There's a Black Red in Town!!

Yesterday it appeared to be rather quiet with very few birds reported.  Just the Black-necked Grebe in the Pintail Bay, Pitsford Reservoir,  Glossy Ibis at Stanford Reservoir, Bittern and Marsh Harrier at Summer Leys. 

For a while I have suspected that the large mixed flock of buntings and finches that I see regularly at shrike hedge/ blueberry area feed elsewhere as sometimes I see absolutely nothing and a few hours later the area is alive with birds. This was certainly the case yesterday.  My first visit was fruitless with just a handful of birds. So I decided to have a good walk around the fields ( I have permission) and check out some other sunflower strips. All of these other strips yielded a mixture of buntings and finches including quite a few Bramblings.  I think that these birds are covering quite an area in their search for food.   When I returned to shrike hedge/Blueberry in the afternoon the area was full of birds including a Corn Bunting,  15+ Bramblings and a female Merlin hunting her favourite prey item, Skylarks. 

Today we were reminded that you don't have to travel miles to find a good bird, but instead just be aware of the birds which visit your garden.  Tyler Atkinson did just that by spotting a Black Redstart in his garden. A great find. The bird remained in the area of Sandringham Road/Thursby Road and King Edwards Road, Northampton.  This area of town is close to Abington Park which has been put on the birding map thanks to Tyler birding it regularly. 

Today there were 2 Hawfinches in  the churchyard at Blatherwycke.  Hopefully these birds will hang around.  This is a regular wintering site for these birds. It is worth checking out the other known wintering areas of Cottesbrooke and Deene Churchyard as well as looking out for new sites.                                                                                      Other birds reported today include a Short-eared Owl and 2 Stonechats at Nevilles Lodge, Finedon, 7 Crossbills at Bucknell Wood, 3 Glossy Ibis on flooded area near Irchester, a Glossy Ibis at Stanford Reservoir, Black-necked Grebe and Goosander at Pitsford Reservoir, Caspian Gull and 2 Woodcock at Naseby Reservoir and a 1st winter drake Greater Scaup on the Town Lake at Thrapston. 

Regards Eleanor 

Black Redstart today
courtesy of Tyler Atkinson.