Mild Friday

Hello

Some ringing at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station at Pitsford Reservoir provided 70 captures made up of 4 Coots, 6 Long-tailed Tits, 5 Great Tits, 3 Blue Tits, 10 Tree Sparrows, 10 Reed Buntings, a Robin, 4 Chaffinches, 4 Goldfinches, 14 Yellowhammers, a Greenfinch and 8 Dunnocks.

Birds seen on-site included both the Slavonian and Red-necked Grebes, the White-fronted Goose, 4 Pintail, a Red-crested Pochard and 74 Common Snipe. A flock of eight geese flying over this morning were identified as Pink-footed.

Lyn and John Hunt caught up with many of the better birds in the county today including the large flock of Waxwings currently in Wootton. They also found a Short-eared Owl at Earls Barton Gravel Pits, alongside the flooded pit behind Mary's Lake.

Redpolls seem to be scarce this winter and Jacob had one at Scaldwell village today and we are fortunate to have at least seven Reed Buntings coming to our garden at Hanging Houghton. The pair of Stonechat were still present today below the village in the Brampton Valley.

A nestling Pied Wagtail which was ringed at Pitsford Reservoir on 10th May 2016 was sadly taken by a cat at Bradville, Milton Keynes on 13th Feb this year. During it's short life this young bird had clearly translocated 31km further to the south.

Regards

Neil M

Lamport Hall.

Adult male Sparrowhawk. First caught and ringed
in November 2014 (when assessed to have been hatched
 in 2013), he was recaptured at Hanging Houghton
 on 9th January 2016 and again today.

Sunrise at Guilsborough.

First year male Blackbird.

Male Siskin.

Above three images courtesy
of Cathy Ryden.

Thursday's tidings!

Hello

Jacob's on-going quest to find new birds at Pitsford Reservoir continued today and his presence provided records of the Red-necked Grebe, the White-fronted Goose, three Pintail, a Raven and two Marsh Tits. An interesting raptor was sighted twice at range during poor visibility and may have been a Goshawk.

Barnes Meadow reserve provided sightings of two Jack Snipe, three Snipe, an adult male Peregrine and a Kingfisher and a quick search at Lings Wood failed to locate a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker despite perfect conditions (plenty of Siskins there though). Abington Park was home to three Ring-necked Parakeets late morning, in the copse between the main and bottom lakes.

Chris Payne completed a couple of hours ringing at Bradden today, catching 45 birds made up of an impressive 18 Goldfinches, 20 Blue Tits, 4 Great Tits, a Greenfinch and 2 Goldcrests. Chris noted a female Blackbird making a nest in his Greens Norton garden!

Regards

Neil M

Lapwing

Little Egret

Drake Mallard

Pied Wagtail

All images above taken
by Jacob Spinks at Pitsford
Reservoir today...

Ring-necked Parakeet
Abington Park

Lesser Black-backed Gull
Abington Park.

Spring is in the air!

Hello

Quite a few people out birding on the reserve side of Pitsford Reservoir this morning and between us the scarcer birds amounted to the Red-necked Grebe still (just south of the causeway), a White-fronted Goose with Canadas and Greylags mostly in the Scaldwell Bay, two Great White Egrets, two Green Sandpipers, a returning Oystercatcher, three Pintail, a Raven and two Marsh Tits. 

Checking the large nest boxes today to make them ready for the forthcoming breeding season (evicting Grey Squirrels and their dreys mostly), we came across two roosting Tawny Owls which we took as a good sign for possible future usage. 

In addition there were several singing Skylarks over the adjoining fields and the Song Thrushes were in song all around the reserve. Another impressive aspect was appreciating all the labours of volunteers and contractors alike in the amount of management work completed on the reserve this winter. Imposing and cluttered crack willows around the hides have been cut back or felled and everywhere there is evidence of thinning, the creation of glades and 'scalloping' and reigning back scrub threatening to dominate the meadows and ponds. A phragmites reed bed has been planted, paths to the hides have been cleared, secondary sycamore growth has been treated and visual clear ways to provide scanning of the water margins has been provided.

Two Ravens were vocal and active at Hanging Houghton today.

Regards

Neil M

Digi-shots of the White-fronted
Goose at Pitsford Reservoir
courtesy of Jacob Spinks. The plumage
suggests a second winter bird.

White-fronted Goose with
Greylags courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Drake Pintail at Pitsford Reservoir
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Red-necked Grebe at Pitsford
Reservoir courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Red-necked Grebe and friends...

Hello

Pitsford Reservoir was the place today, particularly as it was the second day with a Red-necked Grebe just off the south side of the causeway. The Slavonian Grebe was also showing in Yacht Bay and with plenty of Little Grebes and Great Crested Grebes present it was a four grebe day! 

Other birds included a Great White Egret in the Walgrave Bay, a pair of Red-crested Pochard, two Redshanks, two Little Owls, a Raven, a Marsh Tit and two Grey Wagtails.

Sywell Country Park continued to host the wintering Whooper Swan and other birds here included a Water Rail, a Cetti's Warbler, a pair of Stonechat and twenty Siskins.

A pair of Stonechat remain in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and eight Waxwings were seen briefly at the Wyevale Garden Centre on the Newport Pagnell Road (at Northampton) at about 12.30pm.

Regards

Neil M

Red-necked Grebe with
Great Crested Grebes
courtesy of Eleanor.

Red-necked Grebe.

Red-necked Grebe
courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Red Kite (and Jackdaw)
courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Little Egret courtesy
of Jacob.

Carrion Crow
courtesy of Jacob.

Whooper Swan at Sywell
Country Park courtesy of
Eleanor.

Can you help survey the Nene Valley?

