Northamptonshire Birding: More Hawfinches

Hello

I spent the day at Pitsford Reservoir today completing the monthly WeBs count, albeit that the waterbird numbers were very low. The first year Great Northern Diver was again in The Narrows this morning, the Common Sandpiper was on the shoreline of the Sailing Club near to the dam, a Green Sandpiper was on the settling pool below the dam and the adult Yellow-legged Gull was mostly off the Sailing Club. A Brambling was in Brixworth Country Park and there were approximately thirty mobile Siskins around the reservoir.

Other birds included a Grey Wagtail, four Ravens (two pairs), a Great White Egret, a Little Egret, about forty Common Snipe and there was a light southerly passage of Common Buzzards.

Eleanor found four Hawfinches in trees at Lilford Bridge this afternoon, a historic but now poorly visited site and the two Hawfinches were still at Cottesbrooke again today together with a Raven and a mixed flock of Chaffinches and Bramblings along the gated road between Cottesbrooke village and Calendar Farm.

A Raven was seen in flight over Kingsthorpe Cemetry this afternoon, a Stonechat was near Bucknell Wood and a Red-crested Pochard was found at Earls Barton Pits on a fishing pit east of Mary's/Pete Wilde's Lake.

A Great White Egret and eleven Goosanders were at Clifford Hill Pits this afternoon and the Dartford Warbler popped back in to view today at Duston Mill with the two Stonechats. A Yellow-legged Gull was in the roost at Stanford Reservoir and other birds there included two Goosanders, a Great White Egret and a Chiffchaff.

Birds at the Titchmarsh Reserve, Thrapston Pits this afternoon included two/three Great White Egrets, four Goosanders, two Egyptian Geese, an adult Peregrine, three Oystercatchers, a Chiffchaff, three Cetti's Warblers, about twenty Siskins and a Water Rail.

Yesterday there were seven Little Egrets near Wicksteed Park, Kettering plus a few Redpolls and about forty Siskins.

Regards

Neil M