Catch-up

 I have been out of county for a  few days and as well as spending today catching up with the mundane tasks of shopping etc, I  have also been trying to catch up with the birds. It certainly looks like there have been plenty of birds around. 

On the morning I left (26th August) I took the dogs out for an early morning walk and flushed a Short Eared Owl as I walked along a hedgerow.  I don't know who was more surprised,  me or it!!.  As far as I'm aware it wasn't relocated.

Despite being out of county I managed a reasonable birding list including Common Redstart, Crossbill, Cettis Warbler  and Barn Owl,  but  I  was wishing that I was at home especially on the day that the Stanford Reservoir ringers caught and ringed a Wryneck and numerous Common Redstarts as there must have been other good birds waiting to be found.                                                                                                                                                    During my absence there were plenty of Common Redstarts at numerous sites including Harrington Airfield, Honey Hill, Braunston, Blueberry and Hardingstone. Whinchats were seen at Borough Hill, Braunston, Hinton Airfield and Welford Reservoir.  Marsh Harrier was recorded at Hollowell and Earls Barton.   All typical Autumn birds.  Plenty of waders moving around including Ringed and Little Ringed Plover,Ruff, Black Tailed Godwit, Dunlin,  Green and Common Sandpiper.  Other good birds which made an appearance were Sandwich Terns and a Little Gull in the Nene Valley and Common Scotors at Hollowell Reservoir. 

Today I wandered around Blueberry early morning and was greeted by the familiar sound and sight of Common Redstart.  Then to Harrington Airfield which was disappointingly quiet and all I could find was a single Common Redstart,  Wheatear and 4 Golden Plovers flying over. I  decided to check Lamport Hall this afternoon but the hedgerows were quiet.  It would seem that the "Flycatcher frenzy "is over.  Only 2 Spotted Flycatchers and a Common Redstart were in the hedge.   I  did find another Common Redstart nearby whilst I was playing football with the collies!!

Plenty of good birds around today including Tree Pipit at Borough Hill,  Garganey at Daventry Reservoir, Little Stint at Dirft3, Spotted Redshank and Mediterranean Gull at Boddington Reservoir.  So it does look as if things are hotting on the birding front but I'm sure that we would like the weather to follow suit. 

Regards Eleanor 

Merlin

Hello

The following spectacular images of a Merlin were taken by Beth Clyne (not in Northants) and depict a bird hunting dragonflies, not normally a prey item associated with this fabulous raptor...enjoy!

Regards

Neil M

Merlin courtesy
of Beth Clyne.

 Today I started with an early morning visit to Harrington Airfield and as soon as I got out of the car I could hear lots of bird sound and the bushes lining the road were literally alive with finches.  A slow amble around the bunkers produced at least 3 Common Redstart, 2 Spotted Flycatchers,  Whinchat and Wheatear. There were good numbers of Goldfinches and Linnets in the bushes.   However there was a noticeable movement of birds flying over, visible migration.  The highlight being a  Tree Pipit which flew over calling.  Other flyovers included Grey Wagtail, Siskin , Swallows and Crossbills.                    This is Harrington at it's best and I love being there when this happens.  Sadly day's like this are infrequent and often I go there and struggle to find anything,  but that's birding!

A quick stop off at Blueberry Farm on my way home to say hello to the Common Redstarts which again were showing well and then no further opportunity for birding until late afternoon when I  walked my old dogs through the village and became aware of at least 10+ Spotted Flycatchers calling and flycatching in the trees lining the road . Then I had to walk the younger dogs so walked across to Lamport Hall where there were more Spotted Flycatchers feeding in their favourite hedge. Not quite as many in number today but still an amazing sight and sound. I assume that the birds in Hanging Houghton were part of the original flock.  

Plenty of birds in the garden at the moment especially Blue Tits, Long Tailed Tits and young Starlings.  We are getting big numbers of young Starlings feeding on the mealworm we put out. They are so noisy and entertaining to watch. They provided entertainment in a different way when several of them fell down the chimney and ended up stuck behind the gas fire. When I moved the fire they shot out like rockets and flew around the house in a haphazard manner much to the amusement of our young collie who thought that it was a great game.  Eventually all were safely captured and released. 

