Summer into Autumn

Nestling Common Swifts
at Spratton, image courtesy
of Pete Ramsey.

Hello

Southerly air flows over the last few weeks has caused a large influx of migrant lepidoptera with perhaps the Red Admiral butterflies being the most obvious. The extreme heat on the continent has probably fueled further movements north and our garden buddleias are attracting good numbers of Red Admiral and Large White butterflies, the evening shift seeing lots of migrant Silver Y moths and the occasional Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

A probable Caspian Tern touched down for about a minute at Summer Leys LNR today at about 11am but flew off east with no further reports. A Marsh Harrier was briefly at Summer Leys this afternoon and a Bittern put in an appearance late this afternoon. Elsewhere and the Black-necked Grebe was still present near to the Maytrees Hide at Pitsford Reservoir at lunchtime.

Two Common Redstarts were still at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning and a Spotted Flycatcher was noted at Kelmarsh village. Two Whinchats this evening at Stanford Reservoir are probably the first of the 'autumn' and other birds there included four Spotted Flycatchers, five Common Sandpipers, an Oystercatcher, seven Shelducks, a Hobby and four Ravens.

Other blogs by local naturalists that I recommend having a look at are 'Wild Northamptonshire' by James Underwood:-

http://wildnorthants.blogspot.com/

and 'Daft Mumblings' by Pete Ramsey:-

https://daftmumblings.com/

Regards

Neil M

Water Rail courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Common Sandpiper with a Sand
Martin in tow courtesy of Robin
 Gossage.

Pike for supper? The young
Great Crested Grebe managed it!

Red Admiral on the
Kelmarsh Estate today.

Southern Hawker on the
Kelmarsh Estate today.