Weather-driven birds

Hello

A short reprieve in the weather but we'll have to see what Storm Goretti delivers!

The drake Ring-necked Duck was found again today on Town Lake, Thrapston Pits, with a female Greater Scaup in close attendance.

At Pitsford Reservoir at least nine European White-fronted Geese were still present in fields behind Catwalk Bay, the sometimes elusive Slavonian Grebe was again in Pintail Bay where also a 'redhead' Smew, a Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper, with a Goosander north of the causeway and an adult Yellow-legged Gull north of the dam.

At Stanwick Pits the Tundra Bean Goose was still with ten European White-fronted Geese at North Lake where also a Merlin was seen.

Approximately sixty European White-fronted Geese remain at Stanford Reservoir plus six Goosanders, three hundred Fieldfares, three Great White Egrets, a Peregrine, two Kingfishers, a Common Snipe and a Chiffchaff. A German colour-ringed Common Gull was also seen there and another individual similarly-marked seems to be wintering at Pitsford Reservoir.

At Gamboro' Plantation this morning (between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton), finches included four Crossbills, two Bramblings, two or three Redpolls and fifteen Siskins. Hundreds of winter thrushes arrived in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon - birds being pushed around by hard winter weather elsewhere.

Eighteen Ring-necked Parakeets have been recorded in recent days, feeding on bird food in a garden in Weston Favell, Northampton!

Regards

Neil M

Ring-necked Parakeet.

Wren.

Drake Shoveler.

All images courtesy of Dave Jackson.