Wandering Great Tits

Hello

A very cold night with sub-zero temperatures gave way to warm sunshine and very pleasant, dry conditions which provided more local butterfly sightings.

The wintering Glossy Ibis was again at Summer Leys LNR today and other birds on-site included two Great White Egrets, six Redshanks, four Oystercatchers and eight Common Snipe.

Other Nene Valley birds included the drake Ring-necked Duck on the Heronry Pit on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston and the drake Smew was still at Clifford Hill Pits. Seven White-fronted Geese were again in the valley east of Cogenhoe Mill at about 12.30pm.

Harrington Airfield today attracted a Jack Snipe, a Short-eared Owl, a Barn Owl and two Ravens. A Great White Egret was north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this morning.

Between six and nine Ravens were at Hanging Houghton today and birds in the Brampton Valley below included a male Peregrine, two Grey Partridges and two Barn Owls. 

Details of two nomadic Great Tits, their movements mapped between the Rockingham Forest Ringing Group and the Northants Ringing Group are as follows:-

1. A first year Great Tit was ringed at Geddington on 26th January 2024 by the RFRG and caught again in Sunderland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate on 2nd March 2025 when assessed as an adult female. Four hundred and one days elapsed between the two captures with this bird moving 14km in a westerly direction;

2. An adult male Great Tit was ringed at Kelmarsh Hall on 14th December 2024 by the NRG and caught again in Corby on 28th February 2025 with this bird having travelled 17km in a ENE direction within 76 days.

Regards

Neil M

Brown Hare.

Dunnock courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Kestrel courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Tor and Jaeger
at Harrington Airfield.