Grandpa of the Woods!

Hello

Another cloudy, cold and dull day but with very little wind and little in the way of precipitation.

Stanwick Lakes hosted an event today associated with next week-end's RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. In addition to wildlife walks, making bird food and feeders, lots of static displays, leaflets etc there was also a bird ringing demonstration which yielded over forty common birds, with perhaps a Redwing being the star bird.

The event attracted a great deal of attention particularly with children and their respective parents which included people who attended knowing of the event and also people using the Stanwick Lakes facilities popping in to see what was going on. Other birds noted on-site included three Goosanders, a Grey Wagtail and three hundred Lapwings.

A little ringing at Sunderland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate provided typical woodland birds which included two Marsh Tits and no less than three Great Spotted Woodpeckers. One of these woodpeckers was a male first ringed in the same wood in 2014 and is at least ten years old and undoubtedly close to the longevity record for this species - affectionately called 'Grandpa of the Woods'!

Pitsford Reservoir continues to host the juvenile Great Northern Diver south of the causeway plus a pair of Stonechats and a Yellow-legged Gull and scarce birds north of the causeway included two Tree Sparrows at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in the trees down the lane to the feeding station.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir amounted to a Great White Egret and four Smew remained at Eyebrook Reservoir.

Nene Valley birds included the Summer Leys LNR Glossy Ibis, the White-fronted Goose still at Whiston Pits (see video below courtesy of Neil Hasdell), two Great White Egrets at Ditchford Pits, two Caspian Gulls at Clifford Hill Pits and a Jack Snipe at nearby Barnes Meadow LNR. 

On the A605 floods at Oundle there were a pair of Pintail, over forty Shovelers and a Great White Egret whilst at Blatherwycke Lake the Scaup was still present plus nine Mandarin Ducks.

Blackcaps visited gardens at Corby and Kettering and Harrington Airfield hosted a pair of Stonechats, fifty Golden Plovers, a Woodcock and a Barn Owl being pursued by a Common Buzzard.

Regards

Neil M

Marsh Tit.

Coal Tit.

Great Spotted Woodpecker -
the 'Grandpa of the Woods'.

Above three images courtesy
of Lewis Aaron.