Pitsford in winter sunshine...

Hello

A small team of us completed the WeBS count at Pitsford Reservoir today in pleasant conditions and there were plenty of wildfowl present. Scarcer birds included a drake Smew in the Walgrave Bay, three Great White Egrets, ten Little Egrets, the Slavonian Grebe by the Holly Tree again, a pair of Red-crested Pochard, seven Pintail, a drake Goosander, three Kingfishers, a Curlew, two Dunlin, a Redshank, a Green Sandpiper and thirty-seven Snipe. Other birds included a Raven and a Chiffchaff.

Dave Francis completed some more ringing on-site today with 49 captures which included 11 Yellowhammers, 6 Goldfinches, 4 Chaffinches, 3 Reed Buntings, a Tree Sparrow, a Marsh Tit and singles of Song Thrush, Fieldfare, Starling and Moorhen.

Regards

Neil M

Slavonian Grebe
Pitsford Reservoir.
Courtesy of Eleanor.

Adult Great Black-backed Gull
at Pitsford Reservoir courtesy of
Robin Gossage. This bird was
watched stealing fish from Cormorants
as they were surfacing with larger
specimens. 

Garden Birds

Hello

Birds south of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this morning included a diver sp in flight which wasn't seen subsequently on the water, two Great White Egrets which flew to the north of the causeway, a Slavonian Grebe by the Holly Tree and a Grey Wagtail. Yesterday (Sunday) Wendy and Robin Gossage saw a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on the reserve at Pitsford Reservoir.

Other birds today were an audible Water Rail and a couple of Grey Wagtails at Brixworth Water Treatment Works, two Ravens and a pair of Stonechat in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton, with Harrington Airfield hosting a flock of about 210 Golden Plovers and three Grey Partridges.

Jim Dunkley's garden birds at Sywell have included a male Blackcap, a Stock Dove and a small party of Long-tailed Tits and our garden is currently enjoying regular visits from a Nuthatch and today a Tree x House Sparrow hybrid.

Regards

Neil M

Male Blackcap.

Stock Dove with Woodpigeon.

Long-tailed Tit.

Above images courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.

Tired Turnstones!

Sleepy Sanderling!

Above wader images taken by
Cathy Ryden in Norfolk at the
week-end.

Yesterday's late afternoon sky
over the Walgrave Bay at
Pitsford Reservoir.

Sunday's sightings

Hello

The first venue this morning was Sywell Country Park where the relatively long-staying adult Whooper Swan was just off the dam, well it was until a testosterone-fuelled Mute Swan decided he didn't want it on his patch! The Whooper received the message and the swan swam off in to the middle of the water in still murky conditions. A Cetti's Warbler and a Grey Wagtail were also in the vicinity of the dam.

Next was Ditchford Gravel Pits and specifically the pits west of Ditchford Lane. Birds here in dull conditions included a Great White Egret, eight Egyptian Geese, an adult female Peregrine, a Green Sandpiper, a Kingfisher and a couple of Cetti's Warblers.

A visit to the village of Bozeat at midday was next where some photography in slightly better light was necessary to capture the spangled colours of the humble Starling and a possible Nordic Jackdaw.

An afternoon at Pitsford Reservoir attracted sightings of a Great White Egret and a drake Smew in the Scaldwell Bay (courtesy of Jacob Spinks) and two pairs of Red-crested Pochard and a roost of 155 Cormorants in the Walgrave Bay.

Regards

Neil M

Whooper Swan
Sywell Country Park

Cormorant.
It may only be early winter but
Cormorants aged three years and over
will now begin to acquire their
resplendent breeding plumage ready
for pairing and nest-building in February.

Not the right day to take photos
of Pochard on grey water, but many
of the wildfowl present at Sywell
Country Park are so used to seeing a
constant stream of people and dogs
progressing around the water that they
barely move away from the water's edge...

Egyptian Geese at
Ditchford Gravel Pits

The stunning Starling. It is likely that the Starlings
we see currently in the county are a mixture of local
and foreign birds. The white spotted 'winter' plumage
begins to wear during the early spring to the point that
they are back to being glossy again. And the Starlings are
singing now, another birds that initiates the breeding cycle
a season early! Most adult males are already beginning
 to sport a bluish base to the bill and the females pinkish
(please see above).

