Egrets galore!

Hello

Birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning included a pair of Stonechats, a Barn Owl, a Green Sandpiper, a Woodcock, a Grey Wagtail and a Peregrine.

A bit of a hotchpotch of a WebS count was completed at Ditchford Pits in very flooded conditions today but we were unable to gain access to a couple of the pits. West of Ditchford Lane there were five Cattle Egrets, two Little Egrets and up to three Great White Egrets, two Egyptian Geese, two Shelducks, two Oystercatchers, a Stonechat, a Cetti's Warbler and a Chiffchaff. East of Ditchford Lane birds amounted to a pair of Stonechats, two Common Snipe, two Grey Wagtails, a pair of Goosanders, a Green Sandpiper, three Chiffchaffs, a Little Egret, a singing Siskin and a Cetti's Warbler.

Earls Barton Pits, particularly Summer Leys LNR and Mary's Lake, attracted plenty of attention today which resulted in quite a list of birds prior to the main event which was the Starling murmuration of at least twenty-five thousand birds around Mary's Lake. Egrets on the reserve during the afternoon included three Great Whites, seven Littles and three Cattle with additional egrets flying in to roost towards dusk which boosted Great White Egrets to nine and Littles to fifteen. At least three Sparrowhawks were attracted to the gathering Starlings and nearby roosting thrushes and other birds included four Oystercatchers, a Redshank, a Dunlin, about one hundred and fifty Golden Plovers, six Siskins, large flocks of Chaffinches and Linnets, a Stonechat and a Chiffchaff. Unfortunately there were two sickly Greenfinches at the feeding station showing early signs of trichomonosis.

Another Starling murmuration pre-roost this afternoon at Stortons Pits was assessed to be between ten and fifteen thousand birds and believed to be one of the biggest roosts there in recent years. A Cattle Egret was on Roadside Pit, Stanwick Pits this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Otter spraint at
Pitsford Reservoir today.

Siskins at Summer Leys
 LNR today courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Golden Plovers at Summer Leys
LNR today courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Cattle Egret at Summer Leys LNR
today courtesy of Neil Hasdell.