Strong sunshine Saturday

Hello

A cold dawn led into a cracking day's weather with plenty of blue sky and warm sunshine and stimulating lots of bumblebees and butterflies to take to the wing, including the stunning Brimstones.

A ringing session at Linford Lakes on the edge of Milton Keynes was a resounding success with one hundred and twenty-eight birds processed of an extraordinary twenty species. Lingering migrant finches building up their fat reserves supplemented early spring migrants and the residents at a time of the year which can be lean for ringing. The finches endeavored to take centre stage with twenty-five Siskins, twenty Lesser Redpolls, nine Greenfinches, a Chaffinch and a Goldfinch. However they were competing with fourteen Reed Buntings, ten Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler and six Blackcaps and a new Cetti's Warbler. A Grey Wagtail is always a stand-out capture and the first processed on-site since 2016. Other birds included two Song Thrushes, three Blackbirds, three Long-tailed Tits, eighteen Blue Tits, six Great Tits, a Goldcrest, a Wren, two Dunnocks and three Robins.

Amongst the re-traps was a Greenfinch first ringed as a juvenile in August 2021, and perhaps a further indication that this species is beginning to fare better of late.

Three Great White Egrets were present plus a Goosander and two Common Snipe with three Grass Snakes being spotted and butterflies including Orange-tip.

A garden ringing session on the east side of Northampton today yielded ten Siskins, eight Goldfinches, a Greenfinch, two Coal Tits and a Robin. It seems that one of the Goldfinches was ringed elsewhere and we await the data accordingly.

One of the colour-ringed Waxwings present in Northampton at Far Cotton earlier this month has now been photographed in North London on 26th and 28th March indicating she is drifting south east from her previous venues this year of North Wales, Birmingham and Northampton.

A Peregrine was eating a dead Lapwing at Lilbourne Water Meadows this morning where there was also two Oystercatchers and two Shelduck with three Little Ringed Plovers on the adjacent DIRFT3/A5 pools. A Swallow was at Cottesbrooke village today.

At Harrington Airfield a Short-eared Owl and a Wheatear were seen and a Jack Snipe was still lingering at Hollowell Reservoir with a Brambling at Ravensthorpe Reservoir. A male Yellow Wagtail was at Stanford Reservoir and other birds included a Shelduck and three Ravens. A Curlew flew east over Daventry Country Park this morning.

In the Nene valley a male Common Redstart at Clifford Hill Pits was a good find and a rare March sighting, the bird frequenting the path between the Main Barrage Lake and Deep Water Lake. A Marsh Harrier and a Black-tailed Godwit were the most noteworthy birds at Stanwick Lakes this morning. Summer Leys LNR recorded a Curlew, the Grey Plover still, a Little Ringed Plover, two Oystercatchers, two Common Snipe and a Black-tailed Godwit. Two Great White Egrets and twelve Sand Martins were on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits this afternoon and nearby at least two White-fronted Geese were showing distantly at Wadenhoe Water Meadows where there were also two Egyptian Geese and singles of Sedge, Willow and Cetti's Warblers.

Regards

Neil M

Goldfinch.

Grey Wagtail.

Reed Bunting.

Willow Warbler.

Grass Snakes.

All images courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.