Barred Warbler

Hello

The ringers at Stanford Reservoir struck gold again this morning as the senior ringer there extracted a juvenile Barred Warbler from the nets. It was duly processed and released on The Point but wasn't reportedly seen again. This is a long-awaited addition to the Northamptonshire list and it was always predicted that it would turn up in a mist net! Images of this bird in the hand can be found at stanfordrg.blogspot.com under Sightings: 2025.

A Bittern was discovered during the subsequent search for the Barred Warbler and other birds on-site included the Ruff still and four Common Sandpipers.

Perhaps everywhere else was a little mundane in comparison but the Hen Harrier was seen early this morning in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton again, still quartering fields to the east of the track to Cottesbrooke. A Whinchat was near to 'shrike hedge' for most of the day.

Nearby three Common Redstarts in a hedge near Blueberry Farm gave the impression they had just arrived and five Hobbies remain in the general area.

At Pitsford Reservoir this morning there were good numbers of House Martins and Swallows feeding over the water in the cool, breezy conditions and birds north of the causeway included a Wood Sandpiper still, three Ruff, nine Greenshanks and two Snipe plus eight Great White Egrets. Five Yellow-legged Gulls at the dam-end of the reservoir this evening were joined by five Great Black-backed Gulls and a juvenile Caspian Gull or a hybrid. A Common Sandpiper was there too.

A juvenile Arctic Tern was briefly at Naseby Reservoir this morning and more static birds were three Ringed Plovers, two Greenshanks, two Green Sandpipers, eight Common Sandpipers and later an adult Caspian Gull.

A juvenile Marsh Harrier and a Common Redstart were at Harrington Airfield early this afternoon, a Ruff was at Boddington Reservoir and a Greenshank and a Green Sandpiper were at the Earls Barton New Workings on the south section.

Stanwick Pits pulled in a Marsh Harrier, a Ringed Plover, two Common Sandpipers and two Yellow-legged Gulls, and a Ruff and two Common Sandpipers were at Clifford Hill Pits. Birds at Summer Leys LNR included two Great White Egrets, a Greenshank, a Green Sandpiper, two Common Sandpipers and a Common Snipe.

Regards

Neil M

Great White Egret.

Greenfinch.

Chiffchaffs.

Above images courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Harvest sunset (last week) over 
the wheat fields between Brixworth
and Hanging Houghton.