Northamptonshire Birding: Day Tour at Rectory Farm, Great Easton and Eyebrook

Hello

A sunny and breezy day for the Naturetrek Day Tour at Eyebrook Wild Bird Foods situated on their farm at Great Easton was today's planned venture. With farmland designed for conservation and high yields through regenerative farming methodology, the fields and hedgerows hold plenty of wildlife, further enhanced with being right next to Eyebrook Reservoir too.

Almost from the off there were two Ospreys almost constantly on view which from their behaviour I would imagine were two non-breeding birds. Often together they spent time sauntering around the reservoir looking for fish and aimlessly soaring around and at one stage resting in a millet field. Of course the weather conditions were ideal for big raptors and they were joined by remarkably high numbers of Red Kites and the local Common Buzzards too and with two pairs of Kestrel also in the vicinity. A Hobby was over Stoke Dry village late this afternoon.

On the farm itself there were good numbers of singing Skylarks and Yellowhammers with just a few Tree Sparrows foraging and cheeping from the hedgerows. At least six Brown Hares were cavorting around the fields, sometimes the height of the crops meaning you could sometimes just see their ears! The sun brought out large numbers of fresh Small Tortoiseshell butterflies attracted to the nectar strips and in particular the just-flowering knapweed. We also saw Meadow Browns, Red Admirals and a Painted Lady and day-flying moths included Silver Y, Burnet Companion and Brimstone. The only dragonfly seen was a single Broad-bodied Chaser which posed for a little while.

Common Whitethroats sang from many of the hedges, a single Yellow Wagtail was seen a couple of times and the reservoir attracted three Little Egrets, a pair of Shoveler, a Lapwing with a half-grown chick and Common Terns nesting on rafts there.

Elsewhere and this morning there was a Barn Owl again hunting at Lamport Hall and a Spotted Flycatcher at Hanging Houghton. Birds at Stanford Reservoir included two Spotted Flycatchers, two Hobbies, two Oystercatchers and a Cuckoo and yesterday a Barn Owl.

Regards

Neil M