Sunny November day

Hello

With calmer and brighter conditions a couple of small ringing sessions were held by Northants Ringing Group members today. One was near Greens Norton which was a specific training period for Trainees and provided captures of seven Redwings, five Lesser Redpolls and a few tits to manage and learn from. Two Ravens and several Siskins were present there too.

At Harrington Airfield it was a modest period of ringing, the bright sunshine lights up the mist nets and sharp-eyed thrushes avoid them! Forty-three birds were processed made up of two Fieldfares, two Blackbirds, fourteen Redwings, singles of Dunnock, Robin, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting and Goldcrest, three Wrens, three Great Tits, five Blue Tits, four Chaffinches and five Meadow Pipits.

One of the Meadow Pipits was first ringed there on 2nd October and so has remained in situ it seems for six weeks. One of the first year Redwings was bearing a Dutch ring so we await the initial ringing details.

Other birds on-site included a Common Snipe, a Woodcock, about one hundred and fifty Fieldfares, singles of Redpoll and Siskin and Raven with visible migration counts of 535 Starlings veering west and 360 Woodpigeons heading south.

At Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon the Cormorant roost totaled 185 birds north of the causeway and two Woodcock were in Christie's Copse in the Walgrave Bay.

Over at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows the Glossy Ibis showed itself again and a male Marsh Harrier provided views at Summer Leys LNR. Hollowell Reservoir hosted an adult Caspian Gull, a Goosander, a Green Sandpiper and two Stonechats and the Blackcap was still in a village garden. Nearby at Ravensthorpe Reservoir an Otter showed north of the road causeway and birds included a Pink-footed Goose and a Chiffchaff.

Sightings at Stanford Reservoir today included a fly-through Grey Plover, three Water Rails, a Great White Egret, a Chiffchaff and a Cetti's Warbler. Eyebrook Reservoir birds included a 'redhead' Smew and a Black-necked Grebe.

Sywell Country Park hosted two pairs of Stonechats, two Grey Wagtails, a Water Rail, a Cetti's Warbler and about a dozen Siskins. Birds at Desborough Airfield amounted to forty Golden Plovers, two hundred and fifty Lapwings over SW, nineteen Common Snipe and a female Stonechat.

The warm sunshine in the county brough forth quite a number of insects including Red Admiral and Peacock butterflies.

Regards

Neil M

Yellowhammer courtesy
of Steve Wilson and Jane Neill.

Fieldfare courtesy of
Jane Neill and Steve Wilson.

A well-marked Redwing courtesy
of Toby Solesbury.