Ospreys

Hello

Three Ospreys together at Pitsford Reservoir this morning was a treat, one of the birds caught a fish in the Scaldwell Bay and the birds moved off west. A single bird in the Holcot Bay seen by a different observer may have been one of these three birds. Roosting egrets on the reserve there included five Great Whites and at least sixteen Littles. A Common Sandpiper was also present.

Three Ospreys also made it to Stanford Reservoir today and the Mandarin Duck was still there as was a Common Sandpiper.

In the Nene Valley there were two Black-tailed Godwits at Stanwick Pits on the main lake plus three Common Sandpipers and two Green Sandpipers. At least one Marsh Harrier and a Greenshank were noted at Summer Leys LNR.

A slim but unidentified 'ringtail' harrier was seen over fields between Brixworth and Scaldwell villages late morning but despite some searching wasn't found again. Every year these individuals are glimpsed by someone in the county but they rarely seem to linger or provide prolonged views with an opportunity of photographs and we are left speculating as to what species they might be!

Harrington Airfield hosted two Whinchats and two Common Redstarts today and the family of Spotted Flycatchers and the single Common Redstart were still at Lamport Hall.

Two male Common Redstarts were at Woodford Halse LNR today.

Regards

Neil M

Speckled Wood butterfly.

Marbled White courtesy
of David Arden.

Osprey at Pitsford Reservoir
today courtesy of Tony Stanford.

The Drinker moth.

Another warm one

Hello

More high temperatures today and in these conditions it's best to be out birding early before it really is too warm!

Four Cattle Egrets were again at Stanwick Pits this morning, no doubt this species is going to be a regular fixture there this autumn!

Stanford Reservoir was graced with two Ospreys this morning, the Mandarin Duck was still present as was a Common Sandpiper. Two Grasshopper Warblers were caught and ringed there this morning.

Birds at Summer Leys LNR included a Great White Egret, two Little Ringed Plovers, two Common Sandpipers, three Green Sandpipers and a Spotted Flycatcher. Butterflies on the wing there included Essex Skipper.

A Painted Lady on the buddleia in our Hanging Houghton garden today joined the Red Admirals, Peacocks, Comma, Meadow Browns and whites.

Two Spotted Flycatchers were recorded in Bucknell Wood today, the two Common Redstarts were still at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning and two Whinchats and at least two Spotted Flycatchers were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Harrington Airfield continued to host a hunting juvenile Marsh Harrier this morning plus two or three Common Redstarts, a male Stonechat, two Whinchats and a Spotted Flycatcher plus a growing flock of post-breeding Linnets.

This evening an Osprey was at Hollowell Reservoir before drifting off.

Regards

Neil M

Male Stonechat courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Male Green Woodpecker
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Essex Skipper courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Large Emerald moth.

Garden Tiger moth.

Egyptian Goose.

Heatwave birding

Hello

Warm weather birding today with the Ruddy Shelduck still at Stanford Reservoir and a morning Osprey plus a female Mandarin Duck, two Common Sandpipers, two Hobbies and with a Kingfisher caught and ringed.

A Common Redstart was still in situ at Honey Hill, Cold Ashby this morning near to the Jurassic Way commemorative stone and the two male Common Redstarts were still working the hedgerows at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell. Nearby at Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton several migrants with a variety of warblers which included a confiding juvenile Grasshopper Warbler plus a Common Redstart. Two Whinchats and a Spotted Flycatcher were in the same valley nearer to the Brampton Valley Way.

At Lamport Hall the family party of Spotted Flycatchers were still visible from the footpath and the Common Redstart showed too.

A juvenile Marsh Harrier was quartering the top fields at Harrington Airfeld this evening with a Common Redstart again between the Chippings Compound and Bunker One and a couple of Grey Partridges were vocal.

An adult Yellow-legged Gull was north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and two Ravens were in Hanging Houghton village.

Regards

Neil M

Small Skipper butterfly.

Common Buzzard courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Hobby courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Brown Hare courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Week-end summary

Hello

A very warm week-end and it looks like the beginning of the week may be the same.

No outstanding birds in the county during the last couple of days but with a Roseate Tern just over the county border at Eyebrook Reservoir today and a Paddyfield Warbler trapped and ringed in Staffordshire also today you never know what may be straying on to your local patch!

Yesterday (Saturday) saw the long-staying female Ruddy Shelduck and an Osprey at Stanford Reservoir plus a Mandarin Duck, three hawking Hobbies, two Common Sandpipers, a Kingfisher and a Cetti's Warbler. Reed Warblers were processed by the ringers on-site and three of the birds were bearing rings from elsewhere, one of them from Belgium. Over two hundred birds were newly-ringed during ringing operations during the day.

A Black-tailed Godwit was at Summer Leys LNR yesterday with a Greenshank and two Green Sandpipers on the nearby New Workings.

