Scillies Day 8 (5th Oct)

Hello

Well after a week on St Marys we felt it was time for a day on another island.  So after notching up Yellow-browed Warbler, Mediterranean Gull, Purple Heron and Common Scoter we took a boat trip to the small island of St Agnes.  En-route Sandwich Terns showed well and a solitary Black Tern was espied.

A sunny and warm St Agnes was full of warblers, wagtails and chats and we quickly located Firecrest, Pied Flycatcher and a variety of common warblers.  We were fortunate to find a juvenile Barred Warbler and managed to hang on to it so that all the island birders saw it too.  A Red-breasted Flycatcher showed nearby and then it was time for a coffee break in the recently extended Coastguards Café.  Whilst supping and munching in their birder-friendly garden we saw Ring Ouzel, Lapland Bunting and Whinchat.  A Hummingbird Hawk-moth showed well feeding on some late-blooming flowers.

We wandered around Wingletang and Covean in the afternoon, pipits, wagtails and Wheatears dominating the passerines.  Butterflies included Clouded Yellow, Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Copper and Speckled Wood.

Back then to St Marys and after arriving at St Marys quay it was a rapid walk up to Newford Duck Pond where we managed to see an Arctic Warbler which had been found earlier in the day.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

 

Hummingbird Hawk-moth

 

Wren

 

Alternative profile

of a Clouded Yellow!

 

Sandwich Tern

Scillies Day 7 (4th Oct)

Hello

Well today was all about splitting up and doing our own thing!

After a little land birding I then went on a six hour pelagic trip for sea-birds well to the north and east of the islands.

Eleanor spent the day touring pretty much all of St Marys and notched up plenty of good birds with four different Wrynecks, a fly-over Short-toed Lark, an adult Mediterranean Gull, 2 Ring Ouzels, a couple of Peregrines, a redpoll sp and still summer migrants in the shape of Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, lots of Whinchats, over a hundred Wheatear, Whitethroat and other common warblers.

The pelagic trip proved to be extremely quiet but we experienced a couple of pods of Common Dolphins riding the bows of the boat, Balearic Shearwater, Puffin, Guillemot, Great Skua, Sandwich, Common and Arctic Tern and of course hundreds of Gannets.  Flocks of Meadow Pipits could be seen regularly skimming low over the waves.

After finding my land-legs again I day-ticked Purple Heron, Bluethroat, Redstart, Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, a Wryneck (different bird to Eleanor's four), Turtle Dove, Kingfisher and Mediterranean Gull.

A Death Head's Hawk-moth was an awesome beast, on show from a moth trap the previous evening.

Neil M

 

Great Skua or Bonxie

 

Gannets

 

Common Dolphin

 

Balearic Shearwater

 

Spotted Flycatcher

Scillies Day 6 (3rd Oct)

Hello

The forecast was for heavy rain all day but this didn't materialise until dusk so another full day out in the field on St Marys!

Lower Moors is proving a hotspot on the island this year and today we saw Purple Heron, Bluethroat and 2 Jack Snipe from the hides there.  Other birds of note on the island included Firecrest, Pied Flycatcher, Lapland Bunting and still plenty of chats.  Off-shore, Common Scoter were located and the shallow waters continued to attract Sandwich Tern and Mediterranean Gull.  Nearly all the 'alba' wagtails were White Wagtails and small numbers of Yellow and Grey Wagtails persisted.

The rocky shorelines and sandy beaches provided a safe haven for Whimbrel and other more common waders and a couple of Golden Plovers arrived on the airfield.

Insects from more southern climes included plenty of Clouded Yellows and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

Regards

E & N

 

Turtle Dove

 

Purple Heron

 

Greenshank

 

Bluethroat

Scillies Day 5 (2nd Oct)

Hello

Back in the land of the Internet (temporarily)!

Wednesday 2nd October was a bright and sunny day with a strong south-easterly wind and another day dominated by late summer migrants.