Regards Eleanor 

Spotted Flycatchers

Hello

The group of Spotted Flycatchers on the southern edge of Lamport Hall have proved popular recently with twenty birds regularly seen and sometimes more. The below images were taken there and kindly provided by Jim Dunkley.

Regards

Neil M

Spotted Flycatchers courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.

More of the same!

Again my birding has been dominated by Common Redstarts and Spotted Flycatchers.  It was a case of visiting these areas whilst trying to dodge the rain showers.  This morning at Harrington Airfield there were at least 2 Common Redstart calling well but only giving fleeting glimpses.  I gather that they were skulking in the afternoon as well. A Wheatear did show well as did an adult and two young Grey Partridge.  Then it was a quick stop off at Blueberry Farm where the 2 Common Redstart here were showing well.  Also in the area was a Wheatear, Spotted Flycatcher and Peregrine over.  Rain then stopped play !    From mid afternoon the hedgerow at Lamport Hall burst into a frenzy of activity with at least 20 Spotted Flycatchers feeding,  calling and flycatching.  It really is quite an incredible sight. Other birds are mixed in with them and it reminds me of birding in the rain forest and frantically searching through the mixed flock in an effort to identify everything and hope to find an "rarity ". 

Over the past couple of days there have been some ringing sessions taking place at 3 sites with different habitats but all reporting good numbers of Warblers ringed.                             Yesterday Dave Francis was ringing at the feeding station at Pitsford Reservoir where 51 birds of 18 species were processed before the rain stopped things. Warblers were a significant part of the catch including 8 Blackcap, 6 Sedge Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 3 Reed Warbler, 2 Lesser Whitethroat and 1 Garden Warbler.    The other bird of interest was a retrap Moorhen which was originally ringed as an adult male in 2014 and is now 8+ years old. He was also retrapped in 2015 and 2016.                                                                                   John Woollett was busy ringing at Stortons Gravel Pits until the rain came. 59 new birds of 17 species and again a good range of Warblers including Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Whitethroat plus Garden, Reed and Sedge Warbler. 

Today Kenny Cramer and team had a ringing session at Linford Lakes Reserve where they managed to ring 105 birds before the rain came. Again good numbers of Warblers, 22 Blackcap,11 Reed Warbler, 5 Garden Warbler, 11 Chiffchaff,  9 Willow Warblers, 2 Lesser Whitethroat and a Cettis Warbler.                                                                                                       Other birds included 3 new Kingfishers, 5 Great Spotted Woodpeckers,  Magpie and Sparrowhawk.  But bird of the day was an unexpected Tree Pipit,  a new species for the reserve. 

Regards Eleanor 

Lesser Whitethroat.

Tree Pipit.

Sparrowhawk.
All images courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Flycatchers and Redstarts continue

 After a busy day yesterday where my birding was limited I decided to check the areas again for Flycatchers and Redstarts.   First stop was Blueberry Farm area early this morning and as I approached I could hear Common Redstart calling and sure enough the bright male was sitting in his favourite spot and was soon joined by the less bright male. The hedgerows were quite busy with Warblers,and other passerines.  I noted an increase in Blackbirds and Song Thrushes.  I took a leisurely wander home and came across a family party of Stonechat,  2 Wheatear and a Marsh Harrier. 

Later in the day on my way back from shopping I stopped off in the village of Old and took the footpath towards Pitsford Reservoir and in one of the hedgerows were at least 2 Common Redstart plus others calling. This is a  favourite hedgerow for them but viewing is difficult due to the amount of vegetation. 

A very slow meander with one of my old crocks (spaniel) produced 2 or 3 Common Redstart which can be elusive at times,  plus 2 Whinchat and a Wheatear.

Of course I  couldn't resist a quick look at  Lamport Hall whilst my tea was cooking  !! . Unbelievably 20+ Spotted Flycatchers were again in the hedge, calling and flycatching.  It really is quite an amazing sight and I have never known anything like it before.  Where they are during the daytime is a mystery unless they are further in the grounds of Lamport hall which is inaccessible. 

