In memory of Graham Soden

Hello

All the below-listed items have been donated to the Northants Bird Club by the late Graham Soden.

The NBC committee are seeking to sell these items in order to raise funds for a celebratory shield in Graham's name, 

the GRAHAM SODEN PHOTOGRAPHIC AWARD.

This shield will be engraved with the Northants Bird Club emblem as well as his name and is to be presented to the photographer whose image is deemed the best overall by Bird Club members during the course of the club's annual photographic competition.

It is planned for all winners to have their name engraved.

Should you be interested in purchasing the listed items please make email contact with committee member Robin Gossage on robin.gossage@sky.com

In addition Graham donated a selection of books and Robin will bring these to Bird Club evenings where it is hoped members will purchase those they wish to own.

The photographic/ optical equipment for sale consists of:-

A BENBO 1 TRIPOD with or without the MANFROTTO 322RC2 TRIGGER GRIP.

A TAMRAC PRO CAMERA BAG, EXPEDITION 8X.

An OPTOLYTH TSB 80 TELESCOPE

Regards

Neil M

Bits and pieces

Hello

Yesterday John Gamble saw a flock of ten Goosanders on Abington Park Lake, Northampton and managed an image of a fine drake (please see below).

Jim Dunkley has been experimenting with garden feeders in an endeavour to try and outwit the acrobatic and persistent Grey Squirrel. Errrr I think the pictures indicate it might be back to the drawing board Jim...!

Following Eleanor's previous photos of the Vulcan, Jim decided to go one better and went to see the largest plane in the world - the Antonov AN225. Back to birds and Jim welcomed back a Green Woodpecker to his garden today...

And to finish, a pair of Red Foxes as portrayed by Robin Gossage enjoying the winter sun...

Regards

Neil M

Drake Goosander
Courtesy of John Gamble

Grey Squirrel lunch-time
Courtesy of Jim Dunkley

Antonov AN225
Courtesy of Jim Dunkley

Green Woodpecker
Courtesy of Jim Dunkley

Red Foxes
Courtesy of Robin Gossage

More county ringing...

Hello

Chris Payne was ringing in his Greens Norton garden in South Northamptonshire today and caught nearly fifty birds, the majority being Goldfinches. One of these was already bearing a ring from elsewhere (control). He also caught a Nuthatch which was a garden first and a House Sparrow which is also a scarce visitor. A male Blackcap was feeding on apples there.

Some more bird ringing at Pitsford Reservoir over the last two days provided 73 captures which included 46 new birds. Fourteen Dunnocks reflected a good breeding year and other birds of 17 species included 9 Tree Sparrows, 8 Yellowhammers, 6 Starlings, 5 Reed Buntings, 3 Song Thrushes, 3 Snipe, 2 Redwings, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Goldcrest, a Pied Wagtail and a House Sparrow.

We didn't really have time to commit to any birding there but at least one Great White Egret was present today and a drake Smew was picked out in the Scaldwell Bay.

Birds visible at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon included a Barn Owl, fifteen Red Kites and eight Stonechats (Short-eared Owl reported).

Regards

Neil M

Common Snipe. The upper
bird was considered to be an
adult, the lower bird a bird
hatched this year.
Images courtesy of Neil Hasdell.

Local Bird Ringing

Hello

November has been a difficult month for local bird ringers as the weather has compromised most planned efforts, so it wasn't surprising to see a great deal of local ringing going on today in colder but more stable weather conditions...

Nick Wood was operating at Chase Park Farm near Yardley Hastings this morning, catching 65 birds of which 16 were re-traps from previous efforts. Highlights included a fine Sparrowhawk (please see image below), a Goldcrest, a Bullfinch, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and plenty of common woodland birds of ten species.

Kenny Cramer was presiding at Linford Lakes on the outskirts of Milton Keynes where 113 birds of 16 species found the nets. There was a high proportion of re-traps (72) which is indicative of the on-going efforts on-site. Scarcer birds included 15 new Siskins, a control Lesser Redpoll, 5 Song Thrushes, 3 Redwings, a Treecreeper and a Chiffchaff.