Two Firecrests were located in a conifer belt at Longstones on St Marys and other birds noted on our wander around the island included numbers of Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat, Wheatear, Ring Ouzel, Redstart and large numbers of hirundines.  Birds on the beaches included a couple of Mediterranean Gulls and plenty of waders including Whimbrel, Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit etc.  Raptors are not numerous on the isles but a number of Peregrines terrorise both resident and migrant birds alike.

Eleanor and Neil

 

Clouded Yellow - numerous

on the Scilly Isles

 

Small Copper

 

Snipe

 

Whimbrel

Scillies Day 4 (1st Oct)

Hello

A sunny pleasant day with some mist and still very mild temperatures.  Despite the gloomy forecast there was no rain.

We found a Wryneck at about lunch-time and spent a short time watching this before it disappeared and Eleanor bumped in to another Lapland Bunting, this time on Penninis Head.

Still plenty of in-coming migrants with four Redstarts, ten Whinchats, over a hundred Wheatears, six Pied Flycatchers, ten Spotted Flycatchers, forty White Wagtails, three Ring Ouzels and smaller numbers of common warblers.

Raptors included Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Peregrine and coast-line birds included Mediterranean Gull, Sandwich Tern and Little Egret.  The high-light of the day however may have been the apple strudel and clotted cream treat in an island café!

Three Clouded Yellow butterflies put on a good performance and Small Tortoiseshell and Large White were further flutter-by additions.

A nice sun-tan and two exhausted border collies concluded a very enjoyable day!

E & N

Scillies Day 3 (Monday 30th Sept)

Hello

Dull and drizzly today with some rain.  Eleanor took the dogs for an excursion around the east side of the island and saw good birds in the shape of Wryneck, Lapland Bunting, Redstart and Little Gull.  I was a great deal more sedentary but notched up a fabulous Yellow-browed Warbler, one of the first to arrive here this autumn.

We joined forces again for lunch and explored other sites on the island.  One or two first winter Mediterranean Gull(s) were about, Sandwich Terns were in excess of twenty and the White Wagtails numbered a good hundred birds and included a single Yellow Wagtail.  Still plenty of flycatchers and chats were present in suitable habitat and 3 Ravens roamed the island.

Butterflies enjoyed the sunny periods and included Red Admiral, Comma, Small Copper, Peacock and Speckled Wood.

The rain set in during the afternoon so Eleanor returned to the chalet with the dogs and I went and sat in the hides at Lower Moors.  After the rain had passed there was plenty of pre-dusk activity with the male Bluethroat hopping about and good numbers of freshwater Eels active in the shallows.  White Wagtails and Swallows came in to the marsh to roost and a Greenshank flew in and posed in front of the hides.

Regards

Neil M

Scillies Day 2 (Sunday 29th Sept)

Hello

Our first full day on St Mary's and an opportunity for a good meander along the lanes and beaches.  The bird of the day was a juvenile Purple Heron, at one stage showing closely but in poor light at Lower Moors.

The fall conditions of migrants appeared to have particularly affected chats, wagtails and flycatchers as we saw excellent numbers of Spotted and Pied Flycatchers, Wheatears, Whinchats and White Wagtails all day.  Waders included Whimbrel, Jack Snipe, Golden Plover and a fly-over Wood Sandpiper and a Peregrine was observed hunting over the south side of the island.  Sandwich Terns were in good numbers.  Other passerines located included several Goldcrests, Stonechat, Grey Wagtail and plenty of Rock Pipits at the coastal edges.  Warblers included Sedge, Reed, Willow and Chiffchaff and plenty of insects were on the go presumably because it was so mild and muggy.

Unfortunately the signal strength is so poor here that we are unable to download images, but hopefully we will find somewhere better to accommodate this soon.

Regards

E & N

Scillies Day 1

Hello

Apologies for the lack of blog reports recently!  Apparently there is no such thing as a wireless Internet connection on The Scillies.

On Saturday 28th September we boarded the Scillonian III passenger ferry at Penzance and sailed to the Isles of Scilly.  Birds at Penzance included 3 Grey Wagtails, Rock Pipit, Sparrowhawk, Shag and an unruly mob of Turnstones flapped good-bye to us as we manoeuvred out of the harbour.

