Warbler ringing

Hello

Ringing sessions were managed by Northants Ringing Group members today at Linford Lakes in Milton Keynes and a more modest affair at Harrington Airfield. At Linford Lakes Kenny Cramer steered his team to produce one hundred and forty-seven captures of twenty-two species with warblers dominating including twenty-seven Blackcaps, sixteen Garden Warblers, three Sedge Warblers, ten Reed Warblers, two Lesser Whitethroats, two Common Whitethroats, nine Chiffchaffs and eight Willow Warblers. A few finches included Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Greenfinch and three juvenile Reed Buntings were pleasing. Seven new Robins and six new Wrens confirms these species have enjoyed a productive breeding season.

Two Grass Snakes and plenty of Brown Hawkers were other wildlife encountered.

At Harrington Airfield much lower numbers included more Willow Warblers and Common Whitethroats as the dominating species but little else that was notable. Ravens and Grey Partridges remained vocal for much of the morning.

At Pitsford Reservoir today a Marsh Harrier flew over in a westerly direction, an eclipse drake Red-crested Pochard was in the Scaldwell Bay which also hosted three families of Tufted Ducks and a Little Grebe family plus three Great White Egrets and two Common Sandpipers.

Two male Common Redstarts were still at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon and two Whinchats and a Marsh Harrier were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. The two male Common Redstarts were still at Woodford Halse LNR today. Two Wheatears at the west end of Hinton Airfield were probably the first of the autumn.

At Summer Leys LNR a Marsh Harrier caught prey and other birds included five Goosanders, two Common Sandpipers and a Green Sandpiper and birds noted at Stanford Reservoir were the regulars of Ruddy Shelduck, Mandarin Duck and a Common Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

Sunrise at Linford Lakes

Lesser Whitethroat.

Reed Bunting.

Common Whitethroat.

Juvenile Willow Warbler.

All images courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.