Northamptonshire Birding: Pitsford WeBs Count

Hello

The early part of the day was taken up today completing the wetland bird survey at Pitsford Reservoir in very nice weather conditions. Some fourteen Little Egrets were dotted about the reservoir and three Great White Egrets were in the Scaldwell Bay. Most of the geese were absent, busy gleaning the cut cereal fields on the west side of the reservoir. The customary late breeding efforts of Great Crested Grebes at Pitsford seems to be bearing fruits of success with many family parties north of the causeway. An Otter gave the briefest of sightings in the Walgrave Bay.

Waterside vegetation held plenty of warblers and tits and a male Common Redstart was by the spillway at the dam end of the reservoir. Waders were in short supply but included Lapwings concentrated along the causeway, a Redshank and four Common Sandpipers. Two eclipse drake Red-crested Pochard were in the Scaldwell Bay nestled into the margins and the slow autumn build-up of Wigeon has so far only reached eleven birds. Begging juvenile Sparrowhawks and Common Buzzards were calling from the plantations and Muntjacs skipped along the mown rides. A Grey Partridge with five youngsters in tow were on the Old Walgrave Road this morning.

Insects included a variety of common odonata plus a Lesser Emperor grappling with a Blue Emperor in front of the Bird Club hide. Roesel's Bush-crickets were in good numbers and the best of the butterflies included both Common and Holly Blues, Comma and Small Copper.

A Common Redstart was calling in the field hedge between Maytrees and the Bird Club hides this evening plus an adult Yellow-legged Gull and a Kingfisher were in the Scaldwell Bay.

In the meantime Chris Payne and team conducted some ringing at Greens Norton where they succeeded in catching a number of birds the undoubted highlight being two Kingfishers! Other birds included Bullfinch and numbers of Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers and a juvenile Goldcrest. A Sparrowhawk had obviously bounced out of one of the nets and left the remnants of it's pigeon prey in the net!

Over at Stanford Reservoir a juvenile Shag was discovered today and other birds included a Great White Egret, two Shelducks, a Common Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper and four Spotted Flycatchers.

A Wasp Spider was found and photographed at Bozeat today, one of the first of it's kind to be found in the county as this distinctive species moves up from the south east.

The Cattle Egret was still at Summer Leys LNR this morning but then flew off. Two Ospreys were seen at Hollowell Reservoir this afternoon before flying off east. A Common Sandpiper was at Clifford Hill Pits this morning and an Osprey was at Thrapston Pits at 11.15am.

Two Common Redstarts remained at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning where there was an assembly of common warblers and two Spotted Flycatchers. A family party of Spotted Flycatchers were along the beech avenue in Harlestone Heath at lunchtime and Lamport Hall hosted at least ten Spotted Flycatchers, common warblers and a Common Redstart along the traditional spot off the footpath that runs along the southern aspect of the park and reached off the A508 south of the Lamport Hall entrance.

Regards

Neil M