This was the first time we could remember sailing in a strong south-easterly wind and the conditions were exceptionally mild.  Passerine migrants included plenty of Swallows taking a look at us as they flitted southwards, together with smaller numbers of House Martins and Meadow Pipits.  Hundreds of Gannets were no surprise and I'll never tire of watching them plunge-diving in to the waves.  Surprisingly though no skua species at all and just small numbers of Kittiwakes.  Shearwaters were well represented with at least half a dozen Balearics showing well, three Manxies and a lone Sooty.  A couple of Yellow-legged Gulls followed the vessel for much of the journey providing good views.  Unfortunately the conditions were so murky and grey that all images were just that, grey and murky!

Wherever there was a concentration of Gannets, sure enough there was a pod of Common Dolphins crashing around below them, some four pods being seen.

Just under three hours of sailing and we made landfall, but it was a misty and dank looking nest of islands that greeted us!  After walking up to our accommodation and after a cup of tea though the weather began to improve.  The south-easterlies had done their stuff and there were migrants everywhere.  Around our chalet we espied a couple each of Spotted and Pied Flycatcher plus a few Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs.

The afternoon was spent visiting favourite places and we connected with a male Bluethroat at Lower Moors.  Large numbers of White Wagtails on the beaches and open grass areas were a treat and we notched up plenty of Wheatears, Whinchats, common warblers, Meadow Pipits and three Turtle Doves, all no doubt the result of the weather conditions.  Additional species before dusk included Sandwich Tern, two Jack Snipe, Water Rail, Whimbrel, Greenshank and other common waders.

Home from home, a Hedgehog fed outside our chalet in the evening!

Regards

Neil M

Hidden birds!

Hello

A change in the weather down here in Cornwall saw a very blustery ESE wind and milky sunshine.

A rather frustrating day inasmuch that it was obvious there were plenty of migrants about but with the bushes being tossed around most of the passerines kept a very low profile.

With the sunshine there were plenty of common butterflies about and still quite a number of the huge and loud Large Green Bush-Crickets.

An early morning wander around the leafy suburbs of Penzance provided only a Grey Wagtail or two.

The Hayle Estuary was a little disappointing as the high tide failed to push the estuary birds close enough for really good views.  Common waders and wildfowl were present in reasonable numbers and an assortment of gulls included at least nine Mediterraneans.  A couple of territorial Grey Wagtails were vying for the best part of the sluice gates.

A visit to Pendeen provided a walk to the hidden beach towards Zennor.  Birds included Raven, plenty of passing Gannets and the passerines included good numbers of Wheatear plus Stonechat, Rock Pipit, Chiffchaff and a couple of Spotted Flycatchers.

This afternoon was spent exploring Kenidjack Valley near St Just.  Four lee-ward feeding Spotted Flycatchers provided an indication of what might have been hiding in the wind-torn vegetation; Chiffchaffs could be heard calling but were keeping out of view!  A group of five Choughs overflew the valley a couple of times.

A re-visit to the Hayle Estuary this evening provided a distant and brief view of a Black-winged Stilt in a channel, apparently found just after we left this morning!

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

 

Mediterranean Gull

 

Grey Wagtail

 

Raven

 

Red Admiral

 

Chough

Heading South West

Hello

Early this morning we commenced the long drive to Penzance in Cornwall, the first leg of our journey to visit one of our favourite places, the Isles of Scilly.

To break the journey up we walked for a couple of hours in Great Haldon Forest near Exeter (Devon), before pushing on towards the Penzance area.

Low cloud, mist and a little rain persisted over much of the south west today and Great Haldon was a touch drippy and dank!  Nevertheless Goldcrests were calling from everywhere and a good number of shrill-sounding Chiffchaffs flicked up from the bracken or trailed tit flocks.  Small numbers of Nuthatch, Siskin and redpoll sp were about and the usual Crossbills were just heard today.  The raptor watch-point was redundant due to the weather!