Although it may seem like it I don't have a monopoly on Redstarts, haha. Others have been seen at Clifford Hill and Stanford Reservoir.  Spotted Flycatchers have also been seen at Pitsford Reservoir and Dallington Cemetery. 

A ringing session took place this morning at Woodford Halse ( Helen Franklin) where 132 birds were processed of 16 species including Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler,  Marsh Tit and Swallow.  A staggering 64 Blue Tits were caught which shows just how successful they have been. 

Regards Eleanor 

Flycatchers and Redstarts !!

 We are rapidly heading towards my favourite time of year Autumn. Already to the dismay of many who are wondering what has happened to Summer the weather has that chill about it, the mornings are darker with the mist hanging over the fields and certainly the evenings are drawing in. The hedgerows are becoming laden with berries and the farmers busy getting the harvest in.

Birding seems to have gone quiet as we wait for the Autumn migration.  Most of my birding has been done whilst walking the dogs. Bizarrely the most numerous birds I have seen are Spotted Flycatchers and Common Redstarts !!.  For the past week there has been an amazing sight of 20+ Spotted Flycatchers gathering together calling and flycatching  in a hedgerow in the grounds of Lamport Hall.  These birds are easily viewed from the footpath from the A508. I had suspected that this only happens during the late afternoon as when I have checked the area in the morning the hedgerow has been eerily quiet. This certainly seems to be the case so I have no idea where these birds are during the rest of the day.  I have never seen so many Spotted Flycatchers together in Northamptonshire. 

I seem to be bumping into plenty of Common Redstarts in my travels. There are at least 3 birds at Harrington Airfield although they can be quite elusive at times.  Often they are calling incessantly and I only catch a glimpse of them and at other times they show well.  There have been a few birds seen regularly at Blueberry Farm area including 2 very bright males.  I have also seen Redstarts at Lamport Hall and from the footpath from Old towards Pitsford Reservoir. 

Other birds that I have been bumping into include a juvenile Marsh Harrier,  Ravens,  Grey Partridge,  Whinchats and Northern Wheatear. 

I haven't been near any water for my birding fix but others have.  There has been a Yellow Legged Gull and Marsh Harrier at Thrapston,  Red Crested Pochards at Stanford and Pitsford, Cattle Egret at Stanwick and a few waders, Common and Green Sandpipers,  Ruff and Black Tailed Godwit appearing.   So things are starting to move around. 

Plenty of butterflies around despite the wind.  I  have noticed an increase in Painted Ladies including a couple in the garden so I wasn't surprised to find a Clouded Yellow at Harrington Airfield. 

Regards Eleanor 

Recent ringing recoveries

Hello

The latest batch of ringing recoveries associated with Northants Ringing Group activities includes quite a number of Reed Warblers from Linford Lakes at Milton Keynes as follows:-

1. A pair of Mute Swans with five cygnets on the River Nene at Ditchford Pits on 9th August 2021 were affixed with the large darvic rings which makes them comparatively easy to read. The female or Pen was marked 4CPQ and was ringed at Wellingborough on 21st March 2017 and was seen there in 2019 and 2020. The male or Cob was marked 4CYW and was ringed at Wellingborough on 14th March 2018 and seen again in February 2019. These are of a number of birds regularly caught and ringed at The Embankment next to the River Nene at Wellingborough and these birds have only strayed 4km down river;

2. An adult Black-headed Gull at Pitsford Reservoir on 6th and 14th August 2021 was bearing a yellow darvic ring with the black inscription of THCV. This bird was ringed in Poland as an adult on 11th June 2021 at a place called Swinoujscie, Zachodniopomorskie and seen there again on 26th June. It is a distance of 1023 km between the ringing site and Pitsford Reservoir and this bird is likely to winter in the UK;

3. A juvenile Dunnock was ringed at Astcote, South Northants on 25th July this year but was unfortunately taken by a cat a few miles away in Towcester on 9th August. This young bird didn't really have time to establish it's new territory before being predated by the local moggie - an all too familiar tale and one of the reasons why the Dunnock is now on the amber list as a declining species!

