Northamptonshire Birding: Naturetrek Day Tour Pitsford Reservoir

Hello

Today saw a Naturetrek day tour concentrating on the wildlife trust reserve at Pitsford Reservoir.

After meeting up just before 9am and with the formalities out of the way, senior reserve warden Mischa Cross provided some live examples of moth catching on the reserve with fifteen species potted up and available to look at and release - Light Arches, Dark Arches, Double-lobed, Heart and Dart, Coronet, Herald, Scalloped Oak, Peppered Moth, Lesser Underwing. Large Underwing, Broad-bordered Underwing, Bufftip, Pine Hawk-moth, Elephant Hawk-moth and the very impressive Privet Hawk-moth.

A few birds were singing around us and a male House Sparrow foraging for invertebrates is a rare visitor to the reserve these days. One of several Scarlet Tiger moths during the day flew around us and settled and the first of many butterflies were on the wing including the first of many hundreds of Meadow Brown.

Down at the shoreline we saw the first waterbirds and the first of several thousand Common Blue Damselflies on our wander. Lapwings were dotted along the causeway and distant Tufted Ducks and Great Crested Grebes were to show better later. We checked out the phragmites bed near to one of the static moth traps but there was no sight or sound of the long-staying Bearded Tit. Reed Warblers were both busy singing and feeding young and juvenile Chiffchaffs and Blue Tits were in the reeds and bushes.

Bramble patches further along the path supported large numbers of butterflies which included Comma, Large and Green-veined White and a few Ringlets and we enjoyed close views of both Common and Ruddy Darters amongst the clouds of damselflies. A pair of Common Terns had young on the raft in front of Goosander Hide and they chased off a couple of Common Buzzards that loomed overhead. Three thermaling Ravens were probably nearly a mile away and small birds around us included Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Garden Warbler and Blackcap.

As we progressed down the Holcot Bay we encountered a pair of Little Grebes in full summer plumage, a Nuthatch and the first of many mixed tit flocks. A Hobby showed well and a Sparrowhawk flitted over carrying prey, much to the annoyance of the local Swallows and House Martins. Red Kites remained high up and most of the small birds well-hidden with calling Great Spotted Woodpecker and Treecreeper electing not to give themselves up! On the opposite side of the bay we found the first of many just-hatched Gatekeepers - looking pristine in the morning sunshine. An earlier Marbled White was followed by two more in the Holcot Meadow. Blackcaps continued to sing at us from cover and alarming Blackbirds alerted us to probable Tawny Owls in the plantations but the owls declined to show themselves. A male Kestrel flew past closely.

Insects were to the fore with longhorn beetles, soldier beetles, Roesel's Bush-cricket and Nursery Web Spiders working the grasses and flowers below the butterflies and Silver Y moths. By this time we had espied big dragonflies in the shape of Brown Hawker, Blue Emperor and my personal favourite the Southern Hawker. Robins and Blackbirds warbled from the sidelines as we mooched further on and reached the Lagoon Hide for a rather late coffee stop! Another Reed Warbler chuntered from the grazed reeds, both Moorhen and Coot paraded their young and a female Gadwall was the proud mother presiding over her five small ducklings. We glimpsed Black-tailed Skimmer and Blue Emperor over the lagoon in front of the hide and an assembly of Large White butterflies were attracted to the exposed damp mud.

The next section of the walk took us into the Walgrave Bay and Purple Hairstreaks stayed aloft and whizzed around the canopy of oak trees along the waterfront. A Common Toadlet crawled across the mowed path and a Muntjac barked from the trees behind. Sharp eyes picked out a couple of distant drake Pochard and the young Black-headed Gulls were floating around in the water with their attendant parents alongside them. Cormorant nests were mostly already empty of young Cormorants and both adult and young birds were loafing in the trees.

Aircraft activity overhead from nearby Sywell Airfield provided us with the noise and sight of a Spitfire, a Mustang and a Messerschmitt 109 (all iconic craft from WW2) flying around.

At the square pond we enjoyed great views of Four-spotted Chasers and Common Emerald Damselflies as well as arguing Blue Emperors and huge numbers of Ruddy Darters and Common Blue Damsels. Common Whitethroat and Garden Warbler were fidgeting in waterside vegetation and the Flowering Rush looked stunning with its pink flowers. Chiffchaffs were another constant singing bird on our way around but the lack of singing Chaffinches was frankly depressing. The second of four broods of Mute Swans on the reserve watched us nonchalantly from the waterside! We had heard Kingfishers all the way around but none put in an appearance for us. Another Raven and a Jay were seen briefly in the bay as we walked the section up to Christies Copse where a Willow Warbler showed nicely for us and a Hobby flashed over. By this time we had seen multiple examples of our more showy insects and we took lunch at the Christies Copse picnic bench. Twin-lobed Deer Flies had made their presence known by this time and even a few Mosquitoes showed up! A few Common Swifts flew over.

After lunch we upped the pace to reach the Scaldwell Bay but enjoyed great views of hunting Southern Hawker and resting odonata including male and female Black-tailed Skimmers, and a Brown Hare in an adjacent cut barley field. Large Skippers were in good numbers and Small/Essex Skippers photographed in an effort to identify later. A White Plume moth showed well and another Nuthatch inhabited a roving tit flock which simply melted into the foliage. Another drake Pochard was in the back of the Scaldwell Bay where a Great White Egret disappeared into cover and three Little Egrets stood around despondently. Two juvenile Cormorants besieged an adult in the water to the point where it flew off. Large Red-eyed Damselflies were picked out in front of the Bird Club hide and a super Grass Snake glided past slowly. Great Crested Grebes came in fairly close and more juvenile Black-headed Gulls were dotted around the bay. A deformed Purple Hairstreak on the ground and unable to fly was sad but provided great views.

The Scaldwell Meadows section yielded more Marbled Whites, quick-moving Common Blues and Small Heaths, a Sedge Warbler singing briefly, singing Reed Buntings, a Teal and a few Lapwings. Loafing rafts of Tufted Ducks and Gadwall were well in eclipse plumage. Up to ten Tree Sparrows were around the Old Scaldwell Road, more Black-tailed Skimmers queued for attention and we saw brief views of Pied Wagtail as we progressed to the causeway. Two examples of Pyramidal Orchid had gone over and the Ragwort there sported the yellow and black stripes of Cinnabar Moth caterpillars. The Lapwings were still there and a Grey Wagtail danced off around the bushes. A further effort to see/hear the Bearded Tit proved negative. It was a long but fulfilling day with wildlife, particularly the insects, providing a memorable walk around Pitsford Reservoir.

Regards

Neil M