Skua Sp !!

I had a very interesting start to the day. I arrived at my usual starting point below Hanging Houghton just before 07.30 hrs and bumped into someone from the village who had just completed his usual cycle ride around the fields with his dog. Although he doesn't carry binoculars he is always aware of the birds and wildlife around and over the years he has seen some interesting sights.
This morning he asked me "whether he could have seen a skua" and then proceeded to describe perfectly the action and jizz of a skua which he had witnessed chasing the gulls on the fields.
Very quickly I headed off in the direction of this possible skua. As I neared the field the feeding gulls took to the air in panic and I picked up a medium sized dark skua going low through the gulls and flying away from me.  All I could tell from my view is that it was a dark Skua .  
Despite much searching and several visits during the day I did not find it again. Strangely enough this bird was in the same field where I found a couple of Skua's a few years ago and this too was just after harvest time. !!  Coincidence ??

Eric had an interesting day on the Titchmarsh Reserve where there was a steady flow of hirundines leaving and a steady flow of winter ducks arriving.  There were two hobbies, one over town lake and the other showing well as it hawked insects over the pylon field.  Still a few warblers about including Cettis, Chiffchaffs and Lesser Whitethroats and 2 early Siskins were noted.  On Aldwincle Lake there was a rather smart Yellow Legged Gull and the ever present Great White Egret.

Regards Eleanor

Birds and Planes !!

Over the past few days I have visited my usual haunts, hedgerows and fields and have seen very little. Infact the silence has been deafening and it really felt as if all the birds had moved out. !!
The weekend has been more productive.  Yesterday whilst walking around Borough Hill, Daventry I located a small mixed flock of warblers which included Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler.  Tagged onto this flock were 2 Common Redstart and a Spotted Flycatcher. The birds were clearly on a mission and moved very quickly along the hedgerow and I had to walk fast to keep up with them .  There were also 2 Raven here and the usual Ravens at Staverton keeping us entertained whilst we did our agility training.
In the evening I took the dogs for a walk below Hanging Houghton which proved to be quite a stressful experience due to the local hunt appearing out of a gap in the hedge right in front of me !!!  It certainly took me and the dogs by surprise as this was 19.45 hrs and I had to quickly alter my route and in doing so I nearly jumped out of my skin when a Barn Owl suddenly appeared and started "hissing" at me . Once I'd recovered I watched it disappear like a ghost into the fading light.
Following my run this morning I decided to pop over to Hollowell and as I drove into the village the iconic Red Arrows came overhead, low and slow giving a lovely view.   At the reservoir itself the Spotted Redshank was feeding in the mouth of the Guilsborough Bay along with 2 Common Sandpiper. There were also 4 Little Egret present, one of which looked as if it had been rolling in the mud as it was covered in brown splodges.  A Whinchat was hopping about on the shoreline.
A visit to nearby Ravensthorpe Reservoir reminded me that Autumn is here with the presence of at least 20 Wigeon. Other birds included 2 Pintail and a Green Sandpiper.
I thought that I might as well call in at Pitsford Reservoir on the way home to catch up with the Knot. However when I arrived I thought that I had made a mistake as there was a lot of sailing activity and disturbance. I located the Knot on a small spit between the dam and grange bay and as I watched it a windsurfer came of his sailboard literally a few feet infront of the Knot and it didn't even move but carried on feeding.!!
I spent some time at the end of the old Scaldwell road and saw Black Tern, Whinchat , Garganey and a single Goldeneye, another reminder of the changing seasons. 
As I turned to leave I heard the familiar purr of an old plane and it was the Lancaster Bomber which looked amazing as it came low over the reservoir and headed across the fields towards Brixworth.
My final destination today was Harrington Airfield where the bushes were again silent.  However the greatest surprise came when I was walking towards the end of the rough area and saw a bird coming low head on towards me and it took a few seconds to register what it was......a Short Eared Owl, which simply passed me by and carried on. I don't think that it landed as I couldn't locate it again. 

Regards Eleanor

Harrington Visit

I didn't have a lot of spare time today for birding, but an hour at Harrington Airfield was very productive. There were at least two Common Redstart in the bushes between the first and second bunkers, and two Whinchat and a Northern Wheatear around the first bunker.  Plenty of raptors around including a cream crowned Marsh Harrier, always a nice bird to see and looking very much at home quartering over the fields.

