Warm February sunshine

Hello

A stunning day of sunshine today made it a treat to be out!

Hundreds of Fieldfares were in the grass paddocks at Dale Farm, Maidwell this morning and half a dozen Bramblings and a pair of Grey Partridges were at Harrington Airfield with a Barn Owl hunting there yesterday afternoon.

Birds north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this morning included a Great White Egret and two Ravens. Overnight the reserve suffered at the hands of criminals when the main metal gate above the Old Scaldwell Road was angle grinded off and stolen. This makes the reserve vulnerable to potential incursions and further abuse and would-be visitors are asked to remain vigilant and inform the Police and the wardening team if potential criminal action appears imminent.

Elsewhere and the female Ring-necked Duck was still on the Heronry Lake on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits this morning plus a Great White Egret and a Kingfisher. At Stanwick Pits the Glossy Ibis was seen again late morning at the north end of the complex and other birds on-site included five Cattle Egrets and three White-fronted Geese. At Earls Barton Pits there was a Chiffchaff along the railway line near Mary's Lake with the drake Red-crested Pochard on a small pit just to the east.

Another Red-crested Pochard was on the settling pools below the dam at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and this afternoon birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton next to shrike hedge attracted to the bird food crop included at least sixty Yellowhammers, forty Linnets, twenty Reed Buntings and small numbers of Chaffinches and Skylarks.

The three White-fronted Geese were again at Stanford Park today and Stanford Reservoir attracted a Great White Egret, eight Goosanders, a Peregrine, a Cetti's Warbler, two Grey Wagtails, eleven Siskins and six Lesser Redpolls.

The sunshine brought forth several butterfly sightings in the county which included Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Brimstone and yesterday Comma and Red Admiral were seen too - not bad for February!

Regards

Neil M

Fieldfare courtesy of
Laurence Arnold.

Barn Owl courtesy
of John Tilly.

Greenfinch courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Peacock butterfly courtesy
of John Tilly.