Lings & Summer Leys

A visit to Ling's Wood earlyish this morning was rewarded with views of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming on its favourite dead tree branch. There has been some rivalry for this position in recent days with a Great Spotted Woodpecker claiming priority over its diminutive cousin. 

Whilst viewing the bird yesterday a fox in pursuit of a baby rabbit was somewhat surprised to see me in the middle of the path, it didn't hang around for long after realising its error.

After calling in at Ling's, the next stop was Summer Leys.
The Spotted Redshank and a couple of Greenshank were again visible in Wader Bay whilst the Wood Sandpiper was on the scrape with 3 Little Ringed Plover. Snipe numbers had jumped overnight to at least 23 birds.
2 Whimbrel were wandering the grassy bank beside the disused railway occasionally finding a morsel to eat, whilst keeping a wary eye on a passing Buzzard. A third bird flew through calling but didn't stop to join its colleagues.

Garden and Reed warbler were new in today, whilst an enthusiastically singing Sedge Warbler was on show between the Feed Station and Kim's Corner.

Two further Little Ringed Plover were present on Gull Island whilst a fly through Yellow Wagtail was my first of the year.

Last Wednesday a visit to Glapthorn Cow Pasture was rewarded with views of a singing Nightingale in the undergrowth 150m or so from the entrance to the wood.

Finally, the Pasque flowers at Barnack Hills and Holes have just come into bloom.

                 Regards,

                                 Neil H.

Quiet Times !

Just as I thought migration was gathering pace it seems to have come a full stop !! The last couple of days have been very quiet and despite being out and about I have seen very little.
The only bird to mention for yesterday is a Barn Owl hunting below Hanging Houghton at dusk.
This morning I started the day with an early morning visit to Harrington Airfield where it was dead as a "Dodo". All I saw were 2 Wheatear.
I took Tor agility training at Staverton where the resident pair of Ravens were very vocal. One spent quite a bit of time perched on top of a conifer making all sorts of weird and wonderful noises......or was it just having a laugh at us as we tried to get our dogs to run the course.   A Common Buzzard strayed too close to their nest and both Ravens went in for the "attack" which took place literally over our heads. The Common Buzzard beat a hasty retreat and peace was restored.
Whilst in this part of the world I walked around Borough Hill and Daventry Reservoir and again saw nothing.
A look at Ravensthorpe and Hollowell Reservoirs on my way back home produced nothing. I felt very sorry for a Willow Warbler at Ravensthorpe, one minute it was singing then the next it was killed as it was hit by a car as it tried to cross the road. Such a waste of such a bright and beautiful little bird who had just survived flying thousands of miles.
My best bird of the day was at 15.45hrs as I watched a cream crown Marsh Harrier quartering the rape fields below Hanging Houghton. It disappeared out of sight heading in the general direction of Brixworth.
I suspect that many of the migrants will slow down as the winds have changed to a cold north easterly. But we will see what tomorrow brings.

Regards Eleanor

Migration continues

An early morning visit to Harrington Airfield was quite productive.  On a  slow meander around the bunkers I saw 2 Ring Ouzels chasing each other around, in fact I heard them long before I saw them, their distinctive harsh "chack chack" call resonating through the air. A third bird, a male, was again present in the vicinity of the shooting wall. Quite an amazing sight and sound.
I saw at least 4 Wheatears, a male Redstart and 2 pairs of Grey Partridge. 
A large number of Whitethroats had arrived overnight as every bush seemed to have one !!
At Blueberry the Grasshopper Warbler was still showing well and a Hobby flew over.
My first Cuckoo of the year was at Brixworth Country Park.

Regards  Eleanor

New summer and lingering winter migrants

Hello

Eleanor was up at Blueberry Farm this morning and located a singing Grasshopper Warbler in Hill Field. This bird gave the impression of having just arrived - it was flying from patches of vegetation and singing in full view.

A flock of about a hundred Fieldfare passed over Blueberry Farm in a northerly direction and nearby another twenty Fieldfares and two Redwing were along the Brampton Valley Way between Hanging Houghton and Brixworth.