Long Rock beach just east of Penzance is the local dog exercise beach, and that's where we were early this afternoon exercising the Collies!  Dogs of all shapes and sizes bounded up and away but our two remained fixated on their games in the sea and on the sand.  Birds included Rock Pipit, and several Wheatear and White Wagtail as well as a small flock of Bar-tailed Godwits and a Peregrine.

Less than a mile up the beach is Marazion.  The small RSPB reserve there held Pied Flycatcher, Whinchat, Stonechat, Wheatear, Rock Pipit, Cetti's Warbler, 2 Grey Wagtails, a Little Egret, a Raven and two Peregrines screaming about.  An evening scan at The Hayle was unproductive, the best birds being Little Egret, Green Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail and Kingfisher.

With luck we hope to bird some of the Cornish coves tomorrow before embarking on the Scillonian III on Saturday morning.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

 

Bar-tailed Godwits in the mist!

 

A cameo shot of the Pied

Flycatcher when the sun

did come out!  Unfortunately

the bird remained in thick

vegetation.

Short thrift

Hello

Not much opportunity for birding today.  This evening there were 2 Ravens and 4 Whinchats at the southern end of the Blueberry Farm complex.

Also this evening, a scan from the yacht club at Pitsford Res provided a Little Egret, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Greenshanks and 7 Ringed Plovers.

A ringing session at Stortons GP on Sunday morning provided 2 Blackcaps, 2 Reed Warblers, a Chiffchaff and 2 superb Kingfishers!

Regards

E & N

Murky Monday

Hello

In somewhat dull and murky conditions today, visits to some of our regular venues provided some  birds of interest.

At Harrington Airfield this morning there was a male Marsh Harrier hunting the top fields plus a Red Kite, a Turtle Dove, 2 Whinchats and a Wheatear.  Two Ravens and a Red Kite were noted at Beck Dairy, Cottesbrooke.

At Blueberry Farm this afternoon, birds included a Red Kite, a Hobby and 4+ Whinchats.

Scanning north of the causeway at Pitsford Res this afternoon was sufficient to see the Ruddy Shelduck (present at 6pm until spooked by a low-flying balloon), 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls, 5 Little Egrets, a Redshank, a Snipe and a Kingfisher.  There were as many as 10 Chiffchaffs in the bushes by the Old Scaldwell Road feeding station.

Regards

E & N

Week-end update

Hello

On Saturday evening birds in the Blueberry Farm area included a Short-eared Owl, a female Peregrine and 6 Whinchats.

This morning (Sunday) and birds located at Harrington Airfield included a Turtle Dove, a Wheatear and 2 Whitethroats.  There was a heavy diurnal movement of Skylark, Meadow Pipit and hirundines and good numbers of Yellowhammer on-site.

Birds noted north of the causeway at Pitsford Res this morning included 5 Little Egrets, a Raven and 2 Hobbies and there was also a heavy passage of hirundines here too.  A ringing session based at the Old Scaldwell Road feeding station caused over fifty birds to be caught and processed, the highlights being a Spotted Flycatcher, a Meadow Pipit, Tree Sparrows, a Reed Warbler and 6 Chiffchaffs.

Looking up this week-end and it was impossible not to notice an increase in flying machines, apparently in preparation for a flying event based at Sywell next week-end.

A couple of Siskins were present at Hanging Houghton and the buddleia was alive with butterflies including Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell and others.  A scour of the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and up to Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) this afternoon produced some good birds including a juvenile Marsh Harrier which flew towards Haselbech at 4pm, a male Merlin, 2 Hobbies, 2 Red Kites, 4+ Whinchats and 2 Whitethroats.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

 

Comma

 

Spotted Flycatcher

 

Treecreeper

Pitsford WeBS

Hello

This morning was taken up completing the monthly WeBs count at Pitsford Res.  Despite significant disturbance there were good numbers of wildfowl present particularly Wigeon, Gadwall and Shoveler.  Highlights included ca11 Little Egrets, a Ruddy Shelduck, a Bar-headed Goose, a Garganey, 3 Goldeneye, 3 Pintail, a Ruff, 2 Greenshank, 4 Ringed Plovers, a Common Sandpiper and a Grey Wagtail.  Overhead migrants included plenty of Meadow Pipits, a few Siskins and a flock of 14 Ringed Plovers flying south at 12.30pm.  Late hatch butterflies including Small Copper were attracted to flowering mint in the margins.

