Weekend Birds

From looking at the birds reported over the weekend it would seem that again the Nene Valley was the place to be.  A good variety of birds ranging from Warblers,  Waders and  Raptors plus a few other interesting passerines thrown in for good measure!!

A Tree Pipit was found in the car park at Summer Leys yesterday and rather surprisingly was still present today.  It even posed for the photographers as did a rather splendid male Bearded Tit which popped up outside the pioneer hide.  Other birds of note here include Marsh Harrier,  Hobby, Greenshank, Bar Tailed Godwit,  Cuckoo,  Arctic Tern and Grasshopper Warbler.  I think that this is just a taster of the birds that were there, obviously plenty to see, hear and enjoy. 

Just a little further along the valley at Clifford Hill GP plenty more birds, Black Terns,  Northern Wheatears, Common Sandpiper,  Little Ringed Plovers,  Dunlin, Shelduck, both Black and Bar Tailed Godwits,  Lesser Whitethroat and Common Redstart. Again in the Nene Valley at Stanwick GP,  Marsh Harrier and Jack Snipe. 

Birds away from the Nene Valley included Common Redstart at Honey Hill and at Stanford Reservoir Black Tern,  Arctic Tern and a pair of Common Scoter.

Yesterday Kenny Cramer and his team had a good ringing session at Milton Keynes.  44 birds processed of 18 species,  27 of which were newly ringed.  Warblers included 6 Chiffchaffs, 6 Blackcaps, a Willow Warbler, Reed Warbler,  Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat.  A Green Woodpecker was a re-trap  having been originally ringed as an adult in 2015, making it at least 9 years old. It was re-trapped last April and at the time it was noted to have an odd anomaly with its eye colour. One iris was deep red, while the other was a more normal silvery grey, but with flecks of red starting to appear. When comparing today's images with last April's it showed that the red flecks had spread as the bird aged. The bird was otherwise healthy.  The longevity record for Green Woodpecker  is just over 15 years so this bird is doing well. 

Regards Eleanor 

Green Woodpecker courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Magpie courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Reed Bunting courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Green Woodpecker showing
the eye colouration courtesy
of Kenny Cramer,