Illegal slaughter of migrants in Cyprus

Hello

Please take time to read the below introduction from local naturalist John Boland concerning the slaughter of migrant birds in Cyprus:-

'I've started the petition "Ministry of Defence: Stop the illegal bird trapping on MOD land in the UK sovereign Dhekelia base at Cape Pyla Cyprus" and need your help to get it off the ground.

If we send this email to all our contacts, hopefully we can convince the MOD to stop this activity on UK soil.

It will not remove the problem totally but will make a big difference to the migrating populations.  A lot of the birds are just pulled out of the nets to die.  The Blackcap is the most lucrative catch, six Blackcaps sell for €80 Euro in restaurants.

Will you take 30 seconds to sign it right now? Here's the link: http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/ministry-of-defence-stop-the-illegal-bird-trapping-on-mod-land-in-the-uk-sovereign-dhekelia-base-at-cape-pyla-cyprus?utm_source=guides&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_created

Here's why it's important:

This is illegal bird trapping on MOD land netting criminal gangs millions of pounds a year. It is estimated 500.000 birds were trapped last year and sold for £4 per bird. This level of trapping is unsustainable, all the trapped birds are migrants using Cyprus as a rest area on their migration route.

The MOD is allowing illegal activity on sovereign property for the benefit of mainly Russian mafia gangs.

The practice can be halted instantly by cutting down the rows of Acacia trees planted illegally on this site. This is an MOD site totally controlled by the Ministry of Defence who in my opinion should not stand by and ignore this practice.

We have until September to prevent this mass killing taking place again, as the European-bred birds, travel south for the winter.

Please sign up to stop it now 

You can sign my petition by clicking here.

If you Google maps and type in Cape Pyla Cyprus zoom in and you will see the rows of Acacia tress quite clearly.

Thank-you'

John Boland

P.S. If the link doesn't work direct from this blog, please cut and paste and enter in to your favoured search engine.

Afternoon update...

Hello

A follow-up visit to Cottesbrooke this afternoon (1.40pm) failed to locate the singing Wood Warbler.  Two Hobby high up over the village were seen instead.

Eleanor noted a few birds of note at Harrington Airfield this afternoon the best being a pair of Grey Partridge, a Turtle Dove and a Grasshopper Warbler.

Regards

Neil M

Clive Bowley Wildlife Images

Local photographer Clive Bowley has kindly provided wildlife images over the last six months or so, and now he has his own Tab on this blog-site.  Enjoy!

Carrion Crow

Cream-streaked Lady-bird

Adder

Wood Warbler

Hello

Well Eleanor has just arrived in from a lengthy two hour run with Tor the hound!  She spent some time running around the Cottesbrooke/Haselbech/Blueberry Farm area in search of the wandering White Stork but no luck!  However a trilling (and thrilling!) Wood Warbler was in full song in Cottesbrooke village (at about 11am), in trees on the opposite side of the road to the church, and a Spotted Flycatcher was by the stream bridge on the Brixworth Road in the village.

Regards

Neil M

Another Windswept Walkies!!

Another day spent trekking around the bean fields and the Blueberry Farm complex, whilst competing with the strong wind and trying to dodge the showers, not very successfully.
The bean fields were quiet and I'm sure the beans have grown inches overnight as even the Lapwing were more difficult to locate.
Around Blueberry there was at least one singing Grasshopper Warbler and a Reed Warbler.  A newly fledged party of Long Tailed Tits were vocal , as were 2 Curlew as they flew over.  As I neared the highest point of the big field, battling against the wind I saw a Turtle Dove doing likewise. 
It is actually well worth the climb to this highest point as the views across the countryside are stunning and it is a good game to identify some famous landmarks, eg Cottesbrooke Hall, Express Lifts Tower and Borough Hill. If you are feeling weary then have a rest on the old garden furniture kindly placed there by Mr Mrs Knowles for all to enjoy.  It is a good place to watch for raptors as so much sky to look at, and again today there was Osprey, Red Kites, Kestrel, Hobby and Common Buzzard.


