March migration

Hello

There has been evidence of early spring passage for a couple of weeks now and with a shift in wind direction and weather today it went up a gear. Pipits, Reed Buntings, winter thrushes, wagtails, finches and gulls have been on the move and gaining momentum as we push in towards a new season but a couple of visitors to the county today helped emphasize the migration period.

An adult Little Gull was discovered at Summer Leys LNR today and subsequently three Avocets dropped in. Other birds on the reserve included four Great White Egrets, twenty Common Snipe, three Ruff and over a hundred Golden Plovers plus a Curlew flew through.

By early afternoon two more adult Little Gulls were on the Main Lake at Stanwick Pits and by late afternoon two adult Little Gulls had made it to the Holcot Bay at Pitsford Reservoir. A Barn Owl was also seen somewhere on-site at Pitsford.

At Ditchford Pits today the female Ring-necked Duck and drake Scaup were on the main pit between Higham Ferrers and Irthlingborough, a Curlew flew through and a small flock of Siskins and Redpoll and a singing Blackcap were at the end of Wharf Road, Higham Ferrers by the access point to the pits complex. This afternoon seven Cattle Egrets were in flooded fields off Ditchford Lane near to the container yard and earlier two had been at nearby Rushden Lakes. The drake Garganey was still on Otter Lake, Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows this morning.

At Hollowell Reservoir today there was an adult Caspian Gull, a Jack Snipe, a Stonechat, about a hundred Redwings and six Siskins. At Stanford Reservoir an adult Mediterranean Gull roosted and a Goosander was present.

About ninety Redwings were on fields immediately south of Harlestone Heath this morning with about ten Siskins in the plantations and a single Raven in Harlestone village. The garden influx of Siskins continues with two on a Moulton garden feeder, three in a Woodford Halse garden, two in a Brixworth garden, two more in a Mears Ashby garden (plus five Reed Buntings), six Siskins and eight Redpolls in a Grange Park, Northampton garden, a single in a Duston garden and an impressive thirty plus in Sharon's garden at Creaton!

Regards

Neil M

Little Gull at Summer Leys
LNR today courtesy of Neil
Hasdell.

Male Siskin courtesy
of John Tilly.

Female Siskin courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Muntjac enjoying a scratch
courtesy of Tony Stanford.