Finches on the move

Hello

Warmer conditions and more sunshine were much appreciated by all!

A wander at Harrington Airfield this morning initially looked promising with a weak northerly passage of Meadow Pipits and Siskins on arrival, but the warming conditions probably meant that any later movers were too high to be visible or audible. There were four Golden Plovers on the top fields before being disturbed by a Sparrowhawk and a Raven, with another Raven tucking into a road casualty Pheasant on the Draughton to Lamport road.

Clifford Hill Pits seemed to be the place today with an early morning Wheatear being reported plus the drake Smew still, a Little Ringed Plover, a Cattle Egret (with sheep at the western end), a Redshank, four Oystercatchers and three Goosanders.

The Nene Valley below Cogenhoe and eastwards below Whiston also provided a collection of birds of interest which included a Little Gull, seven White-fronted Geese, a Pink-footed Goose, a Red-crested Pochard and two Shelduck.

The Glossy Ibis was again at Summer Leys LNR as were two Pintail, two Great White Egrets, three Redshanks and five Common Snipe. A pair of Mandarin Ducks were at Barnwell Country Park.

A Marsh Harrier at Cransley Reservoir was a good local record and a Raven was there too. A Great White Egret was north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir and the Great Northern Diver had pushed further south and was off the valve tower at the dam, away from it's usual haunt of The Narrows.

The Brent Goose was still at Eyebrook Reservoir, the Richard's Pipit is still at Newport Pagnell and a Barn Owl was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

A couple of finch movements of note have been recorded by Northants Ringing Group activity as follows:-

1. A juvenile male Goldfinch was ringed at Courteenhall on 12th October 2023 and was caught again by another ringer operating at Ardeamush, Lisdoonvarna, County Clare, Ireland on 19th February this year, a distance of 579km and 496 days later when assessed as an adult male. Very much a westerly movement but where had it wandered to in the meantime?

2. A first year Lesser Redpoll was ringed at Top House Farm, Rawcliffe Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire on 30th October 2023. This bird was caught again at Greens Norton on 22nd February this year when assessed as a male, 481 days later and 169km south of where first ringed.

Regards

Neil M

Map depicting
movement of
the above Goldfinch.

Map depicting
the movement
of the above
Lesser Redpoll.

Maps courtesy of
Nick Wood.

Muntjac courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Mandarin Ducks today
at Barnwell Country Park
courtesy of Jonathan Pitt.

More March sunshine birds

Hello

A little blending of spring migrants and lingering winterers today in beautiful sunny weather.

Two Sand Martins were at Priors Hall Quarry, Corby today, the first reported hirundines in the county this year.

The Brent Goose remains at Eyebrook Reservoir and the White-fronted Geese in the county don't seem to be in any hurry to leave with the two birds still at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and at least four in a field east of Cogenhoe Mill with other birds nearby being a Pink-footed Goose and a Red-crested Pochard.

The drake Smew was still at Clifford Hill Pits today where there was also a Yellow-legged Gull and three Oystercatchers and three Jack Snipe were at Hollowell Reservoir.

Birds at Stortons Pits included several singing Cetti's Warblers and squealing Water Rails, a Chiffchaff and a Grey Wagtail.

Two Barn Owls were again in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today.

Regards

Neil M

Little Egret courtesy
of Jonathan Pitt.

Song Thrush.

Water Rail.

Wandering Great Tits

Hello

A very cold night with sub-zero temperatures gave way to warm sunshine and very pleasant, dry conditions which provided more local butterfly sightings.

The wintering Glossy Ibis was again at Summer Leys LNR today and other birds on-site included two Great White Egrets, six Redshanks, four Oystercatchers and eight Common Snipe.

Other Nene Valley birds included the drake Ring-necked Duck on the Heronry Pit on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston and the drake Smew was still at Clifford Hill Pits. Seven White-fronted Geese were again in the valley east of Cogenhoe Mill at about 12.30pm.

Harrington Airfield today attracted a Jack Snipe, a Short-eared Owl, a Barn Owl and two Ravens. A Great White Egret was north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this morning.

Between six and nine Ravens were at Hanging Houghton today and birds in the Brampton Valley below included a male Peregrine, two Grey Partridges and two Barn Owls. 

