Rare wader imminent?

Hello

Stanford Reservoir today continued to host a Bittern plus a Greenshank, two Common Sandpipers, a Mandarin Duck, a Hobby and three Cetti's Warblers.

Pitsford Reservoir was scoured today with rare waders appearing all around the country and following a mystery wader heard calling there after dark last night, but nothing unusual was located. The low water levels and expansive mud is proving popular with Teal, Shoveler, loafing gulls and Lapwings and in amongst them and the flock of Pied Wagtails were at least twenty-four Ringed Plovers, a Little Ringed Plover, a Dunlin, a Common Snipe, a Common Sandpiper and a Greenshank. Being such an awkward shape you can never be sure that there isn't something lurking in one of the bays at Pitsford, but it is the Scaldwell Bay that attracts many of the waders.

Standing over the smaller birds there were eleven stately Great White Egrets either fishing the shallows or standing in a group with the Grey Herons, making it relatively easy to count them. The terns have slipped away but a variety of gulls are lingering including a well-marked juvenile Caspian Gull, at least two Yellow-legged Gulls and still several Great Black-backed Gulls bullying everything else in order to consume dead fish in the water. Two Stonechats were by the Sand Martin hut, at least five Pintail were in amongst the Wigeon, Gadwall and Mallard and three Shelduck including an adult were mobile. A Wheatear was on the dam this evening.

A family of Hobby remain (surprisingly) still in situ at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell where still a fine male Common Redstart. A Stonechat was at Upton Country Park and a Whinchat was at Clifford Hill Pits plus a Ringed Plover, a Common Sandpiper and eight Barnacle Geese.

The Osprey was again at Earls Barton New Workings where also a Green Sandpiper, and two Hobbies were seen at Summer Leys LNR.

A Black-tailed Godwit and a Ringed Plover were at Boddington Reservoir and six Ringed Plovers remained at Hollowell Reservoir.

A pod of seventeen Long-finned Pilot Whales were a long way up the River Thames today and I very much hope they U-turn before coming to any grief!

News surfaced of a Manx Shearwater taken into care after being found in a Crick garden last Friday.

Regards

Neil M

Stonechat at Upton Country Park today
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Drake Gadwall.

Clouded Yellow at Pitsford Reservoir today.