Regards Eleanor

Redstarts aplenty!

Hello

Today's WeBS count at Pitsford Reservoir in very still, sultry conditions didn't produce a great deal of interest considering the time of the year. A Garganey was on the shoreline opposite the Lagoon Hide, there were about eight Little Egrets, five Pintail, a pulse of new-in Wigeon, a Green Sandpiper, four Spotted Flycatcher (including a pair with a begging youngster by the Fishing Lodge), two Redstarts in a field hedge next to Catwalk Bay and several Yellow-legged Gulls.

Migrant Hawker and Common Darter dragonflies were in good numbers and butterflies included Small Heath, Comma and Red Admiral.

Four more Redstarts (at least two males) were still along the footpath that runs from Bridle Road, Old and along field hedges between Walgrave village and Pitsford Reservoir. Other migrants here included Spotted Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat and common warblers. And this afternoon there was still one Redstart at Blueberry Farm in the field hedge at the bottom of the Big Field.

Ringing operations at Stortons Pits this morning kept the three ringers busy with seventy birds processed of which fifty-six were warblers. They were made up of 39 Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, 3 Whitethroats, a Willow Warbler, 4 Chiffchaffs, 2 Cetti's Warblers, and 6 Reed Warblers.

Regards

Neil M

Common Redstart.

Blackcaps!

Hello

Kenny Cramer and team worked hard this morning managing a ringing session at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes where they caught and processed a bumper 132 birds of 16 species!

Exactly half of the birds (63) were Blackcaps which are currently in very large numbers in the Midlands, many of them gorging on elderberries as they pass through the spine of Britain. Other migrants included 10 Reed Warblers, 5 Sedge Warblers, 11 Chiffchaffs, 6 Willow Warblers, a Garden Warbler and a Whitethroat (a stunning total of 97 warblers). And of course two Kingfishers are always a treat!

A visit to Ringstead Pits with a walk around Kinewell Lake was a venue I haven't visited in a while, the best birds being two Egyptian Geese and a Grey Wagtail with a fabulous gathering of 18 Red Kites following a working tractor in an adjacent field. A Small Copper butterfly was seen there and a good number of Small Heath butterflies were on the wing at Twywell Hills and Dales Country Park.

The gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir this evening contained at least five Yellow-legged Gulls and a Green Sandpiper was heard calling.

Regards

Neil M

Blackcaps courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Indoor Meeting Northants Bird Club

Hello

The next indoor meeting of the Northants Bird Club is on Wednesday 5th September when three club members will each provide a twenty minute presentation on their chosen subject. Dave Thomas will treat us with images from the Namib Desert, Pete Gilbert will showcase images from his beloved Loire Valley in France and Bob Gill will present 'Summer 2018'.

The meeting will be at the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir with a prompt 7.30pm start. A warm welcome, hot drinks and biscuits are assured for all!

Regards

Neil M

Elephant.

Bluethroat.

Painted Lady.

Harrington Ringing

Hello

Today's ringing session at Harrington Airfield was quiet with just over thirty birds caught and processed during the morning. Perhaps the more interesting birds were three Blackcaps, a Whitethroat, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Willow Warbler, two Chiffchaffs and a juvenile Spotted Flycatcher.

Several Yellow Wagtails were on-site as usual and there was a trickle of hirundines migrating over the old airfield. Grey Partridges were vocal, particularly just after dawn.

Regards

Neil M

Common Sandpiper at Pitsford
Reservoir on Wednesday, courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Spotted Flycatcher,
courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Friday's forays

Hello

Little opportunity for birding from the McMahon household today, but Eric and Debbie strode around Titchmarsh LNR and successfully located two Great White Egrets again!

Neil H paid Pitsford Reservoir a visit today and saw a Raven, a Hobby and three Pintail. Butterflies on the wing included Small Copper and Small Heath. Remedial work has been completed on the Bird Club hide, and the Willow Hide (also in the Scaldwell Bay) has been replaced by a much nicer hide which is now available for use. In addition a viewing screen has been constructed in Christies Copse (Walgrave Bay) to provide an opportunity for close views of birds visiting the winter feeding station there (October - May). Seats will be added to complement the screen in due course.

