More Hawfinches

Hello

A colder day of late, not unseasonal but we have become used to the mild temperatures this month!

Hawfinches continue to be seen in the county with more sites being found as these big finches exploit mature trees and particularly yew trees. One bird was seen a couple of times at Cottesbrooke village today, one or two were in the churchyard at Blatherwycke and five at Southwick Hall were viewed from the churchyard. Two were seen yesterday at St Peter's churchyard at Oundle and it seems that Northamptonshire is as good as anywhere for tracking down these big-billed nomads.

Birding at Stanford Reservoir today yielded a Stonechat, a Great White Egret, a Cetti's Warbler, a Water Rail and a Barn Owl. Four Stonechats were at Sywell Country Park this afternoon.

A female Scaup was at Blatherwycke Lake today and yesterday a Bittern and four Whooper Swans were seen on the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Pits where there was also a Starling murmuration.

At Hollowell Reservoir today there was a Stonechat, three Common Snipe and a Water Rail all on the north side of Guilsborough Bay. Birds visible from the dam at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon included an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Redshank, a Grey Wagtail and a pre-roost gathering of about five hundred Starlings.

Three Ravens, five Grey Partridges and a Kingfisher were all seen in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Either an extraordinarily pale
Lesser Black-backed Gull or
potentially a LBb x Herring Gull hybrid.

Skylark - not regularly
caught locally in mist nets.