Dotterel

Hello 

It may be spring but the bird feeding continues to support those birds that require that little 'leg up' when natural food is spent and at Harrington Airfield the priority species is the Yellowhammer which readily comes to the mixed seed on offer. And that is exactly why Eleanor was at Harrington Airfield this morning, feeding the Yellowhammers and others before conducting some scanning across the fields. A smart male Wheatear was the centre of her attention until two birds appeared to land off in the distant fields behind. Unable to see them on the ground she walked further over and eventually found them again and they proved to be a pair of Dotterel, seemingly a bright female and a particularly dull male!

This duo remained in the field for a little over two hours before finally departing, by which time many local birders were able to see them. Despite the distance and heat haze, Bob Bullock and Nick Parker were successful at digitally recording their presence. This is the fourth record for Harrington Airfield, but all the others stayed for only minutes before moving on again. Other birds today included three Lapwings and a Barn Owl.

A cracking adult male Black Redstart in Old village today providing fabulous photographic opportunities vied with the Dotterel for being bird of the day!

At Pitsford Reservoir today there were two Ospreys north of the causeway plus two Great White Egrets, thirty Goldeneye, a few Common Snipe and an adult Yellow-legged Gull.

At Summer Leys LNR the Glossy Ibis was present again plus also two Little Ringed Plovers, three Common Snipe and a Common Tern. A Green Sandpiper and twenty-five Fieldfares were at Clifford Hill Pits this morning.

At Stanford Reservoir today a female Common Redstart was caught and ringed and other birds on-site were a Great White Egret, two Oystercatchers and two Sedge Warblers.

A Barn Owl and a Green Sandpiper were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Swallow courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Male Wheatear courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Female Dotterel today at
Harrington Airfield courtesy
of Bob Bullock.

The video below was taken
by Nick Parker of today's
Dotterel at Harrington Airfield.

The heat haze and distances made
both photography and videoing
challenging!