Northamptonshire Birding: SP54 Long Day Count

Hello

Today was the Banbury Ornithological Society Long Day Count in SP54. A cool breeze remained all day but the sunshine was very nice and it remained dry!

We started at Edgcote and Trafford Bridge with a pair of Ravens feeding near-fledged youngsters, a drake Mandarin Duck was on pools there and Grey Wagtails were at Edgcote Mill and at Trafford Marsh. A singing Sedge Warbler is a scarce bird in this square and a pair of Yellow Wagtails were in a bean field, probably their favourite on-territory crop. Three Sparrowhawks in the first couple of hours is unusual but plenty of Common Buzzards and Red Kites are now a regular feature even here in deep South Northants.

Raven families with fledged young were found at Moreton Pinkney and Marston St Lawrence and Spotted Flycatchers were at Trafford Marsh, Edgcote Mill and Marston St Lawrence. A Hobby was at Thenford and a singing Lesser Whitethroat near Trafford Bridge was the only one noted all day.

Good numbers of butterflies and other insects were bountiful in sheltered, sunny areas and we saw a range of butterflies with plenty of Orange-tips, Red Admirals, Brimstones and Holly Blues particularly noticeable. At Farthinghoe LNR there were few birds of interest but odonata included a cracking male Hairy Hawker and a hatch of Beautiful Demoiselles.

Incidental mammals in the 10km square included several Brown Hares and Roe Deer.

A Barn Owl was hunting at Lamport Hall this evening and at Earls Barton Pits there were up to ten Hobbies hawking over Summer Leys LNR during the early afternoon and two Egyptian Geese on Hardwater Lake. An Osprey was an early morning bird at Stanford Reservoir and other birds included five Hobbies, a Common Sandpiper, a Cuckoo and a Cetti's Warbler.

Regards

Neil M