At Stortons Gravel Pits John Woollett and team caught 109 birds also of 16 species of which 65 were new birds. This catch included 18 Reed Buntings, 8 Chaffinches, 14 Greenfinches, 5 Robins, 5 Blackbirds, 4 Redwings, 2 Bullfinches, a Lesser Redpoll, 3 Goldcrests and 3 Cetti's Warblers.

Finally a small band of ringers operated at Kelmarsh Hall resulting in 109 captures of 14 species of which 76 were new birds. Tits made up the majority of the birds but the total also included a Treecreeper, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Nuthatch, 4 Blackbirds, a Fieldfare, 5 Bullfinches and a control Great Tit.

Other birds noted at Kelmarsh Hall included a dozen Siskins, a Brambling, about half a dozen redpoll sp and a Grey Wagtail.

Regards

Neil M

Sparrowhawk at Chase Park Farm,
courtesy of Nick Wood

Windy and cold...

Hello

My apologies but I forgot to mention a few birds for Pitsford Reservoir yesterday, namely the Ruddy Shelduck, the Shelduck and two Ravens all north of the causeway.

A couple of visits to Blueberry Farm, Maidwell by Eleanor today provided a list of two Short-eared Owls, a particularly pale Barn Owl, ten Stonechats, plenty of Red Kites and good numbers of Fieldfares. Another Barn Owl was showing this afternoon in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Very windy conditions from the north was probably the reason for an influx of common thrushes at Harrington Airfield this morning and about 25 Golden Plovers were present too.

Bits and pieces today included single Chiffchaffs at Brixworth Sewer Works and Pitsford Reservoir with the Redshank still off the causeway at the latter site and a Kingfisher at the Sailing Club.

I spent much of the day filling feeders at eight feeding stations, the plummeting temperatures causing the birds to respond by visiting the feeders in good numbers.

Two new birdwatching hides constructed on the reserve at Pitsford Reservoir have now been completed. One replaces the Bird Club hide in the Scaldwell Bay and the other replaces the main hide in the Walgrave Bay. Both to my mind have been built to a high standard with hinged and glazed viewing ports and movable benches to cater for all heights and optical equipment.

Regards

Neil M

Little Egret

Great White Egret

Grey Heron and Great White Egret

All images taken yesterday by Robin Gossage
on the reserve at Pitsford Reservoir

Pitsford WeBS count...

Hello

Much of today was spent completing the monthly WeBS count of waterbirds at Pitsford Reservoir in pleasant weather conditions. Two Great White Egrets remain (Walgrave Bay) and there were up to twenty Little Egrets present too. Waders included two Golden Plover, a Redshank, four Green Sandpipers, forty-eight Snipe and a Jack Snipe. Waterfowl were not present in large numbers, with scarcer birds being just six Pintail and thirteen Red-crested Pochard (all present north of the causeway). A juvenile female Peregrine was active around the reserve section first thing and passerines included a Grey Wagtail and just a few each of Brambling, redpoll sp and Siskin.

Nearby, Brixworth Country Park attracted a Crossbill, fifteen Siskins, three Bramblings and six Lesser Redpolls.

Eleanor visited Blueberry Farm near Maidwell twice today and noted a male Peregrine, two Short-eared Owls, a Barn Owl, ten Stonechats and more mobile Bramblings, redpoll sp and Siskins. A small flock of five Pink-footed Geese flew low over Blueberry Farm in to the Brampton Valley and on towards Pitsford Res (but were not seen there) at about 8.20am.

Regards

Neil M

Little Egret

Grey Heron

Mute Swans hunkering down
before a squall

Common Buzzard

All images taken today at Pitsford
Reservoir by Robin Gossage.

Quiet day

Hello

Not much to report today due to a variety of commitments but Eleanor saw a pair of Stonechat still in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and at 12.05pm I happened to be at Riverside Retail Park off the A45 on the outskirts of Northampton when four vocal Ring-necked Parakeets decided to fly around!

