Skokholm at last!

Hello

Yesterday (Tuesday), and the gathering of Northants Ringing Group members in Pembrokeshire continued as we failed to yet again reach Skokholm Island due to adverse conditions. Nevertheless we made the best of it and combed the coastline around Dale, Marloes and beyond to find a variety of birds and other wildlife.

The strong winds caused a number of feeding sea-birds to pass close to Wooltack Point near to Marloes, as joined by a couple of Harbour Porpoise.

Afternoon sunshine brought forth dragonflies and damselflies and the butterflies included Painted Lady, Wall Brown and Grayling.

Today (Wednesday) and we managed to finally boat over to Skokholm and begin our expedition proper.

Regards

Neil M

Gannets

Harbour Porpoise

Kittiwake

Gannet

Night Heron images

Hello

Although it sounds as if the Night Heron was not seen at Ditchford GP today, please find a couple of images below of the bird as taken by Neil H a couple of evenings back...

Currently I'm with a fair chunk of the Northants Ringing Group down in Pembrokeshire, waiting for the strong winds to abate with a view to landing on the island of Skokholm. Here we hope to see and ring breeding and migrant birds on the island which should include Manx Sheawater and Storm Petrel.

Birding around the Dale Peninsular and Marloes area today provided views of Chough, Raven, Peregrine, Manx Shearwater, Fulmar, Black-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Green Sandpiper, Little Egret, Stonechat, Wheatear and Spotted Flycatcher, often in very blustery conditions.

Regards

Neil M

Night Heron at
Ditchford Gravel Pits
courtesy of Neil Hasdell.

The Night Heron remains

Hello

The Night Heron has been seen this evening both in flight and half-concealed in bushes at Ditchford Gravel Pits, in much the same place where it has been seen in flight the last few evenings (on the River Nene between the Bailey Bridge and the Broadholme SWT outflow).

This evening Eleanor located a singing Grasshopper Warbler and a party of four Whinchats in the southern-most field (Big Lichfields) at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

Regards

Neil M

Sule Skerry Part 2

Hello

Dave Francis is not long back from his sortie on Sule Skerry, ringing sea-birds during the second week of the three week BTO-led expedition. I was there in the first week and it sounds like the somewhat challenging weather conditions persisted through some of the second week too...

However Dave also enjoyed some decent calm and sunny weather and managed to take some photos as below...

Regards

Neil M

Great Skua

Rock Pipit

Gannets

The iconic Puffin

A wet Pitsford!

Sparrowhawk and bird bath!
Courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Hello

This morning a foray to Pitsford Reservoir near the dam area produced a fishing Osprey which caught a trout, two adult Yellow-legged Gulls and a Grey Wagtail. Three Grey Wagtails were also present at Brixworth Sewer Treatment Works.

Neil H was at Summer Leys Nature Reserve this morning and saw a Water Rail and a Green Sandpiper.

The wet weather extending in to the early hours tomorrow may down an interesting migrant or two...?

Regards

Neil M

Whitethroat with Grasshopper/
cricket prey.
Courtesy of Cathy Ryden

Butterflies and more...

Yesterday, a 'spur of the moment' decision found me heading to Fermyn Wood Country Park and nearby woodland in search of butterflies.

I didn't think that I would find time to visit the area this year, but I grabbed a few hours when the opportunity arose. I took my two young dogs with me and kept my fingers crossed that they wouldn't accidentally trample on the butterflies and embarrass me, but thankfully they behaved and all butterflies remained intact !

Initially it was quite cloudy but just after midday the sun came out and the butterflies and insects erupted in a frenzy of colour and activity.  I don't think that I have ever seen so many Silver-washed Fritillaries, they were absolutely stunning.  At times it was easy to count 10+ on the Blackberry flowers. 

There seemed to be a profusion of Blackberry flowers which attracted large numbers of butterflies including Comma, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White, White Admiral and Ringlet.
A few Purple Hairstreak were found flitting about at the top of the Oak trees and a couple of White Letter Hairstreak were visible in an Elm hedge.

Although I hoped to see Purple Emperor I thought that I had left it too late in the season, so I was very pleased to find 4 individuals. I came across a superb male sitting on the track, but as I prepared to take a photograph a family of Fallow Deer chose that moment to cross the track, which one of the dogs found interesting , which meant I was momentarily distracted. When I turned back to take my photograph the Purple Emperor was nowhere to be seen !

