Birds of frost and winter sunshine

Hello

A ringing session took place in pleasant weather at Stortons Pits today which provided one hundred and fifteen captures which included a Chiffchaff, nine Reed Buntings, three Chaffinches, a Bullfinch, two Blackbirds, two Robins with the remainder made up of Blue and Great Tits.

At Pitsford Reservoir today there were at least two drake Smew north of the causeway (seen in Scaldwell and Walgrave Bays), the Wood Sandpiper and the Redshank were on the shoreline just north of the causeway and other birds included about six Great White Egrets, several Pintail, ten plus Snipe, a Woodcock, a Kingfisher, several Bramblings and a couple of Siskins.

Waterfowl shooting again took place at Clifford Hill Pits, an unbelievable situation considering the importance of this site in association with the remainder of the overall Nene Valley which is designated as a Special Protection Area. The long-staying Dark-bellied Goose is believed to have escaped unscathed but many of the ducks there probably did not.

At Stanwick Pits two Cattle Egrets and fifteen Great White Egrets flew from their overnight roost this morning.

Upton Country Park was the venue for three Stonechats and a Green Sandpiper this morning and at Ravensthorpe Reservoir the Pink-footed Goose was south of the causeway plus three Pintail and twelve Siskins. Nearby a Jack Snipe and three Stonechats remained at Hollowell Reservoir.

A male Hawfinch was seen on and off near Blatherwycke churchyard again this afternoon and there was a Birdguides report of the female Ring-necked Duck being seen on Elinor Lake, Thrapston Pits before flying off.

Two Corn Buntings were again around the wild bird crop at 'shrike hedge' in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton together with a good number of other passerines which included Bramblings and Tree Sparrows. A decent flock of about sixty Yellowhammers were near Foxholes Farm near the village of Titchmarsh.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir today included an impressive two hundred and two Great Black-backed Gulls in the roost, a Green Sandpiper, a Water Rail, two Goosanders and six Lesser Redpolls.

Regards

Neil M

Yellowhammer.

Greylag Goose courtesy
of John Tilly.

Coot courtesy of
John Tilly.

Garden Blackbird courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.