Butterflies, snakes and passerine migrants

Hello

Migrant passerines set the scene in the county today with large numbers of warblers, some chats and more waves of hirundines arriving even if the waders and terns are in short supply.

At Pitsford Reservoir David enjoyed his early morning birding with a smart male Whinchat below the dam and also two Common Sandpipers on the dam. At the other end he saw a female Common Redstart and a Lesser Whitethroat in the Scaldwell Bay hedge between Maytrees and the Bird Club hides and a couple of Common Snipe.

A Stanford Reservoir there were three Oystercatchers, two Shelducks, two Lesser Whitethroats and two Cetti's Wartblers. Harrington Airfield now has at least eight singing Willow Warblers back on territory plus a Wheatear, two Redpolls and a Raven but with no apparent sign of the female Ring Ouzel today.

A male Common Redstart was on view briefly at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon plus three Redwings and two Fieldfares, and two Short-eared Owls remain on private land west of Lamport.

Four Waxwings were still at Warth Park, Raunds this morning but weren't seen later, a male Common Redstart was at Stanwick Pits near to the A45 causeway and birds at Summer Leys LNR included a Greenshank, a Whimbrel, a Cuckoo, a Great White Egret, a Common Sandpiper, two Little Ringed Plovers, two Redpolls and a reported Sandwich Tern. A Cuckoo and Grasshopper Warbler were at the back of Mary's Lake and one or two Common Sandpiper(s) and two Green Sandpipers were on the Earls Barton New Workings.

Another male Common Redstart was found at Honey Hill, Cold Ashby this morning and a Grasshopper Warbler was at Oundle in a field between Prince William school and the River Nene. A Lesser Whitethroat was at Clifford Hill Pits this morning.

Regards

Neil M

One of two Grass Snakes
in the Brampton Valley
 below Lamport. Image
courtesy of Eleanor.

Lots of butterflies
on the wing today
including plenty of
Orange-tips.

Black-headed Gull courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Black-tailed Godwit (and Avocet)
courtesy of Robin Gossage.