Details of two nomadic Great Tits, their movements mapped between the Rockingham Forest Ringing Group and the Northants Ringing Group are as follows:-

1. A first year Great Tit was ringed at Geddington on 26th January 2024 by the RFRG and caught again in Sunderland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate on 2nd March 2025 when assessed as an adult female. Four hundred and one days elapsed between the two captures with this bird moving 14km in a westerly direction;

2. An adult male Great Tit was ringed at Kelmarsh Hall on 14th December 2024 by the NRG and caught again in Corby on 28th February 2025 with this bird having travelled 17km in a ENE direction within 76 days.

Regards

Neil M

Brown Hare.

Dunnock courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Kestrel courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Tor and Jaeger
at Harrington Airfield.

Late winter birds

Hello

Probably a new bird in was a Bittern seen at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this morning heading towards the reed bed on the north-east bank. The two White-fronted Geese were in a field just south-west of the reservoir and a Jack Snipe was at Hollowell Reservoir.

The drake Smew was again at Clifford Hill Pits on the main barrage and at least six White-fronted Geese and a Pink-footed Goose were in the Nene Valley below Cogenhoe with a Red-crested Pochard on the river there. At Summer Leys LNR the Glossy Ibis popped up a couple of times and other birds included a Great White Egret, a Ringed Plover, three to five Redshanks and seven Common Snipe.

The Brent Goose was again at Eyebrook Reservoir today and the drake Ring-necked Duck was again on the Heronry Lake at Titchmarsh LNR this morning.

A Blackcap was in a Northampton garden today and birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton included two Barn Owls, two Ravens and two Green Sandpipers.

Regards

Neil M

Lapwing courtesy
of John Tilly.

Redshank courtesy
of John Tilly.

Drake Teal courtesy
of John Tilly.

Tawny Owl courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Common Frogs.

Sunny Sunday

Hello

More cold temperatures but lots of lovely sunshine today as we appear to be beginning a week of settled dry weather.

A little ringing in Sunderland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate this morning provided some iconic Northamptonshire woodland birds which included a couple of Marsh Tits and two Nuthatches.

At Pitsford Reservoir the Great Northern Diver was still in the Narrows south of the causeway and in the Walgrave Bay there was a Great White Egret with singles of Redpoll and Siskin in Christies Copse.

At Harrington Airfield birds included a Barn Owl, a Woodcock, two Ravens, four Grey Partridges and a smart male Brambling. Further single Barn Owls hunting in daylight conditions were in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth and Hanging Houghton, not a good sign and suggesting they are not finding enough prey during the hours of darkness.

Two Oystercatchers were at Stortons Pits with a Merlin chasing up to a hundred Goldfinches at nearby Sixfields plus two or three Ravens at Hanging Houghton. A Woodcock and a Common Snipe were at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and butterflies included Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell.

The Glossy Ibis was still at Summer Leys LNR today and seven White-fronted Geese were with about two hundred Greylags in the Nene Valley below Cogenhoe close to the working gravel pits.

The drake Smew was again on the main barrage lake at Clifford Hill Pits this morning and a drake remains at Eyebrook Reservoir as does a Brent Goose.

Regards

Neil M

Marsh Tit.

Coal Tit.

Nuthatch.

Images courtesy of
Lewis Aaron.

Sunny first day of March

Hello

A cool, sunny day with no rain was a tonic and many of the longer-staying winter birds were still in situ.

At Pitsford Reservoir the Great Northern Diver was still present south of the causeway, this bird now entering its fifth month of stay and a Barn Owl was in the Scaldwell Bay where there was a pair of Pintail and at least two Great White Egrets.

The Glossy Ibis also continues with it's long stay at Summer Leys LNR where there were also two Oystercatchers and Redpoll and Siskin in the alders by the feeding station.

Also in the Nene Valley at least two White-fronted Geese were in the Whiston/Cogenhoe area, plus a drake Red-crested Pochard, three Chiffchaffs, a Grey Wagtail, two Egyptian Geese, three Shelducks, two Oystercatchers and a Green Sandpiper.

A Shelduck, two Oystercatchers, two Great White Egrets and a Chiffchaff were at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows LNR and a drake Smew remains at Clifford Hill Pits.

