Ditchford WeBs Count.

Hello

Today it was the turn of Ditchford Pits to be counted as part of the monthly waterbird survey. Oodles of warm sunshine ensured there were plenty of end-of-season insects on the wing today with odonata in the shape of Migrant Hawker, Common Darter and Emerald Damselfly and butterflies including Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell.

West of Ditchford Lane a Rock Pipit was briefly at Viaduct Pit and other birds amounted to at least two Egyptian Geese, eight Little Egrets, a Kingfisher, three Water Rails, a Goosander and three Stonechats with Siskin and Brambling over.

East of Ditchford Lane two Jack Snipe were located plus three Common Snipe, a Great White Egret, two more Water Rails, five Kingfishers, four Grey Wagtails, a couple of Blackcaps, a late Sedge Warbler and plenty of calling Cetti's Warblers and Chiffchaffs. A Mink indicates that there remains a population in the Nene Valley despite on-going trapping.

The juvenile Black Tern was still on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve and two late Whimbrel were reported flying over Thrapston Pits.

A Short-eared Owl was seen briefly in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning, in the vicinity of 'shrike hedge' and all three Stonechats remain in situ with mobile Siskins and Redpolls. Eight Ravens were vocal at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir included four Red-crested Pochard, a Great White Egret, three Green Sandpipers and two Stonechats and birds at Pitsford Reservoir north of the causeway included at least ten Great White Egrets, two Dunlin, about eight Red-crested Pochard and plenty of Pintail.

A ringing session was conducted at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes yesterday with a small team processing seventy-five birds of sixteen species, sixty-five of which were newly-ringed. A Black-headed Gull and two Water Rails were excellent catches and the best of the rest were three Kingfishers, nine Chiffchaffs, four Blackcaps, seven Goldcrests and seven Redwings.

Regards

Neil M

Cormorant.

Greylag Geese.

Stonechat.

Common Darter.

Ovipositing Migrant Hawker.

Mink.

All the above images were
taken at Ditchford Pits today.

Black-headed Gull.

Goldcrest.

Long-tailed Tit.

Redwing.

Above four images courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.