Birds of a breezy, blue sky

Hello

Following a few chores I headed slowly north in the county today, first meandering along the Welland Valley which was mostly quiet but there was a Great White Egret and a Green Sandpiper below Cottingham and a couple of Little Egrets around Harringworth. Of course in this part of the world there are numerous Red Kites and with blue skies and a cool fresh wind they were active and inquisitive.

A quick visit to Fineshade Top Lodge didn't produce anything out of the ordinary so onto Blatherwycke Lake which hosted fifty Mandarin Ducks, a Black Swan, several Siskins and a Kingfisher. A male Hawfinch was showing nicely in an oak between the church and the bridge and later flew to the copse the other side of the bridge.

A scan over Deene Lake yielded nine Shelduck plus a male Stonechat and a Cetti's Warbler. There were at least sixty Red Kites at the Laxton village pre-roost.

A couple of Ravens were at Hanging Houghton this morning and birds at Harrington Airfield this afternoon included about a hundred Bramblings and two Woodcock. Most of the Bramblings were at the sunflower crop by the shooting wall.

A female Merlin, a Barn Owl and a Corn Bunting were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon plus plenty of Skylarks and winter thrushes and three Bramblings were at the Summer Leys feeding station. Eight Redpolls were in a Grange Park, Northampton garden this morning and fifty Siskins were in alders at Harlestone Heath near to the golf course.

The Black Redstart was still at Borough Hill Country Park this morning together with two Stonechats and a flock of wintering Meadow Pipits. Single and different Pink-footed Geese were at Ravensthorpe and Hollowell Reservoirs today, with a Golden Plover and two Stonechats at the latter.

The first winter White-fronted Goose was still at Sywell Country Park today and at Pitsford Reservoir the Wood Sandpiper was between the causeway and Maytrees Hide and some ringing there provided captures of a Moorhen, five Blackbirds, three Redwings, four Tree Sparrows, four Reed Buntings and four Yellowhammers amongst fifty-three birds processed.

Regards

Neil M

Red Kite.

Greylag Goose.

Red Kite.

Rook.

Cormorant.

Red Kite.