Ringing at Linford Lakes

Hello

A ringing session at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes yesterday produced an excellent tally of birds with one hundred and ten birds processed, the majority being warblers. There were only twelve re-trap birds amongst the fourteen species handled. The most common species encountered was Chiffchaff with thirty-four birds assessed but other warblers in high numbers included twenty-one Reed Warblers and nineteen Blackcaps. There were seven Garden Warblers, a Sedge Warbler, six Common Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat and five Willow Warblers. Two juvenile Song Thrushes and two juvenile Treecreepers were noteworthy.

Today (Monday) and it was another blustery affair with some rain early on.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir included a Tree Pipit flying over calling this morning plus four Shelduck and a Common Sandpiper. A Greenshank and three Common Sandpipers were on the dam at Pitsford Reservoir this morning plus a Kingfisher, three Yellow-legged Gulls and a Grey Wagtail. A Red-crested Pochard was in the Scaldwell Bay this afternoon.

The female Ruddy Shelduck had befriended some Canada Geese at Crick this morning and some good birds at Hollowell Reservoir this morning included an adult Caspian Gull, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Garganey, two Great White Egrets, a Green Sandpiper and a Golden Plover flying over.

The Cattle Egret re-appeared at Summer Leys LNR today and also present was a Great White Egret and four Black-tailed Godwits.

Two Common Redstarts remain at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and another with a Wheatear were at Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. Two Ravens spent time on and off in the village during the day and fifty House Sparrows in our garden is a good number for us.

Other birds nearby included two Spotted Flycatchers at Lamport Hall and a Common Redstart and one or two Whinchat(s) in nectar cover/hedging between Lamport and Scaldwell. Two Spotted Flycatchers were on the reserve at Woodford Halse and three Grey Wagtails and at least one Raven were in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth.

Regards

Neil M 

Song Thrush courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Greenfinch courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Lesser Whitethroat
courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

Sand Martins courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Green-veined White
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Kingfisher courtesy of
Tony Stanford.