Birds took second place, but I did see approx 10 Crossbills, several family parties of Jays, and good numbers of Red Kites which were both very vocal and acrobatic above the trees.

Regards

Eleanor

Silver-washed Fritillary

Female Silver-washed Fritillary
of the form 'Valezina'.
Thanks to Doug Goddard for
confirming this identification.

Large White

Peacock butterfly

White Admiral

Honeysuckle

Tor to the left and Smeagol to the right!

Fallow Deer

Pitsford Ringing

Hello

With a brief evening stint on Wednesday and a morning session today (Thursday), Dave Francis was busy committing to some bird ringing at Pitsford Reservoir, mostly centred in the Scaldwell Bay.

Eighty-four birds were captured of a variety of species, the more noteworthy being 7 Mallard, a Moorhen, a Carrion Crow, 4 Kingfishers (3 in a net at the same time), a Green Woodpecker, 8 Blackcaps, 12 Chiffchaffs, 6 Reed Warblers, a Sedge Warbler, 5 Treecreepers, 2 Marsh Tits and 2 Willow Tits.

The Night Heron showed this evening (21.48 hrs) at Ditchford Gravel Pits again, flying east along the River Nene by the dilapidated Bailey Bridge that connects Wilsons Pits with the Nene Valley footpath on the opposite side of the river. Just three observers were present to witness it!

Regards

Neil M

Night Heron

Hello

A successful ringing operation at Harrington Airfield today provided an opportunity of handling 78 birds of which just eight were re-trapped birds from previous sessions.

This total included 7 Linnets, 17 Whitethroats, 3 Willow Warblers, 4 Chiffchaffs and 3 Green Woodpeckers.

Birds of interest at Pitsford Res this evening included three Dunlin, the pair of Ruddy Shelduck, a juvenile Shelduck and a Kingfisher.

This evening an adult Night Heron was discovered at Ditchford Gravel Pits by Steve Fisher, the bird was seen in flight a few times at the River Nene by the Anglian Water Sewer outfall near to the dilapidated Bailey Bridge...

Regards

Neil M

Male Linnet
Courtesy of Jean Dunn.

Juvenile Green Woodpecker

Ringing tomorrow at Harrington Airfield

Hello

This evening was spent preparing for a ringing session at Harrington Airfield tomorrow. This effectively means that the private land of the old airstrip and the three bunkers will be out of bounds due to the setting of traps and nets. Should anyone want to attend as an observer, please contact me tomorrow on my mobile 07905 596427 after 6am.

Jean Dunn continues to monitor her colony of Pipistrelle bats at Boughton and during the last few days has seen youngsters emerge, sometimes during daylight.

Neil H was at Summer Leys NR this morning and saw a juvenile Marsh Harrier passing over and causing calamity among the local birds. A Black-tailed Godwit was present too...

Regards

Neil M

Pipistrelle Bat at Boughton
Courtesy of Jean Dunn

Garden Tiger Moth last week at Pitsford Res,
courtesy of Mischa Furfaro

Juvenile Swallow at Guilsborough
Courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

The day after...

Hello

After yesterday's excitement, today was much more mundane in respect of birding terms. Pitsford Reservoir yielded the pair of Ruddy Shelduck, a juvenile Shelduck, two adult Yellow-legged Gulls and a Little Egret. Big birds included an Osprey fishing south of the causeway at about 3.30pm and the Vulcan flying around, sometimes with the Blades acrobatic team!

Regards

Neil M

Gatekeeper butterfly

Green-veined White butterfly

Ruddy Darter

Common Sandpiper

All the above images taken
by Neil Hasdell at Pitsford Reservoir
 during the course of the last couple
of days

Vulcan
Courtesy of Jacob Spinks

A day of rares!

Hello

Our intention to ring at Harrington Airfield today was cancelled due to the weather, which ended up being quite fortuitous for me! On an amazing day for county birding, I heard a Bee-eater flying south over our garden at Hanging Houghton at 9.10am. The bird must have been low because it called loudly but wasn't obvious to view and the subsequent calls were much further away. Frustrating that it wasn't a viewing, but the bird I've been waiting to record in the county for many years. An amazing day inasmuch that a White-winged Black Tern was seen at Stanwick Lakes early this morning and then a Bittern was also seen on a couple of occasions and waders included three Little Stints. In addition, a flock of Avocet were found at Clifford Hill GP.