A possible 'Nordic Jackdaw' at
Bozeat today. Small numbers from
northern Europe appear to winter
 in the UK.

Birds of fog and mist...

Hello

With thick fog all day yesterday in our neck of the woods there was nothing to report!

Today the fog yielded to mist and then with occasional clearer periods so that observers did stand a chance of seeing something...

Eleanor saw two Waxwings at Staverton today, two birds showing well on conifers and on view from 11.30am to noon when they were flushed by some nearby shooting. These birds were in the exact same place as birds seen on 19th November and were equally vocal. Four noisy Ravens were also present.

A pair of Stonechat were again below Hanging Houghton village and Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon provided views of two active Otters, three Great White Egrets, a small flock of Crossbills (two seen but more heard) around the causeway and two Kingfishers.

Dave Francis was ringing at Pitsford Reservoir this morning and caught 105 birds of nineteen species which is an excellent variety and total. These birds were made up of 19 Yellowhammers, 16 Greenfinches, 11 Blue Tits, 8 Reed Buntings, 7 Dunnocks, 7 Moorhens, 6 Chaffinches, 5 Tree Sparrows, 5 Robins, 5 Great Tits, 4 Blackbirds, 3 Goldfinches, 2 Marsh Tits, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Wren, a Goldcrest, a Starling, a Green Woodpecker and a Pied Wagtail. Hopefully this number of Yellowhammers signals the start of the winter build-up of these birds reliant on the broadcast seed at Pitsford Reservoir; it is estimated that as many as 500 birds were coming to the food in the early months of 2016.

Another ringing session took place today at Glyn Davies Wood over in the west of the county under the leadership of Helen Franklin and this provided some 130 captures. More than two thirds were new birds with tits dominating, and fifty new Blue Tits suggests that this species in the west of the county enjoyed a better breeding season than those further east. Other highlights included three Marsh Tits, a new Willow Tit, three Great Spotted Woodpeckers, six Goldcrests and four Redwings. Other birds noted in this small area of relict woodland included a Woodcock, up to a dozen Siskins and a redpoll sp.

A visit to nearby Boddington Reservoir late afternoon concentrated on checking through the large gull roost there and birds of note were an adult Caspian Gull, a drake Goosander and a Grey Wagtail.

Eric Graham visited Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston this morning and was pleased to note a fly-over Raven, still a scarce bird in this part of the county.

Regards

Neil M

Crossbill

Raven

Yellowhammer

Willow Tit

Thank-you

Hello

No birding opportunities today sadly and no first hand reports of interesting sightings I'm afraid. I guess with Christmas looming ever closer and people being busier than ever, birding tends to take a bit of a back seat at this time of the year...

Never mind, a couple of images have been kindly sent to me and this is a good opportunity for me to say a very big thank-you to everyone who has supported the blog site during 2016, whether by way of regular visits or by providing us with information, sightings, accounts and of course excellent images.

Regards

Neil M

Blue Tit.
 The Robin is our national bird but I
think the humble and widespread
Blue Tit must surely be it's deputy?

Image courtesy of Robin Gossage.

An excellent shot of a Water Rail
out in the open yesterday at Summer Leys
Nature Reserve at Earls Barton Gravel Pits.

Image courtesy of Steve Rappitt.

Ringing news

Hello

An early start this morning with a ringing venture again at Harrington Airfield provided a small mixture of birds but again the thrush family dominated with 18 new Redwings, 2 new Song Thrushes and 3 new Blackbirds. The Fieldfares avoided us and with the berries dwindling so are the thrushes! Birds noted on-site included several Golden Plovers and a single Woodcock.

The Short-eared Owl again showed itself briefly in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning as did one of the pair of Stonechat, and three Woodcock were located at Blueberry Farm.

A walk at Pitsford Reservoir south of the causeway in sunny and warm conditions this afternoon located two pairs of Little Owls, a pair of Raven, a Grey Wagtail and an adult Caspian Gull.