A reminder that bird ringing will be taking place at Harrington Airfield tomorrow (Saturday) and access to the bunkers and scrubby areas will be restricted until operations are complete. We are not anticipating anything unusual but ringers operating at nearby Stanford Reservoir enjoyed a Common Redstart today and the ringers at Rutland Water trapped and ringed a Barred Warbler, a very rare bird inland!

Regards

Neil M

Small Copper butterfly.

Pintail.

Raven.

Redstarts!

Hello

Eleanor's patrol of the footpath that leads from Bridle Road, Old village and runs east between the village of Walgrave and Pitsford Reservoir provided views of at least four Redstarts in the field hedges, three of which were males. This ridge of hedges is a traditional migration stop-over for this species and often attracts other birds too.

Four more Redstarts were also at Blueberry Farm today, two near Blueberry Lodge and the horse fields (with a Spotted Flycatcher) and two more in the bottom hedge line of the Big Field.

Ringing at Harrington Airfield was a much quieter affair today with 34 captures which included a Chiffchaff, four Blackcaps, five Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler, a Yellow Wagtail and nine Linnets.

A Tree Pipit and a Whinchat were around Bunker Three today and my first migrant Meadow Pipits of the autumn were beginning to filter south over the old airfield. A fresh hatch of Speckled Wood butterflies joined the Small Heaths and Common Blues there today and there was at least one Brown Argus too.

No ringing is planned for this site tomorrow (Friday) but the final session for this period will take place on Saturday when access will again be restricted.

The south end of Pitsford Reservoir was heavily disturbed this evening with lots of water craft etc but there were at least nine Yellow-legged Gulls at roost plus two Little Egrets, a Common Sandpiper and a Curlew.

Regards

Neil M

Lesser Whitethroat.

Juvenile Linnet.

Sedge Warbler.

All images courtesy
of John Tilly.

Harrington ringing...

Hello

Birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton were a little tamer this morning - the best being a Wheatear, two Ravens and six Golden Plovers.

A period of ringing at Harrington Airfield provided 68 captures of 15 species of which only nine were of birds caught there previously. The highlight was a female Common Redstart and other birds amounted to three Blackbirds, a Wren, two Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, nine Dunnocks, three Robins, ten Blue Tits, thirteen Blackcaps, a Lesser Whitethroat, four Whitethroats, three Chaffinches, two Goldfinches, thirteen Linnets and two Yellowhammers.

Six species of hunting raptor included a Peregrine and at least one Hobby.

The area off the Sailing Club at Pitsford Reservoir was productive again this evening with the Osprey arriving and catching a fish before being chased off west by a Great Black-backed Gull (7.05pm - 7.20pm), an adult Caspian Gull, at least six Yellow-legged Gulls, a first winter Mediterranean Gull, about fifteen Common Terns, a juvenile Black Tern, several Little Egrets and a Common Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Whitethroat
courtesy of Lynne Barnett.

Lesser Whitethroat
courtesy of Rich Goswell.

Common Redstart.

Autumn migration in full flow...

Hello

The Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton made a nice change of scenery from Pitsford this morning and it started well with a cracking male Ring Ouzel hopping around on the scuffed fields, quickly followed up with quality migrants in the shapes of a Whinchat and a Wheatear.

A subsequent visit to Harrington Airfield continued the same theme with a Tree Pipit, a Redstart, a Wheatear, a Turtle Dove, a Hobby and two coveys of Grey Partridge all present. Ringing sessions at Harrington are planned for tomorrow, Thursday and Saturday when general access to the scrubby areas and bunkers will be restricted - my apologies if this affects your plans. Official footpaths and the concrete track will be open to all and unaffected by ringing operations.

An excellent ringing session at Stortons Pits this morning started well when the first capture was a juvenile Kingfisher! Other birds were made up of a Lesser Whitethroat, eight Whitethroats, three Garden Warblers, a high total of thirty-six Blackcaps, three Willow Warblers, three Chiffchaffs, a Cetti's Warbler, four Sedge Warblers, twenty Reed Warblers, four Wrens, five Robins, a Dunnock, three Blue Tits, two Great Tits, eight Long-tailed Tits, a Blackbird, three Goldfinches and a Reed Bunting. The vast majority of these birds were new and not previously ringed (only five re-traps), further reflecting the fact that there is significant migrational movement going on among our passerines.

