below Hanging Houghton, two Wheatears were in the Brampton Valley near to the straw stack this morning and our garden continues to attract up to six Yellowhammers at a time, Reed Buntings and plenty of food-collecting Starlings and Jackdaws.

The Cattle Egret remained at Pitsford Reservoir today, again in the waterside meadow between the causeway and the Maytrees Hide both this morning and this evening. Two Oystercatchers remain in situ.

A Wood Warbler was an early morning find at Stanwick Pits but wasn't seen after the initial discovery and an Osprey spent some minutes at Hollowell Reservoir before moving on.

The only birds reported at Summer Leys LNR today were a Chiloe Wigeon, a Ruff and a Common Sandpiper.

Some more local ringing recoveries/sightings are as follows:-

1.  A Nuthatch ringed as a young female at Astcote (near Towcester) on 3rd August 2019 was caught again by a ringer at Grange Farm, Geddington on 7th April this year. The distance between the two sites is about 36km with a period of 613 days elapsed between the two encounters;

2.  An adult Blue Tit was ringed at Astcote on 25th February this year and was unfortunately found drowned in a water container at Heyford Mills, Nether Heyford on 4th May. This bird had only travelled about 5 km with 68 days between encounters;

3.  A young Reed Warbler was ringed at Cottam, Nottinghamshire on 14th August 2018 and caught again by ringers at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes on 1st May this year. This bird will have already visited the continent of Africa on three occasions, with a total of 991 days elapsed between both records;

4.  An adult Mute Swan was ringed at Pitsford Reservoir on 1st January this year and the bird was seen and the large ring read in the field at Bicester, Oxfordshire on 28th April. This swan had travelled 52km in a SSW direction;

5.  A juvenile Jackdaw was ringed at Hanging Houghton on 8th July 2020 and was shot at nearby Lamport on or about 24th April this year, 290 days later;

6.  A Black-headed Gull bearing a colour ring inscribed '20H3' was seen at Pitsford Reservoir on 5th May and again today and may be trying to breed on-site. This bird was initially ringed as a nestling at Cotswold Water Park on 10th June 2013 and has been sighted in 2014 and twice in 2020 at the Atlantic coastal location of La Bree-les-Bains in the Bay of Biscay, France. It was also seen at nearby Rutland Water on 16th June 2017.

Regards

Neil M

Great Crested Grebe swallowing
a Tench, courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Common Tern courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Cattle Egret at Pitsford Reservoir
today courtesy of John Moon.

Black-headed Gull '20H3'
at Pitsford Reservoir today
courtesy of John Moon.

SP55 Long Day count

Hello

A much quieter day in the county today but Summer Leys LNR attracted a Black Tern, a Spotted Redshank, a Ruff, a Common Sandpiper, two Black-tailed Godwits, a Great White Egret and Hobbies and Clifford Hill Pits hung on to the eight Whimbrel and a Wheatear.

An Osprey fished successfully north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this morning but it was harrassed for a long time by a Great Black-backed Gull. The Cattle Egret hunted for insects in the meadow between the causeway and Maytrees Hide and was still present this evening. A Hobby was also north of the causeway and two Common Sandpipers were on the causeway.

A Hobby was playing in the wind in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon and a Hobby and a Wheatear were at Harrington Airfield.

Helen Franklin completed the BOS Long Day Count in SP55 today in less than ideal conditions, dodging short, sharp showers over lunch time and later wind speeds which were certainly more than the “moderate breezes” forecast. The largest proportion of time in this square is always devoted to the Fawsley Estate and this lovely area did not disappoint with the count commencing as very often happens with a pair of Little Owl making their appearance in their customary tree and the Tawny Owl signalling the start of a new day.  The water was quiet, with no exciting waders and migrants experienced in other parts of the county over the last few days. Swallows, House Martin and Swift were all hawking around the Hall and Grey Wagtails are breeding near the sluice from the upper lake.

Travelling round the square for the remainder of the day added a steady tally of birds in one’s and twos, many of them now thought of as bankers, they are so site-faithful. It is always puzzling to see the common birds missing from the final tally - where have the Bullfinches gone?  The wind obscured the calls of Goldcrest, Lesser Whitethroat and Yellow Wagtail - that’s her excuse anyway.

The total at the end of an enjoyable 12-hour day was only 60 birds, well short of the par score for the square. Must try harder next year!!