Ravensthorpe Reservoir continued to attract the two White-fronted Geese plus a Grey Wagtail and a Chiffchaff. A Hawfinch was near the Playing Fields at Cottesbrooke again this morning and Grey Wagtails were at Kelmarsh, Lamport and Brixworth. Ravens were at Brixworth (three), Hanging Houghton (two), Walgrave (two) and Kelmarsh.

A Barn Owl was at Harrington Airfield and in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and Eyebrook Reservoir hosted a Brent Goose and a drake Smew.

Yesterday evening I returned from a five day tour in south France to see Wallcreeper and the birds of the Camargue and a page/tab has been created for images from this short stint entitled 'Wallcreepers & the Camargue Feb 2025'. We were fortunate to see two different Wallcreepers and an excellent variety of birds and other wildlife.

Regards

Neil M

Redshank courtesy
of Phil West.

Great Tit courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Blue Tit courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Glossy Ibis courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Right place at the right time.

Sometimes it is all about being in the " right place at the right time ".  Thursdays are one of my busiest days with little time for birding.  My early morning circuit produced very little although I noticed a return of the passerines around shrike hedge area ( between Hanging Houghton and Cottesbrooke) so I wasn't surprised to hear that Stephen had seen a Merlin in the area.                                        I took my two collies to Turvey for an intensive training session which left me feeling quite peckish.  I had noticed a sign for a farm shop/cafe on my drive to the venue,  so a complete spur of the moment decision found me turning off the A428 and taking the country road from Yardley Hastings to Olney and Pastures Farm Shop( highly recommended) I had already seen numerous Buzzards and Kites dotted around and I noted a bird sitting in a roadside tree ahead of me. At the time I saw it I subconsciously realised that it was something different . Thankfully it was quiet on the road so I was able to drive very slowly past it and my jaw dropped as I realised that I was looking at a Goshawk.  I was able to park a short distance away and watch the bird before she dropped off the tree and flew towards Yardley Hastings.  She was simply awesome and I had forgotten just how big the female of this species is.

This afternoon/evening I decided to leave my walk until as late as possible.  My intention was to get to a good vantage point to watch the alignment of Planets. I had witnessed this spectacle earlier in the week and wanted to experience it again.  However the cloud cover remained stubborn and thwarted my attempts,  but hopefully tomorrow night will be better.  It is definitely worth trying to see this event as it will be 2040 before the planets align in this way again.     From my vantage point I was scanning the valley/ shrike hedge area and picked up a Short Eared Owl and Barn Owl out hunting.  I couldn't tell whether it is my usual Short-eared but I haven't seen it in its usual field since the weekend. Just before it got dark 2 Green Sandpipers were flying around,  their evocative calls against the backdrop of beautiful sky.

Yesterday there was an Avocet for a short while at Summer Leys.  The Greater Scaup and Glossy Ibis remain at Summer Leys and 6 White Fronted Geese were at Cogenhoe Mill.       Today the adult Little Gull and 2 White Fronted Geese were again at Ravensthorpe Reservoir,  Jack Snipe and 5 Stonechats at Hollowell Reservoir,  drake Smew at Clifford Hill GP, 7 White Fronted Geese near Cogenhoe Mill and a Ruddy Shelduck at Winwick Pools.

Regards Eleanor 

We have enjoyed two bright and breezy days and it has been so nice to see blue skies and sunshine. Already the gardens are bursting into colour as the "spring " flowers are emerging. I even saw 2 Brimstone butterflies today.               Birds seem to be pretty static with the Glossy Ibis and Greater Scaup at Summer Leys,  Cattle Egrets at Stanwick GP,  drake Smew at Clifford Hill GP and 2 White Fronted Geese at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and a further 6 near Cogenhoe Mill.  The stunning adult winter plumage Little Gull has been showing well at Ravensthorpe Reservoir whilst at nearby Hollowell Reservoir the 2 Jack Snipe and Stonechats remain.  A few Red Crested Pochards are dotted around the county at Daventry CP,  Clifford Hill, Ravensthorpe Reservoir and Whiston Lock area.

Regards Eleanor 

Wet and blustery Sunday

Hello

A blustery and ultimately wet day which provided a couple of fresh birds locally.

