SP54 Long Day Count

Male Cuckoo.

Juvenile Greenfinch.

Images courtesy of
Kenny Cramer.

Hello

Today was mostly taken up with a Banbury Ornithological Society Long Day Count in SP54 in the south of the county. It was warm and often sunny but also a pleasant breeze too and it remained dry. Birding highlights were six species of raptor with the best being a male Peregrine at Edgcote and a Hobby at Trafford Bridge. Grey Wagtails were also at Edgecote, Yellow Wagtails at two sites, a Reed Warbler (scarce in this 10km square) and Spotted Flycatchers at Thenford, Trafford Bridge and Marston St Lawrence. Ravens were at two sites but Tree Sparrow, Marsh Tit and Kingfisher eluded us, albeit that the first species may no longer be in this part of the county.

When the birds went quiet in the heat we looked at insects and odonata were showing nicely at Farthinghoe LNR with Beautiful Demoiselles, Azure Blue Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly the most showy. Beautiful Demoiselle was also noted at Edgecote and Broad-bodied Chaser near Greatworth. Plenty of common butterflies were also on the wing today.

Yesterday and a small band of bird ringers led by Kenny Cramer were again active at Linford Pits close to the county border at Milton Keynes. The undoubted highlights were two Cuckoos captured, one a new male bird and another a re-trap male from 2022. Kenny's efforts has resulted in 37 individual Cuckoos being ringed at this site since 2017!

Warblers were made up of five Blackcaps, three Chiffchaffs, four Garden Warblers and a Reed Warbler. One of the Garden Warblers was a re-trap female ringed about the same time last year. Juvenile birds on the wing and landing in the mist nets included Greenfinch, Robin and Long-tailed Tits and a Great Spotted Woodpecker capture related to a bird initially ringed as an adult male in 2018.

Today and birds in the Nene Valley included a Marsh Harrier, an Osprey, two Greenshanks, a Turnstone and two Cuckoos at Summer Leys LNR, two Black Terns at Stanwick Pits and a Sanderling at Clifford Hill Pits. Thrapston Pits recorded an Osprey, a Greenshank, a Ringed Plover and five Common Sandpipers and three Cuckoos were at Stortons Pits.

Eyebrook Reservoir hosted a Little Gull and up to six Black Terns today.

Regards

Neil M

Red Kite - sometimes they
come so close you just can't
fit them in!

Orange-tip butterfly.

Comma butterfly.

Large Red Damselfly.

Beautiful Demoiselle.