Short-eared Owls

Hello

This morning a wander at Harrington Airfield provided views of a Short-eared Owl and a covey of eight Grey Partridge. Another Short-eared Owl was flushed from a ditch in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning, and the two Stonechats were still in situ.

Regards

Neil M

Sunday birding

Hello

Birds in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir late morning today included a Great White Egret, four Pintail, a Woodcock, a Brambling, and a redpoll sp. Birds in the Scaldwell Bay included a Great White Egret, eleven Golden Plover over, twenty-one Snipe, a Redshank, a Willow Tit and a Siskin and two Lesser Redpoll on feeders at the Old Scaldwell Road feeding station.

Eleanor saw the Great White Egret at Ravensthorpe Reservoir again this afternoon and this morning saw a Barn Owl and two Stonechats at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell. Two Grey Wagtails were vocal at Hanging Houghton this afternoon and a Blackcap paid a visit to a garden in Maidwell village today.

Regards

Neil M

Bicester Wetland Reserve

Please spare ten minutes in the next two weeks to help defend BicesterWetland Reserve, a wetland jewel on the outskirts of Bicester, now threatened by a major new ring road.

Oxfordshire County Council is conducting a consultation exercise providing two options for the new road:

·         Options 1A and 1B are very similar and involve building a raised road across Bicester Wetland Nature Reserve.

·         Option 2 is across open country and misses the Reserve completely.

There is a feedback form which gives members of the public the opportunity to state their preferences and is available on line. Please log onto:

www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/PerimeterRoadBicester

This website gives you the outline to the scheme, explains the options and provides a link to the Feedback Form.  There are seven questions in total, the most important are questions one and two.

Question One – please tick “do not support at all” for Options 1a and 1b. You can remain neutral or support option 2.

Question Two – please select “Southern alignment: Route Option 2”

Question Three – please describe why you think it is important to protect the Bicester Wetland Reserve as an important wildlife site for the area.

The number of responses matter so please make sure you complete the form before the deadline of 18 December.

 

Some extra details about the reserve:

·        The reserve is situated just outside Bicester, one of the fastest-growing towns in Europe.

·         It was established in 1999 and is an increasingly important area for wildlife and a veritable oasis within this rapidly developing town.

·         Major wintering site for Teal - regular counts of 250-350, also good numbers of Gadwall, Shoveler, Wigeon.

·         Up to 130 Common Snipe winter here, also regular numbers of Jack Snipe.

 B Breeding water birds include Little Grebe. Mute Swan, Tufted Duck, Coot, Moorhen and Kingfisher. Water Rail are regular throughout the winter and possibly also stay to breed.

·         The reserve is a regular site for Green Sandpipers with a maximum day count of 23. Altogether 18 species of wader have been recorded on the reserve.

·         Nine species of warbler have been recorded on the reserve, 8 of which have bred there. In total 126 bird species have been recorded, 17 species of mammal (including Otter), 23 species of Butterfly, 14 species of Dragonfly, 3 Amphibians including Great Crested Newt and regular Grass Snakes.

·         We have even had a few local rarities: Glossy Ibis, Red-necked Phalarope, Great White Egret, Bearded Tit, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Common Crane and Bittern!

Thanks, please act NOW

Mike Pollard

on behalf of the

Banbury Ornitholigical Society

Wild weather!

Hello

Recent bird ringing recoveries associated with activities in Northamptonshire include a Tree Sparrow that was initially ringed at Stanford Reservoir on 10th September this year which was then caught at Pitsford Reservoir less than a month later on 3rd October. This is one of a number of Tree Sparrows over the years that have moved between the dedicated feed stations at both reservoirs.

On 28th June 2011 a juvenile Blackcap was caught and ringed at Wendover in Buckinghamshire and was caught again as an adult female on the outskirts of Milton Keynes on 3rd October this year. This four year old bird will have travelled far further than Bucks but these records suggest that a locally reared bird has returned to the same region as a breeder. Presumably she was bulking up on berries on this relatively late date in preparation for a migration south.

A Goldfinch trapped at Greens Norton on 23rd November this year had first been ringed as a first year female near a place called Stenigot in Lincolnshire on 16th February 2013 making this bird three years old. These records tend to suggest that this bird winters successfully in the UK but I wonder where she goes to breed?

Eleanor was over at Staverton again today and saw at least four Ravens. On her way back she popped in to Daventry Country Park and saw a squadron of ten Goosanders, one or two Green Sandpiper(s), half a dozen flying redpoll sp and large numbers of gulls included a first year Mediterranean Gull.

Birds visible from the causeway at Ravensthorpe Reservoir included the Great White Egret and a Green Sandpiper.

I flushed up a Woodcock at Harrington Airfield this morning but didn't see anything else there of note. Kelmarsh Hall hosted half a dozen Siskins and two Lesser Redpolls remained feeding on seed heads in Scotland Wood. A single Grey Wagtail was present at Brixworth Sewer Works and birds visible from the Sailing Club at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon included the stunning adult Caspian Gull again and a Grey Wagtail.