Regards

E & N

Ditchford WeBS

Hello

Today we visited Ditchford GP to complete the monthly WeBS count.  In pleasant broken sunshine there were plenty of insects on the wing including plenty of common butterflies and dragonflies.  However birds were a little scarce and our observations were modest with the more interesting birds being 1-2 Hobby, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, a Snipe, 2 Little Egrets, 6 or so Kingfishers, 4 Cetti's Warblers and a Grey Wagtail.  Small numbers of summer migrants included a few Yellow Wagtail, Chiffchaff and Blackcap.  Waterfowl numbers were unremarkable but included a hundred Wigeon.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

 

Painted Lady

Hysterical Hobby's!

Today my birding has been confined to the valley below HH and Blueberry Area. My morning walk was quiet with only 2 Ravens and a Red Kite.  Late afternoon/early evening was far more productive, and the weather was much better, sun and wind, the perfect recipe for raptors, and they didn't disappoint !!.  I lost count how many Common Buzzard I saw and heard, such an evocative call and they were clearly enjoying themselves. The rather stunning "white" Buzzard perched on the top of a tree watching the world go by, and there were 2 Red Kites and a female Peregrine in the area.
Over the last few days there have been hundreds of House Martins and Swallows feeding low over the fields etc, in preparation for their long journey south. This was the sight at Blueberry today, and whilst I stood around to let my collie companion have a rest I became aware of the alarm calls of the hirundines as they quickly gathered themselves together and gained height. However chaos soon ensued as 2 Hobby powered in and began hunting. The 2 Hobby were clearly working together and became very vocal with almost "scream" like calls. It wasn't long before one of them had caught their prey and they both flew off together. I'm glad that it was daylight as they sounded pretty scarey.  I had witnessed this before, many years ago at Pitsford Reservoir.
There were at least 8 Whinchat in their usual field, at one time 4 were perched together on a tiny weed stem with a couple of others trying to join them !!  Quite entertaining to watch.

Regards  Eleanor

Pitsford pm

Hello

A further excursion was made to Pitsford Res this afternoon and evening, with a few further species noted.  This afternoon there was an adult Yellow-legged Gull and a Goldeneye in the Scaldwell Bay.  At about 4.50pm in blustery conditions, Pink-footed Geese could be heard calling and were eventually located flying west very high up.  The flock comprised of 31 birds.

This evening the Ruddy Shelduck was still in the Pintail Bay and there were approximately 5 Yellow-legged Gulls in the gull roost off the yacht club.

Regards

Neil M

 

Mute Swan

 

Going away view of

Pink-footed Geese!

 

Adult Yellow-legged Gull

showing evidence of

significant wing moult.

Autumn migration in full swing

Hello

This morning birds at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) and immediate surround included 2 Short-eared Owls, a Hobby, a Red Kite, 6 Whinchat and 14 Golden Plovers flew over.

Birds noted north of the causeway at Pitsford Res this morning included 1-2 Hobby, 4 Little Egrets and a Whinchat.  A ringing session at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station provided in excess of eighty birds, the majority of which were new birds and hatched this year.  Thirty-one House Martins and twenty-two Tree Sparrows dominated, but there was a reasonable show of warblers with five Chiffchaffs, a late Willow Warbler, a Blackcap, a Reed Warbler and a Sedge Warbler.

Regards

E & N

Rained Off !

Very little to report today. A wander at Harrington Airfield, before the rain came produced a male Merlin and a Wheatear.  There were around 100+ linnets which may prove attractive to the Merlin.
A quick look at Pitsford provided a Greenshank, a Green Sandpiper and 8+ Little Egrets.  Although plenty of wildfowl present in the Scaldwell Bay I couldn't locate anything of note.

Regards Eleanor

Creatures of Pitsford

Hello

Today at Pitsford Res birds south of the causeway included a Ruddy Shelduck (amongst the geese in the Pintail Bay), 3-4 Common Sandpipers, 6+ Little Egrets, a Hobby and 2 Grey Wagtails.