The Glossy Ibis was still at Summer Leys LNR but a drake Scaup was a new addition there today. 

A lingering adult Little Gull at Ravensthorpe Reservoir was a good local record for the time of the year and birds at Pitsford Reservoir were a single Great White Egret in the Scaldwell Bay and a Woodcock and two Siskins at Christies Copse in the Walgrave Bay.

A Raven was in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth and two Green Sandpipers and a Barn Owl were in the valley below Hanging Houghton. The Short-eared Owl remained faithful to a private area near Maidwell.

At least four White-fronted Geese were still in the Nene Valley east of Cogenhoe Mill this afternoon and two Grey Partridges and fifty Redwings were at Harrington Airfield.

Regards

Neil M

Rook.

Linnet.

Woodpigeon.

It's that time of the year!

A sunny and mild winter's day

Hello

Locally perhaps the most pleasant weather day of the year with mild temperatures, low wind speeds and plenty of sunshine. There were numerous sightings in the county of butterflies on the wing including Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral and Brimstone.

Birdwise nothing new of particular interest was found but long-stayers included the Glossy Ibis at Summer Leys LNR again, up to nine White-fronted Geese and a Pink-footed Goose in meadows in the Nene Valley below Cogenhoe and Whiston and the drake Smew was still at Clifford Hill Pits.

After an absence the single Short-eared Owl turned up on private land near Maidwell this morning and a Woodcock was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell. At least one Raven was very noisy at Hanging Houghton today and two Reed Buntings were taking seed in the garden. A singing Chiffchaff was in a Scaldwell village garden.

In Bucks the Richard's Pipit remains at Newport Pagnell.

Regards

Neil M

Refurbished and reinstated
Tawny Owl boxes on the
Kelmarsh Estate.

Blue Tit courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Robin courtesy of
Kenny Cramer.

 Mostly under the radar many of these
birds are moving around
as winter relinquishes it's
grip and spring draws nearer. 

Brown Hare at
Harrington Airfield.

Early signs of spring

Hello

A wander around Harrington Airfield this morning provided some migrants in the shape of Linnets, Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits plus seventy Redwings. A smart leucistic Woodpigeon was the only other bird of note.

A drake Smew was at Clifford Hill Pits today and another drake Smew and the first winter drake Scaup were at Eyebrook Reservoir.

To the south of the county the Richard's Pipit was still near Newport Pagnell.

At Summer Leys LNR the Glossy Ibis again put in an appearance near the feeding station and other birds included two Great White Egrets, three Oystercatchers, about a hundred Golden Plovers, five Common Snipe and a Yellow-legged Gull.

At Pitsford Reservoir a second calendar year Yellow-legged Gull was in the gull roost, five Siskins were at Salcey Forest, a Raven was near Hanging Houghton, two Grey Wagtails were in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth and a Woodcock was in the valley below Lamport.

The rapidly rising temperature has already provided a bloom of water fleas in our main garden pond plus six frogs and a couple of Common Newts.

Regards

Neil M

Common Frog.

Common Newt.

Grey Wagtail.

Woodcock.

Mild, wet and windy!

Hello

The first mild day for a long while and of course wind and rain with it! Birds were more vocal and chasing each other around more today and we even have a frog in our garden pond.

A quieter day than yesterday but the shift in the weather provides an opportunity for movement and a male Black Redstart was seen briefly at farm buildings in Creaton today.

The Glossy Ibis was still probing at Summer Leys LNR today and other birds there included a Curlew and two Goosanders.

At least two White-fronted Geese were in the Nene valley below Cogenhoe/Whiston Wetlands again today.

Two adult Yellow-legged Gulls, two Oystercatchers and a Grey Wagtail were by the dam at Pitsford Reservoir late morning.

Three Yellowhammers remain in our garden with the Chaffinch flock and in line with other garden watchers we have been seeing up to three Reed Buntings feeding on seed. Sadly yet another Common Buzzard was a road casualty near Lamport today but on one of the minor roads as opposed to the busy A508.

Regards

Neil M

Oystercatcher at Summer Leys LNR
courtesy of Phil West.

Long-tailed Tits courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.