A singing Reed Warbler and a few Siskins were at Pitsford Reservoir in the vicinity of The Fishing Lodge...

Regards

Neil M

'What you looking at?'

'Square one for Robin [Gossage]'

'From the double-decker [hide]'

Recent images of  Little Egrets and a
Grey Heron from Summer Leys and
 comments by Graham Bentley.

Birds of the warm sunshine!

Hello

Harrington Airfield continues to host Ring Ouzels with at least two birds on show today and a probable third more skulking individual. Four Wheatears were also present this morning...

At Pitsford Reservoir Dave Francis and Lynne Barnett committed to some quality ringing around the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding station, netting a Willow Warbler, a Blackcap, three Tree Sparrows, six Goldfinches, two Lesser Redpolls and thirteen Yellowhammers amongst others. A Hobby was present between the causeway and Holcot village.

Regards

Neil M

Yellow Wagtails at
Hollowell Reservoir today,
courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Recent images from
Summer Leys of Black-tailed
Godwit, Oystercatcher,
 Little Egret and Little Grebe.

Courtesy of  Graham Bentley.

Harrington Airfield revisited!

Hello

A little more ringing at Harrington Airfield this morning in surprisingly cold, grey and breezy conditions didn't produce many fresh birds. Three new Willow Warblers were caught and ringed and another bird from 2015 was caught too, the fourth returning individual during the last two days. This last individual was ringed as a juvenile at the same site on 9th August 2015 so it is almost certainly returning to the same few bushes it first experienced as a freshly-fledged bird. Not bad for an eight gram migrant that has migrated to West Africa and back!

Other birds processed included a Chiffchaff, a Lesser Redpoll, a Song Thrush and of course some more stunning Yellowhammers.

Birds noted on the old airfield included the adult male Ring Ouzel, still religiously feeding on the wet field ruts next to the shooting wall and viewable from the concrete track. At least four Wheatears were still present and a further trickle of overhead migrants included Meadow Pipits, Yellow Wagtails, Swallows and singles of Tree Pipit, Fieldfare and a vocal and low Little Ringed Plover.

Regards

Neil M

Collared Dove

Male House Sparrow

Female Bullfinch

All images courtesy
of Chris Payne, taken
 whilst conducting ringing in
South Northants this past week...

Snow, frost and birds at Harrington...

Hello

After early morning frosts and a layer of snow, a ringing session at Harrington Airfield proved to be a good move with 126 captures of 17 species. Four Willow Warblers caught included three returning birds (one from 2014 and two from 2015) and two Green Woodpeckers were females first ringed last year. The most common bird caught was the Yellowhammer with 58 new birds and 10 from previous years. Other birds included 17 Chaffinches, 2 Linnets, a Lesser Redpoll (one of three flying around), 3 Reed Buntings, 2 Blackcaps and four of the six or so Wheatears present.

Other birds present included two Ring Ouzels, a Redwing, three Redstarts, a Raven and two Willow Tits. Small numbers of Swallow, Sand Martin, Meadow Pipit and Yellow Wagtail trickled over in a northerly direction. Two of the trapped Wheatears keyed out as male 'Greenland' Wheatears, with the two females apparently of the nominate race.

A Ring Ouzel was seen in flight at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon and four Wheatears were in the Brampton Valley between there and the Brampton Valley Way.

Nick Parker visited Pitsford Reservoir this morning and watched a perched Osprey north of the causeway and later visited Thrapston Gravel Pits to locate a well-marked Whimbrel.

Further ringing at Harrington Airfield is planned for tomorrow morning with restricted access to the old airstrip, but the concrete track and footpaths remain unaffected...

Regards

Neil M

Male 'Greenland' Wheatear
Harrington Airfield.

Courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

A winter welcome for our summer migrants!

Hello

Today started with a non-birding morning but early afternoon took me in to the Brampton Valley with a Green Sandpiper between The Windhover Public House and Boughton Mill riding stables again and a Kingfisher by Brampton Fisheries.

