The wonderful Red Kite

Hello

Perhaps not surprisingly my first venue of choice this morning was Harrington Airfield with another bucket of mixed seed. A large number of finches were again present but well spread and difficult to count but there were a minimum of two hundred mobile and noisy Bramblings which at times showed very closely in the hawthorns. Good numbers of Greenfinches, Linnets and Chaffinches were also present with smaller numbers of Goldfinches and Siskins. Not surprisingly plenty of birders were on-site today to see the spectacle and a Ring Ouzel was reported amongst the plentiful winter thrushes. Please note that a period of bird ringing is planned for the bunker area on Wednesday this week and access will be restricted - the concrete track will be unaffected.

My next venue was East Carlton Country Park which was full of autumn colour and standard birds included Raven, Nuthatch, Marsh Tit, Grey Wagtail and Siskin.

On next to the Welland Valley and below Cottingham the more interesting birds in this under-watched valley included three Egyptian Geese, two Little Egrets and plenty of Red Kites, corvids and winter thrushes. Gretton Weir was quieter and the lack of recent rains means the valley is currently very dry and with no standing water. Another twenty Red Kites were gleaning the valley fields between Harringworth and Wakerley and the car park at Wakerley Wood seemed very quiet with just several vocal Siskins of note.

Fineshade Top Lodge attracted plenty of common birds plus a Grey Wagtail, a Redpoll, a Brambling and a few Siskins and Blatherwycke Lake just down the road held two Kingfishers, four Little Egrets, two Black Swans, forty Mandarin Ducks, four Egyptian Geese and more Siskins. A quick scan over Deene Lake provided two Shelduck.

My last venue was Laxton village and the traditional Red Kite gathering and roost. A sizeable flock of finches here contained an unknown number of Bramblings late afternoon but the Red Kites are the main attraction here with about a hundred birds gathered together (this number should increase as the winter progresses). These amazing raptors interact with each other right overhead and the noise is almost deafening!

Small numbers of Brambling were at Blueberry Farm this morning and a Barn Owl was again hunting the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. Four Bramblings were feeding in our garden this afternoon.

The Pink-footed Goose had moved from Hollowell to Ravensthorpe Reservoir today and a Great White Egret was also at Ravensthorpe. Birds for Hollowell Reservoir included a Caspian Gull, three Great White Egrets and two Stonechats.

At Pitsford Reservoir today there were two Stonechats below the dam and north of the causeway birds included the Wood Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper, thirteen Pintail, fourteen Red-crested Pochard, seventeen Great White Egrets and a Yellow-legged Gull.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir today included a Caspian Gull, an Egyptian Goose, seven Goosanders and a Pintail and the two Smew remain at Ringstead Pits on Brightwells Lake.

Regards

Neil M

East Carlton Country Park.

There are several examples
of European Spindle Tree at
East Carlton CP.

The Welland Valley 
below Cottingham.

Common Buzzard.

Red Kites.
All images taken today.