Northamptonshire Birding: Birds of Easter Sunday

Hello

A mostly cool, grey and murky day with mist and fog first thing but it didn't prevent some more interesting records in the county.

A White Stork flying low over the A605 near Oundle by the Tansor turn-off this morning is likely to be the bird from last week still taking advantage of the flooded Nene Valley at the top end of the county.

At Thrapston Pits a Common Tern and an adult Little Gull were good finds on Town Lake this afternoon and five Little Gulls were at Eyebrook Reservoir today.

Stanwick Pits attracted two Black-tailed Godwits early this morning and Summer Leys LNR continues to hold on to a Cattle Egret, an Osprey was reported plus a Curlew over Earls Barton New Workings this morning. Seven Cattle Egrets were reported at Rushden Lakes, Ditchford Pits at lunchtime. A Wheatear was showing on a fence on the south side of Clifford Hill Pits.

A Pink-footed Goose was at Hollowell Reservoir late this morning and an early morning visit to Harrington Airfield in the murk yielded two Short-eared Owls and a probable Stone Curlew heard calling over the complex and departing to the south-east at about 8am. Once the mist had cleared, the top fields were checked late morning with no sign of the bird but a Raven, two pairs of Grey Partridges and eleven Brown Hares entertained.

A couple of Siskins and a Redpoll were near Cottesbrooke this morning and a female Siskin was on our garden feeders at Hanging Houghton with a Reed Bunting visiting too. A male Sparrowhawk took a Starling which fought back and eventually the Sparrowhawk lost it's grip and the Starling escaped.

Four Short-eared Owls remain in a field near Lamport and birds at Stanford Reservoir included two Swallows, two Shelduck, three Cetti's Warblers and three Willow Warblers. An adult Yellow-legged Gull, a male Peregrine and four Sand Martins were at the south end of Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M