Bearded Tits

Hello

Our apologies for the lack of a blog entry for yesterday, a loss of electricity locally and no WiFi conspired to prevent that from happening! Even now the village is running off a generator - the perils of living out in the sticks!

The best birds locally yesterday (Sunday) were two male Bearded Tits at Pitsford Reservoir found by Fiona and Lisa as they were checking the moth trap in the Holcot Bay below the Fishing Lodge. One bird was vocal and showing well but then seemed to depart high at 10.20am. At the same time another bird could be heard calling from the phragmites reedbed and subsequently this bird became very vocal and was very showy too, making flights up and then back down again. At one point a vocal Crossbill completed a canopy circuit of the trees behind the moth trap and this seemed to attract the second Beardie and he went in search of the caller, only to return rather disappointed! This second Bearded Tit was still present at 11.45am but a later visit failed to locate him. Plentiful insects here included patrolling Hornets and a male Beautiful Demoiselle.

Black Hairstreaks, very much a local speciality, were on show at Glapthorn Cow Pastures and Fermyn Wood CP and birds on the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Pits included a family of Kingfishers, five Oystercatchers and an excellent total of six Cuckoos including two females.

Today (Monday) and some Ravens were noisy first thing at Hanging Houghton and later there were a pair of Grey Partridge at Harrington Airfield and reasonable numbers of Marbled White butterflies.

An Osprey and a Greenshank were at Hollowell Reservoir this afternoon and a Peregrine remains at Higham Ferrers.

Regards

Neil M

Bearded Tit at Pitsford
Reservoir yesterday, the
last image courtesy of
David Arden.