January birding

Hello 

With a much better weather-day than forecast some people out there went in search of some of the scarcer birds inhabiting the county currently.

The White-fronted Goose was seen at Sywell Country Park this afternoon in association with the feral goose flock - and a Great White Egret and a flock of at least fifty-five Golden Plovers were present too. At Pitsford Reservoir the Wood Sandpiper and the Redshank were again in the Scaldwell Bay as were three Pintail, four Great White Egrets and quite a bit of ice!

At Harrington Airfield this afternoon there were at least a hundred Bramblings coming down to seed in the ringing rides around Bunkers One and Two with about twenty Golden Plovers on the top fields. A ringing session is again planned for this site on Saturday when access to the bunkers and rough area between the Chippings Compound and the concrete track will be restricted. The public footpath along the concrete track is unaffected.

At Summer Leys there were two Bramblings noticed coming to seed at the feed station and birds at Stortons Pits amounted to three Goosanders, a Chiffchaff and a Lesser Redpoll. A Corn Bunting was again present in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton at the 'shrike hedge' bird food crop.

Three Caspian Gulls was an excellent concentration on the A5 pools near Lilbourne and the DIRFT3 site, the Black Redstart was still at Borough Hill Country Park and three White-fronted Geese were opposite Stanford Hall with a Caspian Gull roosting at Stanford Reservoir where there was also a decent flock of twelve Goosanders.

Regards

Neil M

Caspian Gull.

Pied Wagtail.

Sparrowhawk.