Regards

Neil M

Crooked Spire 0 Birders 2

Hello

A fourth visit to Chesterfield this morning finally provided us with an opportunity of seeing the vagrant Crag Martin. This astute bird appears to be using the football stadium in the town as it's home base, and with the strong winds and inclement conditions recently it can clearly choose which of the four stands is the most protected. We also saw it briefly around the Crooked Spire of the St Mary's and All Saints church in the centre of this well-maintained town.

Back in the county and a quick look around the Sailing Club at Pitsford Reservoir provided views of just a single Ruddy Shelduck. Eleanor spent some time around the Blueberry Farm area again today and saw just one Short-eared Owl...

Regards

Neil M

Blustery Blueberry Birding

Today most of my birding has been around Blueberry Farm area. 
This morning I was constantly wiping my binoculars due to the heavy drizzle and I did get pretty wet, but the weather did not deter the birds.  There were literally hundreds and hundreds of Fieldfare and Redwings chattering in the hedgerows or feeding on the soggy fields. Certainly no shortage of food for them. I wasn't at all surprised when a male Peregrine put in an appearance, his presence causing panic and chaos. He didn't have a thrush for breakfast but instead a Skylark which he pursued and caught.

About an hour later as I was scanning from the shelter of a hedge I saw a female Merlin who also was in "hunting" mode and she flushed up quite a few passerines from the grass but I didn't see her catch anything. 

On my walk back I caught a very slight movement in a hedgerow and came face to face with two pairs of eyes looking at me, two Short-eared Owls. I think that they were sheltering from the weather and rather reluctantly they flew across the field [ southern most field] and sat in the hedgerow I had just walked along.  I suspect that these are very recent arrivals as I have been checking this area regularly. Other birds of note were 2 pairs of Stonechat, 2 Grey Partridge and a Barn Owl.

The larger raptors were absent this morning, not a single Kite or Buzzard.  However this afternoon it was quite a different story. It was extremely blustery with grey skies and some amazing cloud formations. At times the skies looked quite eerie and more akin to what you expect in a horror movie. Then I became aware of "shapes" twisting and turning and hanging in the air......Red Kites. The kites were flying straight into the wind and as such were seemingly being tossed about in slow motion. In the space of 30 minutes I counted a staggering 30+ Red Kites all following the same path. It really was an incredible sight and I just wish that I could have captured the atmosphere. It certainly was an exceptional sight.

They weren't the only ones being tossed about as the two Short- eared Owls were literally being blown about all over the place so I wouldn't like to say where they ended up.

Watch this space tomorrow for the latest scoreline in the Crag Martin versus birders match !!!!!!!

Regards Eleanor

Crooked Spire 3 Birders 0 !

Hello

Yes another visitation to Chesterfield this morning and no we didn't see the Crag Martin again! It was seen on three occasions during the day but sadly not when we were there or where we were! A fly-over Marsh Harrier was unexpected. Do we give up or try a fourth time? Only time will tell...

Sarah Gibbs saw three unidentified 'wild' swans at Pitsford Reservoir today as visible from the new Walgrave Hide and John Woollett caught and ringed a female Blackcap at Astcote today which weighed a heavy 20.1g. The mild conditions seems to be invoking passerines to sing with regular bursts of song from Wren, Dunnock, Mistle Thrush and even Blackbird during the last week or so.

Eleanor saw a Barn Owl in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning and an adult male Peregrine and two Little Owls there this afternoon. Two Chiffchaffs were present at Spring Pond alongside the Brampton Valley Way below Brixworth as were 6+ Siskins and 2 Ravens.

Eleanor also paid the River Welland at Market Harborough some attention today in case the Otters were on show. No Otters were seen but 2-3 Grey Wagtails and 2 Kingfishers were easy to see.

