Birds of the cool north-east breeze

Hello

A couple more ringing recoveries have been received originating from Northants Ringing Group activity:-

1.  A juvenile Starling caught and ringed at Hanging Houghton on 12th June 2022 was found dead in a chimney in the village of Crick on 26th March 2023, some 287 days later and 16km from where originally ringed. Like other cavity-nesting species Starlings have a tendency to fall down chimneys or become stuck in man-made structures and it sounds like this happened to this young bird;

2.  An adult male Blue Tit that was ringed at Greens Norton on 24th November 2021 was captured again by a ringer operating at Brewery Farm, Stonham in Suffolk on 25th March 2023. This bird had moved 144km east over a period of 486 days and is unusual in that adult birds rarely wander and so far - good for the gene pool but what was the stimulus?

Much slimmer pickings on the migrant front today in a cool north-easterly breeze but birders out early at Stanwick Pits were rewarded with eleven Bar-tailed Godwits which lingered for a bit and four fly-over Whimbrel. An Arctic Tern was seen a little later.

At Summer Leys LNR today there were two Great White Egrets, two Arctic Terns, two adult Mediterranean Gulls this evening, five Black-tailed Godwits and two Little Ringed Plovers.

Eyebrook Reservoir hung on to the first year Kittiwake and two Bar-tailed Godwits were there this morning. One or two Green Sandpiper(s) remained in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth and Ravens were noted there and at Kelmarsh.

A Common Bird Census at Pitsford Reservoir around the nature reserve provided lots of Blackcaps, a singing Garden Warbler, two Common Redstarts, a Siskin, a Grey Wagtail and a Little Owl.

Regards

Neil M

Map depicting movement
of the Starling from Hanging
Houghton to Crick.

Map depicting the movement
of the Blue Tit from Greens
Norton to Stonham, Suffolk.

Both maps courtesy of Nick Wood.

Singing Blackcap at
Daventry Country Park
today courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Kestrel courtesy of
Robin Gossage.