Water Rails, Barn Owls and all things nice!

Hello

Yesterday evening Eleanor spent several hours scouring the fields and hedges of the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and right up to the Blueberry Farm complex, seeing three different hunting Barn Owls and two Hobbies for her effort.

The singing Spotted Flycatcher remains at Hanging Houghton today and at least four Ravens made up a family party early this morning on the outskirts of the village. An Osprey was at Hollowell Reservoir early this morning too.

At Pitsford Reservoir a pair of Spotted Flycatchers are nesting just off the reserve and the Common Terns are nesting on a new raft in the Walgrave Bay after being ousted by the Black-headed Gulls on the floating rafts in the Scaldwell Bay. Over a hundred Swifts were feeding over the reserve late this morning with quite a number of Sand Martins doing much the same thing off the Sailing Club. Three Yellow-legged Gulls were loafing not far off the dam.

Successfully-breeding Water Rails were confirmed at Stortons Pits earlier this year with the use of camera traps and today ringers operating there caught four previously ringed adults and two unringed very young birds.

A Barn Owl was hunting at Lamport Hall this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Water Rails
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Common Snipe.

Golden Plover.