Bank Holiday Monday

Hello

A warm and sunny day is rather unusual for a Bank Holiday, it would seem that more unsettled weather will follow this week.

At Stanford Reservoir yesterday four hundred birds were ringed including three Common Redstarts and seven Grasshopper Warblers. Other birds noted on-site were a Common Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper, two Kingfishers and three Spotted Flycatchers.

Today and a total of four hundred and sixty-three birds were newly ringed which included a male Pied Flycatcher. Birds seen there included a Black Tern this afternoon, a Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, four Spotted Flycatchers, a Cetti's Warbler, a Kingfisher and a Hobby.

At Pitsford Reservoir this morning there was a Marsh Harrier and two Ospreys north of the causeway and the waders in the Scaldwell Bay amounted to a Wood Sandpiper, five Ruff, at least four Greenshanks and at least six Common Snipe. At the dam-end of the reservoir the best birds located were six Yellow-legged Gulls (one juvenile), a Common Sandpiper, a Grey Wagtail and two Kingfishers.

The male Pied Flycatcher at Gamboro' Plantation showed again today and there were still a small party of Spotted Flycatchers in the same bushes/trees and a Common Redstart.

At Blueberry Farm, Maidwell migrants included three Common Redstarts, two Whinchats, a Wheatear and six fly-over Crossbills. Five Whinchats and a Common Redstart were at shrike hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and just five Spotted Flycatchers were at Lamport Hall today.

Harrington Airfield hosted two Common Redstarts (between Bunkers One and Two) plus a Raven and two Common Swifts over. Two Common Redstarts and several Clouded Yellows were still visible from the footpath that commences at Bridle Road, Old village and traverses behind Cherry Hill and Walgrave villages.

Five Spotted Flycatchers and twenty Common Swifts were at Towcester today and six Common Swifts were seen over Delapre Abbey, Northampton.

Four Knot were at Clifford Hill Pits this morning plus three Common Sandpipers, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Barnacle Goose. A Spotted Redshank was at Summer Leys LNR plus a Ruff, a Green Sandpiper, three Common Sandpipers, a Greenshank and a Wood Sandpiper, four Egyptian Geese, two Great White Egrets, a Hobby and a Water Rail.

Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits provided views of three Black-tailed Godwits and a Cattle Egret.

Regards

Neil M

Spotted Redshank at Summer Leys LNR
today courtesy of Dave Jackson.

Marsh Tit courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Mallard courtesy of
John Tilly.

Great Spotted Woodpecker
courtesy of Tony Stanford.