Birds north of the causeway included a Goldeneye, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, 4 Little Egrets, a Spotted Flycatcher, 1-2 Hobby, and a Merlin was reported.  Early morning sunshine provided plenty of energy light for insects and butterflies in the protection of the trees in the Scaldwell Bay.

House Martins were again evident in reasonable numbers today often using the leeward side of bushes and trees for shelter and aerial feeding.  However, they are designed as higher altitude feeders and flying low puts them in danger from predators.  Several attacks from Hobbies were witnessed today, at least one which was successful.

Birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and around the south-side of the Blueberry Farm complex produced a female Peregrine, 2 Red Kites, a Hobby and 6 Whinchats.  Two or three Grey Wagtails were at Brixworth Sewer Works.

The gull roost at Pitsford Res this evening produced a first winter Mediterranean Gull and two Yellow-legged Gulls.

Regards

Eleanor & Neil

 

Good numbers of

Little Egret are currently

on-site at Pitsford

 

Wasps attracted to the

sap of a recently-felled

Crack Willow

 

Red Admiral

 

Speckled Wood

 

Juvenile House Martin

 

Adult House Martin

 

Adult Hobby with just-caught

juvenile House Martin, the latter

probably no more than a few

weeks out of the nest.  It evaded

capture with a series of manoeuvres

but was eventually captured by the

more mature hunter.

House Martin

Hello

This morning an amble at Harrington Airfield provided only a Wheatear, a Hobby and 3 Grey Partridges.

At lunchtime a female Peregrine was cruising towards the south end of the Blueberry Farm complex and at least 6 Whinchats were still present.

At Pitsford Res this afternoon, birds noted north of the causeway included a Goldeneye, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Hobby, a Whinchat and a Spotted Flycatcher.  However the bird of the day was the House Martin with hundreds present at the reservoir, taking shelter and feeding around the reservoir edges.  Only a few Sand Martins and Swallows were caught up within the flock.  Twenty-two House Martins were caught and ringed this afternoon.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

 

Common Buzzards

Harrington Airfield

 

Juvenile House Martin

Pitsford Res.  The broad

white tertial tips help to

age this bird.

September afternoon

Hello

This afternoon and a visit to Pitsford Res north of the causeway produced 10 Little Egrets, 2 Green Sandpipers, a Greenshank, an adult Yellow-legged Gull and 2 Whinchats.

Blueberry Farm this evening was quiet with six Whinchats on show in the southern-most field of the complex.  A Short-eared Owl was seen in one of the fields further north but we managed to successfully miss it!  However we didn't miss the stunning red sunset.

Regards

E & N

Harrington am

Hello

An amble around Harrington Airfield this morning after the rain provided a Redstart (in bushes on the LHS next to the concrete track 200m before the shooting wall), a Wheatear, a Whitethroat, a Golden Plover and an adult Hobby.

Regards

E & N

Pitsford and stuff

Hello

A short ringing session in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Res this morning produced only a modest catch but included 3 Kingfishers, 5 Meadow Pipits, 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps and a Reed Warbler.  Other migrants noted included a Grey Wagtail, a Whinchat, a Spotted Flycatcher, a couple of latish Willow Warblers and there were young Reed Warblers still being fed by adults in the reeds.  The waterfowl included three Pintail, and a Green Sandpiper, a Little Egret and an adult Yellow-legged Gull were visible from the James Fisher Hide.  At least one Raven flew over calling.

Eleanor went for a long run this morning, notching up 2 Ravens and a couple of Red Kites near Hanging Houghton, several Crossbills and 2 Grey Wagtails at Haselbech Hill and a Grey Wagtail at Beck Dairy, Cottesbrooke.

Regards

Neil M

Birds, what birds ???

I have had two very quiet days of birdwatching , so much so that I'm struggling to find any birds to report.  The usual Red Kites and Common Buzzard are about at Harrington and Blueberry, and goodness knows how many Little Egrets at Pitsford. I think I must have been half asleep today at Pitsford as I walked around the bigside as I failed to locate anything apart from a Ruddy Shelduck.
Anyway the "second in command" has returned from his ringing exploits in Portugal which I'm sure he will be posting about.

