More wandering ringed birds

Hello

More full-on sunshine today but a keen and blustery north-east breeze created a significant cooling effect.

Pitsford Reservoir today had plenty of gulls with many Black-headeds taking advantage of more fly hatches...the waterfowl hoover these up as well many passerines feeding around the edges of the reservoir. At least two Yellow-legged Gulls were still present and three Great Black-backed Gulls were taking advantage of dead fish. A Raven was active near the dam and there were small numbers of Sand Martins both here and in the Scaldwell Bay. Two Great White Egrets were mobile north of the causeway.

A Little Gull was at Eyebrook Reservoir today, a Swallow and a Grey Wagtail were in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth and Harrington Airfield provided a flock of about fifty Golden Plovers flying around and circling about a mile off to the west, a flock of fifty Stock Doves, eighteen Fieldfares and at least one pair of Grey Partridges.

Birds for Summer Leys LNR today included four Black-tailed Godwits, five Golden Plovers, a Marsh Harrier, a House Martin and a Willow Warbler.

Some recent ringing recoveries associated with the Northants Ringing Group are as follows:-

1. A first year Blue Tit was ringed at Greens Norton on 22nd November 2019 and remarkably turned up in a ringers net at Durlston Country Park, Dorset on 19th March 2025 by which time it was assessed as an adult male (and will be six years old this summer). This wanderer was 186km from where first ringed with a SSW trajectory and the time elapsed between the two records was 1944 days;

2. A juvenile Great Tit was ringed in Howe Park Wood, Milton Keynes on 1st July 2023 and died at nearby Tattenhoe, Milton Keynes on 28th March this year following a cat intervention, some 636 days later;

3. A first year female Reed Bunting was ringed at Paley Street, Windsor and Maidenhead on 10th November 2024 and trapped again at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes on 30th March 2025. One hundred and forty days had elapsed between records with the bunting moving 67km north during the intervening period;

4. An adult male Blue Tit was ringed in Bourne Wood, Lincolnshire on 6th February this year and turned up in a mist net at Pitsford Reservoir on 15th March (37 days later) and having travelled 57km in a SSW direction. Another Blue Tit suffering wanderlust!

5. A first year Blue Tit was ringed at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes on 11th February 2020 and taken by a cat in Milton Keynes on 8th March 2025, 1609 days later and having travelled possibly less than 2km.

Regards

Neil M

Blue Tit courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Map showing the movement of
the Blue Tit from Greens Norton
to Durlston Country Park, Dorset.

Map showing the movement
of the Blue Tit from Bourne,
Lincolnshire to Pitsford Reservoir.

Map depicting the movement
of the Reed Bunting from
Windsor and Maidenhead to
Linford Lakes.

First day of the month

Hello

A cool, grey start to the day but the sun then arrived and warmed us all up!

Few migrants were obvious at Harrington Airfield this morning and a flock of thirteen Golden Plovers flew over after taking a look at the top fields and deciding to move on. A Barn Owl was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning.

What appeared to be a White-tailed Eagle was watched overflying Chase Park, Yardley Chase this morning flying north-east towards Denton. A presumed bird from the Isle of Wight scheme, we await satellite tracking data to assess whether it was one of the project birds.

Stanford Reservoir attracted a Yellow Wagtail, two Oystercatchers, a Blackcap and two Great White Egrets and Hollowell Reservoir logged a Jack Snipe, two Common Snipe and a flock of about a hundred Fieldfares flew north.

At Summer Leys LNR today the Glossy Ibis was still present and other birds were two Black-tailed Godwits, two Little Ringed Plovers, a Great White Egret and a passing flock of eighty Common Gulls. Four Blackcaps were singing around the reserve and two Willow Warblers were at the back of Mary's Lake.

A Cattle Egret flew along the River Nene below Cogenhoe and Ravens were over the village. A Ring-necked Parakeet was in flight over Abington Meadows, Northampton this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Orange-tip.

Peacock.

Black-tailed Godwits and Redshank.

Glossy Ibis.

All images courtesy of Tony Stanford.