4. A juvenile Reed Warbler ringed as a first year bird at Baden Down Farm, Wiltshire on 27th August 2020 and caught again at Linford Lakes as an adult on 23rd July and on an earlier date this year will be attempting to breed. A similar story with another Reed Warbler caught as an adult at the Marston Vale Millenium Country Park in Bedfordshire on 16th April 2017 has been caught a couple of times at Linford Lakes, the last time being on 23rd July when assessed as a breeding male. This bird is at least five years old with numerous trips to and from Africa under it's belt!

5. A juvenile Reed Warbler ringed at Rutland Water on 27th August 2020 was caught again at Linford Lakes on 1st August this year some 339 days later and another impressive movement is of a first year Reed Warbler first ringed on 14th August 2017 at Terres d'Oiseaux, Braud-et-Saint-Louis, Gironde, France which was caught again at Linford Lakes on 23rd July this year. Gironde is 756km to the south of Linford with 1439 days elapsing between the two records, making this bird (probably also breeding at Linford) four years old;

6. An adult male Reed Warbler ringed at Linford Lakes on 1st May 2021 was caught again on 2nd August this year but this time at Icklesham, East Sussex. Icklesham handles large numbers of migratory passerines and is 166km south east of Linford Lakes so it's a fair assumption that this Reed Warbler had finished breeding and was on it's way south for the winter;

7. A Chiffchaff ringed at Linford Lakes on 9th September 2020 as a first year bird was found dead at Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory, Lincolnshire on 21st June this year when it was thought to have collided with a window. Gib Point is 136km to the north-east of Linford, 285 days elapsing between the two records.

Regards

Neil M

Wasp Spider photographed
recently at Ditchford Pits
courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

Black-headed Gull at
Pitsford Reservoir.

Reed Warbler courtesy
of Lewis Aaron.

Banded Demoiselle courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.

Sparrowhawk courtesy
of John Tilly.

Birds of mid-August.

Hello

With a Spotted Flycatcher, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Willow Warbler all in the garden this morning, there can be no doubt that autumn is upon us!

Kenny and team committed to some more ringing at Linford Lakes today, catching and processing over seventy birds with the bulk of them being warblers. Highlights were five Willow Warblers, nine Chiffchaffs, thirty Reed Warblers, seven Sedge Warblers, four Cetti's Warblers, two Common Whitethroats, three Garden Warblers and three Blackcaps. A Green Sandpiper and an Osprey were on-site and three Great Crested Newts were seen.

Four Great White Egrets were to the north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this morning, which included three perched together in the Walgrave Bay. The eclipse drake Red-crested Pochard was again in the Scaldwell Bay and three Yellow-legged Gulls were off the Old Scaldwell Road (one juvenile). This evening there were four Yellow-legged Gulls off the dam plus a Common Sandpiper.

Over at Stanwick Pits this morning the Wood Sandpiper was again on the Main Lake.

Regards

Neil M

Lesser Whitethroat.

Hairy Shieldbug courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Carder Bee courtesy 
of Robin Gossage.

Sand Martin nestlings
courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

The dreaded Twin-lobed Deerfly,
a common biting insect at Pitsford
Reservoir! Image courtesy of
Dave Jackson.

Harvest time

Hello

The main lake at Stanwick Pits hosted a Wood Sandpiper for much of the day today and this afternoon there were eight Yellow-legged Gulls there too.

Two visits to Honey Hill near Cold Ashby was sufficient for Jon to find a Common Redstart this morning (a juvenile or female) with a male bird there this afternoon - in hedging on the RHS as you follow the Jurassic Way footpath by the large commemorative stone.

At Pitsford Reservoir the drake Red-crested Pochard was seen in the Scaldwell Bay again today and at least one Great White Egret remains on-site. A Wheatear was at Bunker Three at Harrington Airfield and at Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate there were two Spotted Flycatchers and a Silver-washed Fritillary.

Regards

Neil M

Silver-washed Fritillary
at Scotland Wood today.

Peacock butterfly courtesy
of John Tilly.

Wood Sandpiper.

