Mid-winter birding

Hello

As we come towards the end of January we seem to have experienced a real variety of weather during the first month of the year. It's not always easy for us to adapt to changing temperatures and terrain, goodness only knows how the wildlife achieves it! It always amazes me how a barren winter-scape comes alive when the temperatures go up and insects come out from nowhere and the birds begin to sing!

For anyone living in the NN6 post code in Northamptonshire it's been like WW3 with the amount of Pheasant shooting - on seemingly all the surrounding estates and farmland and on almost a daily basis somewhere no matter the weather. With the pheasant shooting concluding at the end of the month I look forward to the relative peace of the countryside without shotguns going off constantly.

A relatively quiet day in the county today but the Wellingborough Glossy Ibis performed again at The Embankment water-logged fields.

A flock of twenty plus Crossbills entertained at Wakerley Wood today, about three quarters of a mile along the main track from the car park next to a seat by an oak tree. Six Crossbills were also found at Harlestone Heath together with about thirty Redpolls and a Great White Egret (the latter next to the flooded brook at the north west edge of the complex).

A Marsh Harrier was at Summer Leys LNR where also eight Common Snipe, thirty Golden Plovers and a Kingfisher.

Several Bramblings and a Stonechat were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton near to shrike hedge, plus about a hundred each of Chaffinch, Linnet and Goldfinch.

Some bird ringing took place at Stortons Pits yesterday culminating in about sixty-five captures, a session organised specifically for three Trainees to gain some important practice of bird handling, ring application and the complexities of ageing, identification of gender and the confusing world of moult (not confusing for the birds but the coding is for the more simple-minded ringers amongst us)! Hopefully a similar session will take place at Pitsford Reservoir this Sunday.

Regards

Neil M

Hard at work, three ringing Trainees supported
by a scribe, a mist net extractor and a supervisor
at Stortons Pits yesterday.

Image courtesy of Chris Payne.

Pheasants.

Garden birds with Blue Tit
and Long-tailed Tits depicted
by Jim Dunkley.