Regards

Neil M

Ditchford WeBS count

Hello

A very breezy but incredibly mild weather pattern today as we completed the Ditchford GP WeBS count. Not that many birds about, the highlights being a Great White Egret on a small pit west of Ditchford Lane, at least eight Egyptian Geese on fields near there, 6 Kingfishers, 4 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Little Egrets, 2 Water Rails, 3 Grey Wagtails and just a few Siskin and redpoll sp. 

It seems that storm-driven birds are mostly to the south and west of the Midlands but it will be interesting to see if an ocean-going bird turns up in Northants during the next couple of days...

A brief scan from the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon was sufficient to note a single Great White Egret on the reserve plus half a dozen Little Egrets and the very long-staying Shelduck. There was a pre-roost gathering of 75 Cormorants and the large corvid roost was looking and sounding lively!

Regards

Neil M

Grafham Boat Birds

Hello

A boat safari trip at Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire this morning was a little different and we managed to complete it before any heavy rain or high wind hit. Good numbers of common wildfowl were inevitably present with Tufted Duck, Coot and Mallard being the most common. Two Pintail, small numbers of Shoveler and a couple of flocks of Goldeneye provided some variety. There were particularly large numbers of Little Egret, one of which was watched consuming small Zander one after another. A Kingfisher, a Green Sandpiper and a flock of ten Redshank were located near to the Mander car park.

Back in the county this afternoon and some feed station maintenance in the lovely rain. It was good to see that the local Marsh Tits had found the Kelmarsh Estate feeders, joining numbers of Blue, Great and Coal Tits. By next week the Nuthatches, Long-tailed Tits, Great Spotted Woodpeckers and finches should be feeding regularly ahead of some early winter cold weather.

Regards

Neil M

Crooked Spire 2 Birders 0

Hello

Out of the blue the Crag Martin reappeared at the Crooked Spire in Chesterfield town centre (Derbyshire) today, which caused a car-load of Northants birders to head up north along the M1! Typically this rock-loving hirundine had disappeared again by the time we arrived at 3pm. We watched the light disappear rapidly in the vain hope that it may show but to no avail! The much cooler air and lack of insects and the wet weather of the week-end causes me concern for it's welfare, albeit the Crag Martin is probably one of the hardier of the swallow family. Will it be third time lucky?

Regards

Neil M

Images of Crag Martin
taken in Georgia earlier
this year. A chunky brown
martin with creamy underparts
blackish auxiliaries and pale
tail spots. The typical habitat
is rock-dominated and they
particularly like gorges, rock-
strewn upland valleys and low
mountains. The eastern population
is at least partly migratory but many
birds in the west will endeavour to
winter north of the Mediterranean Sea.

Pitsford ringing

Hello

The last ringing session in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford this year was completed by Dave Francis and Neil Hasdell, taking down the Constant Effort nets as they worked. This provided 51 captures which included 6 Redwings, 5 Goldcrests, 2 Treecreepers, a Willow Tit, a Song Thrush, a Pied Wagtail and a Moorhen.

Most ringing sessions at Pitsford for the winter will concentrate on the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station with the occasional foray in the Walgrave Bay around Christies Copse and hopefully a couple of other efforts trying for Snipe and similar wintering and passage birds. Please let me know if you would like to come along and watch proceedings or would like to become more involved in the discipline of wild bird ringing.

Regards

Neil M

Crooked Spire 1 Birders 0

Hello

A trip to Chesterfield in Derbyshire early this morning to see a lingering Crag Martin ended in failure! It seems that the bird was sharing the famous crooked spire with a pair of Peregrine and a Kestrel and there was no sign of it today. Oh well whilst we were looking up we saw a couple of Grey Wagtails, views of Sparrowhawk and a couple of large skeins of Pink-footed Geese presumably en-route to Norfolk from Lancashire.

Back in the county by lunchtime, some feed station maintenance was called for and then some scrub clearance at Kelmarsh Hall where birds of interest included c25 Siskins and a Kingfisher. Wagtail numbers at Brixworth Sewer Works included c30 Pieds and a couple of Greys and the Magpie flock was also about thirty birds. Scanning the gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir yielded an adult Mediterranean Gull.

Regards

Neil M