Staying local surveys

Hello

I spent a very enjoyable couple of hours this morning with local wildlife expert Bill Draper on the Lamport Estate. We assessed the numbers of active House Martin nests and Swift nests at the Hall, finding an adult Grey Wagtail, a pair of Pied Wagtails with a nest, an active Swallow nest, a late Great Tit nest with young and a family party of Spotted Flycatchers in the village rectory garden (subsequently seen in the grounds of the church). Nearby ponds have been dredged and landscaped and they attracted a Mandarin Duck, two juvenile Grey Wagtails, a couple of fly-through Siskins and Black-tailed Skimmers.

This afternoon I was with John Hunt at Spratton where we checked Swift nest boxes in the village. John has been trying very hard to attract Swifts to several houses and the church in the village over quite some time and his determined efforts, well-crafted nest boxes and other deployed devices is now paying dividends and we found four boxes containing Swift nestlings.

At Pitsford Reservoir this evening there was a flock of eleven adult Black-tailed Godwits in the Scaldwell Bay, initially between the Maytrees Hide and the Bird Club hide and later on the bund visible from the James Fisher hide. There was also a Tufted Duck brood of just one duckling, three Little Egrets, a Yellow-legged Gull and plenty of Black-tailed Skimmers. Single Ravens were at Brixworth and Barton Seagrave and twenty Marbled White butterflies were active at Harrington Airfield at lunchtime.

An Osprey was seen flying south-west over Little Irchester at lunchtime today and a belated report received of a single White Stork seen over Spratton village on Sunday afternoon heading SSE. At Stanford Reservoir there was a flock of twelve Redshanks again this evening plus a Green Sandpiper, four Common Sandpipers, a Hobby, a Great White Egret and two Little Egrets.

The male Common Redstart was at Lilbourne reserve along the eastern fence line with two Green Sandpipers and two Little Ringed Plovers also present.

Regards

Neil M

Black-headed Cardinal Beetle
with pseudo scorpion.

Marbled White on
Pyramidal Orchid.

Purple Emperor.

Purple Hairstreak.

All images courtesy
of Robin Gossage.