Regards Eleanor

Local birding

I spent a couple of hours at Harrington airfield first thing this morning. The bushes were quiet and the Whitethroats and Willow Warblers have dwindled down to just a couple of birds. Their place has been taken by an ever increasing flock of Linnet and Goldfinch, probably numbering about 200 birds, quite a sight and sound.
A single Turtle Dove was present and a Marsh Harrier hunting over the "game cover" towards the pond, plus 2 Red Kite and numerous Kestrels and Common Buzzard.
A word of warning if you are planning a visit to Harrington as they are busy turning the fields and muck spreading.  It absolutely stinks, it is quite stomach churning and also the main concrete track is covered in it. My main problem this morning was trying to birdwatch whilst stopping one of my collies from rolling in it......I think it is his favourite perfume!!!
I then spent quite a while at Pitsford  as I still think that it has great potential. The problem is that the birds are well scattered. I started at the dam where there were literally hundreds of swallows adorning the wires as they prepare to head south.  On a muddy spit below the Pitsford village carpark there were 2 Ruff, a Greenshank, 2 Ringed Plover and a Common Sandpiper.
I fed the birds at the feeding station and noted that there was a good number of Tree Sparrows, plus Yellow Hammers, Greenfinches and Goldfinches.
I then headed down the back of the Scaldwell Bay and from the new James Fisher Hide there were a group of 6 Little Egret sitting in a cluster, looking as if they were having a conversation with each other !! Also from here 2 Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, 2 Red Crested Pochard and a Goldeneye.  The numbers of Gadwall, Wigeon and Shovelar appear to have increased.  There was also a male Ruddy Duck.  From here I walked around the back of the bay and just beyond the ringing hut I flushed a Tree Pipit, I don't know who was more surprised, me or it .
The Walgrave Bay looked quite empty of wildfowl, but there were at least 4 other Little Egret present.
A walk from the causeway to the gorsebushes was quiet apart from 2 further Greenshank, 2 or 3 Common Sandpiper and at least 3 Little Egret !  I've no idea how many Little Egret are present at the moment.
This evening I spent in the valley below HH and walked to Blueberry Farm.  A single Wheatear was perched on the stack of bales and there were at least 6 Whinchat flitting about on the tall grass stems/small bushes in the southern most field of Blueberry.

Regards Eleanor

Magical Merlin !!

I've been waiting for a wet day in order to keep me indoors to do some of the household chores which I've been putting off !! So I managed very little birding today.
Below Hanging Houghton this morning were 2 Ravens and at least 3 Red Kites and this afternoon in the valley the 4 Whinchat were in their usual place and also in the general area was the "white" Common Buzzard, Osprey and Hobby.  But star bird was a male Merlin, seen twice whizzing around the fields before he headed off towards Blueberry area.

Regards Eleanor

Weekend Wanderings

Despite being out and about over the weekend I'm afraid that the most success I had was getting caught in the sudden and heavy rain showers !!!
Yesterday a walk at Harrington was very quiet apart from 2 Red Kite and a Turtle Dove.  Pitsford was equally as quiet with the 2 Red Crested Pochards, Goldeneye, 6 Little Egret, 2 Greenshank and 3 Common Sandpiper present.
I hoped that Blueberry might save the day, but sadly not. My arrival coincided with a heavy downpour which put paid to the birds.
Today was somewhat better.  An early morning jog around Pitsford was rather pleasant and I easily notched up 8 Little Egrets. Then a wander in the Scaldwell bay produced 2 Red Crested Pochards, Goldeneye, Green Sandpiper and at least 4 Sandpiper. However the presence of a boat successfully emptied the bay of birds before I had finished scanning. The birds went everywhere so I've no idea what might have been there.
Late morning found me at Harrington Airfield where it was extremely quiet and I glimpsed a Turtle Dove.
I found myself back at Pitsford at 14.00hrs , just as an Osprey was circling over the causeway before heading off towards the back of the Scaldwell Bay.
Late this afternoon found me along the valley between HH and Cottesbrooke where again I timed it perfectly and again got caught up in a heavy shower !!!   As the dogs were tired and wet I stood watching from the southmost field of the Blueberry complex.  I'd even got my "new scope" with me and it performed really well . Mind you the 4 Whinchat were so close that I nearly didn't see them !!!  Whilst scanning the area I picked up a Marsh Harrier, Hobby, Red Kite and a Wheatear.
So that's another weekend over.....and a whole new week lies ahead. Hope it's a good one.