Pitsford Day Tour

Hello

The reserve of Pitsford Reservoir today was the venue for a Naturetrek Day Tour plus a volunteer work party and several birders working the site. A successfully fishing Osprey was probably the highlight but two moulting adult Black Terns were much appreciated too. The drake Red-crested Pochard was still to be located in the Scaldwell Bay and there were at least two Great White Egrets north of the causeway. The results from three successful Sparrowhawk nests were vocal as the juveniles tumbled around the plantations but most of the passerines kept a low profile in the heavily vegetated margins. At least one adult Yellow-legged Gull was present.

At least fifteen species of moth were on show from the moth traps with perhaps the Poplar Hawk-moth  being the most spectacular. Plenty of butterflies included Painted Lady and Purple Hairstreak. A couple of species of longhorn beetle and plenty of the large Roesel's Bush-crickets were about. We watched several Hornets inspecting a large nest box either to make a nest of their own inside or perhaps were simply masticating the wood.

Odonata were out in force with plenty of Brown Hawkers, Blue Emperors and Migrant Hawkers and several Southern Hawkers. A couple of end-of-the-season Four Spotted Chasers were on the wing and Black-tailed Skimmer, Ruddy Darter and Common Darter were whizzing about.

Elsewhere and two Ospreys were seen high up over Hollowell Reservoir and birds at Stanford Reservoir included a female Red-crested Pochard, a female Common Redstart, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Common Sandpiper and a Hobby.

At least three Common Redstarts and two Spotted Flycatchers were at Blueberry Farm today and a juvenile Marsh Harrier was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning heading towards Brixworth. This afternoon and what may have been the same harrier flew from Lamport Hall towards Pitsford Reservoir and the concentration of Spotted Flycatchers at the southern side of Lamport Hall has now reached twenty-five birds (plus two Ravens over).

A Wheatear and a Little Ringed Plover were at Welford Reservoir this afternoon and a Whinchat and a Wheatear were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton late this afternoon.

Early this morning there was a Wood Sandpiper and a Garganey on the Main Lake at Stanwick Pits.

Regards

Neil M

Southern Hawker.

Roesel's Bush-cricket.

Poplar Hawk-moth.

Brown Hawker.

Ruddy Darter.

Migrant Hawker.

All images from Pitsford
Reservoir today.

Autumn momentum

Hello

At Pitsford Reservoir this morning there was a modest ringing session in the Walgrave Bay which provided captures of seven Goldcrests, a Nuthatch and a handful of resident birds and warblers which included a confirmed six year old female Garden Warbler, first encountered in 2016. Other birds noted on-site included three or four Great White Egrets, a drake Red-crested Pochard (in the Scaldwell Bay) and an eclipse drake Mandarin Duck. At 5.30pm this afternoon a Marsh Harrier was again hunting the reserve north of the causeway and this evening there were two Common Sandpipers in Yacht Bay.

Yesterday (Tuesday) birds at Thrapston Pits included an Osprey and a Yellow-legged Gull, a Kingfisher and a Lesser Whitethroat.

Both yesterday evening and this morning a Marsh Harrier was seen at Summer Leys LNR and other birds on the Earls Barton Pits complex today included two Common Sandpipers and two Green Sandpipers. A Garganey was still at Stanwick Pits this evening.

Stanford Reservoir moved up a couple of gears today with a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker being seen and the ringers there handled over three hundred birds which included a Willow Tit and 67 Willow Warblers. Other birds on-site included the female Red-crested Pochard, a Kingfisher, a Peregrine, two Common Sandpipers and a Green Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

A first year male
Nuthatch in post-
juvenile moult.

A Red Kite also moulting, 
however this is an adult
bird with the majority of 
the moult process concentrating
on the tail and flight feathers.

A juvenile female
Green Woodpecker
which visited our
garden this afternoon.

Blueberry Farm and 
Blueberry Hill.

Pitsford WeBs count

Hello

The WeBs count was completed at Pitsford Reservoir today - most of the waterbirds were north of the causeway with the biggest concentration in the Scaldwell Bay. The hundreds of geese present include up to eight Greylag x Canada hybrids, a Bar-headed x Canada hybrid, a hybrid individual I have difficulty in ascertaining it's parentage and small numbers of white and off-white feral Greylags.