Regards

Neil M

Squelchy underfoot out there!

Eurasian Wigeon

Hello

This morning the pair of Stonechat re-appeared in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and nearby another pair of Stonechat and a Short-eared Owl were in the southern-most field at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

Also this morning a single mist net was enough to catch 65 small woodland birds at Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate. The total comprised of 17 Blue Tits, 14 Coal Tits, 8 Great Tits, 6 Marsh Tits, a Willow Tit, 4 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Nuthatches, a Wren, 2 Dunnocks, 3 Robins, 3 Goldcrests, 2 Chaffinches and 2 Lesser Redpolls. Just less than half of these birds were re-traps from the previous winter with some of the tits being 3-4 years old. Other birds noted in the wood included half a dozen Siskins and a Woodcock.

A brief foray in to Harlestone Heath this afternoon yielded some fifty mobile Siskins and a few redpoll sp.

Regards

Neil M

Common Buzzard
and 'friend'...

Bullfinch

All images courtesy of
Clive Bowley.

Winter images

Hello

Cathy Ryden has been snapping away again and the below images depict some of her efforts in the challenging weather conditions over the last few days. Well done Cathy for finding some photogenic subjects in the sparse sunshine!

Neil M

Fieldfare

Lesser Redpoll

Great White Egret
and Grey Heron.

December delights

Hello

A walk at Harrington Airfield this morning was pleasant but breezy but there were relatively small numbers of thrushes present. Small numbers of finches provided a nice mix which included a Brambling, a Siskin and a couple of redpoll sp. A Raven flew through in bright sunshine.

A Woodcock flushed up at Scotland Wood (Kelmarsh Estate) this morning, the first for me of the season, and Eleanor spotted the Short-eared Owl and a Barn Owl at Blueberry Farm this morning together with a male Peregrine and four Stonechats. A revisit this afternoon produced a different Barn Owl but nothing else of note.

Regards

Neil M

Short-eared Owl

Hello

Very little to report today but Eleanor located a single Short-eared Owl at Blueberry Farm at the south end of the complex which was showing well. It may actually be the same bird photographed at the same place by Simon Wantling just over a week ago, and here it is again (what a stunner)...!

Neil M

Short-eared Owl
Courtesy of Simon Wantling

A day of calm would be nice...!

Hello

Birds noted at Pitsford Reservoir north of the causeway this morning included a Great White Egret, a Redshank, a Green Sandpiper, four Red-crested Pochard and three Shelduck. Four Bramblings were at Hanging Houghton first thing.

The Great White Egret was still at Ravensthorpe Reservoir early this afternoon, showing well on the small side from the causeway.

Goldfinches are not the only small finches attracted to sunflower hearts and niger seed; Siskins and Redpolls also enjoy the feast as illustrated by the below male Lesser Redpoll photographed at a feeder a couple of days ago by Cathy Ryden.

Regards

Neil M

Bird Club meeting on Wednesday

Hello

This is an invitation to non-members and a reminder to members that the next indoor meeting of the Northants Bird Club is this coming Wednesday (2nd December) starting at 7.30pm. As usual the venue will be the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir which is found off the Brixworth Road just outside the village of Holcot north of Northampton (post code NN6 9SJ). Parking is possible close to the lodge with overflow facilities at the bottom of the track next to the boats or on the causeway itself.

This month our speaker is our very own charismatic chairman Mr Bob Gill! A man of few words but those that he does utter are pretty spicy, Bob hopes to entertain us with a digital presentation of wildlife from Spain. In the main the images will be from the trip earlier this year with other Bird Club colleagues.

As usual hot drinks and biscuits will be available during the evening and of course it is an opportunity for a natter and meet fellow wildlife enthusiasts.

I very much hope to see you there!

Neil M

Bee-eater
courtesy of Robin Gossage

Wet and wild!

Hello

More wild bird feeding station maintenance today with Marsh Tits greeting me with their distinctive calls at two sites on the Kelmarsh Estate. Well it might have been a greeting but perhaps they were just being impatient whilst I was filling up the feeders and were swearing at me! In any event they are always one of the first birds to the feeders and I find their mixture of calls particularly cheery. Plenty of other birds coming to the feeders too despite the mild and wild weather conditions.

Kelmarsh Hall hosted a Kingfisher, a Grey Wagtail and about 25 Siskins around the niger feeders.

Eleanor was over at Staverton again today and the two Ravens remained.

This afternoon was very blustery up at Harrington Airfield but it didn't stop swirling flocks of Starlings, Redwings and Fieldfares feeding off the berry bushes and wet fields. Not surprisingly a female Sparrowhawk was in close attendance.

I finished the day checking through the gulls by the Sailing Club at Pitsford Reservoir but the only bird of note was an adult Caspian Gull that appeared to be the same bird as yesterday afternoon...