Regards

Neil M

Kingfisher at
Stortons Pits today
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Common Buzzard.

North American Mink. This image was
taken in Scotland last week but these animals
are present along most waterways here in
Northants. Never before have we experienced
so much variety of  'mustelids' locally...the Weasels,
Stoats and Badgers now being joined by Mink,
Polecat and Otter and in all probability one day
also Pine Marten which are spilling out of Scotland
and Wales and are marching south and east...

Bank Holiday birding

Hello

Eric was again at Thrapston Pits today and saw an Osprey, two Great White Egrets and a Hobby. Eleanor popped in there this afternoon and added a juvenile Marsh Harrier and an additional Hobby.

The number of Yellow Wagtails locally has risen with the arrival of more migrants, the small flock at Hanging Houghton now up to twelve birds and with smaller numbers at Pitsford Reservoir and Harrington Airfield.

A wander at Harrington Airfield this afternoon was quiet for birds, a covey of four Grey Partridge being the best. A good hatch of Common Blue butterflies were coping well with the blustery conditions and a few Small Heaths were still on the wing too.

At Pitsford Reservoir today there were 40-50 Tree Sparrows at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station and an adult Yellow-legged Gull was loafing north of the causeway.

This evening an adult Osprey was again fishing south of the causeway from 6.30pm, moving off north at 6.45pm. A Ruff and a Black Tern were also south of the causeway and the gull roost contained an adult Caspian Gull again and at least six Yellow-legged Gulls.

Regards

Neil M

Yellow Wagtail.

Small Heath butterfly.

Common Blue

Caspian Gull.

Pitsford today

Hello

I spent much of the day on and off around Pitsford Reservoir today, and not always successfully avoiding the rain!

A Tree Pipit flew over the Walgrave Bay at 6.45am and two Ravens were mobile north of the causeway. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was perched up in the Scaldwell Bay as usual and as the rain became more persistent, the hirundine flocks began to grow with Sand Martins dominating north of the causeway and the House Martin flock by the Sailing Club increasing during the afternoon.

A male Ruff appeared near to the Maytrees Hide mid-afternoon presumably brought down because of the inclement weather.

The gull roost took a long time to materialise, the early gulls dispersing when a fishing Osprey successfully plunged in and flew off with a trout at 7.15pm and a Great Black-backed Gull flew after it in pursuit. The gull flock reformed and contained an adult Caspian Gull and four Yellow-legged Gulls.

Regards

Neil M

Ruff.

Sand Martin,
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Osprey,
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Back from the Highlands

Hello

I'm just back from an eight day tour of the Ardnamurchan Peninsular in the West Highlands of Scotland where we managed plenty of views of Otter, a regular Pine Marten and both Golden and White-tailed Eagles amongst plenty of other wildlife. Rather wet up there though!

Back here in the county I saw plenty of Red Kites and Common Buzzards riding the air currents today but didn't really have time to commit to much birding. An evening visit to Harrington Airfield provided brief views of a covey of six Grey Partridge but little else.

During this coming week it is hoped to commit to some more bird ringing at Harrington Airfield and general access to the bunkers and old airstrip will be restricted on both Wednesday and Thursday. The footpaths and concrete track remain unaffected.

Regards

Neil M

Otter.

Pine Marten.

Golden Eagle.

White-tailed Eagle.

Both Eric and myself have been back to our respective favourite "local" patches of Titchmarsh and Harrington respectively.
At Titchmarsh there were 2 Osprey , one bird being harassed by terns on the Aldwincle Lake and the other bird flying over the field north end of Elinor Lake.  There was a steady stream of hirundines moving through and small mixed flocks of young warblers on the move.   The Great White Egret was still at the north end of Aldwincle Lake and a Green Sandpiper was showing well from it's  perch on the tern rafts.  Plenty of vocal Red Kites and Common Buzzards.
Harrington Airfield seemed quiet for birds but it was very busy with a constant stream of people, kids and dogs walking through the "rough" area. Goodness knows why they chose to walk through there. This amount of disturbance was a bit off putting so I spent most of my visit simply standing still and scanning the fields, bushes and sky for birds. Common Redstart, Whinchat , Turtle Dove and Marsh Harrier was the sum total of my visit 
The only other birds of note today were 2 Ravens and 6 Golden Plover in the valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards Eleanor