News has reached us of a ringing recovery relating to a Lesser Redpoll which was caught and ringed at Glyn Davies Wood (far west of Northamptonshire) on 29th October 2016. This male bird was re-captured at Castlemorton Common in Worcestershire on 18th November, travelling 69 km in a westerly direction. I wonder where he is now?

Regards

Neil M

Male Reed Bunting
Harrington Airfield.
Courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Cormorant.

Kestrel in December sunshine.

Grey Wagtail.

Above images from
Pitsford Reservoir this
afternoon courtesy of
Cathy Ryden.

Grey and grimey!

Hello

The weather forecast for the next week or so shows little variation with grey, mild conditions and low wind speeds. Not ideal for birding but potentially okay for ringing even if the mist nets do become a bit drippy!

A little ringing at Harrington Airfield today only produced small numbers of birds with the Fieldfares staying high in the bushes or feeding out on the wet fields. We will try for them again tomorrow...

A few Golden Plovers were audible in the murk but no big flocks on the fields today.

A pair of Ravens were over Brixworth Country Park and the afternoon gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir contained a first year Caspian Gull.

Regards

Neil M

Fieldfare

Great Black-backed Gull

Goldeneye

Great Tit

Recent images from
Pitsford Reservoir courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Murky and damp Harrington

Hello 

Little opportunity for birding today in damp, gloomy, but mild conditions.

A couple of hours at Harrington Airfield this afternoon confirmed the continuing presence of Fieldfares but the thrushes are fewer in number now it seems... Nevertheless there will be some planned ringing there tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday when certain sections will be restricted and notices will be erected. This doesn't affect passage along the footpaths and main concrete track. 

The flock of Golden Plover there today and whizzing around the top fields numbered at least fifty birds...

Regards

Neil M

Golden Plovers

Male Chaffinch.

This species takes advantage of three
areas at Harrington Airfield which are
regularly provided with broadcast mixed
  seed during the winter.

Sunday's birds

Hello

A much better day weather-wise today and Debbie and Eric's venture out to Thrapston Gravel Pits this morning provided an opportunity of recording a Slavonian Grebe visible from the South Hide on the Titchmarsh Reserve, four Little Egrets, three Goosanders and two Cetti's Warblers.

John Woollett and team completed some bird ringing at Stortons Gravel Pits this morning and the captures included some interesting re-traps with a Reed Bunting and two Great Tits which were first ringed in 2011. Twenty-five more re-traps including two Cetti's Warblers kept the ringers busy and thirteen new birds were ringed which included four Blackbirds, at least two of which showed characteristics suggesting they were of continental origin.

Jacob Spinks spent much of the day at Pitsford Reservoir today and collated a very good list of birds which included a Siberian Chiffchaff near to the Northants Bird Club hide, two Great White Egrets, two drake Smew (Scaldwell Bay), a drake Goosander, five Pintail, a first year Caspian Gull, a Redshank, a Green Sandpiper, a Kingfisher, a Grey Wagtail, a redpoll sp and a Willow Tit.

Regards

Neil M

Pintail.
Courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Great White Egret.
Courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Fieldfare.

Long-tailed Tit

Grey Heron.

Great White Egret.

Above images courtesy
of  Robin Gossage.

Birds of a dull, wet day...

Hello

A day in rather dreary conditions at Ditchford Gravel Pits didn't produce many birds of interest, perhaps the best being a single Jack Snipe, eight Snipe, a drake Goosander, two or three Grey Wagtails, two Chiffchaffs, eight Cetti's Warblers and three Water Rails.

A pair of Stonechat remain near Hanging Houghton, two Ravens were at Staverton this morning and three Great White Egrets were present at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon.

Jacob Spinks and Andrew Tyrrell found themselves at Beeley in Derbyshire today and they saw the local star of the show, the Dusky Thrush. Other birds around the small village included 20+ Siskins, two Dippers, a Crossbill and a Peregrine.

Regards

Neil M

Dusky Thrush
courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Images from Ditchford Gravel Pits
today, courtesy of Cathy Ryden.