Regards  Eleanor

Long Day Count SP54

Hello

Today Mike Pollard (heartofenglandnature.blogspot.com) and I completed a BOS Long Day Count in SP54 which is in the south west of Northamptonshire.  From our 5am start it was a very strong wind all day, sometimes with light showers, but also occasionally with some intermittent brighter periods.

Our first birding venue was in the Thenford area, a couple of lakes here attracting some common water birds and also a migrant Common Sandpiper.  Broken woodland was sufficient to attract Nuthatch and the traditional Lapwing breeding fields contained at least three birds struggling to cope with the fast-growing wheat crop. Field edges and margins and the village sewer works near to Middleton Cheney claimed some additional species which included Grey Wagtail and the locally scarce Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler.  A fast-moving Hobby was the pick of the birds at Farthinghoe Local Nature Reserve.

We explored some minimal aquatic and wet woodland on the outskirts of Marston St Lawrence, and were rewarded with a pair of Mandarin Duck, a pair of Marsh Tits, plus another territorial male Grey Wagtail and a Sparrowhawk.  Two Ravens at Thenford, Farthinghoe and at Marston were presumed to be the same far-ranging birds.

A couple of hours in the afternoon wandering a mixture of habitat at Edgcote and Trafford Bridge and Trafford Marsh was rewarding with an adult Grey Heron on a nest, Raven, one or two Kingfisher, further singles of Sparrowhawk and Hobby and a fabulous cute huddle of just-fledged Long-tailed Tits!  Yet another on-territory Grey Wagtail was located and a single Yellow Wagtail was seen in flight and it took us nearly twelve hours to finally locate a single Pied Wagtail in the 10k square!

An inspired visit to Moreton Pinkney, one of Mike's local patches, yielded breeding Tree Sparrow, a pair of Raven with three fledged young and a super Tawny Owl.  This demonstrated the value of Mike's excellent local knowledge, in addition without which we would not have seen a subsequent and only Garden Warbler.

Regards

Neil M

Long Day Count SP55

Hello

Today was spent completing the Banbury Ornithological Society Long Day Count in the 10km square of SP55 south of Daventry. Helen Franklin joined me for a wet exploration of Fawsley Park from 5am, and a less wet trundle around Badby Woods afterwards, in our efforts to see as many species of birds as possible. 

Calling Tawny Owls were one of our first birds and there were several each of both Sedge and Reed Warbler singing during the grey cloud dawn.  Fawsley also provided Nuthatch and a singing Spotted Flycatcher as well as reasonable numbers of common birds.

Dripping Badby Woods with its impressive carpet of Bluebells was as stunning as ever despite the scudding storm clouds overhead.  As we left the wood the weather broke to provide blue skies and sunshine.  Raven and more Nuthatches were the birding highlights.

On then to Catesby and Hellidon which yielded a Hobby and another Raven.  A pair of Marsh Tits collecting food at Byfield Pool were a treat and the first of our Yellow Wagtails flew over calling.  Things really slowed up in the afternoon and we finished with a low total of 63 species located in the 12 hours!

Must re-charge the batteries for another go in SP54 tomorrow... !

Regards

Neil M

Windswept Walkies !!

I must admit that the thought of wet and muddy dogs did not fill me with much enthusiasm this morning, but the dogs were keen to go out. Anyway the rain soon stopped and we were quickly dried out by the ever increasing wind.
The bean fields below Hanging Houghton continue to "look good" so I covered quite an extensive circuit. I feel as if I know each bean plant intimately !!!, but all I could find was a rather splendid male Northern Wheatear and a couple of pairs of Lapwing.
As I reached Blueberry Farm I picked up a large bird flying away from me, typical, but thankfully it banked and circled around before heading off towards Cottesbrooke. It was a White Stork. It was flying quite low when I initially saw it, which makes me wonder whether it had been on the ground.
I continued to wander around the Blueberry Farm area and saw a Whinchat and two singing Grasshopper Warblers.  When I reached the highest point at Blueberry I stood for a while and scanned the skies, much to the dogs relief as they were glad of a rest, and it wasn't long before I picked up Osprey, Hobby, Red Kites and numerous Common Buzzard clearly enjoying the bright and breezy conditions.