Seven species of raptor were noted (I'm sure there must have been a Hobby there somewhere to make it eight) which included two Ospreys successfully fishing south of the causeway, a juvenile Marsh Harrier hunting north of the causeway (including attempted mid-water foraging) and a juvenile female Peregrine which was bravely escorted from the premises by two irate Common Terns.

Waders were represented by Lapwings and three Common Sandpipers and a Turnstone was seen a couple of times, at one stage landing on the causeway. Little Egrets seem to have thinned out somewhat, there were two Great White Egrets north of the causeway and the only ducks of note were two Wigeon, a Mandarin Duck and a Goldeneye. A new brood of Tufted Ducks are probably only the second brood there this year and a female Gadwall was with three half-grown youngsters. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was present but what has happened to the juvenile Mediterranean Gulls this year? Two Kingfishers, a Wheatear, a Common Redstart (hedge near Moulton Grange) and two Whinchats were the best of the smaller birds.

Butterflies included a Clouded Yellow seen by the dam, lots of Peacocks and Red Admirals on the buddleias by the Fishing Lodge plus Comma and Small Copper.

Elsewhere and the Lilbourne/DIRFT3 area provided views of a Wood Sandpiper, five Green Sandpipers, two Common Sandpipers, a Curlew, a Ringed Plover, a Little Ringed Plover, three Snipe, a Caspian Gull, four Yellow-legged Gulls and two Common Redstarts. An Osprey was seen in flight at Stanford Reservoir this morning and other birds included a Great White Egret and a female Red-crested Pochard.

Two Dunlin, two Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper were at Clifford Hill Pits early morning and three Common Redstarts at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell included two males.

This evening there was a splended treat with about twenty Spotted Flycatchers feeding in hedging and trees on the south side of Lamport Hall and visible from the bordering footpath reached off the A508. A big hatch of insects in the lee of the trees also attracted good numbers of Migrant Hawkers and many common birds were copying the flycatchers with tits, Nuthatch and a variety of warblers fly-catching from the hedges and bushes. Two or three Purple Hairstreaks were noted in an ash tree there too.

Regards

Neil M

Little Egret.

Female Gadwall with three ducklings.

Small Copper.

Red Admiral.

Peacock butterfly.

All images from Pitsford
Reservoir today.

Ditchford WeBs count

Hello

I completed an early WeBs count at Ditchford Pits today with Jaeger the collie for company. I split the count up into three sections, the first was grey and pretty quiet, the second was very wet and the third was sunny and breezy but pleasant! The birds were generally very quiet but reasonable numbers of warblers were moving through the bushes and taking advantage of the very first of the elderberries. The Cetti's Warblers were generally very quiet and unobtrusive. The first section provided a couple of Kingfishers, a Common Sandpiper, ten Egyptian Geese and a brood of Sparrowhawks. Two more Kingfishers were in the second section and of five Little Egrets four were juveniles.

The odonata revealed themselves in the third section and the River Nene is an excellent place for large numbers of Banded Demoiselles. Two broods of Tufted Duck and two broods of Gadwall and many broods of Great Crested Grebes indicated some good breeding success. A couple more Kingfishers, common warblers, another vocal brood of Sparrowhawks and a juvenile Cuckoo plus a reasonable showing of common butterflies was all rather pleasing.

Two Common Redstarts were at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning and a list of birds for Harrington Airfield by three different observers included a Wheatear, four Common Redstarts, three Ravens and the best was an early autumn Merlin racing past Bunker Three.

At Stanwick Pits this morning a near adult Caspian Gull was present early this morning as were two Garganey on the Main Lake. A Greenshank was found at Summer Leys LNR late this afternoon and Deene Lake attracted seven Green Sandpipers and two Black Swans.

Pitsford Reservoir this evening yielded a second summer Caspian Gull, three Yellow-legged Gulls (one a begging juvenile) and two/three Common Sandpipers all from the Sailing Club.

Regards

Neil M

Adult Sedge Warbler (with
diseased legs).

Himalayan Balsam is a beautiful
plant and the flowers attract plenty
of insects, particularly bees. However
it is classed as an invasive species as 
it chokes waterways.

Common Darter.

Female Banded Demoiselle.

All images from Ditchford Pits today.