Ditchford WebS count

Hello

Some initial light but persistent showers put a bit of a dampener on the early hours of the WeBs count at Ditchford Pits today. Birds west of Ditchford Lane included a female Merlin briefly, a Great White Egret in flight, a Little Egret, a Grey Wagtail, a pair of Stonechats, a Siskin, three Cetti's Warblers and a Chiffchaff. Birds east of Ditchford Lane included a Great White Egret, two Little Egrets, a Jack Snipe, eleven Common Snipe, a Water Rail, three Goosanders, just one Cetti's Warbler, a Chiffchaff, at least one Siskin, two Grey Wagtails and another pair of Stonechats. A Marsh Harrier was seen at the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve a little further east this morning. 

En-route to complete the count a single Cattle Egret flew over the A45 by Whitworths on the edge of Wellingborough this morning.

Staying east of Wellingborough, we visited the area around Neville's Lodge between Finedon and Irthlingborough and east of the old Sidegate Lane Landfill site and spent a couple of hours here in company with local guru Steve Fisher. A female Hen Harrier showed particularly well, particularly to David Sharp with it practically right in front of him! A second bird was seen briefly actually over the more distant landfill area. Some thirty Golden Plovers, a male Peregrine and about eight Grey Partridges were here too.

At Earls Barton Pits today a Peregrine was seen over Mary's Lake and there were four Goosanders on Summer Leys LNR. The juvenile Great Northern Diver was again reported at Pitsford Reservoir, this time in the Pintail Bay at about noon. The Cattle Egret remained at Wicksteed Park Water Meadows this morning and there were as many as seven Smew (five drakes) at Eyebrook Reservoir.

Regards

Neil M

Reed Bunting courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Magpie courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Buck Muntjac courtesy
of Robin Gossage.