Still trying to avoid the showers!

Hello

The Brampton Valley between Northampton and Market Harborough tends to attract hunting Barn Owls along it's length. With regular anecdotal reports from Kingsthorpe Meadows and the Merry Tom Lane area. The birds hunting the fields, dykes and headlands below Hanging Houghton have continued to be active the last couple of days. Lets us hope that their breeding efforts this year will be much better than last year which on the whole was very poor. 

At Pitsford Reservoir a hunting Barn Owl was active south of the causeway yesterday evening; today a drake Red-crested Pochard was noted near to the Maytrees Hide at the neck of the Scaldwell Bay.

A reeling Grasshopper Warbler remains at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) this evening where there was also a pair of Grey Partridge. Several more Grey Partridges (including calling birds) were at Harrington Airfield again today but sadly there was no sign of any chicks.

A ringing session at Stortons Pits today was curtailed because of rain, but the four ringers on-site did well to catch and process sixty birds prior to 9am, forty-seven of them being new birds and thirteen re-traps including a Reed Warbler ringed from a site elsewhere.

Regards

Neil M

Stock Dove.

Woodpigeon.

Still plenty of birds coming for
food in our garden including
doves and pigeons!

Dodging the rain!

Hello

Yesterday evening I returned from a eight day trip to the Central French Pyrenees, an extremely pretty area with lots of impressive mountains, stunning alpine meadows, an amazing variety of plant life and flowers and of course alpine birds and other creatures too!

Today I assisted at a community project on the Brampton Valley Way at Kingsthorpe aimed at inspiring people of all ages and abilities to appreciate and understand aspects of the natural world. This was led by Jenny Flude a Forest School leader and volunteer wildlife ranger and supported by members of the Wildlife Trust for BCN, volunteer conservationists, Dave from Northamptonshire Walks and Sustrans (owners of the land and a charitable organisation aimed at helping people to walk and cycle).

We managed a weather window permitting a steady stream of visitors of all ages between 11am and 3pm and provided a variety of educational and skills learning options associated with our natural world specifically but not exclusively in this part of Northamptonshire.

Yesterday Chris Payne, fresh from more adventures on the adopted island of Skokholm, checked a Tawny Owl box in South Northamptonshire which he knew was being used for a late breeding attempt. The two fledgling chicks were in fine fettle and were duly ringed and hopefully will fledge and catch up in life very soon (and hopefully after it has stopped raining)!

Regards

Neil M

Images from the event on
the Brampton Valley Way
today...

Tawny Owls
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Although I have been out and about things seem to pretty quiet on the birding front. But this is also the time of year when the "mega" is likely to turn up, so keep those eyes sharply focussed and ears finely tuned and who knows what might turn up !!
Despite the weather today has been one of my best days for a while. Nothing rare but simply good views of both a hunting Barn Owl and Peregrine Falcon.  At Blueberry there was a reeling Grasshopper Warbler which was also sitting out in full view.
A visit to Harrington Airfield was quite productive with a Turtle Dove and a family of very young Grey Partridge.  The rain certainly didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the many Willow Warblers who were in full song and I'm sure competing among themselves to see who could sing the loudest !!
Quite a few Bee Orchids and Common Spotted Orchids out in bloom but I don't think that there are as many as previous years.
Our garden continues to attract a good number and variety of birds and I cannot keep up with the amount of food they are getting through.  Several male Yellowhammers spent the afternoon in the garden.
We had a pair of Pied Wagtails nest successfully in the ivy and for the last week the young and adults have been feeding in the garden or nearby. My heart has been in my mouth on many occassions whilst I have watched the youngsters sitting out in the open and looking very vulnerable and oblivious to the many dangers around.  Sadly this afternoon Mr Sparrowhawk took one of the youngsters from the garden. I was so cross with him, but that is the harsh reality of life. No doubt he has his own youngsters to feed, but why did he have to take "my" little Pied Wagtail. !!!

Regards Eleanor

Pitsford CES ringing.

Hello

A ringing session at Pitsford Reservoir today in the Scaldwell Bay provided 82 captures; these early Constant Effort Sessions (CES) seem to indicate that so far it has been a reasonably productive spring for early and first brood locally breeding passerines.

Dave Frances, Helen Franklin and Gill and Richard Watts were the team today and they processed sixteen species made up of a Kingfisher, two Lesser Whitethroats, three Reed Warblers, eleven Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, a Marsh Tit, five Long-tailed Tits, eighteen Great Tits, sixteen Blue Tits, two Song Thrushes, two Blackbirds, seven Wrens, five Dunnocks, five Robins and two Bullfinches.

Most nest boxes are quiet now but the Pitsford boxes have housed about seven hundred young tits this spring, nearly all of them Blue Tits and Great Tits!

Regards

Neil M

Blue Tit on nest.

Juvenile Robin.

Marsh Tit.

Great Tit
brooding nestlings.

All images courtesy
of Chris Payne.

Provence in April.

Hello

I have been fortunate to have spent quite a bit of time out in the South of France this spring, all within the Provence area and including excursions into the Camargue. The following images depict some of the wildlife we encountered during the initial trip which was eight days straddling the third and fourth week of April...

Regards

Neil M

Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth.

Short-toed Eagle.

Western Bonelli's Warbler.

Montagu's Harrier.

Scarce Swallowtail.

Western Green Lizard.

Marsh Frog.

Wild Daffodil.

Camargue White Horse.

Corn Bunting.

Greater Flamingo.

Birds of early June

Hello

Yesterday (Tuesday) and bits and pieces locally included a Raven overflying the A508 near Great Oxendon and still a good collection of birds in and around the garden at Hanging Houghton such as Yellowhammers and Goldfinches coming to food and a good variety of raptors overhead.