Regards  Eleanor

Friday's

The day had that feel of " there should be a good bird around", as it was drizzly, murky and no wind.......but despite trying hard I failed to locate it !!
An early morning wander at Harrington produced the usual Marsh Harrier , numerous Whitethroats and a single Golden Plover flying over calling.
At lunchtime I was at Pitsford Reservoir where there was a scattering of waders, 2 Greenshank, 1 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover, 1 Green Sandpiper and at least 4 Common Sandpiper. Again there was at least 6 Little Egret visible, plus a Goldeneye and the 2 Red Crested Pochard which were literally just infront of the New James Fisher Hide.
Late afternoon/early evening was again spent around the Blueberry /valley between HH and Cottesbrooke. Infact weather wise this was the best part of the day, lovely Autumn sunshine followed by a glorious sunset.  It almost felt a bit like ticking off a register as I said hello to the usual 4 Whinchat and Marsh Harrier. I feel as if I'm on first name terms with these regulars !!!  The Marsh Harrier was again quartering the largest field of the Blueberry complex and I watched it from 18.15hrs until 19.15hrs when it appeared to go to roost in the bushes.  The 4 Whinchat I discovered yesterday were again present this evening, again in this big field, so a total of 8 Whinchat seen.
Other birds included a Red Kite, Hobby, Little Owls and a superb "blue" Sparrowhawk.
But one of the highlights was two young Barn Owls sitting out together looking across the fields and they looked beautiful with the weak sunshine on them.

Regards  Eleanor

Mid Week Round Up

The last two days seem to have flown by and my birding has been confined to Pitsford, Harrington and Blueberry area.
The water level at Pitsford is gradually falling, which in turn is producing some interesting muddy margins which hopefully will be attractive to any waders passing through.  Yesterday morning there were 2 Greenshank, 4 Common Sandpiper and a Ruff on the bigside. The most Little Egret I could see at any one time was 6. From the feeding station the Goldeneye and 2 Red Crested Pochard were visible.
The valley below HH was quiet apart from the 4 Whinchat.

This morning I went out early with the dogs as it promised to be a very hot day, and by 07.30hrs I had watched a Swift and Whimbrel fly over, and the usual Marsh Harrier was frequenting the area near the pond.  The bushes appeared quiet except for 2 Turtle Doves and plenty of Whitethroats. 
Late this afternoon, once it had cooled down I walked a large circuit taking in the valley between HH and Cottesbrooke and Blueberry Area.   The 4 Whinchat were in their usual spot as I set off.  I decided to walk around the largest field of the complex and sat on the top of the hill taking in the breathtaking view.  At 19.00 a Marsh Harrier flew over heading towards Haselbeech, but after a few minutes headed back and appeared to be heading towards Harrington.  We know from experience that birds fly between these two areas on a regular basis.  A Hobby, Red Kite and the rather striking " White Buzzard" were also in this area.
Then to my surprise I located 4 Whinchat in an area of the field which I haven't walked for a while, so not sure how long they have been present.  I was in a bit of a dilemma, "were these the regular 4 Whinchats" which I have been watching or a completely new group?   So with the light fading fast and me running, or trying to run as my collie thought I was playing so he was nipping me and slowing me down !!  Anyway we made it back to the usual field and the 4 Whinchat were still where I'd left them earlier, so it would seem that there are at least 8 Whinchat on the Blueberry complex.  And to finish the day a beautiful sunset and red sky.

Regards   Eleanor