Cold start to a sunny Sunday

Hello 

Another cold start to the day and with a few more to come methinks!

Birding at Stanford Reservoir today provided excellent close views of one of the wing-tagged juvenile Marsh Harriers still present plus two Great White Egrets, two Pintail, two Common Snipe, two Bramblings, about thirty Redpolls and five Siskins.

A first winter Ring Ouzel was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell early this morning but probably didn't linger and was last seen flying off down a hedgerow. A few vocal Bramblings were there too.

Two Cattle Egrets were at North Lake, Stanwick Pits today and at Summer Leys LNR the Bittern was still on the scrape and showed well this afternoon. A Cattle Egret was still present there too and a Marsh Harrier was seen a couple of times.

Another (or the same) Marsh Harrier was seen over Viaduct Pit at Ditchford Pits later today and an adult Yellow-legged Gull touched down there briefly.

A Marsh Harrier was also at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and a pair of Stonechats were there this morning. A couple of Ravens were at Hanging Houghton today and although there were plenty of Skylarks in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton nothing else of note was reported.

Over at Hinton Airfield in the south of the county, John watched a female Merlin hunting Skylarks and at Pitsford Reservoir today three Whooper Swans flew over the causeway and there were three Great White Egrets, a Stonechat and the regular adult Yellow-legged Gull with the injured right foot all north of the causeway, plus a few Siskins. Two adult Caspian Gulls again graced the gull roost off the dam this afternoon where there were also two adult Yellow-legged Gulls.

Some ringing at Linford Lakes on the edge of Milton Keynes was definitely a quality affair with captures of a Barn Owl, a Kestrel, six Redwings, three Song Thrushes, two 'continental' Blackbirds, six Chiffchaffs, a Meadow Pipit, a Lesser Redpoll, four Blackcaps and two Goldcrests amongst the forty-two birds handled.

Regards

Neil M

Barn Owl.

Female Blackbird.

Kestrel.

Redwing.

All images courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.