Northamptonshire Birding: A hectic dawn to dusk day

Well it has been a very full, busy and exciting day . I have literally just sat down following an epic dawn to dusk birding day. At dawn I was at Fineshade Wood in the north of the county . It is one of my favourite places to run and now that my hound is fully recovered after his back surgery I decided that today was the day to take him on his longest run. The sunrise was amazing and I was glad that I had made the effort to get up early. My dogs enjoyed a 2 hour run, zig zagging along the many trails and we covered quite a bit of ground. It was disappointingly quiet for birds. A few Siskins, Nuthatches, Marsh Tits, Ravens and Red Kites being the highlight. After a brief rest I went to nearby Wakerley Wood where a long walk produced very little, in fact much the same as Fineshade. It was also quiet for people which suited me. I didn't meet anyone at all in either wood until I got back to the respective car parks. I really did feel as if I had the whole woods to myself. The only thing which surprised me was just how green the trees still are and it will be a good few weeks before they will be robed in their autumn glory.

Prior to leaving Wakerley Wood I checked my phone and saw that a Red Backed Shrike had been found on the outskirts of Duston, Northampton. My heart sank as I was a good hour away. I intended to visit some other areas in the north but news of this bird changed everything. I did manage a quick visit to Blatherwycke Lake where 15 Fieldfares flew over chattering as I got out of the car. Other birds present, 12 Mandarin Ducks, Green Sandpiper, Kingfisher, 2 Egyptian Geese, Little Egret and a Black Swan. At nearby Deene Lake there was just a pair of Stonechat.

After a rather painfully slow journey I finally arrived at the Red-backed Shrike site but panic set in as I couldn't find anyone and I wasn't too sure where to look. Thankfully my SOS plea for help was answered by Nigel Muddiman who I didn't realise was the finder of the bird. The Rb Shrike was a delight and showed really well, sometimes hopping on the ground before perching up on bare twigs in full open view. A big thank you to Nigel for getting the news out so quickly which enabled so many birders to see the bird. Like many of us Nigel has his "local" patch which he birds regularly and most times sees the same birds but then out of the blue a rare bird pops up. He was telling me that he had walked around Harlestone Firs and had seen very little and was walking home past New Sandy Lane attenuation area. When he reached a small pond with scrubby bushes he became aware of several Reed Buntings seemingly mobbing something. As he approached the pond a Common Snipe got up but Nigel wasn't convinced that this is what the birds were mobbing. As he watched the Reed Buntings he saw a larger brown bird with them but it had its back to him so he thought possible Redwing. However when the bird turned around Nigel realised that he was in fact looking at a Red-backed Shrike!!! What an amazing find. Looking at the area I'm sure that Nigel will be finding something else. So to everyone watching their local patch, never give up. My final walk out was at dusk although it was dark when I got back home but there was a Barn Owl below Hanging Houghton.

Whilst all the excitement of the Rb Shrike was going on, Dave and Helen were ringing at the feeding station at Pitsford Reservoir. 105 birds trapped of 20 species. Plenty of Blue Tits, 17 Chiffchaff, 7 Blackcap , 7 Tree Sparrow, 2 Meadow Pipits, 1 Pied Wagtail , 1 Whinchat, 1 Cettis Warbler and a re-trap Sedge Warbler being the birds of note. There were 3 particularly interesting birds. The Whinchat was a ringing tick for the site, the Cetti's Warbler was only the 4th to be ringed at Pitsford and the Sedge Warbler had gone from 10.1g to 14.7g in twelve days !!! They also witnessed a Peregrine attacking the Lapwings and counted 6 Stonechat and the usual Great White Egrets.

On Wednesday 5th October the birdclub have their meeting at 7.30pm at the Lodge, Pitsford Reservoir. Dave Thomas will be giving a talk and presentation " Yellowstone in Winter ". A midwinter tour through the world's first national park looking at the wildlife and scenery along the roads that are open and those that are closed during the winter. It promises to be a good evening and Dave is an excellent photographer so we will be in for a treat. Everyone is very welcome to come along. Tea/coffee/biscuits and banter guaranteed.

Regards Eleanor