Kingfisher tab

Hi

I recommend a look at the above Kingfisher at Work tab, courtesy of John Boland...

Our thanks to John's skill and patience!

Regards

Neil M

Waxwings and friends!

Hi

A visit to Sywell Country Park this morning provided a flock of six Waxwings briefly by the main car park at about 10.30am.  There were also at least 12 Lesser Redpolls present and I had a poor view of a larger and paler 'redpoll' with them but the light was awful and the whole flock was typically flighty.  Siskins seem to be everywhere at the minute and there were a good 100+ present.  A couple of Grey Wagtails were also there.

John Woollett and his ringing team enjoyed a good session at Stortons Gravel Pits yesterday, catching 80 birds of which 45 were new.  Highlights included a new Water Rail, a Brambling and 6 Lesser Redpolls.  No Waxwing though!

Regards

Eleanor

Classic November birds

Hi

Birding at Harrington Airfield this morning provided the female Merlin again, a Peregrine, a Short-eared Owl and 6 Bramblings and at least 12 Grey Partridges.

Also this morning the Black-necked Grebe was still present at Pitsford Res just off the dam and at 1pm the Great White Egret was on show between the Holcot and Walgrave Bays.  A flock of 50+ Siskins were present at Brixworth Country Park.

A ringing session at Sunderland Wood (Kelmarsh Estate) produced 62 captures which included a Great Spotted Woodpecker and 4 Nuthatches but with the majority of bird being tits.  Interestingly of 23 Great Tits caught only 3 were birds born this year, another indicator of the very poor breeding season for this and allied species.  Another interesting capture was of an adult Blue Tit which was ringed in our garden at Hanging Houghton in September. Clearly it has decided that our many garden feeders were not to it's satisfaction and moved on up to Kelmarsh!

Regards

N & E

Just a few sightings today...

Hi

This morning a single Brambling was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton, and at 11.25am a Crossbill flew east over Sunderland Wood (Kelmarsh Estate).

This afternoon there were 2 Barn Owls hunting in the northern-most field at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

Regards

Neil M

Owls about!

Hi

Despite standing around for over an hour at lunchtime today, I failed to see the Waxwings at the Homebase depot, on the Weedon Road, Northampton.  Others on site reported that they hadn't shown since 9am.  Some Starlings were consuming the rather sparse Rowan berries in the car park so I'm not sure there will be many left for the Waxwings!

The Black-necked Grebe was present off the yacht club at Pitsford Res this afternoon.

A hike around Blueberry Farm this afternoon was sufficient to locate a Short-eared Owl, 2 Barn Owls and a Woodcock.

Other Barn Owls noticed during the last few evenings have been by the dam at Pitsford Res and at the roadside between the villages of Old and Lamport.

Regards

Neil M

Harrington

Hi

A wander around Harrington Airfield in very grey conditions this morning was worth it with plenty of birds around the bushes.  Thrushes and finches dominated.  The best birds included a brief view of a/the female Merlin, 1-2 Woodcock, 40-50 Golden Plovers, 4 Bramblings and 9 Siskins.

Regards

N & E

Foggy Pitsford!

Hi

Yesterday afternoon and this morning Dave Francis completed another ringing session at the Pitsford Res feeding station on the old Scaldwell Road.  Amongst 58 captures there were 45 new birds.  Species totals included 12 Greenfinches, 11 Goldfinches, 4 Chaffinches, a Brambling, 6 Tree Sparrows, 6 Yellowhammers, a Jay, a Redwing and a Fieldfare.

This morning Eleanor ran around the reservoir to the south of the causeway.  Visibility was virtually nil in the fog but she did hear Crossbills, Brambling, Siskins, redpolls, Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail!

Neil M

Feed Stations

Hi

I spent most of the day today visiting and replenishing the eight wild bird feed stations that we manage with the support of colleagues.  These stations include suspended feeders as well as broadcast seed in an effort to try and support the species associated with the habitat.  Like yesterday it was remarkably mild out for the time of the year with large numbers of insects active in the sunshine!

At Harrington Airfield (one of the feeding stations) I met 'Dave' and 'Robin' who had been watching 3 Bramblings and 15 Grey Partridges enjoying the feast!  Robin had seen 2 Waxwings briefly in the top of a tree earlier today at Orlingbury Hall.

