Chilly then sunny!

Hello

Another day of wall to wall sunshine after a chilly start!

A check of the Brampton Valley below Brixworth early on provided easily my earliest ever Common Whitethroat with a singing male in hedging bordering the Way. It seems that good numbers of warblers descended on the UK the night before with early Common Whitethroats, Grasshopper, Reed, Sedge and even Garden Warblers turning up on a broad front. Other birds in the valley included a Grey Wagtail, at least fourteen Teal and four species of wader including a Green Sandpiper and at least ten Common Snipe.

At Pitsford Reservoir between the causeway and the dam this morning, the Great Northern Diver was still in the Pintail Bay and other birds included an Osprey, a Redshank, two Oystercatchers, two Yellow-legged Gulls and a Raven.

At Summer Leys LNR today two Avocets were on-site plus three Black-tailed Godwits, a Common Tern and the Glossy Ibis, a Ruff was on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits and a Spotted Redshank remained on the floods at Lower Barnwell Lock, Oundle. Whiston Wetlands also provided two Avocets and two Little Ringed Plovers with a Cattle Egret between Billing Pits and Cogenhoe village.

A Blue-headed-type Wagtail and a Little Ringed Plover were at Clifford Hill Pits today and a Black-tailed Godwit was at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve this morning.

Hollowell Reservoir hosted a Jack Snipe, a Common Snipe and two early Garden Warblers and Stanford Reservoir attracted two Great White Egrets, two Oystercatchers, a Common Snipe and a Brambling. A Little Gull was at Eyebrook Reservoir and a Barn Owl was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Common Snipe courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Wren courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Great Crested Grebe courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Great White Egret courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Ringing at Scotland Wood

Hello

A cold start to the day but it warmed up by late morning!

Some bird ringing at Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate today provided about sixty-eight captures of traditional woodland birds which included two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, three Nuthatches, two Marsh Tits, three Treecreepers, a Blackcap and two Chiffchaffs. A Redpoll and Willow Warbler were both heard in the wood and will be passage migrants. Another period of ringing at Linford Lakes on the edge of Milton Keynes also provided captures of migrants which included two Sand Martins and a Willow Warbler plus a Kingfisher.

A quieter day for obvious passage in the county today but two Little Gulls were north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon, a single Spotted Redshank, a Green Sandpiper and four Little Ringed Plovers were at the Lower Barnwell floods and two Avocets remained at the west end of Whiston Wetlands. More Swallows and Yellow Wagtails arrived in the county today and are gradually becoming more widespread.

Migrants at Summer Leys LNR today included the four Black-tailed Godwits, a pair of Oystercatchers, an overflying Greenshank at Mary's Lake, an Egyptian Goose and warblers which included a Reed Warbler and a reported Garden Warbler.

Migrants at Stanford Reservoir today were a variety of hirundines and warblers which included two Sedge Warblers and other birds were a Kingfisher, two Common Snipe and two Great White Egrets.

A Wheatear and a Yellow Wagtail were at Harrington Airfield and Barn Owls were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghon and Lamport and another was by Pitsford village early this morning.

Regards

Neil M

A female Chaffinch showing the 
awful leg disease so prevalent in
this species. During ringing sessions
such birds are released after being
extracted from mist nets. The growths
and calcification of the legs and feet
gradually becomes worse but the birds
 evolve and whilst they still have legs 
and feet they try to operate as normal.

Two male Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

Male Blackcap.

Treecreeper.

Nuthatch.

All images courtesy of
Sean Gower.

Impressive waders

Hello

It was the turn of the waders to push through the county and impress today, but there were still Little Gulls on the move too!

The flooded meadow at Lower Barnwell Lock is John's domain and with a Wood Sandpiper there yesterday and early this morning further birds included an impressive three Spotted Redshanks (never a common bird in the spring), a Ruff, a Dunlin, two Little Ringed Plovers, a Common Snipe and singles of White and Yellow Wagtails.

The Nene Valley was busy and at Stanwick Pits there was a Marsh Harrier this morning, a Yellow Wagtail, a Little Ringed Plover, two Redshanks and flocks of Little Gulls totaling ten birds flew through in the afternoon.

Summer Leys LNR is always popular at this time of the year and observations included a Glossy Ibis, a Marsh Harrier, two Greenshanks, four Black-tailed Godwits, two Little Gulls, a Whimbrel and a Yellow Wagtail.

