A rather cold Friday - winter's here!

Hybrid finch

(maybe Goldfinch x Canary?)

Hanging Houghton

Hello

Eleanor walked around the Blueberry Farm complex this morning and found three pairs of Stonechat and two Woodcock.

Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate is home to about eight or so Marsh Tits this winter and they all seem to know where the bird food and feeders are! A couple of them were showing well in the winter sunshine today...

A visit to Brixworth Sewer Treatment Works this afternoon provided views of two Chiffchaffs, at least one Grey Wagtail and 60+ Pied Wagtails.

An odd-looking finch in the garden today appeared to be a hybrid and presumably of captive origin. It's parentage includes Goldfinch and perhaps Canary? A poor quality image is the best I could do through the double-glazing!

Regards

Neil M

Marsh Tits
Scotland Wood
Kelmarsh Estate

Robin
Scotland Wood
Kelmarsh Estate

Pied Wagtails
Brixworth

Ducks of Abington Park

Hello

Yesterday (Wednesday) and birds of interest found locally included a pair of Grey Partridge at Harrington Airfield and a flock of at least 200 Golden Plovers in a field near to the old landfill site between the villages of Scaldwell and Brixworth.

Today (Thursday) and the Little Egret count on the flooded fields near to Old village rose to six! A pair of Stonechat appeared again in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Robin Gossage has been at it again, this time visiting the excellent Abington Park in Northampton and taking photographs of the habituated Goosanders, as well as a couple of ducks that originate from captive stock...!

Regards

Neil M

Domestic-origin Mallard

Domestic-origin Muscovy

Wild and glorious
Goosanders!

All images courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Otters

Hello

I popped over to Ravensthorpe Reservoir this morning in between chores and saw three Otters straight away. They were visible from the causeway between 8.30am to 9am. Four animals had been on show earlier from first light.

The Great White Egret was also present plus a Grey Wagtail.

Regards

Neil M

Otter
Ravensthorpe Reservoir

Stonechat

Hello

Eleanor saw three Little Egrets on floods next to a minor road near to Old village today and David Arden was at Ravensthorpe Reservoir at first light and watched four Otters catching fish around the causeway tunnel. Prospective watchers are asked to be very quiet whilst on the causeway and to walk quietly and stand by the fence next to the tunnel parapet. The road causeway is narrow and busy with traffic with poor vision for drivers so please be careful. The Great White Egret was also present.

The below images depict a study of the female Stonechat currently wintering at Summer Leys LNR as taken by Robin Gossage (thank-you Robin).

Regards

Neil M

Redpolls save the day!

Hello

A ringing session was attempted at Brixworth Sewage Treatment works today but nobody told the birds and the site was largely absent of avian visitors! Birds that were present included two Grey Wagtails, a Chiffchaff and a redpoll sp.

Chris Payne was lucky enough to witness a visitation of 16 Lesser Redpolls to his Greens Norton garden today and managed to catch and ring six of them.

Regards

Neil M

Male Green Woodpecker

Female Green Woodpecker

Courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Peekaboo!

Hello

It's always frustrating for birdwatchers and photographers when birds are partly hidden behind twigs and other objects. However at least at this time of the year an observer with patience can see the more significant identification features, and an accomplished photographer can even capture the half-hidden subject and produce an interesting image to boot!

Regards

Neil M

Goldcrest

Blue Tit

Chaffinch

All images courtesy
of Cathy Ryden

Ditchford WeBS count

Hello

Kenny Cramer presided at a ringing session today at Linford Lakes on the outskirts of Milton Keynes and caught 74 birds which included an influx of new tits, and finches in the shape of 3 Chaffinches, a Lesser Redpoll and 8 Siskins.

John Woollett and team enjoyed their first ringing session of the year at Stortons Gravel Pits today catching over fifty birds which included 13 Reed Buntings and a Siskin. The ringers on-site heard what may have been Bearded Tits calling from the reeds.

Jacob Spinks saw a male Stonechat near the Holly Tree at Pitsford Reservoir today and Pete Gilbert witnessed a flock of 150+ Golden Plovers at Harrington Airfield.

Cathy Ryden was at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today and noted the regular Great White Egret, a Raven and a Grey Wagtail. Earlier observers had apparently witnessed five Otters on show!

We undertook an early WeBS count at Ditchford Gravel Pits today in flooded and very muddy conditions! The Great Northern Diver was still on the Watersports Pit west of Ditchford Lane and a Great White Egret was on the Viaduct Pit before flying towards Wellingborough.

Yet another Firecrest was discovered this afternoon, this time contained within a tit flock between the first and second pit east of Ditchford Lane. Other birds noted on the complex included 5 Goosanders, 3 Egyptian Geese, 3 Kingfishers, 8 Cetti's Warblers, 5 Chiffchaffs and 4 Grey Wagtails. A freshly-dead Grass Snake had presumably been flooded out from hibernation.