Regards Eleanor

More wet weather to come...

Hello

My apologies for the lack of blogs over the last two days. Numerous commitments for us both have ensured that birding opportunities were minimal.  The wet and cooler temperatures of the last few days is causing problems with the earlier broods of tits in nest boxes, as demonstrated today with a dead brood of Great Tits at Pitsford Res.  Tits still at the egg stage will be faring better, but this wet weather comes at a time when Long-tailed Tits are feeding youngsters in the nest with the very earliest broods even at the fledging stage. Dave Francis and Lynne Barnett were checking boxes there today but on a happier note were able to confirm another brood of Tawny Owls on-site.  So far this year, we have located four pairs of Tawny Owls using the boxes there, at least three of which have owlets.  However, lengthy spells of rain severely reduces the ability of adults to find sufficient food so we hope they manage their way through what is forecast a very wet week-end.

Visits to the Brampton Valley and Harrington Airfield over the last couple of days have failed to locate any birds of note.  Locally I am concerned at the apparent low numbers of Swallows, House Martins and Yellow Wagtails at their usual breeding haunts and just hope that some more individuals have yet to arrive.  Most of the warblers seem to be in reasonable or good numbers.

This week-end I am destined to commit to Banbury Ornithological Society Long Day Counts down in the south of the county and I think by this time tomorrow I might be a touch water-logged!

Regards

Neil M

Wednesday update...

Hello

This morning Eleanor completed her customary perusal of the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and extending up towards Blueberry Farm and the fields adjacent.  An Osprey again flew up from the valley heading towards Pitsford Res at about 7.40am.  Two Curlew were flying around and calling and passerines on the ground included a Whinchat on the Blueberry Farm complex and two Wheatears again on the bean fields.

Later this morning a Quail was audible from a wheat field adjacent to the Brampton Valley Way at Draughton Crossing.

In the meantime a small team of us spent the morning putting up large nest boxes at Pitsford Res for the 2015 season and taking down/repairing those that have seen a number of years service.  We didn't notice any birds of note but the Common Tern community is slowly increasing in number with birds loafing on the rafts in the Scaldwell Bay.  A pair of Marsh Tits are utilizing a nest box on-site this year, and we netted a 10 year old female Tawny Owl from a nest-box, being first ringed as a nestling on the reserve way back in 2004.

Regards

Neil M

Post Skokholm

Hello

On Sunday evening the Northants Ringing Group contingent left Skokholm and set off back home to sunny Northants.  We had travelled down in three cars and one contingent decided to stay overnight in Wales and complete some birding in the Forest of Dean on the way home.

So on Monday afternoon, three of us found ourselves enjoying a sandwich and cake at the cafe at Symonds Yat (again) in Gloucestershire.  We then waddled to the rock itself and scanned over the River Wye and surrounding countryside to espy Peregrine, Common Buzzard and Red Kite.  Nuthatch and Siskin provided views and we then left to take a short but enjoyable walk around the RSPB reserve at Nagshead which is deeper in the forest.  Here six elusive male Pied Flycatchers proclaimed their territories and a singing Redstart showed briefly.  Plenty of Nuthatches and Treecreepers were a good indication of the health of this veteran forest.  Three Hawfinches were heard calling but remained hidden. A couple of brief stops at Parkend and New Fancy View was sufficient to see common woodland birds and we then travelled east to the rose of the shires and home.

Today (Tuesday) and some time at Pitsford Res yielded a Ruddy Shelduck in the grounds of the yacht club, a Little Ringed Plover on the shingle near Catwalk Bay and a half a dozen Common Terns south of the causeway.

Please be aware that if you are contemplating walking/running/cycling around the area between the dam and the causeway, the access track along the dam is currently closed for maintenance.  This section will remain closed until 21st May and prevents the opportunity of a typical circular route between the dam and causeway.  The reserve to the north of the causeway is unaffected.