After the rain eventually passed over, I popped down to Pitsford Reservoir for the last hour and a half of daylight. A Cuckoo was calling from The Point area. A large hatch of insects created a feeding bonanza for the Common Terns, Swifts and hirundines and a Hobby hawked for a long period of time over the Scaldwell Bay as watched from the Bird Club hide. This super falcon came close once or twice by which time it was almost dark...no good for photos but very atmospheric!

Today (Wednesday) and a pair of Grey Partridge, a Cuckoo and a Barn Owl were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and two noisy Ravens flew over Hockerhill Farm near Mears Ashby.

Regards

Neil M

The Pitsford Hobby.

Bieszczady!

Hello

A few images originating from south east Poland following an eight day trip to the Bieszczady National Park and surround in March/April this year...

Neil M

Willow Tit.

Marsh Tit.

Both Marsh and Willow Tits
are much colder and greyer than
their British counterparts.
 The Willow Tits in particular
 have quite a different song. In SE
Poland both species occupy the same
habitat and are regularly together,
the Willow Tit being the more numerous.

Long-tailed Tit. Most birds
in this part of the world are of
the white-headed form.

Roe Deer. Buck above and
Doe below (almost rhymes)!

European Beaver activity!

Drake Goosander.

White Stork.

Camberwell Beauty butterfly.

Fledging success!

Hello

The list of local birds is predicatively a little repetitive now as spring migration peters out...

The adult male Peregrine was again in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning as was a hunting Barn Owl. Later in the day, the on-territory Spotted Flycatcher along the Brampton Valley Way north of Draughton Crossing was found still singing and strutting his stuff! Two pairs of Grey Partridge were noted at Harrington Airfield this evening.

The brood of Blue Tits in our garden nest box finally fledged at the week-end, it seems that all seven made it out!

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Blue Tits -
their first flight!

Sunset at HH.

Summer Barn Owls

Hello

Yesterday (Saturday) and a walk at Harrington Airfield in sunny conditions brought forth a number of butterflies, Common Blue and Small Heath being by far the most numerous. So far the orchids there are providing a very poor showing but maybe the rain forecast for this coming week may spur them on. At least one pair of Grey Partridge were still present but no young noticed yet (they tend to be late breeders at this site), and Burnet Companion was identified among the day-flying moths.

Other birds locally for yesterday included an adult male Peregrine hunting the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and it was seen to catch a small passerine (possibly a Yellowhammer). The low water levels at Ravensthorpe Reservoir look attractive for waders but yesterday the shoreline was dominated by people sunning themselves on sun loungers!! There are quite a few failed breeding Lapwings about now and I'm sure there will be a returning Green Sandpiper any day now.

A singing Spotted Flycatcher at Kentle Wood near Daventry was the only bird of note there yesterday. An Osprey was seen flying over Brixworth on it's way to Pitsford Reservoir and another was seen at Hollowell Reservoir again, together with four Little Ringed Plovers (record courtesy of Alan Coles).

Regular Barn Owls are being seen in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and also at the Summer Leys reserve at Earls Barton, often showing early morning and again late afternoon/evening.

Regards

Neil M

Barn Owl at Summer
Leys courtesy of
John Tilly.

Northants Bird Club Indoor Meeting 5th June

Hello

On Wednesday 5th June it is the next indoor meeting of the Northants Bird Club at the Fishing Lodge, Pitsford Reservoir. This month the speaker is local naturalist and club member Jeff Blincow who has been supporting the club for years.

Jeff will be presenting one of his favourite talks, 'Rockpooling'! A couple of times this has been on the programme as our one non bird talk per year but finally we are now to hear Jeff pouring over the thrills and spills of what goes on in our rock pools! Jeff is a excellent speaker and his talk comes highly recommended!

The meeting starts at 7.30pm with a few notices and a short update on the recent club trip to the Camargue and then it is over to Jeff. Hot drinks and biscuits will be available during the evening and everyone is welcome!

Regards

Neil M

Purple Sandpiper...an occasional
exploiter of rock pools (maybe)!

Pitsford CBC

Hello

Today I committed to the fifth Common Bird Census of the season on the reserve at Pitsford Reservoir. The weather was dull but mild and dry but didn't really inspire the insects to show themselves. However there were plenty of young fledged birds about.

A singing Spotted Flycatcher remains close to the Fishing Lodge but was the only one noted on the reserve. A Little Egret was in the Walgrave Bay, the two Oystercatchers were quite mobile, and the first indication of 'autumn' was in the shape of a returning Lapwing! I counted 43 active Cormorant nests and the singing Cetti's Warbler remained (present since March). Blackcaps occupied at least thirty-nine territories and Garden Warbler twenty-two. Three Willow Warbler territories were mapped but there were no Sedge Warblers and just a handful of Reed Warblers.

Large numbers of juvenile tits dominated the plantations and bushes but sadly there was no sign of any Willow Tits. Four active Great Spotted Woodpecker nests were located. Black-headed Gulls have bred successfully.

Butterflies amounted to Speckled Wood, Large White, Small Copper, Small Heath, Common Blue and Large Skipper and day time flying moths included Chimney Sweeper . No dragonflies were seen but reasonable numbers of Common Blue Damselflies were about as were a few Beautiful Demoiselles...

Further singing Spotted Flycatchers noted today were at the Brampton Valley Way north of Draughton Crossing and Maidwell village (near to the churchyard).

Regards

Neil M

Garden Warbler.

Cercopis vulnerata or
Black and Red Froghopper
...thank-you to Simon and Gill
and Richard for identifying it!

Common Blue Damselfly.

Great Crested Grebe.

Beautiful Demoiselle.

All images taken at
Pitsford today.