A family party of Spotted Flycatchers were at Beck Dairy, Cottesbrooke yesterday morning and four Green Sandpipers were on pools in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth with two Ravens there later. Lamport Hall hosted another family of Spotted Flycatchers plus a Hobby and two Ravens, and a Whinchat remained at Hollowell Reservoir. The two male Common Redstarts remained at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

Lilbourne Water Meadows provided a Great White Egret, two Ravens, two Common Snipe, a Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper and a Marsh Harrier was lingering at Harrington Airfield in the evening.

Today (Sunday) and Stanford Reservoir yielded the Ruddy Shelduck again plus an Osprey and a Marsh Harrier plus a Hobby, two Common Sandpipers and a Kingfisher.

An Osprey was perched up at Pitsford Reservoir this morning for about half an a hour in the Scaldwell Bay and a fresh brood of Tufted Ducks was made up of nine ducklings. A Spotted Flycatcher was also seen.

Two or three Common Redstarts were at Lilbourne Water Meadows today and a Marsh Harrier was seen flying west there this evening. Two Spotted Flycatchers were at Woodford Halse LNR this morning.

A Common Redstart and a family of Spotted Flycatchers were at Lamport Hall again this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

A Barn Owl nestling
out of the nest box and
roaming around in a barn.

Greenfinch courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Migrant Hawker courtesy of
Robin Gossage. These small hawkers
 are now on the wing.

Gatekeeper.

A 'wonky' Southern Hawker.
Insects that undertake metamorphosis
as a natural process run the risk of not
always being able to to make the perfect
transition. This hawker was still able to
fly but whether it was capable of producing
the next generation I really don't know.

A bit thin on the ground!!

Birds, insects and wildlife in general seems to be a bit "thin on the ground " with very few observations being reported. I was out early this morning and felt more optimistic as the hedgerows around Blueberry were alive with Warblers and other passerines including 2 Lesser Whitethroats,  Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats. Plus the 2 male Common Redstarts were in their usual hedge.   However this noticeable movement of Warblers etc was short lived and as I continued my circuit the hedgerows became progressively quiet.  A visit to Harrington Airfield and Lamport Hall produced nothing of note.

Birds reported yesterday included an Arctic Tern,  8 Green Sandpipers and Yellow Legged Gull at Daventry CP,  an Osprey at Stanford Reservoir and Common Redstart, 2 Little Ringed Plovers and both Green and Common Sandpipers at Lilbourne Meadows.                                             Today there were 6 Cattle Egrets at Stanwick GP, Whinchat at Hollowell,  Osprey and Spotted Flycatcher at Pitsford Reservoir,  Bittern and Ruddy Shelduck at Stanford Reservoir and at DIRFT3 a Caspian and 18 Yellow Legged Gulls. 

Have a good weekend, enjoy the warm weather and watching the wildlife wherever you are.

Regards Eleanor 

Scarlet Tiger.

Large White butterflies in cop.

Meadow Brown.

Above three images courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Song Thrush.

Water Rail.

Common Whitethroat.

Above three images
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

A quiet day for wildlife

Hello

Seemingly a quiet day in the county today with few reported sightings.

I completed my last survey of the season this morning, so less 4am starts from this point onwards! A pair of agitated Spotted Flycatchers due to a Grey Squirrel clambering around was a good sign of established breeding but a bad sign if the squirrel had predatory considerations! There was a major hatch of Ruddy Darters with the fields covered in them and there was sufficient warmth and sunshine to bring forth a couple of Purple Hairstreak butterflies. A Red Fox, some Brown Hares, a pair of Kestrels on territory and a couple of Yellow Wagtails were the best of the rest!

One male Common Redstart persisted at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning and the ponds there have provided breeding opportunities for Little Grebes with two broods of young today.

A Caspian Gull was at the north end of the new workings at Earls Barton Pits today and birds visible from the dam at Pitsford Reservoir included a Great White Egret and a Common Sandpiper (two yesterday).

An Osprey again showed several times today at Stanford Reservoir and there was a female Mandarin Duck there too.

A Marsh Harrier flew high NE over Stanwick Pits this afternoon and a Yellow-legged Gull was also present.

Regards

Neil M

Red-headed Cardinal Beetle
courtesy of John Tilly.

Great White Egrets courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Grey Heron courtesy 
of Tony Stanford.

Female Tufted Duck and ducklings.

Ruddy Darter.

Common Darter.

Here come the Redstarts!

Hello

As we tumble towards autumn there was a flurry of Common Redstarts today, all at traditional local stop-over sites.

First thing this morning there were at least two Great White Egrets in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir and a Common Redshank was looking forlornly for some mud! A female Tufted Duck was seen with eight ducklings.

