Birding the north of the county

Hello

In stark contrast to yesterday it was a sunny, bright day with plenty of sun although it seemed very cold once the sun went down!

Eleanor had a day out to the north of the county starting with a long run around the Fineshade Wood complex with her collies and hound, then a walk around Top Lodge. Then it was over to Wakerley Wood on the opposite side of the A43 where she walked around the car park and pretty much the whole complex to the south. Then it was a quick revisit to Top Lodge to re-check for Waxwings before moving on to Blatherwycke and Deene Lakes. The last part of her day out was to check the Welland Valley and finish at East Carlton Country Park.

The Fineshade Wood complex including Westhay Wood hosted plenty of birds with about fifty Siskins, nine Bramblings, eight Crossbills, about eight Redpolls, a Chiffchaff, a Woodcock, two Ravens and a fly-through male Merlin. Again there was no sign of the Waxwings.

At Wakerley there were about ten Crossbills in the larches in the car park with a flock of at least twenty-five Bramblings feeding on beech mast deep in the south part of the wood. A few Siskins were there too but it was much quieter than Fineshade.

At Blatherwycke Lake there were at least forty-eight active Mandarin Ducks, two Egyptian Geese, a Black Swan, two Kingfishers, two Little Egrets and a Green Sandpiper. A mostly drained Deene Lake hosted a Shelduck, three Black Swans, two Green Sandpipers and a pair of Stonechat. A Peregrine was at Harringworth Viaduct in the Welland Valley and there were two Grey Wagtails at East Carlton Country Park.

Stanwick Pits was the continued venue for two Glossy Ibis, six Cattle Egrets, eight Goosanders, a Grey Plover over, thirty Golden Plovers and four Stonechats and a Marsh Harrier was at Summer Leys LNR.

Harrington Airfield was still full of Fieldfares and Redwings today and the only other birds of note included a single Siskin and two Ravens.

Hollowell Reservoir attracted a Pink-footed Goose, a pair of Mandarin Ducks, one hundred and nineteen Cormorants, a Green Sandpiper, two adult Caspian Gulls and two adult Yellow-legged Gulls. Three Smew (two adult drakes) were at Eyebrook Reservoir today.

At Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon birds north of the dam included the Great Northern Diver and female/immature Common Scoter still, a mobile first year drake Scaup, an adult Caspian Gull and singles of Redpoll and Siskin.

Regards

Neil M

Muntjac.

Dunnock.

Blackbird.

Above images courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Great Crested Grebe.

Great Black-backed Gull.

First year drake Scaup (distant)!