Regards

Neil M

Male Stonechat at
Pitsford Reservoir.
Courtesy of Jacob Spinks

Greylag Geese
Ditchford GP

First year Great Black-backed Gull
over Ditchford Gravel Pits.

Saturday birds...

Hello

Efforts at locating yesterday's Firecrest at Hanging Houghton today failed to find the bird.

A single 40 foot net in the garden succeeded in catching 55 birds which included two male Sparrowhawks, a Goldcrest, two Marsh Tits, four Coal Tits and nine Goldfinches. One of the Sparrowhawks was a re-trap bird (hatched 2013) first ringed in the garden in November 2014, the second bird was a new bird and aged as a second calendar year bird (hatched in 2014).

An afternoon's scanning from the dam at Pitsford Reservoir provided views of the Red-necked Grebe (still between the dam and Moulton Grange Bay), the adult Caspian Gull, a Green Sandpiper and a Grey Wagtail.

For anyone wishing to see Otters locally, it seems that Ravensthorpe Reservoir is the hot-spot at the moment with three animals being seen regularly (presumably from the road causeway between the villages of Coton and Ravensthorpe) including this morning...

Regards

Neil M

Adult male Sparrowhawk

Second calendar year
male Sparrowhawk

It didn't rain today!

Hello

I forgot to mention that Eleanor yesterday watched a Water Vole in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton, our first record locally for many years. It is likely that it was displaced due to the very high water levels of the Brampton Brook.

A wander at Harrington Airfield in pleasant conditions this morning provided a flock of at least sixty Golden Plovers on soggy fields. Feeding station maintenance on the Kelmarsh Estate didn't yield anything out of the ordinary although there was still a handful of Siskins in alders at Kelmarsh Hall.

Eleanor's hike around the Blueberry Farm complex this morning provided views of the adult female Peregrine again, two Woodcock, a pair of Raven and a pair of Stonechat.

This afternoon at about 3.20pm, a Firecrest was heard calling in the village here at Hanging Houghton, and located in a neighbour's spruce tree. It then flew in to the grounds of Lamport Grange where it was seen briefly again about ten minutes later.

The gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir this evening again attracted the adult Caspian Gull.

Regards

Neil M

Golden Plovers

Tough birds!

Hello

Eleanor was up at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and saw a female Merlin on two occasions, about half an hour between sightings...

Robin Gossage has kindly forwarded me some images of birds battling against the weather elements. These pictures were taken at Snettisham in Norfolk but could just have easily been taken in Northants such is the rain and wind of the last two months!

Regards

Neil M

Starling shielding itself
against storm-force winds

It's a tough life being a Lapwing!

And when there is no cover
they just have to put up with it!
The picture shows Wigeon and
 Lapwing feeling the full force!

All pictures courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

County Bird Ringing

Hello

With calm, dull conditions today was perfect for using mist nets as part of the county bird ringing scheme. 

Dave Francis made use of the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station at Pitsford Reservoir and caught 30 birds which included 4 Tree Sparrows, 2 Yellowhammers, 4 Redwings and a Fieldfare.

Chris Payne was ringing at his site at Bradden and caught 42 birds which included 6 new Chaffinches, 2 Robins, a Magpie and single re-traps of Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch from 2014.

Kim Robinson and John Woollett worked harder at Great Brington with a catch of 113 birds made up of  83 feisty Blue Tits, 12 Coal Tits, 8 Great Tits, a Chaffinch, a Goldfinch, a Robin, 3 House Sparrows, 3 Dunnocks and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Birds caught at Brixworth Sewer Treatment Works were few in number and included 2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Treecreepers, a Goldcrest, 3 Magpies, and the surprise of the session a Firecrest!

Regards

Neil M

Firecrest

Courtesy of  Neil Hasdell

A run around Pitsford

Hello

Eleanor took a run around the south side of Pitsford Reservoir early this morning and espied the Red-necked Grebe just off the dam, a Great White Egret in Catwalk Bay and ten Little Egrets scattered about...

Yesterday John Gamble was in Abington Park, Northampton and watched a 'redhead' Goosander fishing on the lake (please see below)...

Regards

Neil M

'Redhead' Goosander
with a Perch.

Courtesy of John Gamble.

More Little Gulls...

Hello

Eleanor took a wander around Sywell Country Park today and noted a singing Cetti's Warbler, at least two Bramblings, ca20 redpolls, ca 50 Siskins, a Chiffchaff, two Grey Wagtails and a Water Rail.

Cathy Ryden came across an adult female Peregrine today shortly after she had downed a gull near Guilsborough. Please see her long distance images below...

Chris Payne completed some ringing down at Bradden today and caught some 56 birds which included common tits and Chaffinches.

