Naturetrek Day Tour

Hello

Not such dramatic weather today but still with cool winds and periods locally of sunshine and rain.

I spent the day at Rectory Farm, Great Easton and Eyebrook Reservoir as part of a Naturetrek Day Tour which included a walk around the award winning regenerative farmland and then a later spell watching over the reservoir. Many landmarks available to see from the high ground on the farm includes Rockingham Castle, the Welland Valley, Harringworth Viaduct and many others spanning the counties of Northamptonshire, Rutland and Leicestershire. We enjoyed a good number of Brown Hares galivanting about and of course the Common Buzzards and Red Kites thoroughly enjoy cruising around in the gusty conditions. There is a profusion of Skylarks on this farm and other birds today included a couple of Ravens, Yellow Wagtails, Common Whitethroat and others. The reservoir was relatively quiet but we enjoyed a smart male Whinchat and singles of Lesser Whitethroat and Common Sandpiper.

At Stanford Reservoir today the drake Ferruginous Duck was still present and at Harrington Airfield both the female Ring Ouzel and the Short-eared Owl were reported as being present and correct.

At Pitsford Reservoir birds around the dam area included an adult Yellow-legged Gull, two Common Sandpipers, Yellow Wagtails and plenty of hirundines. Ravensthorpe Reservoir again attracted two Ospreys and one of them fished successfully.

A Cattle Egret, three Black-tailed Godwits, about ten Common Terns and two Peregrines were about the best on offer at Summer Leys LNR and the female Ring-necked Duck again showed on Cotton Reel Lake at Ditchford Pits with a Common Sandpiper nearby on Dragonfly Lake. A Common Sandpiper was at Clifford Hill Pits and an Osprey was seen near Corby Golf Club flying north this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Brown Hare - hoping it
hadn't been seen!

Male Orange-tip butterfly.

Great Crested Grebe courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Grey Heron courtesy
of Robin Gossage.