Eleanor was up at Blueberry Farm this morning and spotted an unidentified stork sp flying high overhead. Whether to watch the bird or photograph it is always a dilemma on a rarity fly-through; as it was Eleanor tried to find it using her camera, couldn't locate it in the viewfinder and lost the bird at the same time too. That's the trouble with rare birds, they're always frustrating! On this occasion the specific identification of the stork wasn't clinched.

In the meantime Jacob Spinks was birding in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this morning and located a couple of Ruddy Shelduck, four Black-tailed Godwits and a Little Egret.

Swifts were very much on the move today, perhaps the last big push of the season and Siskins were moving in good numbers early this morning and again this evening. An adult Red Kite is no longer an unusual sight at Hanging Houghton, but the accompanying begging juvenile was far more interesting and more than suggestive of successful local breeding. Two or three Kingfishers in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon were probably part of a family group.

At Pitsford Reservoir this evening, I visited the Sailing Club area but the autumn gull roost has yet to materialise with no more than 40 gulls present which did include a Common Gull and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. At 9.10pm a flock of ten summer plumage Black-tailed Godwits arrived and flew around slowly with exquisite grace typical of this species, and were last seen heading off towards the causeway. Also present was at least one Oystercatcher, a female Tufted Duck with 7 ducklings, a juvenile Shelduck and a hunting Barn Owl.

Regards

Neil M

Pitsford CBC

Hello

A stunning day's weather at Pitsford Reservoir today, and just perfect to complete the last Common Bird Census of the season.

An Osprey was north of the causeway at 6am and waders taking advantage of the muddy edges included three very smart Black-tailed Godwits, at least one Redshank and two Green Sandpipers.

Several Siskins were flying around the reserve, the drake Red-crested Pochard was still in the Walgrave Bay as were two early returning Wigeon. Plenty of passage gulls were evident today, mostly being Black-headeds on the move. Also a couple of Common Gulls have been overflying the last couple of days and big gulls on the reserve this morning included Great Black-backed and two adult Yellow-legged.

The bushes sheltered juvenile warblers including fledged Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat and Chiffchaff. Willow Tit was seen at two points on the reserve and Marsh Tit at several. A Little Egret in breeding plumage was espied and the female Gadwall was still chaperoning five growing ducklings. 

Insects were good with a Beautiful Demoiselle on show in the Holcot Bay, and Emperor Dragonfly, Brown Hawker, Southern Hawker, Black-tailed Skimmer, Four Spotted Chaser and Common Darter all on the wing. A good range of common butterflies included Marbled Whites still in the Scaldwell meadow and an unidentified fritillary. Roesel's Bush-crickets were simply everywhere!

Marbled White butterflies are common at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) this year and this evening an atmospheric big hatch there of Ghost Moths just before dusk was impressive.

Regards

Neil M

Red Kite

Beautiful Demoiselle. Seemingly
 an immature male.

Muntjac Deer

Emperor Dragonfly

Flowering Rush

Four Spotted Chaser Dragonfly

Roesel's Bush-cricket

Meadow Brown butterfly

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly

Comma butterfly

Pied Wagtails -  Male feeding juvenile.

Black-tailed Skimmer dragonfly

Black-tailed Godwit

All images at Pitsford Reservoir today...

Harrington Airfield

Hello

Time was spent at Harrington Airfield today in an effort to make it ready for some bird ringing this autumn. Some of the original rides have been made net friendly and the first session of the season may be as early as Sunday morning (although a change in the weather forecast may compromise this or make us start much later). As such the old airstrip and bunker areas will effectively be out of bounds during the ringing session, but anyone who would like to come along and observe the activities is welcome to join us providing you have communicated with me beforehand - email -

birdingallthetime@gmail.com.

A small tit flock present there today included some common warblers and a Willow Tit. Butterflies included Marbled White and there were plenty of day-flying moths too. The Bee Orchids have gone over now and the Common Spotted Orchids are also past their best...

Regards

Neil M