Spring birds

Hello

At last with the advent of some calm, dry conditions, county ringers were active today with a session at Stortons Pits providing 59 captures which included two Moorhens, two Water Rails, seven Long-tailed Tits, fourteen Blue Tits, seven Great Tits, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, three Dunnocks, a Chaffinch, two Greenfinches, a Goldfinch and a good catch of nineteen Reed Buntings.

Tom enjoyed the surprise of flushing a Woodcock from his Finedon garden today and more evidence of spring movement included a female Stonechat near Hartwell and another at Harrington Airfield where there were at least twenty Bramblings.

Nick relocated the female Ring-necked Duck at Thrapston Pits, this time still on the Titchmarsh Reserve and viewable from Eileen's bench at the south end of the reserve. However she was being elusive underneath some overhanging vegetation (the duck not Eileen)!

Forty Golden Plovers were noted at Summer Leys LNR and a Whooper Swan was in the Tove Valley near Yardley Gobion where there were also four Egyptian Geese and a hundred and fifty Lapwings.

A Caspian Gull was at Hollowell Reservoir today and the birds at Stanwick Pits included the Glossy Ibis at North Lake, three White-fronted Geese and two Cattle Egrets. The other three White-fronted Geese popped up at Stanford Reservoir near the settling pool and there was also a Curlew, three Great White Egrets, two Goosanders, about fifty Golden Plovers, three Cetti's Warbler and a Chiffchaff.

Regards

Neil M

Moorhen.

Water Rail.

Images courtesy of
Chris Payne.