Eleanor saw four Wheatears in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning but didn't see anything of note at Harrington Airfield this afternoon (apart from lots of dog-walkers).

Provisional numbers of birds captured and processed by the Northants Ringing Group on Skokholm for the six days we were there were as follows:-

403 Manx Shearwaters
1 Herring Gull
25 Chiffchaffs
63 Willow Warblers
22 Sedge Warblers
7 Blackcaps
10 Whitethroats
2 Grasshopper Warblers
4 Wheatears
1 Whinchat
6 Wrens
1 Dunnock
1 Black Redstart
3 Meadow Pipits
1 Rock Pipit
2 Reed Buntings
1 Blackbird
1 Goldfinch

Regards

Neil M

Whinchat - Skokholm
Courtesy of Chris Payne

Northants Bird Club meeting

Hello

This is a reminder to Bird Club members and an invite to non-members that on Wednesday evening (tomorrow) we meet for an indoor meeting at The Fishing Lodge, Pitsford Reservoir (on the Brixworth Road just outside Holcot).  John Showers will be providing us with a presentation on Hoverflies and I will be providing an illustrated bird quiz to conclude the evening. 

Hopefully we will have an opportunity to chat and nibble some biscuits and sip some hot drinks afterwards!  Ideally please meet at 7.30pm for a 7.45pm start, parking in the car park at The Fishing Lodge.  There are a couple of parking places by the entrance if it becomes full, with a further overflow option being parking on the causeway and taking a short stroll back to the Fishing Lodge.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Neil M

Sunday continued

For me, it has been a lean time for birds and until today I had failed to connect with anything of note.
This morning at 07.30hrs an Osprey flew over my head as I neared Blueberry and appeared to be heading towards Pitsford Reservoir, probably in search of breakfast.  
I've continued to check as many bean fields as I can. There appears to be 2 pairs of Lapwing taking an interest in one of the fields.  It was whilst checking more of these fields early afternoon that I saw a female Black Redstart and 2 male Northern Wheatears gradually work their way up the field and simply melt away !   As I was scanning the skies I watched 2 Hobby flying around together and give a short display.  Plenty of other raptors enjoying the sunshine and breeze, namely Red Kites and Common Buzzard.
A slow walk at Harrington produced a single Whinchat, but nil else.
A walk at dusk around Blueberry was quiet apart from a Barn Owl


Regards Eleanor

Sunny Sunday on Skokholm

Hello

The sunshine has finally broken through here on Skokholm and the visibility is excellent with clear views possible of the mainland and the islands of Skomer, Grassholm and Ramsay.

The migrants were a little slow this morning but new arrivals included small numbers of common warblers, and another Wheatear was trapped and ringed.

Aerial skirmishes between big gulls, corvids, Common Buzzard and Peregrine continue all the time, with Oystercatchers piping and shrilling at all of them!

Puffins are flying in small swarms as they master the strong head-wind and avoid the hunting male Peregrine, and the cliff edges and vegetated areas are the constant haunt of singing Rock and Meadow Pipits.

The Pembrokeshire islands at their best!

Regards

Neil M

Hand-caught Manx
Shearwater  by Lynne Barnett!

Northants Ringing Group
contingent on Skokholm

Heligoland Bird-trap

NRG catering logistics meeting!

Saturday on Skokholm

Hello

A strong south-easterly wind dominated much of the day on Skokholm today, but then this dwindled in the afternoon and the wind direction switched.  New migrants were low in number but included the usual species and also the Black Redstart from yesterday.  Another nocturnal Manx Shearwater catching session during the night of the 2nd/3rd May provided another sixty-five birds.

A Whinchat materialised in the afternoon and was also trapped and ringed and the Puffins, Razorbills and Guillemots spent much of the afternoon flocking to their burrows and ledges to start commencing house-keeping for the new season.  Off-shore Kittiwakes and Gannets ambled past and the island population of Grey Seals lounged in bays and inlets.

