Wildlife of a mild March day

Hello

A much milder day today and with overnight rain it was great to find some frogspawn in the garden pond this morning.

A Hummingbird Hawk-moth was an excellent insect find in Jim's Sywell garden today (presumably an over-wintering individual desperate for some nectar).

A pair of Grey Partridges were the only birds of note at Harrington Airfield today and up to four birds have become regular visitors to a feeding station near Old.

Two Siberian Chiffchaffs were again at Billing Pits/Ecton SF below Cogenhoe by bridge K121 with plenty of accompanying Chiffchaffs. A Caspian Gull was at Eyebrook Reservoir yesterday and a Smew was there today.

The female Ring-necked Duck was still at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and birds at Stanford Reservoir included two Stonechats, a Great White Egret, a colour-ringed juvenile Herring Gull which was ringed near Bristol in June 2022, three Goosanders, a Water Rail and a Cetti's Warbler.

A drake Scaup was discovered at Clifford Hill Pits today where there was also a Dunlin and two Stonechats and Upton Country Park hosted a Barnacle Goose, three Pintail and two Oystercatchers. A female Goosander was at Titchmarsh LNR at Thrapston Pits, two Grey Wagtails and a Barn Owl were at Stortons Pits and a Stonechat was in the Brampton Valley at Merry Tom Lane.

A Caspian Gull was near Lilbourne this afternoon on pools behind the Royal Mail Distribution Centre and Pitsford Reservoir attracted three Stonechats, the regular adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Raven, an adult male Peregrine plus a Roe Deer in Christies Copse.

A period of garden ringing on the north-east outskirts of Northampton successfully processed three Woodpigeons, ten Goldfinches, two Reed Buntings and several common birds.

Regards

Neil M

Hummingbird Hawk-moth
at Sywell today courtesy of
Jim Dunkley.

Grey Wagtail at Stortons Pits
today courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Yellow-legged Gull.

Magpie.