The dam area of Pitsford Reservoir attracted good numbers of hirundines plus a Wheatear and good numbers of wagtails which included fifteen Yellows, a Grey, at least two Whites and about twenty Pieds. A Green Sandpiper was present here too as was the Ruddy Shelduck. Birds noted north of the causeway by other observers included an Osprey, a first year Little Gull, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Little Egret and a Whitethroat. Cathy Ryden paid Hollowell Reservoir a visit and located a Wheatear and two Yellow Wagtails.

Eric Graham and Nick Parker visited Thrapston GP today and between them saw plenty of birds which included a pair each of Oystercatcher, Shelduck and Egyptian Goose, an 'asio owl'

sp, six Yellow Wagtails, a Cuckoo, a showy Nightingale, Swifts, a pair of Siskin and a redpoll sp plus plenty of warblers including Sedge, Reed and Cetti's. These summer migrants are probably not impressed with the cold temperatures and snow of the last 24 hours!

Harrington Airfield hosted two Ring Ouzels today, a showy male by the shooting wall next to the concrete track and a skulking bird by the first bunker. Two Wheatears were quite mobile and a Raven flew over. Please note that ringing operations will be conducted on the old airstrip tomorrow and Monday, which includes the rough strip between the chippings compound and the concrete track and public access is restricted. The concrete track itself and all footpaths are unaffected.

Regards

Neil M

Yellow Wagtail

Pied Wagtail

Cormorant

More rain birds!

Hello

A walk in the rain at Harrington Airfield this morning initially didn't provide much of interest but did include a single Wheatear and a pair of Grey Partridge. On my walk back a male Ring Ouzel flew towards me and then arced around and probably came down in bushes near to the concrete track entrance. Four or five singing Willow Warblers seemed to be very much on territory.

Pitsford Reservoir provided ten Fieldfares on fields below the dam and three Yellow Wagtails in the grounds of the Sailing Club. A singing Wood Warbler was discovered by David Rowe in trees by the Fishing Lodge and this bird sang and showed on and off during the afternoon. A Whimbrel flew north at 12.20pm, the pair of Oystercatcher are still present and an Arctic Tern was in the Scaldwell Bay. Jacob Spinks later saw an immature male Goshawk and a large gathering of Swallows also in the Scaldwell Bay.

Nick Parker's birding venture at Thrapston GP this afternoon/evening provided views of 35 'Commic' Terns which included at least two Arctic Terns, ca200 Swallows and a calling Cuckoo as well as good numbers of common warblers.

Regards

Neil M

Long-tailed Tit

Comma butterfly

Great Crested Grebes

Images courtesy of Cathy Ryden, from
a brighter and sunnier day than today!

The warblers have arrived!

Hello

Debbie and Eric Graham were active around the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston GP today, coming across large numbers of singing Willow Warblers, Blackcaps and double-figure Cetti's Warblers. Sedge Warblers were present too and a Reed Warbler was singing near South Hide. And with eight Little Egrets and lots of Common Terns and hirundines present it was obviously a very enjoyable jaunt!

Eleanor located four Wheatears at Harrington Airfield today but couldn't find any Redstarts or the Ring Ouzel.

Gary Pullen notched up a Black Redstart at Byfield village briefly this morning and his diligent and almost daily visit to Daventry Country Park yielded an Arctic Tern and a Common Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

Lesser Redpoll

Yellowhammer.

Interestingly this bird bears a 

ring and although the full ring

number cannot be read, the part

numbers suggest this bird might

well have been ringed at Pitsford

Reservoir earlier this year. More evidence

that ground feeding at one site might

well be having a beneficial effect on the

Yellowhammer population within the

county over a larger area than first imagined.

Most Yellowhammers appear to be quite

sedentary but hopefully are capable of foraging

over quite a large area.

Tree Sparrow

All the above are garden birds
as expertly photographed by
Cathy Ryden.

A warm spring day...

Hello

Some habitat management work to fit in with the Constant Effort Scheme in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir coincided with some stunning weather today. The last couple of days has seen an invasion of singing Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers to the county and today a Sedge Warbler was chuntering in bushes at Pitsford. The Green Sandpiper was still below the dam on muddy flood pools, pike were spawning in the shallows, toads were croaking in vegetated waters and five species of butterfly were on the wing including my first Orange-tip of the year. Ashy Mining Bees were active on the track in the Scaldwell Bay. This evening Jacob Spinks located a Yellow-legged Gull around the tern rafts.