Lesser-Black-backed Gulls are the most common breeding gulls on the island and today in particular there was a great deal of noise from bickering neighbours, mating pairs and strife with their Herring and Great Black-backed Gull cousins.

The flowers on Skokholm are close to coming in to their best with Bluebells, Wild Pansies, Sorrel, Forget-me Not, Thrift and Red Campion among others.

Regards

Neil M

Male Wheatear

Grassholm Gannet colony

Herring Gull

Puffins

'Greenland' Wheatear

All images courtesy of Nick Woods

Friday on Skokholm

Hello

Mostly a warm and sunny day on Skokholm today with new migrants on the island first thing and another small arrival in the early afternoon.  Small numbers of in-coming warblers included Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Blackcap and Sedge Warbler and the bird of the day was a Black Redstart caught and ringed after being found in the Wheelhouse Net.  Efforts with spring-traps yielded a fine female Greenland Wheatear and another one of these migrants was among the breeding nominate types.

The Chough were vocal on the island today and the island Ravens include a nest containing four young. Small numbers of waders included regular Whimbrel, Curlew and four Ringed Plovers with a fly-over Green Sandpiper too.

Regards

Neil M

Skokholm again...

Hello

For the third consecutive night we walked the transect in our nocturnal catching of Manx Shearwaters, this time catching 97 birds.

We had anticipated a small fall of migrants today but that didn't materialise but the ringing catch was made up of quality rather than quantity with singles of Wheatear, Rock Pipit and Grasshopper Warbler being the pick of the bunch.

It became a touch exciting when at about 11.10am a Collared Pratincole flew in from the south and the length of the island before leaving to the north.  Unfortunately not many people managed to see this wanderer.

Regards

Neil M

Grasshopper Warbler
Chris Payne

Gannet
Chris Payne

Northants Ringing Group shortly
after arrival on Skokholm.
Chris Payne

Puffin
Chris Payne

Fulmar

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Skokholm migrants

Hello

A lively day today on Skokholm which despite quite strong breezes and periods of sunshine and rain produced plenty of incoming migrants with just under fifty new birds being caught.   Willow Warblers made up the majority but were supported by small numbers of Chiffchaff, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat and Blackcap. Efforts at catching large gulls failed and we will have to consider a different strategy for the next couple of days!

I cooked tonight so there is every chance that there might be repercussions for the stomachs of the Northants Ringing Group!

Regards

Neil M

Odds and Ends

Although I have been out and about in the past few days checking the bean fields below Hanging Houghton, feeding the birds at Harrington Airfield and checking for migrants at Pitsford and Sywell Reservoirs , my bird list is pretty poor.
The bean fields look really good, but there has been a distinct lack of birds. These fields have been sprayed and fertilized in close succession recently so I wonder if this is significant.  Today the remaining straw bales were removed , so I expect the Wheatears will move on.
This morning at Harrington there was a Whinchat and a male Common Redstart around the second bunker, otherwise it was quiet.
I always find Sywell Reservoir an interesting spot, but today the only birds of note were several singing Sedge Warblers.
Today I have heard a Cuckoo everywhere I've been.....unless it is the same one following me around !!!


Regards Eleanor

Skokholm

Hello

On Sunday myself and six other Northants Ringers journeyed down to Pembrokeshire for a week's expedition on the island of Skokholm.  The first site en-route was to the watch-point at Symonds Yat in Gloucestershire where the birds included large numbers of Common Buzzards, several Ravens, a couple of Sparrowhawks and of course Peregrines.  Other observations included several Mandarin Ducks, Goosander, Nuthatch and Siskin before we moved on to the Wildlife and Wetlands site at Llanelli. This was a new venue for me and very much like Slimbridge but on a smaller scale.

Wild birds included singles of Glossy Ibis and Spoonbill and Peregrine plus a couple each of Mediterranean Gull and Little Egret.  Waders were made up of Curlew, Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit and Greenshank.

