Lots of ringing and a Pectoral Sandpiper

Hello

Kenny Cramer and team enjoyed a bumper ringing session at Linford Lakes (Milton Keynes) today, safely processing 162 birds, the majority being newly-ringed birds. Amongst the eighteen species the two stand out birds were a Spotted Flycatcher and a Tree Pipit. Not surprisingly warblers dominated with twenty-nine Blackcaps, fifteen Garden Warblers, a Common Whitethroat, three Cetti's Warblers, eleven Willow Warblers, nine Chiffchaffs, three Sedge Warblers and twenty-two Reed Warblers. Thirty-five Blue Tits ensured it was the most common species encountered with just five Great Tits.

A Pectoral Sandpiper was a good find this morning at Lilbourne Meadows reserve - the wader list for this new reserve is already pretty impressive! Two Green Sandpipers and two Common Sandpipers were also there.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir today included an Osprey which spent much of the morning there, a Mandarin Duck, a Goldeneye, a Common Sandpiper and another Grasshopper Warbler was caught and ringed amongst two hundred and five newly-ringed birds for the day.

At Pitsford Reservoir today an Osprey was present this afternoon and birds in the morning included four Great White Egrets, the drake Red-crested Pochard, the juvenile Whinchat, a Green Sandpiper and a Barn Owl.

In the Nene Valley there was no sign of the Black-necked Grebe on Delta Pit, Ditchford Pits but there was a Black-tailed Godwit on Dragonfly Lake on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadow reserve. Summer Leys LNR attracted a Marsh Harrier, two Garganey, a Greenshank, two Green Sandpipers, two Common Sandpipers, a Common Snipe and a Little Ringed Plover. Two Common Sandpipers were on a fishing pit near Thrapston.

A Common Redstart was at New Sandy Lane attenuation pond on the outskirts of Duston this morning, the two Common Redstarts were still at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell where there was also a morning Marsh Harrier. Another Common Redstart was at Harrington Airfield between Bunker One and the chippings compound and two male Common Redstarts and at least twelve Spotted Flycatchers were at Lamport Hall this evening. Two Ravens were at Hanging Houghton and one was along the Kettering Road in Northampton. An Osprey was seen moving over south along the Brampton Valley below Brixworth at about 5.20pm. Two Peregrines were over Woodford Halse this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Spotted Flycatcher.

Tree Pipit.

Willow Warbler.

Images courtesy of
Kenny Cramer.