Clifford Hill Pits attracted ten Little Gulls and a Ringed Plover today, a Yellow Wagtail and a colour-ringed Osprey were at Hollowell Reservoir and birds at Pitsford Reservoir included the long-staying Great Northern Diver, an adult Little Gull briefly, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, two Ravens and a Great White Egret north of the causeway.

Stanford Reservoir provided views of three Great White Egrets, two Oystercatchers and a Barn Owl with a mixture of common winter and summer migrants too. A Grey Wagtail was in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth, a Peregrine was in Market Harborough town centre, two Ravens were at Lamport and a Redpoll was audible at Scotland Wood.

Other birds included seven Little Ringed Plovers at Lilbourne Water Meadows, a second calendar year Caspian Gull at Eyebrook Reservoir and a dead Tawny Owl that failed to successfully cross the A508 between Maidwell and Lamport.

At Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon there was a male Ring Ouzel, a Wheatear, two Yellow Wagtails and sixty Fieldfares.

Regards

Neil M

Whimbrel at Summer Leys LNR
today courtesy of Stuart Munday.

Male Ring Ouzel courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Little Gulls

Hello

Today was all about Little Gulls as these super buoyant migrants whizzed into the county and populated gravel pits and reservoirs, gobbling up flies before moving on or lingering. Up to fourteen were at Clifford Hill Pits, at least thirteen were at the New Workings South section of Earls Barton Pits, nineteen were at Summer Leys LNR, flocks of four and five overflew Stanwick Pits, seven were at Daventry Country Park, three were at Pitsford Reservoir, a huge thirty-four were at Stanford Reservoir and two were seen flying over Irthlingborough.

Common Terns appeared today too with four on Higham Lake, Ditchford Pits and an early Wood Sandpiper was at Lower Barnwell Lock flooded fields. Other waders were four Black-tailed Godwits at Summer Leys LNR and a Ringed Plover and a pair of Little Ringed Plovers were at the New Workings. Two Egyptian Geese and two Little Ringed Plovers were at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows LNR.

A male Common Redstart, three Willow Warblers, two Wheatears, a Barn Owl and fifteen Golden Plovers were at Harrington Airfield this morning, another male Common Redstart was in the Nene Valley 100 metres up river from the Wollaston Weir this afternoon.

A colour-ringed Osprey was photographed at Summer Leys LNR this morning, a Sedge Warbler was at Thrapston Pits and an Egyptian Goose and a Green Sandpiper were in the Welland Valley below Cottingham.

Other birds at Stanford Reservoir were two Great White Egrets, three Oystercatchers and a Brambling with Swallow and Sand Martin numbers now beginning to increase in the county. One hundred and fifty Golden Plovers headed high east over Cold Ashby Golf Club early this morning. A Goosander remained at Daventry Country Park.

At Eyebrook Reservoir there was a Caspian Gull, three Common Terns and sixteen Little Gulls.

Regards

Neil M

Little Gull.

Goosander at Daventry Country
Park today courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Egyptian Geese courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Sunshine and no rain again!

Hello

Plenty of sunshine today but a lively cool breeze too!

At Pitsford Reservoir today an Osprey was north of the causeway with a fish and was mobbed by big gulls and appeared to be looking for peace and quiet to consume it's fish in the Walgrave Bay. A Great White Egret, six Sand Martins, a Swallow, a Kingfisher and an adult Yellow-legged Gull were in the Scaldwell Bay and later three Little Gulls flew in over the dam and headed towards the causeway.

The Summer Leys LNR Glossy Ibis put in an appearance again today where there were also four Black-tailed Godwits, a Dunlin and two Little Ringed Plovers. Clifford Hill Pits provided views of two Avocets, a Grey Plover, a Dunlin and a Little Ringed Plover.

A male Ring Ouzel was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning but couldn't be found this afternoon. A passage of five hundred Fieldfares moved north over there this morning and this afternoon there was a Wheatear and two Swallows. Blackcaps seem to be present in good numbers now, there was even one singing from our garden apple tree this afternoon. We are still receiving visits from six Reed Buntings coming to seed in the garden. A Swallow was seen over Harrington Airfield.

A Caspian Gull was noted at Eyebrook Reservoir today and two Bitterns were photographed at Thrapston Pits yesterday.

Regards

Neil M

Dunlin.

Wheatear.

Black-tailed Godwit.

All images courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

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.