Regards

Neil M

Pitsford and Blueberry

Hi

This morning the Great White Egret was visible at Pitsford Res from the causeway from about 9.20am to 10am at least.  It was perched in waterside bushes with Grey Herons between the Holcot and Walgrave Bays.

A good circuit of the Blueberry Farm area near Maidwell this morning was mostly uneventful with just a Red Kite, 2 Ravens and small numbers of Siskins and redpoll sp to show for a couple of hours of wandering.

Sad news was received today of an Otter that was killed on the road causeway at Pitsford Res last week.  An examination of the corpse today suggested it was an adult female animal.

Regards

E & N

Finches and things

Hi

A visit to Hollowell Reservoir today failed to find any particular birds of note.  Ravensthorpe Reservoir provided a female Red-crested Pochard and 3 Mandarin Ducks (2 drakes) which were visible from the causeway.

At Harlestone Heath this afternoon there were 100+ Siskins roaming around the trees with small numbers of unidentified redpolls.  Two Ring-necked Parakeets flew from the Lodge Farm area and overflew the rough area between Harlestone Heath and Kings Heath.

Three Bramblings were present at Harrington Airfield this morning.

Ringing at Kelmarsh Hall produced over 60 captures which included 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 3 Treecreepers, a Marsh Tit, a Willow Tit, a Brambling, 3 Lesser Redpolls and 11 Siskins.

Regards

E & N

Great White Egret

Hi

At about 9am this morning the Great White Egret was seen again at Pitsford Res in the Holcot Bay (Neil Hasdell and Sarah Gibbs were the observers), about 100 yards in to the bay from the Goosander Hide...

E & N

Pitsford birds

Hi

At Harrington Airfield this morning there were at least 10 Bramblings on the seed just inside the concrete track entrance.

At Pitsford Res there were at least 2 Bramblings and a couple of Lesser Redpolls at the feeding station plus lots of thrushes in the hedges.  South of the causeway the Dark-bellied Brent Goose, the Black-necked Grebe and a drake Smew were all situated between the dam and Yacht Bay.

Regards

Eleanor

Pitsford Ringing

Hi

Ringing in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Res during yesterday afternoon and again this morning produced a total of some 90 captures.  Some of the species and numbers involved included 20 Long-tailed Tits, 25 Goldcrests, 2 Willow Tits, 3 Bullfinches, a Song Thrush, a Fieldfare, 8 Blackbirds, 5 Redwings, 7 Robins and 2 Kingfishers.

There were a couple each of Lesser Redpoll in the Scaldwell Bay and at the feeding station, plus a few mobile Siskins moving around.

Regards

Neil M

Great White Egret

Hi

The Great White Egret at Pitsford Res has been showing well for much of the morning north of the causeway apparently (albeit that it has been quite mobile too).  I saw it at 1pm near to The Point and it was viewable from the feeding station and I guess the causeway too...

Neil M

November status quo

Hi

A walk around part of Harrington Airfield this morning was pleasant but for the first day for a long time no visible migration was apparent.  At least one Brambling was still present as was a Willow Tit.  Common birds included plenty of Chaffinches and Woodpigeons and the Linnet flock remains.

Small numbers of Siskins were present at Sunderland Wood and Kelmarsh Hall (Kelmarsh Estate) this morning and there were 2 Bramblings and 2 redpoll sp at Hanging Houghton sewer works.

A ringing session took place in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Res this afternoon (and will continue tomorrow morning) and new birds included 2 Kingfishers, 18 Goldcrests and 4 Redwings.  A couple of Willow Tits were in the back of the bay and the high water levels have attracted two vocal Water Rails.  Up to 4 Pintail were also present.  The creature of the day was possibly the superb queen Hornet disturbed in the Ringing Hut at Pitsford!

Regards

E & N

Local patches

Hi

There were still about six Bramblings on the feedstuff at Harrington Airfield this morning but otherwise it seemed quiet at this site.

At Pitsford Res today the Black-necked Grebe was again off the yacht club.  Other birds included a male Peregrine, and 2 Crossbills and a Brambling in the Christies Copse area (Walgrave Bay).

This afternoon there was a scaley immature Ring Ouzel in a hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton at about SP735740.

