Spring migrants trickling in

Hello

Yesterday (Wednesday) seemed a generally quiet day in the county but two Cattle Egrets overflew Stanwick Pits, a Short-eared Owl was seen at Harrington Airfield and a Greenshank was new in at Summer Leys LNR where a Cattle Egret remained. The female Ring-necked Duck was still on Cotton Reel Lake, Ditchford Pits and a few migrants in the county included just a few more of Swallow and Willow Warbler.

Two Oystercatchers were noted at Hollowell Reservoir, a Common Tern was at Eyebrook Reservoir and a House Martin was logged at Daventry Country Park. An adult Yellow-legged Gull and twenty Sand Martins were by the dam at Pitsford Reservoir and a Pink-footed Goose and eleven Little Egrets were at Stanford Reservoir.

Today (Thursday) and it seems that we are still waiting the rush of migrants and have to do with a trickle instead!

The Short-eared Owl was still at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and rarely for this site was in full hunting mode and quartering a large part of the complex including the edges of the concrete track and Bunkers One and Two and the areas between. Ravens were noted here and at Kelmarsh and a few Siskins were still present in Scotland Wood.

Two more Short-eared Owls were at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell but the birds at Lamport were not at their usual location which was flooded out. A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was vocal in a small copse in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and other birds in the wet areas included two Jack Snipe, a Green Sandpiper, two Willow Warblers and fifty Fieldfares heading north.

Stanford Reservoir hosted a Common Sandpiper today plus a Water Rail, a Great White Egret, five Little Egrets and a Cetti's Warbler. At Hollowell Reservoir a Curlew flew over south this evening and a male Common Redstart was a nice hedgerow find this morning at Honey Hill, Cold Ashby.

The Earls Barton complex hosted a drake Red-crested Pochard on the New Workings and at Summer Leys there was a Common Tern, two Great White Egrets, a Cattle Egret plus Willow and Sedge Warblers. Ian watched two Redpolls on his garden feeders at Woodford Halse and we saw at least four Siskins in our garden which seemed more interested in the Silver Birch than the feeders.

Regards

Neil M

Dark-edged Bee Fly
Kelmarsh Hall.

Short-eared Owl at
Harrington Airfield 
today.

 This bird with primary feather
 damage on it's left wing has been
present for several days it seems.