Regards

Neil M

Recent images of a Short-eared Owl
at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell courtesy
of Simon Wantling.

More of Simon's work can be found
at http//:www.simonwantlingphotography.com

Creatures of the water...

Hello

Jim Dunkley's persistence paid off yesterday with a further visit to Market Harborough in an effort to see the Otters in the River Welland there. He struck gold with a fabulous animal that was fast-moving but still photogenic. Please see images below...

In the sometimes gloom of diminishing wildlife, it is wonderful to see that some creatures are able to take advantage of the unnatural world that we have created and there can be few things as uplifting as a lively, gorgeous 'charm' of Goldfinches. Sunflower hearts and niger seed tends to be the suspended food that brings them to garden feeders as suitably illustrated by Cathy Ryden (below). Like most creatures though aggression plays it's part, and the image shows a typical display of volatile interaction as they argue for the best perching post.

This morning I undertook another birding boat safari for the Wildlife Trust at Grafham Water, and we located good numbers of wildfowl which included three adult Bewick's Swans, Pintail, lots of Goldeneye and a group of five Goosanders. Three or four Kingfishers were noisy and the Little Egret count reached thirty or so.

Eleanor noticed a couple of Ravens at Staverton today and called in at Ravensthorpe Reservoir causeway and saw the Great White Egret and a Green Sandpiper.

Birds noted elsewhere included a single Brambling at Hanging Houghton and this afternoon Pitsford Reservoir provided a Great White Egret in the Holcot Bay, at least seven Little Egrets, two Shelduck were in the Scaldwell Bay and an adult Caspian Gull was present in the gull roost.

Regards

Neil M

Otter
Courtesy of Jim Dunkley

Goldfinches

Courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Day out in Norfolk

Hello

A day out on the North Norfolk coast today started with a three hour excursion at Snettisham. Right from the word go hundreds of Starlings and Fieldfares were flying past us heading in to a strong south-westerly wind, most of them at very low level and presumably in off the sea further to the north. Four Waxwings went past with one flock of Starlings.

High tide was at dawn and we witnessed thousands of waders on the edge of the ebbing tide, Golden Plover, Knot and Oystercatcher being the most common. Also thousands of Pink-footed Geese flew from the flats and shallows to inland fields and six species of raptor included a fine juvenile male Pallid Harrier plus Hen Harriers, Marsh Harriers and a female Merlin.

Other birds included Stonechat, Common Scoter, a flock of Whooper Swans, Brent Goose, Pintail and a Spoonbill.

Inland from Brancaster we looked for a Rough-legged Buzzard reported the day before but there was no sign. Sugar Beet harvesting attracted Black-headed and Common Gulls and nearby additional raptors included Peregrine and Red Kite bringing our raptor species total to nine for the day.

We spent the last couple of hours at Titchwell where the highlights were a stunning adult male Hen Harrier, a drake Long-tailed Duck, plenty of common waders, lots of Marsh Harriers, Water Rail, three Red-crested Pochard, a Water Pipit and more flocks of Brent and Pink-footed Geese.

Regards

Neil M

Distant shots of
a Pallid Harrier

Fieldfare

Sugar Beet harvesting

No birding today!

Hello

No time for any birding today but Chris Payne managed a short ringing session in his Greens Norton garden today resulting in 46 birds being assessed, 20 of which were Goldfinches. In addition he caught a smart male Lesser Redpoll (please see image below). The Sparrowhawk from yesterday has since been identified as a bird ringed locally as a nestling in 2010...

A couple of images from Robin Gossage too following an excursion to Harrington Airfield...

Regards

Neil M

Male Lesser Redpoll

Courtesy of Chris Payne

Yellowhammer

Pied Wagtail

Both above courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Autumn to winter

Hello

Nice weather locally today, just a shame the days are so short!

A quick wander at Harrington Airfield this morning was sufficient to see plenty of thrushes on the scrubby areas and large numbers of Fieldfares moving over. A day-flying Barn Owl was clearly injured and struggling which was sad. A flock of about 63 Golden Plovers completed a circuit or two of the complex and one or two redpoll sp were also flying around.

Feed station maintenance ensured I visited a number of places today and birds noted included a Grey Wagtail at Brixworth and a Willow Tit at Scotland Wood.

A visit to Ravensthorpe Reservoir, once a very regular place for me to visit, was enjoyable this afternoon and provided views of a Great White Egret, a Green Sandpiper, a Grey Wagtail and a redpoll sp.

Local birder and conservationist Ian Dobson today reports a gathering and murmuration of some 2,000 Starlings at Fawsley Park, which in turn attracted 2-3 hunting Peregrines.

Local ringer Chris Payne captured a male Sparrowhawk in his garden today already bearing a ring. We await news of when and where this bird was initially ringed...

Regards

Neil M

Male Sparrowhawk
Courtesy of Chris Payne.