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.