Mid March sightings

Hello

A mild but rather gloomy day with gusts and showers didn't stop more migrants arriving today.

A second Osprey, this time a male is back at Rutland Water so hopefully so we'll have a couple lingering in the county soon (the likelihood is that both Rutland Ospreys flew over Northamptonshire to get there)!

At Pitsford Reservoir the adult Yellow-legged Gull was present off the Sailing Club this morning, paired with a Lesser Black-backed Gull. This afternoon a flock of Sand Martins were present which at one stage formed into one flock of forty - a few birds flying through later may have been different birds. Also a Barn Owl was hunting rough pasture by the Gorse Bushes on the Brixworth bank.

A dead unmarked Barn Owl was located at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon, it's prominent breast bone suggesting it may have starved to death. The bird was ringed and preliminary information indicates that it was ringed as a nestling on 12th August 2013, location as yet unknown. Ten years is a good age for a Barn Owl.

Two Siskins and plenty of Brown Hares was the only noteworthy sightings at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and birds in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth included a Grey Wagtail, a Chiffchaff and a Common Snipe.

Ten Little Egrets were in a field off Mill Lane, Greens Norton this morning, a Wheatear was at Eyebrook Reservoir and birds at Clifford Hill Pits amounted to a Great White Egret, a Redshank, two Oystercatchers and two Stonechats. A male Blackcap was in a Scaldwell garden and a Raven was at Great Oxendon.

A Sand Martin was seen at Summer Leys LNR this morning and at Lilbourne there were two Black-tailed Godwits, two Curlews, two Oystercatchers, a Redshank and a Sand Martin on the Wildlife Trust Meadows reserve with three Little Ringed Plovers and two Ringed Plovers on pools behind the nearby Post Office Distribution Centre.

Regards

Neil M

Great Crested Grebe.

Water Pipit.

Common Frog - a lot of them
are busy spawning right now!

Images courtesy of Robin Gossage.