Despite a good yomp around much of the complex, I failed to find a single owl of any species at Blueberry Farm near Maidwell.  A Roe Deer was the only creature of note.

Regards

Eleanor

Waxwings and others

Hi

At 2.30pm this afternoon five Waxwings flew fast and very low at Hanging Houghton, heading in a westerly direction and below the height of the houses.  Thankfully their trilling call provided us with the opportunity of seeing these birds before they disappeared at a remarkable speed.

On then to Pitsford Res but we failed to connect with the Great White Egret.  There were 4 Little Egrets on the Holcot Bay flood extension plus a Kingfisher and a Raven nearby and a Barn Owl was hunting the Scaldwell Meadow next to the Bird Club hide.

A hike along the Brixworth bank between the causeway and the dam was productive.  A flock of 4 Waxwings flew rapidly west (towards Brixworth) near to The Pigs at about 3.45pm.  Again their trilling call aided the observation.  Also present was a Dark-bellied Brent Goose, a 'redhead' Goosander and 2 drake Red-crested Pochards.  The Black-necked Grebe was still present just off the yacht club.

Sarah Gibbs (Pitsford Senior Reserves Officer) kindly sent through some images of a couple of interesting moths found in the moth trap at Pitsford Res this morning (see below).

Regards

E & N

 

Sprawler

 

Feathered Thorn

Bramblings!

Hi

A foray at Harrington Airfield this morning was interesting with about 15 Bramblings present and others seemingly arriving whilst I was walking around.  About eight were on the seed just inside the road entrance to the concrete track and others were on the track about another 400m further along.  The female Merlin was again present at the north-western end of the complex - she seemed interested in the good numbers of Skylarks that are slowly amassing on the top fields.  A Corn Bunting was in the rough strip/game cover off the concrete track that leads to the old airstrip.  Six Grey Partridges were also present.

Two Ravens and a Red Kite were between Beck Dairy and Gamboro' Plantation (Cottesbrooke) this morning and a female Red-crested Pochard was still at Ravensthorpe Res viewable from the causeway (12.50pm).

Eleanor

A quiet day in the county...

Hi

A short three hour ringing session at Kelmarsh Hall this morning was sufficient to catch 40 birds which included a Nuthatch, a Treecreeper, 12 Long-tailed Tits and 4 Goldcrests.  Other birds noted included a Kingfisher, 8 Siskins, 2 redpoll sp and 2 Bramblings.

A good yomp around the Blueberry Farm complex near Maidwell failed to find very much with just a Barn Owl being the only bird of note.

And yes we again travelled west to Boddington Res this afternoon but again failed to pick out the Bonaparte's Gull in the roost!  Eight Crossbills flew west at 3.30pm and other birds included a Goldeneye, 2-3 Kingfishers, 2-3 Grey Wagtails and 3 redpoll sp.

Regards

E & N

Ringing at Pitsford etc

Hi

Dave Francis managed a ringing session at Pitsford Res yesterday afternoon and this morning, using the old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station.  Seventy new birds were ringed which included 4 Goldcrests, 6 Long-tailed Tits, 26 Tree Sparrows, 6 Chaffinches, 7 Greenfinches, 10 Goldfinches, 5 Yellowhammers and a Moorhen.  This brings the annual total of new Tree Sparrows ringed at this site to 170.

A walk at Harrington Airfield this morning failed to locate any particular birds of note in rather raw conditions.  There were still 4 mobile redpoll sp, winter thrushes and the usual flock of Linnets.  The Brampton Valley below Brixworth and Hanging Houghton also seemed unremarkable with just a few redpoll sp, the odd Siskin and winter thrushes.

And yet again this afternoon we made our way to Boddington Res in another effort to pin down the Bonaparte's Gull.  The gull roost was proportionately large and although the light was initially okay it soon became just too grey and dismal to properly check the furthest birds.  Despite the best efforts of the 7 birders present we didn't locate it.  Other birds present included a Kingfisher and 2 Grey Wagtails.

E & N

On the roam...

Hi

First thing this morning I took a walk at Harrington Airfield.  Loads of passerines present in the bushes and flying over which included 2 Bramblings and a couple of Tree Sparrows amongst the birds coming down for the seed on the concrete track just inside the entrance barrier.  A female Merlin showed well at the opposite end of the concrete track.  Other birds included 2 Ravens and 4 mobile redpoll sp.

