Ringing the young birds

Hello

A very warm and pleasant day brought forth a host of insects, almost as good as the old days!

Yesterday (Friday) and local birds included a Cuckoo north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir and a Common Sandpiper still on the dam. Stanford Reservoir again recorded two Cuckoos, two Oystercatchers and a Cetti's Warbler. A Grey Wagtail was at Swanspool, Wellingborough and singles of Hobby were at Hanging Houghton and Harrington Airfield. The New Workings/Whiston Wetlands in the Nene Valley attracted eight adult Avocets plus a single surviving chick from the breeding efforts there. Other birds were the long-staying drake Red-crested Pochard and a Ringed Plover and a Great White Egret. Two Barn Owls were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton in the evening.

Today (Saturday) and there were a series of reports of an Osprey north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir during the day and a Cuckoo was still calling on the reserve. Six Lapwings and a Teal were post-breeding wanderers. Insects included quite a number of Beautiful Demoiselles and there were a variety of butterflies in the meadows plus Chimney Sweeper moths and a Yellow-barred Long-horn moth was noted.

A Glossy Ibis was reported from Summer Leys LNR today and a Little Tern was at Eyebrook Reservoir. Two Ravens were noted at Cogenhoe and odonata at Ringstead Pits included Blue Emperors and Scarce Chasers on Kinewell Lake.

Ringing efforts from Northants Ringing Group volunteers caused eleven Jackdaws, two Stock Doves, six Mallards, eighteen Black-headed Gull chicks and twelve Sand Martins nestlings to be ringed at Pitsford Reservoir. At Stortons Pits forty-four birds were successfully processed of sixteen species including a juvenile Goldcrest, three Sedge Warblers, five Garden Warblers, a Blackcap, three Common Whitethroats, six Reed Warblers, two Cetti's Warblers, four Song Thrushes and four Goldfinches.

At Linford Pits, Milton Keynes Kenny and team had an intensive session which provided sixteen Reed Warbler chicks in four nests and an amazing four new Cuckoos! It was a baby bird boom with lots of young tits, Blackcaps, Treecreepers, Goldfinches and Greenfinches finding themselves briefly in mist nets which helped in resulting in a large total of one hundred and twenty-six birds of twenty species being processed. A Ring-necked Parakeet was heard flying over.

Regards

Neil M

Cuckoos courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Nestling Jackdaw courtesy
of Michelle Spinks.

Chimney Sweeper moth
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Jaeger is competing this
week-end and achieved a
first place today well ahead
of his nearest competitor.