With back to back ringing on Thursday and Friday and BOS Short Day Counts on Saturday and Sunday it was time for me to whizz around eight of the wild bird feeding stations in the NN6 postal district. So with buckets and bags in hand I trudged through the mud and filled up all the feeders and broadcast seed on the ground. In the course of doing so I noted a Grey Wagtail at Brixworth and a Woodcock at Harrington Airfield.

The gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon produced an adult Yellow-legged Gull, an adult Caspian Gull and a Grey Wagtail. Four adult Little Gulls flew through the roost at 4.10pm calling loudly as they flew south over the dam. Three more adult Little Gulls pitched down in the gull roost about ten minutes later.

Regards

Neil M

Peregrine

Courtesy of Cathy Ryden

Short Day Count SP54

Hello

A Barn Owl was active between the villages of Scaldwell and Hanging Houghton first thing again this morning and Blueberry Farm procured another Barn Owl, the female Peregrine and two Woodcock.

Eleanor was over at Staverton again today and noted four Ravens, 10+ Siskins and two Crossbills, and nearby Daventry Country Park attracted eight Goosanders, and 50+ Siskins around the car park. Ravensthorpe Reservoir again hosted a Great White Egret and ca10 Siskins.

Another Short Day Count took place in the rain today, this time in SP54 down in the south west of the county. Some 65 species were recorded with the Edgcote/Trafford Marsh area producing some excellent birds in the shape of two Ravens, a male Peregrine, 80-90 Siskins, ca50 redpolls (the majority appearing to be Lesser Redpolls), a female Brambling, a Kingfisher and 11-12 Snipe.

Further birds of interest in SP54 included a roadside Chiffchaff near to the Farthinghoe LNR, a Grey Wagtail at Middleton Cheney and a flock of ca200 Golden Plovers in a field near Chacombe.

Regards

Neil M

Drake Smew in the rain

Lapwing

Teal

Images from Pitsford Reservoir
courtesy of Jacob Spinks

Short Day Count SP55

Hello

Local birds today included a Barn Owl between the villages of Scaldwell and Hanging Houghton early this morning and Blueberry Farm at Maidwell again hosted the female Peregrine, a Barn Owl and a pair of Stonechat.

Further afield and a Short Day Count in SP55 west of Daventry was enjoyable despite the wet weather. We started at Fawsley Park which provided an excellent selection of winter birds including ca40 Siskins, 3 Lesser Redpolls, a male Brambling, a couple of Tawny Owls, 2 Water Rails and 2 Kingfishers. More typical woodland birds seen included Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Marsh Tit and at least five Ravens flew over. Plenty of gulls were present of four species.

Scanning a weedy field from the minor road between Badby and Catesby villages this afternoon yielded a large flock of finches and buntings which were using the field hedge as a loafing area between bouts of feeding in the field. A good dozen Bramblings were on show and an unexpected single Corn Bunting was perched among the Yellowhammers. A couple of Ravens were on territory too.

A revisit to Fawsley Park this afternoon at about 3.45pm confirmed the absence of the earlier gull flocks. However a single gull flying around the main lake turned out to be another unexpected species in the shape of an adult Little Gull. However this is not unprecedented and is the third time this species has appeared on the Banbury Ornithological Society Day Counts to the west of the county.

Regards

Neil M

Long-tailed Tit

Tree Sparrow

Images courtesy of
Robin Gossage

Northants Bird Club - the next indoor meeting...

Hello

The next indoor meeting of the Northants Bird Club will be on Wednesday 6th January 2016 when we will be entertained by visiting speaker Chris Ward who will present on a birding and photographic trip to the sunshine state of Florida, U.S.A. Just the ticket and a tonic from the high winds and rain of this weird British 'winter'!

Members and non-members alike are welcome and the meeting will commence at 7.30pm at our usual venue of The Fishing Lodge, Pitsford Reservoir, Brixworth Road, Holcot NN6 9SJ. Hot drinks and biscuits will be available from arrival and we very much welcome you to the first meeting of 2016!

Regards

Neil M

Tawny Owl

New Year's Day

Hello

Eleanor's morning foray today produced a female Peregrine, a Barn Owl and a pair of Stonechat all at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

I tend to feed the garden birds early in the morning often before daylight and I have the outside power lights switched on. I usually toss some bread and other scraps on to the greenhouse/shed roof for the Jackdaws. My first bird of the year was a calling Redwing followed by three Tawny Owls calling distantly to each other. I then enjoyed an odd birding event when a fourth Tawny Owl flew from behind me and grabbed a piece of bread just as it landed on the roof! It then took it to the nearby silver birch tree and stared back at me before flying off! I can only imagine it thought that the piece of moving brown bread was a rodent, but certainly a curious experience!

A period of ringing at Kelmarsh Hall this morning produced only a modest number of birds, the highlights amongst the 51 captures included 7 Blackbirds, 3 Goldfinches, 3 Chaffinches and 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Other birds noted there included an adult male Peregrine flying over, a Raven, a Grey Wagtail and a few Siskins.

Regards

Neil M