Chats and more warblers

More ringing efforts at Stanford Reservoir today yielded 209 new birds processed with yet another Common Redstart included (57 ringed there this autumn). Other birds noted on-site included a Marsh Harrier, twenty-five Ravens, a Hobby, a Common Sandpiper, a Siskin and three Swifts.

A ringing effort at Stortons Pits this morning provided eighty-six captures on the north side of the complex with warblers making up the bulk - forty-one Blackcaps, three Common Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, seven Reed Warblers, eleven Chiffchaffs and four Cetti's Warblers.

Some ringing around the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station at Pitsford Reservoir provided eighty captures which included eighteen Blackcaps, two Garden Warblers, nine Common Whitethroats, two Lesser Whitethroats, eleven Reed Warblers, seventeen Sedge Warblers, a Willow Warbler and a Chiffchaff. Other birds on-site north of the causeway were four Great White Egrets and at least ten Little Egrets leaving The Point roost at dawn, two or three Green Sandpipers, at least one Raven, a Kingfisher or two, a Whinchat and an adult Yellow-legged Gull.

During the course of August ninety-four each of Reed and Sedge Warblers have been caught and ringed at Pitsford Reservoir all from a few mist nets south of Maytrees Hide - the Meadow Sweet, Mint and glyceria vegetative belt at the water's edge proving a haven for these migrant warblers.

Birds visible from the dam this evening included a first year Mediterranean Gull (moulting from juvenile plumage to first winter), two adult Yellow-legged Gulls, three Common Sandpipers, a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail.

A Common Redstart and fifteen plus Spotted Flycatchers were at Lamport Hall this evening, two Whinchats spent the day near to Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and birds at nearby Blueberry Farm amounted to three Common Redstarts, two Spotted Flycatchers, two Whinchats and a Wheatear.

In the Nene Valley there was a Wheatear and three Common Sandpipers at Clifford Hill Pits and two Ruff and a Ringed Plover plus the Wasp Spider still at Summer Leys LNR. A Wood Sandpiper was found at Daventry Country Park today.

Regards

Neil M

Tree Sparrow courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Great White Egret courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Wasp Spider courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Lesser Whitethroat courtesy
of Chris Payne.

This oddly-marked Reed Warbler
was caught and ringed at Stortons 
Pits today, courtesy of Chris Payne.

The ringing team at Stortons
Pits today!