The last birding of the evening was at St Anne's Head on the Pembrokeshire coast where Manx Shearwaters were rafting off-shore and both Chough and Peregrine appeared overhead.

Yesterday morning (Monday), and we successfully boated over to Skokholm and made ourselves ready for our birding and ringing experience.  We quickly began making use of the Heligoland Traps and mist-nets and began to catch migrants which included Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Whitethroat.  Swallows whizzed overhead, Whimbrel trilled and stalked the island, Raven and Chough skirmished with Jackdaw and Carrion Crow and a pair of Peregrine terrorised the island.  Small birds hopping along the short turf included Pied Wagtail, Wheatear, Meadow and Rock Pipit.  In the late evening we made our first efforts at the nocturnal catching of Manx Shearwater, with some twenty-eight birds being captured and providing the first opportunity for many of the team in handling these fabulous birds.

Today (Tuesday) and the weather was very nice but there was minimal migration visible on the island. Despite the paucity of migrants, quality birds caught included several species of warbler including a Grasshopper Warbler and a couple of very smart Wheatears.  We took the opportunity of taking a RIB to the island of Grassholm which houses a colony of 85,000 Gannets which was pretty spectacular!

Regards

Neil M

Razorbill

Herring Gull

Gannet

Strange Sunday !

I started the day with an early morning walk at Harrington Airfield and it was disappointingly quiet with no birds of note.
Late morning found me walking around the bean fields below Hanging Houghton. These fields look perfect for a "goodie", but there are an awful lot of bean fields to cover. !!  I decided to walk to the highest point of the fields as there is a fantastic view .  It was here that I had a total unexpected  group of 9 Whimbrel and a Golden Plover sp feeding!!!.  I say Golden Plover sp as I had a small Golden Plover type with an unusual call a couple of days ago and I've been trying to relocate it ever since. After watching it today, I am still not sure.  I really needed my scope, so I took the dogs back home, picked up my scope and went back.......of course those birds were nowhere to be seen, but there were 2 Wheatears. This evening I trekked around more of the bean fields with my 4 legged companions who think that I've "really lost the plot", but could not relocate these birds, but saw 2 Grey Partridge, Barn Owl and had a Cuckoo singing well.
Oh well there is always tomorrow.


Regards  Eleanor

Recent ringing data

Hello

Some interesting information has been forthcoming from local ringing as follows:-

An adult Stock Dove was caught at Pitsford Res on Wednesday. This bird was bearing a ring and had been ringed as a nestling in a nest-box in the Holcot Bay at Pitsford in May 2012.  This bird was captured exiting a nest-box in the Scaldwell Bay where there were two very young nestlings.  The indications were that this bird was a female and after being reared successfully herself on the reserve she had chosen to breed on the same site albeit in a different bay and nest-box.

In addition two adult female Tawny Owls breeding in the nest-boxes were also caught and these were bearing rings.  One bird was first ringed in 2005 when she was an incubating female and the other was first ringed in 2008 when she also was an incubating female.  Clearly these matriarchs are very site-faithful as well as attaining a good age and continuing to produce owls for the next generation.

A Goldfinch caught and ringed at Greens Norton on 18th November 2013 was recovered dead at a place called Prosperous, Nass in County Kildare (Eire) on 1st April 2014.  This suggests that it wintered in the UK or was on passage and that it was intent on breeding in Eire.  The two locations are 406 km apart.

Finally a Blackbird that was first ringed in Sunderland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate in February 2012 was found dead 575 km away at a place called Sandhorst, Weser-Ems in Germany in February 2014. This suggests that this bird was of a continental origin but successfully overstayed in the UK or passed through during the cold winter of 2011/2012.

Regards

Neil M

Another one that got away?

Hello

Yesterday afternoon (Friday), Eleanor saw and heard an interesting summer plumage 'Golden Plover' in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.  Sadly the observation only lasted a short time as the bird was flying.  The bird seemed very slim and issued a 'shuwee' like call.  The exact colour and shade of the auxillaries was not determined, but it seems possible that this was either an American or Pacific Golden Plover.  The bird appeared to pitch down but wasn't seen again yesterday evening and despite a good scour of the fields today seemingly still remains absent.