Birds near to Kelmarsh Hall included several Siskins and a couple of Lesser Redpolls plus the usual Nuthatches.

A visit to Stanford Res was next but birders on-site informed me that the Black-throated Diver from the last few days was nowhere to be seen, so on I went to Borough Hill CP which provided a fine male Peregrine perched on the mast, 2 Ravens, 2-3 Crossbills, c6 Siskins and c6 flying repoll sp.

A short walk in to Badby Wood from the small car park next to Badby village produced a surprise in the shape of a Corn Bunting with c30 Yellowhammers in a stubble field.  In the wood itself there were c4 Crossbills, 20+ Siskins, a couple of redpoll sp and large numbers of very vocal Nuthatches.  There were two Ravens 'cronking' well here too.  I would strongly recommend a visit to the wood now, the autumn colours are just sensational!

And of course my final destination was Boddington Res where despite Gary Pullan's best efforts we failed again to find the Bonaparte's Gull - confounded thing!  Birds noted included a Goosander that flew in, plus a couple of Kingfishers

Regards

Eleanor

Rain and some!

Hi

Clearly the interesting weather conditions locally made birding somewhat difficult so this morning was spent filling up feeders at wild bird feed stations in very wet conditions.

This afternoon we again went west to Boddington Res but were unable to pick out the Bonaparte's Gull amongst the throng of other gulls in poor lighting conditions.  Such was the behaviour of the birds and their late arrival, it could easily have been there.

Other birds included a first winter Mediterranean Gull, a drake Red-crested Pochard, a Little Egret, up to 3 Kingfishers and a Water Rail.

E & N

Ringing & Bonaparte's

Hi

A ringing session at Kelmarsh Hall this morning resulted in 60+ captures of woodland birds which included a male Blackcap, a Nuthatch and both Marsh and Willow Tits.  Some images from Neil H below.  Other birds seen included Raven, a Kingfisher, several Siskins and a couple of redpoll sp. 

At Blueberry Farm this morning there were 4 Bramblings, a few Siskins and 2 Lesser Redpolls.

At Boddington Res this afternoon the maestro Gary Pullan skilfully located the adult Bonaparte's Gull in the gull roost.  The bird was present until dusk and showed well if distantly.  Some images below...

 

Willow Tit

 

Willow Tit (left) and Marsh Tit (right)

The Willow Tit is an adult and the Marsh

Tit was considered a young bird of the year.

Visual features of the Willow Tit include pale-edged

secondaries, creamy and prominent cheeks, mostly

dark bill, diffuse and extended chin spot and variation

in the individual tail lengths.  At this time of

the year the crown is often quite glossy.

The Marsh Tit has a more uniform upperside, whiter and

less prominent cheeks, a smaller and more

intense chin spot, a small silver 'triangle'

at the base of the upper mandible and more evenly

lengthened tail feathers.  The crown is glossy.

 

Nuthatch

 

Coal Tit with abnormal growth

 

Bonaparte's Gull (smaller bird below

centre of image)

New birds in...

Hi

Birds at Blueberry Farm this morning included 2 Short-eared Owls and a fine female Merlin all in the southern-most field.

At Harrington Airfield later there were plenty of common birds present plus an adult female Peregrine and 2 Ravens.

At Pitsford Res there was a Water Pipit in the vicinity of the Maytrees Hide at about 11.15am.  At the same time three adult Whooper Swans were espied in the Scaldwell Bay.  The swans later moved in to the Walgrave Bay where they were still present at 2.15pm.

Unfortunately the Bonaparte's Gull wasn't picked out amongst the Black-headed Gulls at Boddington Res this afternoon.  A couple of Kingfishers, 2 Grey Wagtails and singles of Brambling and redpoll sp were rather poor compensation.

Regards

E & N

Bonaparte's Gull

Hi

Gary Pullan found an adult Bonaparte's Gull in the gull roost at Boddington Res this afternoon, first located at about 4.15pm and still present at 5pm.  This is believed to be the first reported instance of this species in Northants.  Access to this location is free and there are car parking facilities.  No doubt there will be quite a number of birders present tomorrow afternoon to see if it returns!

