Birds of Clifford Hill!

Hello

Mild, grey and at times drizzly conditions this morning with little wind provided an ideal opportunity for some ringing, this time at Brixworth Water Treatment Works. One hundred and eleven birds of nineteen species were processed, one hundred and one being entirely new birds. Forty-nine of those birds were warblers with twenty-five Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, seven Common Whitethroats, three Reed Warblers, four Sedge Warblers, a Willow Warbler and eight Chiffchaffs. Much of the remainder were perhaps more local or sedentary birds but nine new Robins suggests perhaps birds from elsewhere. Two Grey Wagtails were on-site.

Clifford Hill Pits was the in-vogue place today with the Black-necked Grebe remaining plus four Common Scoters, four Avocets, two Turnstones, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Cattle Egret, a Black Tern, a fly-through Marsh Harrier, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Wheatear and six Whinchats - phew an amazing list of quality birds!

Thrapston Pits still retained an Osprey over Elinor Lake, ten Common Scoters in flight were reported and a Greenshank was on the Titchmarsh Reserve.

Summer Leys LNR managed a Marsh Harrier, two Garganey, four Common Snipe, four Green Sandpipers, a Common Sandpiper, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Ruff, two Kingfishers and a Water Rail.

Two Yellow-legged Gulls, a Redshank and two Grey Wagtails were present around the dam at Pitsford Reservoir and six Great White Egrets roosted north of the causeway this evening.

Stanford Reservoir provided records of the Ruddy Shelduck, three Common Sandpipers, a Great White Egret, a Kingfisher, a Hobby and a Water Rail. A Black Tern remained at Eyebrook Reservoir.

There were plenty of migrant passerines at Borough Hill Country Park, Daventry this afternoon with four Common Redstarts (three in one bush!), in excess of thirty Chiffchaffs, eighteen Common Whitethroats, ten Blackcaps, two Lesser Whitethroats, a Garden Warbler, two Spotted Flycatchers, two Whinchats and a Wheatear.

A first winter Caspian Gull was noted at Boddington Reservoir plus a flock of over a hundred Sand Martins.

This evening there were four Whinchats and a Barn Owl in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Sedge Warbler
courtesy of Jane Neill.

Adult Common Whitethroat
courtesy of Jane Neill.

Red-legged Partridge.

The Sycamore moth caterpillar
courtesy of Neil Hasdell.