Great Crested Grebe and 
Black-headed Gull courtesy
of Jonathan Pitt.

Lesser Redpoll.

The secret life of the Water Rail

Hello

The Northants Ringing Group project in the Nene Valley to better understand the breeding habits of Water Rails, one of our more secretive and poorly-known birds, has faced many challenges which have been mostly overcome by the project leader. Today the dedicated team were successful in catching five Water Rails, four of which were new to the project. They and a Moorhen that was also caught were ringed and colour-ringed so that their habits and behaviour as monitored by cameras can be assessed without the need to catch them again. These birds will soon contemplate breeding and every effort has been made to successfully gender and age the ringed birds with a view to witnessing the pairings and subsequent outcomes. Images of some of these birds from today are depicted below.

New birds sighted in the county today were rather restricted but a Bittern perched up in trees at Daventry Country Park was not anticipated and an excellent local record away from the Nene Valley. A female Red-crested Pochard was also present.

Combining bird feeding and birding is a daily thing for us and a visit to Harrington Airfield this afternoon to feed the birds also provided sightings of the Short-eared Owl with the distinctive patch on the wing, a Barn Owl, two Woodcock, seven Grey Partridges, two Ravens and twenty-five Golden Plovers. Earlier a 'ringtail' Hen Harrier flew from the Blueberry Farm area near Maidwell towards Cottesbrooke.

At Summer Leys LNR today the Glossy Ibis again put in an appearance as did a Snipe, a Great White Egret, a fly-over Curlew, three Oystercatchers and a Grey Wagtail.

Further west and the valley below Cogenhoe provided for seven White-fronted Geese, a Pink-footed Goose and a Siberian Chiffchaff (by overflow bridge K121).

Hollowell Reservoir today yielded three Jack Snipe, six Common Snipe and three Stonechats.

A Raven was at Hanging Houghton, the Marsh Harrier was still at the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Pits and a Grey Wagtail, three Lesser Redpolls and a couple of Siskins were in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth.

Neil Hasdell has kindly updated the map for Pitsford Reservoir reflecting the recent changes on-site and the new map has been added to the Birdwatching Sites tab/page.

Regards

Neil M

Water Rails.

Moorhen.

 Above images
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Kestrel with an aerial
view courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

A second calendar year
male Sparrowhawk caught
and ringed today.

Ditchford WeBS count

Hello

A cold start but again sunshine and blue skies made it a great day to be out providing you added the layers!

Today a WeBS count was completed at Ditchford Pits and breeding Cormorants and Grey Herons were already on nests. Birds east of Ditchford Lane included a Jack Snipe, twenty-eight Common Snipe, four Great White Egrets, two Water Rails, two Grey Wagtails, two Chiffchaffs, three Cetti's Warblers, four Redpolls, twelve Siskins and two Bramblings.

The best birds west of Ditchford Lane were four more Great White Egrets, another Jack Snipe, eight Common Snipe, an Oystercatcher, a couple of Cetti's Warblers and a pair of Stonechats. Kingfishers and Goosanders were conspicuously missing again.

The remains of a Barn Owl was in the carriageway of the A508 just north of Maidwell village.

A Richard's Pipit not far from Newport Pagnell in Bucks was a surprise but just goes to show what can be wintering locally! Two Peregrines were on town centre buildings in Market Harborough today and just one Smew was reported from Eyebrook Reservoir.

In the Nene Valley the Glossy Ibis was seen again this morning at Summer Leys LNR where there were also four Great White Egrets, a Shelduck, two Oystercatchers and nine Common Snipe and a Siberian Chiffchaff and six White-fronted Geese were in the Cogenhoe Mill area with the Chiffchaff not far from Bridge K121 at the stream outflow. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was at nearby Whiston Wetlands.

The two wintering White-fronted Geese were still present at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today and birds at Lilbourne Water Meadows included a Common Snipe, a Shelduck and two Oystercatchers. Two Redpolls were still visiting Steve's garden at Brixworth.

A Grey Wagtail was in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth, a Raven was at Scotland Wood, a Siskin was at Kelmarsh Hall and two Ravens were at Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Oystercatcher.

Shelduck.

Glossy Ibis.

All images taken at
Summer Leys LNR
today courtesy of
Tony Stanford.