Still conditions and a ground frost

Hello

A cold night last night and with a ground frost post-dawn but it didn't stop Northants Ringing Group members from conducting early morning ringing sessions at Stortons Pits and Pitsford Reservoir now the winds had stilled.

Three ringers at Stortons processed 74 birds of fourteen species, nearly all the birds being newly ringed. Blackcaps are expected to feature at this time of the year but thirty was still a good total and other warblers included seven Chiffchaffs, a Sedge Warbler and two Reed Warblers. Nine Robins and ten Goldfinches were high totals and highlights included the now much scarcer Bullfinch, a Song Thrush, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and another splash of colour with a fabulous Kingfisher.

Three ringers at Pitsford manage to process 119 birds of fifteen species with Blackcaps totaling forty and Chiffchaffs thirty; other warblers were two Common Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, six Reed Warblers, four Sedge Warblers and a single Willow Warbler. Additional birds were two Song Thrushes, twelve Greenfinches and nine Meadow Pipits. A Common Snipe was flushed from the shoreline and a surprising number of butterflies in the morning sunshine included some late Meadow Browns and a very fresh Small Copper.

At Summer Leys LNR the Bittern showed well and a Marsh Harrier was on-site again plus five Great White Egrets and a Green Sandpiper. The Black-necked Grebe remained at Clifford Hill Pits and a Whinchat and a Wheatear were present too. A drake Common Scoter was found at the north end of Titchmarsh Reserve today by Nick and other birds were five Dunlin, a Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper and a Common Snipe.

Stanford Reservoir attracted a pair of Red-crested Pochard today plus a Common Sandpiper, a Hobby and a Cetti's Warbler. Ringers there caught a whopping 362 new birds, the majority no doubt being Blackcaps!

A Caspian Gull was noted at Naseby Reservoir today and a Black-tailed Godwit circled Hollowell Reservoir before moving on.

A Common Redstart was at Borough Hill Country Park, Daventry this afternoon with a supporting cast of at least fifteen Chiffchaffs, a pair of Stonechats, two Whinchats, three Wheatears and plenty of Meadow Pipits. Other sightings included a garden Raven in Little Harrowden and a gathering of eighteen Ring-necked Parakeets mobbing a Grey Heron at Fishponds Road, Little Billing this afternoon!

Regards

Neil M

Bittern at Summer Leys LNR
today courtesy of Sandra Bletchley.

A first year male Great Spotted
Woodpecker losing it's red crown
and gaining a red nape, Stortons Pits,
 courtesy of Chris Payne.

Kingfisher at Stortons Pits
today courtesy of Chris Payne.

Speckled Wood butterfly
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Rabbits courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Both the Speckled Wood and the Rabbits were
also at Stortons Pits today enjoying the
warm sunshine.

Red-legged Shieldbug courtesy
of John Tilly.