Harrington Airfield was busy with would-be observers today with a Ring Ouzel being reported at about 9.30am but seemingly not since. Bob Bullock located a fine male Redstart this morning along the concrete track, and by late afternoon three individuals were on show with an adult male and a female at the start of the concrete track at it's junction with the Draughton Road and another adult male at the very end of the concrete track. Also present were five Wheatears, a pair of Grey Partridge and two Ravens.

John Hunt has kindly reported that two Nightingales were in song at Glapthorn Cow Pastures today, apparently a day later than last year!

Regards

Neil M

Ashy Mining Bees
Andrena cinerari
Pitsford Reservoir

Record and distant
shot of the adult male
Redstart at the concrete
track entrance to Harrington
Airfield this afternoon...

Exciting April!

Hello

Birds north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this morning included a small flock of terns made up of three Common and two Arctic Terns. Later these birds had disappeared but two Black Terns were present instead. The Green Sandpiper was on the pools below the dam this evening.

Sywell Country Park hosted two adult Little Gulls, 2-3 singing Sedge Warblers, a Cetti's Warbler and a Grey Wagtail.

Early this afternoon Harrington Airfield finally sprung in to action for Eleanor and produced views of a male Ring Ouzel around the second bunker, two Wheatears, a Yellow Wagtail, some fly-over Fieldfares and two pairs of Grey Partridge. 

At least one Ring Ouzel, possibly two, was seen by Cathy Ryden this evening. Initially a male was visible from the main concrete track and flew off and then the same or another flew towards the bunkers on the rough area and then foraged in one of the fields. Please note that the bunker and rough areas will be out of bounds on Sunday 17th and Monday 18th April for ringing operations. Should you wish to attend and watch proceedings this can be accommodated but I would need to know beforehand in order to comply with landowner requests.

A Barn Owl was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon.

John Hunt reports that yesterday the excellent parentage of the Egyptian Geese at Oundle Marina was paying off with eight goslings still hale and hearty! Nearby a pair of Mandarin Duck were at Barnwell Country Park on North Lake.

During the last month we have been fortunate to have Tawny, Little and Barn Owls all vocally active around the village, some evenings with all three species calling at the same time. Tawny and Little Owls tend to be perched when they call but Barn Owls regularly call in flight and most late evenings when I'm out with the dogs I hear a Barn Owl calling as it completes its territorial flights. The mournful call of the male Little Owl living close to our garden suggests he doesn't have a partner this year...

Regards

Neil M

A Rutland Water Osprey caught
in the act of stealing nesting
material from a Greylag Goose nest!

Courtesy of John Gamble.

Male Ring Ouzel
Harrington Airfield.

Male Wheatear at
Harrington Airfield

Willow Warbler at
Harrington Airfield

Above five images courtesy
of Cathy Ryden.

Monday afternoon update...

Hello

This afternoon birds located north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir included an Osprey, two Oystercatchers and two Shelduck. When the rain hit this evening a Common Sandpiper materialised on the dam...

Regards

Neil M

Female Blackcap caught
and ringed at Kelmarsh Hall
yesterday

Mistle Thrush with a
beak full of worms for
its nestlings at Kelmarsh
Hall yesterday.

Both images courtesy of
Cathy Ryden.

Birds of an easterly wind...

Hello

A brighter and warmer start than I was expecting at Harrington Airfield this morning but the only birds of note were a single male Wheatear and one of the resident pair of Grey Partridge.

A summer plumage Green Sandpiper remains on the dwindling flood water between the Windhover Public House and Boughton Mill Riding Stables in the Brampton Valley and birds visible from the dam at Pitsford this lunchtime included four Little Gulls, the Ruddy Shelduck and the Green Sandpiper there too.

Eleanor followed up Doug McFarlane's suggestion of looking just south of the Kelmarsh Tunnels on the Brampton Valley Way this morning and espied a calling Lesser Spotted Woodpecker there together with a mixture of other good woodland birds which included Nuthatch, Marsh Tit and Siskin. Thank-you Doug!