Hello

A message from Ted Weber...

I’m currently putting together plans for carrying out the Nene Wetlands Breeding Birds Survey for the coming season and would like to expand the team of volunteers that undertakes it. Some of you Nene Wetlands volunteers are already involved but new members might also like the opportunity to participate.

We need experienced birdwatchers with the ability to confidently identify birds in close terrain and by song; training in the survey process will be given, but a good knowledge of birds is an essential prerequisite. The Nene Wetlands has been divided up into 4 sectors, each of which must be surveyed once a month in April, May, June and July, but the transect routes involved are quite large and may require a couple of days to complete.

Please let me know as soon as possible, if you are interested.

Ted

Edward Weber
Nene Wetlands Reserves Officer

Direct line: 01604 405285
Office: 01604 405285
Mobile: 07931325888

Tweet: @wildlifebcn 
Like: /wildlifebcn
Visit: www.wildlifebcn.orgThe Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire
Lings House, off Lings Way
Billing Lings
Northampton
NN3 8BE
United Kingdom

Sedge Warbler

Cuckoo.

No birding!

Hello

Unfortunately no time for any birding today so some recently acquired portraits from Robin and Cathy to brighten the blog!

Regards

Neil M

Snowdrops by
Cathy Ryden.

Pied Wagtail by
Cathy Ryden.

Photographic study of
the wonderful Great Crested
Grebe by Robin Gossage.

Creatures of a cold Sunday!

Hello

Another day of unpleasant weather but plenty of observers out nonetheless.

A couple of observers at Pitsford Reservoir today caused a few records of long-staying birds - the Caspian Gull in the gull roost, the Slavonian Grebe in Yacht Bay, two Redshanks, two Ravens and two Marsh Tits.

Four Otters showed well at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon and two Great White Egrets remain. Nearby Andrew Tyrrell saw at least four Stonechats at Hollowell Reservoir and Eleanor saw four Ravens again at Staverton and a pair of Stonechat in the valley below Hanging Houghton. Two Brown Hares were the only creatures of note for me at Harrington Airfield.

Debbie and Eric Graham saw a pair of Mandarin Duck at Blatherwycke Lake today and Nick Parker's efforts at trudging around the Titchmarsh Reserve were rewarded with excellent views of a Bittern on Heronry Lake, a Great White Egret, a Goosander and 140 Pochard.

Chris Payne noticed a flock of thirty plus small finches at Greens Norton today, predominately redpolls and smaller numbers of Siskins, and he now has several Reed Buntings visiting his garden for food. At least one Siskin was present at Walgrave village.

Regards

Neil M

Feeding birds in your
garden is all very well, but
 sometimes other creatures
 muscle in!

Muntjac at Priors Marston
courtesy of Helen Franklin.

North Norfolk coast

Hello

Jacob enjoyed a day's birding on the north Norfolk coast today, starting at Holkham Gap where he saw a flock of 30 Shore Larks and a Merlin. Next was Titchwell and the gathering of sea-ducks off the beach included 650 Common Scoter and 80 Velvet Scoter. Other birds included singles of Black-throated and Red-throated Diver, a Woodcock on the ground, 50 Snow Buntings and a Brambling.

A Black Redstart was at Wells-next-the-sea and four Hen Harriers (one an adult male) were watched at Warham Greens.

Regards

Neil M

Male Starling in song.

Teal.

Black Redstart.

Black-tailed Godwit.

Curlew.

All images courtesy
of  Jacob Spinks.

Old haunts

Hello

A dull cold day in the county with more or less constant sleet, rain and light snow for much of it.

It was a day of revisiting old birding haunts for me today so the first couple of hours were spent around the Polebrook Airfield complex looking at the scrubby reserve and large, flat fields more reminiscent of neighbouring Cambridgeshire. Good to see some purposeful habitat management and new hedging and this area is now looking more promising again. A Little Owl and a flock of fifty Golden Plovers plus several Brown Hares were the highlights.

Checking a couple of sites near Hemington and Barnwell failed to locate anything unusual so on to Thrapston Gravel Pits where I took a slow walk around the Titchmarsh Reserve and some of the other pits. It seemed quiet here too, the best being a Great White Egret on Heronry Lake, a Little Egret, two Kingfishers, a Water Rail, three Cetti's Warblers, a Lesser Redpoll (Debbie and Eric Graham saw six) and fifteen Siskins.

The Blatherwycke Lake area supported three Kingfishers, a Little Egret, a Brambling and two Siskins and the gulls congregating in the fields next to Rushton Landfill site all looked very ordinary. A roadside Barn Owl near Scaldwell was in hunting mode and caught something on the grass verge right next to my car late this afternoon.

Eleanor checked the valley below Hanging Houghton this morning and re-located a pair of Stonechat and saw a Barn Owl. She went on to see at least four Ravens at Staverton and on her way back notched up a pair of Goosander and a Water Rail at Daventry Country Park. Eleanor and Cathy Ryden walked around Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon, noting two Great White Egrets, a drake Smew and two very playful Otters! Cathy had earlier seen a pair of Siskin and a Bullfinch on her garden feeders.

Sarah and Kenny Cramer tried some ringing at Milton Keynes Community Orchard today and caught and processed forty birds, thirty-one of which were new. Again Blackbirds dominated with twenty-one caught (seven re-traps), a fair proportion of which are likely to have originated from the continent. Other birds included a single Song Thrush, four Redwings, a Woodpigeon and a pair of Bullfinch.

Regards

Neil M

Snowdrops Blatherwycke
churchyard.

Male Reed Bunting.

Cock Pheasant.

Cormorant.

Grey Heron. An adult bird
hunting rodents.

Fieldfare and apples!