First day of August

Hello

A cooler day with some quite aggressive showers in the middle.

A ringing session at Harrington Airfield was a five hour affair before the rain hit with the intention of returning tomorrow and finishing off the session. Sixty birds were processed in that time with Linnet and Common Whitethroat being the most common species encountered. Some of the Common Whitethroats were adults in full moult and barely able to fly whereas the majority of the Linnets were fresh juveniles probably only having left the nest during the last two weeks.

A juvenile Marsh Harrier was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning with the party of Spotted Flycatchers there still this evening.

Another Marsh Harrier paid Stanford Reservoir a brief visit today and there were four Ravens there.

The female Ruddy Shelduck was again at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today and at Hollowell Reservoir there was a mobile Crossbill and two Dunlin. A Greenshank and two Common Sandpipers were in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir. Two Common Redstarts were at Firetail Covert, Cold Ashby.

A Bittern and an Osprey were photographed at Titchmarsh Reserve, Thrapston Pits yesterday and today a juvenile Mediterranean Gull took centre stage there with a Great White Egret and a Common Sandpiper too.

Two Barnacle Geese, a Common Sandpiper and a Little Ringed Plover were at Clifford Hill Pits this morning and at Summer Leys LNR there were two Great White Egrets, two Egyptian Geese, a Green Sandpiper and at least six Wasp Spiders on show.

Regards

Neil M

Harrington Airfield sunrise.

Juvenile Yellowhammer
courtesy of Peter Walmsley.

Juvenile male Linnet
courtesy of Peter Walmsley.

Wasp Spider courtesy
of Tony Stanford.