In the meantime Neil Hasdell was over at Summer Leys LNR this morning and enjoyed a hatful of birds which included eight Little Gulls, a Peregrine, the female Scaup still and Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler.

Regards

Neil M

Green Sandpiper in summer plumage.

Summer migrants on the increase...

Hello

Some ringing at Kelmarsh Hall provided an opportunity to examine and appreciate 73 birds, made up of 42 re-traps, 30 new birds and a control of a ringed bird from elsewhere. The birds included two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, two Nuthatches, five Greenfinches, six Chaffinches, seven Goldfinches and four Blackcaps. Other birds on-site included a pair of Raven, a couple of Siskins, a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail.

Kenny Cramer presided at a ringing session at Linford Lakes and caught 35 birds, most of them new, which included a Willow Warbler, three Chiffchaffs, eight Blackcaps, a Reed Bunting, a Bullfinch and a Woodpigeon.

The Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston GP was well-covered today with visits by Eric Graham, Ken Spriggs and Nick Parker resulting in plenty of common summer visitors being located including good numbers of Blackcaps, plus eight Yellow Wagtails, a Redpoll, a Sedge Warbler and eight Cetti's Warblers.

Two Wheatears were at Harrington Airfield, two Bramblings were in a field between Walgrave village and Pitsford Res and two Grey Wagtails were noted at Brixworth Sewer Treatment Works.

Regards

Neil M

Many of the Toads on the move
now (normally under the cover
of darkness and when its wet),
are moving away from breeding
pools and trying to find good
foraging areas. However some
can still be heard calling in cooler
and larger waters when breeding
is a little later...

Image courtesy of Eleanor

Saturday's sightings

Hello

Migrants at Hanging Houghton first thing this morning included singles of Blackcap, Brambling and Yellow Wagtail. A subsequent visit to Harrington Airfield in promising conditions again failed to produce little more than a light sprinkling of summer migrants plus a female Brambling and at least one pair of Grey Partridge. Two Shelducks flying over Blueberry Farm might have been a site tick!

Birds noted on the reserve at Pitsford Reservoir by a combination of observers today included small numbers of summer migrants, the two Oystercatchers and a/the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, this time near to the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station courtesy of David Arden. However the best bird of the day was an immature Goshawk seen in the Scaldwell Bay by Jacob Spinks, remarkable inasmuch that it is potentially the third different individual to have been seen at Pitsford Res this year.

Third hand reports suggest that a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker has been seen regularly and recently along the Brampton Valley Way just south of the Kelmarsh tunnels.

Three ringing sessions are planned locally for tomorrow morning at Stortons Gravel Pits, Linford Lakes (Milton Keynes) and Kelmarsh Hall should you be interested in seeing these operations first-hand.

Regards

Neil M

Adult female Sparrowhawk

Brown Rat!

Mute Swan

Great Crested Grebes

Little Owl

Tree Sparrow

Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers!

Hello

Chris Payne committed to some more ringing at Bradden this morning, catching just over forty birds in a couple of hours. New birds included seven Siskins, seven Goldfinches, six Chaffinches and two Robins. One of the Great Tits was first ringed five years ago at Greens Norton so will be a good age. Chris also saw the local Ravens about and plenty of common woodland birds too.

Jacob Spinks again located a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir today, this time in a copse beyond the new Bird Club Hide to the left of the main bend in the track.

Pete Gilbert was at Lings Wood today and enjoyed very good views of a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker near to Lings House, described as being at the front of the house, across a footpath and off to the right.

Eleanor popped up to Harrington Airfield today but apart from Grey Partridges couldn't find anything else. The Ring Ouzel near Walgrave yesterday couldn't be found today and the nearby Yellow Wagtails and Wheatears had gone too. About ten Golden Plovers were in a field near to Blueberry Farm this afternoon.

At least one male Brambling visits our garden at Hanging Houghton still and we are still enjoying the Reed Buntings and cracking Yellowhammers.

Regards

Neil M

Treecreeper at Lings Wood.

Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Lings Wood.

Images courtesy of  Pete Gilbert.