Redstarts and godwits

Hello

A trundle around the Lilbourne Meadows reserve today provided lots of young birds with Goldfinches and Linnets flocking already on the grass and plant seeds and family parties of Common Whitethroats working the hedgerows. A family of Yellow Wagtails probably originated on the reserve and there were plenty of Sedge Warblers in the grasses and scrubby areas which are probably a combination of birds bred on the reserve and migrants coming through from elsewhere. Two Common Redstarts were on site, one a stunning adult male just starting it's post-breeding moult. Waders included a few Lapwings, a Black-tailed Godwit first thing, eight Green Sandpipers and a single Common Sandpiper. One or two Grey Partridge(s) were noted. There is still a great deal of work being completed on this reserve which includes significant landscaping and bund work and more vegetation clearances and fence work which means the opening of this reserve has been put back another year and currently public access is restricted to the roads and a footpath on the M1 side of the reserve.

A visit to Honey Hill yielded just common migrants but the swathes of Harebells looked fabulous as did the four Brown Hares there too!

Birds in and around the vicinity of the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this morning included the male Common Redstart, two drake Red-crested Pochard, two Great White Egrets and two Green Sandpipers, with two Common Sandpipers at the dam end of the reservoir. The female Ruddy Shelduck was at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon but may have flew back towards Hollowell Reservoir.

Two or three Common Redstarts were still at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning and a Wheatear and two Whinchats were in the Brampton Valley in the vicinity of Shrike Hedge between Hanging Houghton and Cottesbrooke.

A Black-tailed Godwit was on the scrape at Summer Leys LNR this afternoon and four Sandwich Terns were seen to fly though at Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits this morning.

At Stanford Reservoir there were two Common Redstarts, one of which was caught and ringed and two Spotted Flycatchers which were similarly caught and ringed. Other birds included a Black-tailed Godwit on the dam and three Shelducks.

A female Peregrine was in Market Harborough town centre today and yesterday an Otter showed well along the River Welland there in the afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Harebells and Roesel's
Bush-cricket Honey Hill.

Southern Hawker at Scotland
Wood, Kelmarsh Estate.

Red Admiral at Scotland
Wood, Kelmarsh Estate.