Happy New Year!

Hello

The last day of 2023 with the rain and wind so typical of this December still with us.

Two Cattle Egrets were at Stanford Hall today with a Pintail at nearby Stanford Reservoir.

A 'ringtail' Hen Harrier was near Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning and there were as many as  twelve Smew at Eyebrook Reservoir today which included six drakes, surely the biggest number of this species anywhere in the UK currently.

A first winter Shag seemed to spend just minutes at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon before flying south and a Grey Wagtail was there too. Summer Leys LNR attracted a Cattle Egret, two Great White Egrets, one hundred and seven Pochard and a pair of Stonechats.

The recent Waxwings seen at Higham Ferrers and Brixworth were looked for today but not seen and an additional bird was found at Brackley (and photographed) on Boxing Day.

Much of the Brampton Valley was flooded today and birds below Hanging Houghton included two Green Sandpipers, twenty-five Golden Plovers, a Woodcock, nine Grey Partridges and a pair of Stonechats.

There are now eight Water Rails in the Nene Valley in Northamptonshire sporting colour rings with more planned for 2024.

News has reached us of a Blackcap that was ringed at Harrington Airfield on 2nd October 2023 and was then caught again by ringers in France operating at Plaisance, Saint-Froult, Charente-Maritime on 10th October 2023. This young female bird weighing just 18g travelled 723km in a southerly direction in just eight days.

Happy New Year and our thanks to the photographers and other contributors throughout the year.

Eleanor and Neil

A basic map depicting the southerly
direction taken by the Harrington Blackcap
which potentially may have come from
Scandanavia initially, courtesy of Nick Wood.

Reed Bunting courtesy 
of Tony Stanford.

Goosanders courtesy 
of Tony Stanford.