This afternoon an adult female Peregrine tore through a flock of gulls in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon and successfully caught, killed and consumed a Black-headed Gull.

Eleanor

Ring Ouzel

Hi

This morning, at about 7.45am, there was a male Ring Ouzel with Fieldfares in field hedging just east of the Blueberry Farm complex at SP735748.  Also 2 Bramblings mobile in the immediate area.

Regards

Eleanor

Damp birds

Hi

A trundle in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning produced an adult female Peregrine perched on the field seemingly awaiting passing prey.  With all the Fieldfares moving through she wasn't short of a tasty target!

This afternoon and the two Short-eared Owls were again present in the southern-most field at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

Regards

Eleanor

Pitsford and places...

Hi

Dave Francis completed a ringing session at the feeding station at Pitsford Res this morning, capturing some 55 birds.  New birds included 16 Tree Sparrows, 15 Long-tailed Tits, 10 Chaffinches, 3 Goldfinches and a Lesser Redpoll.  A retrapped Chaffinch was first ringed in 2008.  This session brings the Pitsford Tree Sparrow total to 144 for the year.  Dave also had a hunting Barn Owl in the Scaldwell Meadow yesterday evening and again this morning.

This afternoon I wandered up to the old airstrip at Harrington Airfield, the reason being a combination of further dog walking duties and excellent light.  Harrington tends to be a morning place to see the best birds but I took my camera to take advantage of the seemingly rare decent light this month.  Images of some common birds are as below.

At Pitsford Res this afternoon, careful checking of the dam and the yacht club area produced the Black-necked Grebe again, a Dark-bellied Brent Goose with the Canada Geese, a Kingfisher, a Barn Owl, a Rock Pipit, 4 Bramblings and 2 fly-over redpoll sps.

An evening wander around Blueberry Farm, Maidwell confirmed the continuing presence of 2 Short-eared Owls and 2 Barn Owls.

Regards

Neil M

 

Common Buzzard

 

Fieldfare

 

Long-tailed Tit

 

Kestrel

 

Dark-bellied Brent Goose

The Fieldfares just keep coming...

Hi

Just back in from taking the dogs for a nice long walk.  This included our new foster rescue dog Alma who seemed to enjoy herself but is new to the game after being in dog rescue compounds all her life.  In very pleasant conditions, Fieldfares were again the most obvious species as we wandered from Maidwell village along footpaths to connect with Maidwell Dales and the Blueberry Farm complex.  Back then across the width of the Brampton Valley and up the hill to Hanging Houghton.  Still plenty of Redwings and Starlings going the same way as the 'chacking' Fieldfares and the sunny breezy conditions meant that the raptors were up cruising around and included 1-2 Red Kite(s) which seem to be maintaining an almost permanent presence now.  Other passerines on the move included finches, 4 Bramblings and 3 Siskins being the most noteworthy.  A couple of Ravens greeted us over the hill at HH.

And the thrushes are not just moving during the day.  For a short period last night I spent time listening to birds moving south over Hanging Houghton (just after 10pm when there was almost a full moon showing and not too much other noise).  Not surprisingly Redwings were the most common audible migrant with many emitting their high-pitched 'se-eep' call note.  There were Blackbirds on the move too, their nocturnal call-note also similar to a Redwing but it is not so high-pitched, is a little longer and wavers in its consistency.  Such are the numbers of Fieldfares moving at the moment, there were even Fieldfares calling last night.  Song Thrushes are identified from their high pitched but gentle 'stic' call which is bunting-like.  Quite a number of other birds can be identified as they migrate at night.  Typical species for this time of the year includes the ducks (Wigeon are the easiest with their whistling call), occasionally geese, and Moorhen and Coot which remain audible the year round.

Regards

Neil M

Owls and gulls.

Hi

Birds this afternoon included 2 Short-eared Owls and 2 Barn Owls at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell plus hundreds of Fieldfares in the hawthorn hedges.  At Pitsford Res, the gull roost produced a smart 3rd year Yellow-legged Gull that was curiously small, plus the first real pulse of Herring Gulls of the autumn with both 'argenteus' and 'argentatus' types present.  The Black-necked Grebe was still in the vicinity of Yacht Bay next to the Yacht Club.

Regards

E & N