Some ringing recoveries associated with Northants Ringing Group activities are as follows:-

1. A Great Tit nestling was ringed at Stanford Reservoir on 23rd May 2020 and was then caught and processed by ringers at Pitsford Reservoir on 3rd March 2021 when it's gender was established as a female. This bird had travelled 20km in an ESE direction;

2.  A young female Sparrowhawk was caught and ringed at Pitsford Reservoir on 17th October 2019 and was reported as a road casualty near Lamport on 3rd April 2021, 534 days later and only 4km from where first ringed;

3.  A male Tawny Owl was ringed at Linford Lakes on 24th November 2019 when aged as a second year bird and was taken to a vets on or about 7th April 2021 where it died, apparently another road casualty victim. Five hundred days elapsed between these two encounters with the owl being found about 10km from where ringed;

4.  A first year male Blackbird was ringed at Hanging Houghton on 28th December 2020 and found dead after being predated by an unknown creature at nearby Brixworth on 6th April 2021, 99 days later.

Regards

Neil M

Great Tit.

Yellow Wagtail courtesy
of Nathan Jones.

Wheatear courtesy of
Dave Jackson.

SP54 Long Day Count

Hello 

I undertook a BOS twelve hour Long Day Count in SP54 today, deep in the south of the county, recording about seventy species of bird within the ten x ten kilometre square. The HS2 (High Speed rail) project is affecting many of the areas within this square. The highlights for me were watching two Red Foxes playing in straw bales at dawn, a hunting Mink devouring two Crayfishes (invasive species eating invasive species) and running off with a fish, and a brood of just-fledged Long-tailed Tits all lined up together on a branch (sadly obscured due to vegetation).

Scarcer birds included a Peregrine on a church, three singing Spotted Flycatchers (two at Marston St Lawrence and one at Edgcote) and two Wheatears near Halse Copse. Ravens were at three locations, a drake Mandarin Duck was at Edgcote and a first year Yellow-legged Gull flew over at Farthinghoe LNR. A Grey Wagtail was at Thenford, Yellow Wagtails were at three locations and Kingfisher at Trafford Marsh.  Although present in small numbers in this square I failed to find both Marsh Tit and Nuthatch.

Clifford Hill Pits was good again for waders today and passerines too with eight Whimbrel, three Dunlin, a Turnstone, a Black Tern, two Hobbies, ten Wheatears, a Whinchat and a Spotted Flycatcher. Stanwick Pits was good for between four to six Cattle Egrets and a Hobby and a Wheatear were at Stortons Pits.

An Osprey was at Thrapston Pits today plus two pairs of Oystercatchers and a Kingfisher.

The south-facing slope of Borough Hill Country Park was good for four Whinchats, six Wheatears, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Spotted Flycatcher and over at the A5 pools near Lilbourne there were two Sanderlings.

At Harrington Airfield this afternoon birds included a male Common Redstart, two Whinchats, at least four Wheatears and a singing Sedge Warbler. The Cattle Egret was again at Pitsford Reservoir by the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station with a Yellow-legged Gull, a Common Sandpiper and two Oystercatchers at the dam end.

Regards

Neil M

A just-fledged brood
of Long-tailed Tits.

Black-tailed Godwit at
Summer Leys LNR courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Common Redshank and Spotted
Redshank at Summer Leys LNR
courtesy of Dave Jackson.

Wet wader-fest

Hello

A day of rain, strong south-westerly winds but much warmer temperatures provided a wader-fest in Northamptonshire. 

Flocks of Dunlin and Ringed Plovers arrived in the county today, some of the flocks touching down for a short time, others staying for longer. Smaller numbers of Sanderling and Turnstones were with them and other waders included a couple of Grey Plovers (A5 pools near Lilbourne), two Wood Sandpipers (Stanwick Pits and Summer Leys LNR), Common Sandpipers and Little Ringed Plovers. A Ruff and a Spotted Redshank remained at Summer Leys LNR, seven Whimbrel were again at Clifford Hill Pits and two Black-tailed Godwits and a Greenshank were at Summer Leys.

A Black Tern at Pitsford Reservoir, a Little Gull at Daventry Country Park and two Arctic Terns at Stanford Reservoir were also the results of these weather conditions plus big numbers of hirundines and increasing numbers of Swifts.

The Cattle Egret remained at Pitsford Reservoir where there was also a Redshank on the dam for a while, a drake Garganey was at Summer Leys where at least six Hobbies put on a super performance and a Peregrine showed up.

Passerines were more difficult to appreciate but a possible Common Redstart was at Cliffird Hill Pits as was thirty Yellow Wagtails and three Greenland Wheatear types. A Great White Egret was seen there too.

I saw my first fledged Starlings today and the Otter at Abington Park, Northampton has been showing well in the week including yesterday.

Regards

Neil M

Sanderling.

Turnstone.

Hobby at Summer Leys LNR
today courtesy of Nathan Jones.