Waders, raptors and a Eider!

Hello

A mild, sometimes damp and humid day with just a few spells of sunlight was the weather for mid month.

At Harrington Airfield today a Short-eared Owl still lingers and other birds included a Hobby and a pair of Grey Partridge.

With the DIRFT3 pools just about gone now (the area is being prepared for a new giant 'shed') waders in that area were confined to the Wildlife Trust Lilbourne Water Meadows reserve which continued to hang on to a Wood Sandpiper, two Common Sandpipers, a Redshank, at least one Little Ringed Plover and successfully breeding Lapwings and Oystercatchers. The habitat there is also good for a good number of singing Sedge Warblers and Common Whitethroats plus three Meadow Pipit territories. It is hoped the reserve will be fully open next year.

A Black Tern, a Cuckoo and an Oystercatcher were all at Stanford Reservoir today but the most outrageous sighting was of a drake Eider found at Boddington Reservoir! This is a very occasional visitor to the county which seemingly can occur at any time of the year as birds presumably move across the width of the UK or potentially the length of the nation from one seaboard to another. Apparently this robust sea-duck flew east at about 6.30pm this evening.

A Birdguides report of a Honey Buzzard flying over Islip continues the run of scarce birds being reported in this manner from this location over the last few years.

A Little Tern at Town Lake, Thrapston Pits was a good record and there was a Dunlin on the Titchmarsh reserve. Two Grey Plovers were on the north shore of Clifford Hill Pits this morning and three Grey Plovers and an Avocet were at Eyebrook Reservoir.

A Hobby was near Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this evening and fifty-two raptors on fields in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton were made up of gleaning Red Kites and Common Buzzards. A Barn Owl was hunting nearby.

An assessment was made of the Black-headed Gulls using the rafts at Pitsford Reservoir today and there could be as many as 65 pairs nesting, which would be a significant bounce back from the last couple of years of bird flu fatalities. Sadly Common Terns are very few in number so far this spring and were severely hit from the virus.

Regards

Neil M

Drake Mallard courtesy
of John Tilly.

A  'parcel' or 'stew' of Oystercatchers
 courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Kestrel courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Common Whitethroat courtesy
of Tony Stanford.