Ringing the migrants

Hello

More ringing at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes yesterday evening and again this morning provided one hundred and twenty-eight captures of eighteen species, with one hundred and twenty of the birds newly-ringed.

Yesterday evening was good with fourteen Swallows, two Sand Martins and a Barn Owl!

Today and the highlight was a Spotted Flycatcher, a rare capture in mist nets. A total of forty-three Blackcaps was also good and six rather late Willow Warblers, seventeen Chiffchaffs, five Sedge Warblers, four Reed Warblers, a Cetti's Warbler, a Treecreeper, a Kingfisher and three Reed Buntings.

A much more modest ringing period at Pitsford Reservoir this morning yielded forty-five birds with the highlights being three Meadow Pipits, two Pied Wagtails, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler, five Blackcaps and four Reed Buntings. Two lively Otters were seen at dawn as they cavorted around the Scaldwell Bay. The birds seen included eleven Great White Egrets, a Black-tailed Godwit, twelve Ringed Plovers, a Little Ringed Plover, a Turnstone, two Yellow-legged Gulls and a couple of Grey Wagtails. A Barn Owl was nearby

This evening there were at least six Yellow-legged Gulls off the dam plus the five Egyptian Geese and an unidentified 'sawbill' duck way off in the distance in the Pintail Bay - the appalling light and rain negated an identification!

A Turnstone was at Daventry Country Park plus a first year Caspian Gull briefly and the Ferruginous Duck was seen at Stanford Reservoir plus a Ringed Plover, two Common Sandpipers, a Common Snipe, a Water Rail, a Hobby, one hundred and twenty-five Shovelers and a hundred Cormorants.

An adult Caspian Gull was at Naseby Reservoir again plus a Ringed Plover, five Common Snipe, two Common Sandpipers and a Redpoll flying over.

A walk around Harrington Airfield provided a Tree Pipit, a Common Redstart and a Wheatear plus a Peregrine and four Ravens over and the mostly white Common Buzzard which was around last winter.

One Common Redstart was off the footpath next to the lucerne fields close to Cherry Hill and Walgrave. Clouded Yellow butterflies are well-spread and numerous and include the white 'helice' forms and also the pale, almost brownish variants which may be a different species.

Two Peregrines were atop the steeple at St Dionyslus church in Market Harborough town centre despite a wedding there and lots of noisy bells!

The only record from the Nene Valley today was an Osprey at Thrapston Pits plus two Pintail, three Common Sandpipers and a Greenshank all on the Titchmarsh reserve.

Regards

Neil M

Barn Owl.

Sedge Warbler.

Spotted Flycatcher.

Images courtesy of
Kenny Cramer.