Two Wheatears in the fields next to the straw-stacks were the only birds of note in the valley this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Early morning murk!

Hello

A pad around at Harrington Airfield this morning in the low cloud and drizzle produced just a single male Wheatear as the only obvious staging migrant.

A male Redstart was in the edge of a copse in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning, and four Wheatears were in nearby bean fields

Eleanor and Neil

This afternoon...

Hello

This afternoon's birds included a male Ring Ouzel at Harrington Airfield (second bunker) and four Wheatears, with another four Wheatears in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

At 5pm the drake Scaup was visible just south of the road causeway at Pitsford Res and a Raven flew over. Andrew Tyrrell has kindly communicated to state that the Egyptian Goose is still present at the Nene Barrage/N'pton Washlands this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

All beak and no trousers!

Hello

For much of the day, Neil Hasdell and I checked the large nest-boxes on the reserve at Pitsford Res and found three of them occupied by Tawny Owls with others occupied by Jackdaws, Stock Doves and Grey Squirrels!  Below are some images of a Tawny Owl chick and it's parent.

Other birds noted on the reserve today included a drake Scaup in the Holcot Bay (first seen by Robin Gossage on Saturday), two Common Terns, two Oystercatchers and two Goldeneye.

Eleanor located six Wheatears at Harrington Airfield - please see images below by Dave Jackson.

In the meantime, John Woollett, Chris Payne and John Boland managed to access a Raven nest in the south of the county and ringed the absolutely beautiful occupants!

Regards

Neil M

Tawny Owls at Pitsford Res
courtesy of Neil Hasdell

Wheatear at Harrington Airfield
courtesy of Dave Jackson

All beak and no trousers!
That's the Ravens not you Chris!

Tuesday late morning...

Hello

Further checks of the bean fields below Hanging Houghton late morning indicates that the majority of the migrants including the Black Redstart have already moved on as it has warmed up.

Brief visits to Pitsford Res causeway and dam succeeded only in locating a single Swift and a couple of Oystercatchers.

Regards

Neil M

Tuesday am

Hello

An early morning jaunt to Harrington Airfield this morning provided views of two male Ring Ouzels at the second bunker, which subsequently flew towards the third bunker at 7.15am.  Two Wheatears were also present, generally between the first and second bunkers.

Eleanor in the meantime continued her methodical checking of the bean fields in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning.  The best bird was an adult male Black Redstart with other passerines at about SP737734.  Other birds in these collection of fields included four Wheatears, at least a dozen Yellow Wagtails, plenty of Skylarks and half a dozen Golden Plovers.  However, no Dotterel as yet!

Regards

Neil M

Firecrest

Hello

A visit to Harrington Airfield this afternoon provided a view of an adult male Ring Ouzel and four Wheatears.

David Arden is to be congratulated on finding a Firecrest at Pitsford Res this morning, the bird was located in the Scaldwell Bay in larches near to the New James Fisher Hide.  This evening birds noted north of the causeway at Pitsford included the Ross's Goose still, a Goldeneye and at least one Oystercatcher.

Regards

Neil M

Harrington Ouzels

I decided that I would start the day with an early morning walk at Harrington Airfield.  First job was to feed the birds, even though it would appear that the Bramblings have moved off there are still plenty of birds enjoying the seed.  There were good numbers of Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting and Chaffinch. A single Tree Sparrow and 2 Lesser Redpoll made a brief appearance.
There were 2 Grey Partridge, 4 Wheatears and a Cuckoo on the rough area.

As I loitered around the second bunker I could hear at least 2 Ring Ouzel "chacking" away and one of these birds, a super male, perched on top of a bush and started to sing and he was really showing off. It is certainly the best view which I've had of these birds.  Another male, not so well marked broke cover and perched out in the open on the concrete bunker and I could still hear another bird calling, so pretty sure 3 birds remain.

Regards Eleanor