Rain , Swifts and ringing recoveries

Hello

A wet day produced a limited supply of sightings in the county today but birding stalwarts at Stanwick located a passing Whimbrel, an adult Caspian Gull and eleven Yellow-legged Gulls this morning. A Yellow-legged Gull was also on the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Pits.

At Pitsford Reservoir today the smart summer plumage Black-necked Grebe was again seen close to the Maytrees Hide in the Scaldwell Bay and other birds included a Goldeneye, a Common Sandpiper and a Kingfisher.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir included an arrival of three juvenile Goosanders which is certainly a surprise in July, eight Common Sandpipers and eight Shelducks.

Checking Common Swift nest boxes in Spratton village this morning proved that five have been used successfully this year with broods of 3, 3, 2, 1 and 1. With likely other nesting pairs in the village this is something of a success story where one villager in particular (John Hunt), has made it his personal aim to bring back this species to the village and nurture a recovery of numbers. John was brought up in Spratton but left for work purposes but when he returned to the village he found no evidence of Swifts nesting in the village. With the provision of Swift nest boxes and the use of Swift sound recordings the birds have returned and re-colonised.

Some nocturnal listening in Hanging Houghton yesterday evening confirmed the presence of breeding Barn Owls and the presence of Little Owls too (the latter species has kept a low profile in recent years from a previous high of three pairs around the village some ten years ago).

A few ringing recoveries received recently includes an adult Goldfinch that was ringed near Overstone Park on 27th January this year and found dead after being taken by a cat on 9th July at Portpatrick, Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. This is yet another example of a Goldfinch probably breeding in Scotland but wintering in middle England. One hundred and sixty-three days had elapsed between the two records and the sites are 403km apart.

A juvenile Chiffchaff was ringed at Pitsford Reservoir on 17th August 2022 and turned up in a mist net at Stanford Reservoir on 17th June 2023, 304 days later. This is one of many warbler records but particularly Chiffchaffs that have been proven to move to and fro between these two sites which are only 21km apart.

An adult male Blackcap was ringed at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes on 3rd September 2022 and was caught again on 19th April 2023 at Lyste Buorren Summarreheide, Friesland, The Netherlands, 228 days later with a distance of 473km between the two sites. It seems likely that this is a continental/north European breeding bird that was on passage through Milton Keynes last autumn.

A nestling Goldfinch was ringed at Wigsthorpe, East Northants on 1st August 2022 and was caught in a mist net at Barnwell on 15th April 2023 when deemed to be a male. The distance between the two sites is just 4km.

Regards

Neil M

Southern Hawker courtesy
of Eleanor.

Goldfinch courtesy
of Beth Clyne.

Chiffchaff courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Male Blackcap courtesy
of Tony Stanford.