Common Redstarts and a few other things

Hello

Although I have seen plenty of them in Asia, the lure of the Long-tailed Shrike only one hour and forty minutes away on the Gloucestershire/Oxfordshire border was too strong and I succumbed with an early morning visit with Neil H. Despite very dull conditions the bird performed admirably and is the subject of the video clip below courtesy of Neil H. An adult male Common Redstart there was a bonus bird.

In Northamptonshire today the adult Black-necked Grebe was still in West Bay, Daventry Country Park.

The Ruddy Shelduck was still at Stanford Reservoir where also three Green Sandpipers.

The two Garganey were still on the wader scrape at Summer Leys LNR where also a juvenile Little Ringed Plover.

Two Common Redstarts and a Common Sandpiper were at Clifford Hill Pits and a lunchtime visit to Pitsford Reservoir in the vicinity of the Old Scaldwell Road provided one or two Osprey(s), four Great White Egrets, a Greenshank and a Common Redstart. A Spotted Flycatcher was at Pitsford quarry woods.

The female Red-crested Pochard was north of the causeway at Ravensthorpe Reservoir plus a Common Sandpiper and the brood of six Gadwall.

Four Common Redstarts were at Honey Hill, Cold Ashby and four more were in the Blueberry Farm, Maidwell area where flocking birds included at least two Spotted Flycatchers and common warblers.

This afternoon at Harrington Airfield there were at least three Common Redstarts plus a juvenile Marsh Harrier, a Hobby and a pair of Grey Partridge with eight small chicks.

This evening two Whinchats and a juvenile Marsh Harrier were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton near to shrike hedge where also a female Grey Partridge was chaperoning ten half-grown chicks.

Regards

Neil M

Ruddy Darter.

Female Banded Demoiselle.