Two male Common Redstarts were still at the Blueberry Farm complex near Maidwell and nearby there were one or two others near 'shrike hedge' in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. A Cuckoo and a Whinchat were also near 'shrike hedge'.

A female Common Redstart was near the chippings compound at Harrington Airfield this morning with a singing Sedge Warbler near Bunker One. The footpath from Bridle Road in Old village passes through fields and around the back of the houses behind Cherry Hill towards the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir where it peters out. This is a traditional stop-over site for Common Redstart and this morning there were at least two elusive birds in the field hedges visible from the footpath, plus a Raven.

At Lamport Hall this afternoon there was another female-type Common Redstart and five or six Spotted Flycatchers in hedging and bushes visible from the footpath that runs from the A508 to Scaldwell village.

Stanford Reservoir today attracted two Oystercatchers, a Cetti's Warbler and a couple of Yellow Wagtails and a Whinchat and a Common Snipe were at Hollowell Reservoir. An Osprey was again at Ravensthorpe Reservoir.

This evening there were two Cattle Egrets NE over the Main Pit at Stanwick Pits plus two Green Sandpipers, three Common Sandpipers and four Little Ringed Plovers. Birds at Summer Leys LNR today included four Great White Egrets, a Green Sandpiper and a Little Ringed Plover. A Great White Egret was at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows.

An Egyptian Goose was noted at the Embankment, Wellingborough today and a Raven was at Cogenhoe.

Regards

Neil M

A sunbathing Wren courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

A sunbathing Robin courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

The Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford
Reservoir from the Northants
Bird Club hide.

Red Admiral - there appears to
be quite a number around at the
moment.

Common Emerald Damselfly.

Migrants on the move

Hello

A short term ringing session at Harrington Airfield this morning yielded forty-seven captures of thirteen species before the blustery conditions became too much. The highlights were probably ten Willow Warblers (adults and juveniles), eight Common Whitethroats (again adults and juveniles), a Bullfinch and a Linnet. A few Yellow Wagtails have been present since spring and were still there today but there was no sign of any youngsters. Two Ravens and a Grey Partridge were probably the best of the rest!

At Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning there was a juvenile Marsh Harrier, a vocal male Common Redstart and two Crossbills flew over. A juvenile Raven was at Hanging Houghton.

At Stanford Reservoir this morning there was a brief visitation from a Marsh Harrier plus the female Ruddy Shelduck, six Common Sandpipers and a Hobby.

Two Garganey were at Daventry Country Park this morning, two Ospreys were at Ravensthorpe Reservoir late morning and a Whinchat was still at Hollowell Reservoir this evening.

In the Nene Valley there were two Hobbies at Summer Leys LNR first thing and an adult Yellow-legged Gull on the Elinor Trout Lake at Thrapston Pits.

Regards

Neil M

Sunset at Harrington Airfield.

Southern Hawker and exuvia
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Spider mangora acalypha
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Meadow Brown.

Common Buzzard.

Starling courtesy of
Michelle Spinks.

Moorhen courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Common Pheasant
courtesy of Tony Stanford

Wildlife in the warmth

Hello

An early morning survey provided an opportunity to see some wildlife before it all hid away as it became warmer. A pair of Roe Deer posed beautifully, some insects warmed up on fence panels and the like and a family party of Spotted Flycatchers is always a treat! However much of the bird song has dwindled now and the Robins in particular have gone quiet - about the only time of the year when they are not singing energetically!

A report on Birdguides of the Red-necked Grebe at Summer Leys LNR initiated a search for it by several observers but it drew a blank!

An Osprey was seen with a fish at Ravensthorpe Reservoir late this morning and new Common Redstarts included a female-type at Honey Hill near Cold Ashby and a male at Clifford Hill Pits in a hedgerow on the west side of the main pit near to the office blocks. Three Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper were at Clifford Hill too.

An adult and juvenile Peregrine were seen over Northampton today with a Hobby overhead too and an adult Yellow-legged Gull was visible from the dam at Pitsford Reservoir.

In the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton there was a Whinchat and a Barn Owl near to 'shrike hedge' early morning. Both here and at Pitsford Reservoir, new singing Sedge Warblers have announced their presence in the last week and clearly intend to breed - presumably these are birds that have only just arrived after attempting to breed elsewhere and now trying to breed at a new location? The two male Common Redstarts were still at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this evening.

Yesterday (Saturday) evening and three Garganey were found at Daventry Country Park.

Please note that tomorrow (Monday) there will be a ringing session at Harrington Airfield with restricted access to the bunkers and scrubby area between the chippings compound and the main concrete track. Public access along the concrete track is unaffected.

Regards

Neil M

Buck Roe Deer.

Kestrel courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Black-tailed Skimmer.

Long-legged or Semaphore Fly
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Garden Tiger moth courtesy
of Robin Gossage.