An island of skuas!

Hello

Our morning on Fair Isle today was made up of seeking out and ringing Great Skua (Bonxie) chicks! Quite different to their confrontational and aggressive parents, these delightful 'monsters to be' generally behave very well once located and sit still whilst their metal ring is affixed. Providing they survive the first year, these ocean predators may well live for twenty years or more...

Record numbers are breeding on the island this year, and it seems that they and other sea-bird species are generally enjoying a productive breeding season.

Also on the island are the beautiful and graceful Arctic Skuas. Much smaller and slimmer than their Bonxie cousins, a small population manages to breed on Fair Isle but sadly the chicks are often predated by the Bonxies at the fledging stage. Nevertheless they also seem to be experiencing a more productive season than of late.

Very few migrant passerines are moving through but gulls and waders are definitely on the move with plenty of Common Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Curlews, a Whimbrel and a variety of smaller waders feeding on the beaches or croft fields.

Regards

Neil M

Helen Franklin and Lynne
Barnett holding Bonxie chicks

Adult dark phase
Arctic Skua

Juvenile Arctic Skua

John Franklin suffering 'the Bonxie
experience'. Even when they are not
on territory, these intimidating birds
are renown for flying at the heads of
people, sometimes with a resounding
'slap' as they make contact with their feet...

Head to head with a Bonxie!

Adult Bonxie or Great Skua.
Big, powerful but also very
maneuverable too, these
predatory sea-birds really are
the 'wolves of the sea'.

Scottish birding

Hello

The NRG contingent finally arrived on Fair Isle today, the weather preventing this last leg of the journey until this afternoon. Prior to this we utilised our time with some birding in the Edinburgh area on Saturday and mainland Shetland on Sunday and Monday. A couple of pods of Orcas are presently patrolling Shetland waters but we haven't caught up with them yet...!

Regards

Neil M

Goosander

Eider

Guillemot

Fulmar

Puffin

Arctic Tern

Grey Seal

Red-breasted Merganser

Shetland birding

Hello

A planned short trip to Fair Isle hasn't gone quite according to plan with the travel arrangements, and currently four of us from the Northants Ringing Group are in Lerwick on the Shetland mainland. Plenty of northern birds to see this time of year with breeding sea birds and waders in good numbers and an opportunity to see passerines such as Rock Dove, Twite and the Shetland races of Starling and Wren.

Yesterday (Monday) we enjoyed an evening boat excursion to witness the vibrancy of the sea-bird city on Noss; we hope to try and fly to Fair Isle later today...

Regards

Neil M

Gannet

Great Skua or Bonxie

Arctic Tern

Fulmar

Great Black-backed Gull

Razorbill

County bird ringing...

Hello

Yesterday (Saturday) provided views of two Turtle Doves at Harrington Airfield during the early morning and Eric Graham's visit to Titchmarsh Reserve near Thrapston continued to yield views and song of common warblers, two Yellow-legged Gulls and five Little Egrets.

Today (Sunday) and Northants Ringing Group members John Woollett and Chris Payne were active at Stortons Gravel Pits where the catch included good numbers of Chiffchaff and Reed Warbler and a Willow Warbler. Nick Wood tried a new ringing strategy at Chase Park Farm adjacent to Yardley Chase resulting in the capture of three Dunnocks, two juvenile Goldcrests, a Blue Tit, three juvenile Chiffchaffs, three Willow Warblers, three Whitethroats, two Great Tits and a Robin.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Wren (oops not a
juvenile Cetti's Warbler)!
Courtesy of Chris Payne.

Pitsford Reservoir antics

Hello

A ringing session at the main Pitsford Reservoir feeding station spanning a few hours yesterday evening (Thursday) and first thing this morning (Friday) yielded a very good total of 71 captures (64 new birds and 7 re-traps). As you would hope at this time of the year most of the birds were juveniles (hatched this year) and were made up of 14 Dunnocks, 13 Tree Sparrows, 6 Chaffinches, 5 Sedge Warblers, 4 Blue Tits, 4 Robins, 5 Blackbirds, 6 Great Tits, 2 Garden Warblers, 2 Whitethroats, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Wrens, 2 Reed Buntings and singles of Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Reed Warbler and Woodpigeon. 

The RAF Red Arrows display team whizzed over the reservoir heading south yesterday evening, and this afternoon they came back north between Hanging Houghton and Blueberry Farm.

Clouds of biting flies (Cleggs and Deer Flies) surrounded us this morning in warm conditions at Pitsford as efforts were made to tidy up the ringing rides in the Walgrave Bay, and work has started this week in replacing the bridges arching over the brooks at the very ends of the Scaldwell and Walgrave bays. Pedestrian access around the reserve shouldn't be affected by this essential work which is likely to take some weeks. A couple of Marbled White butterflies can be seen in the Scaldwell Meadow currently, between the causeway and the Maytrees Hide.

A flock of 14 Mistle Thrushes at Hanging Houghton this morning is a typical summer record when all the local village birds flock up after all breeding efforts are over. This bird is another of those species which is still present over most of its original range but the numbers have thinned out during the last few years.

Several hours walking and scanning in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon in sultry and humid conditions paid off for Eleanor with sightings of two Crossbills over Blueberry Farm, at least one Hobby and a juvenile Marsh Harrier again hunting cereal fields and grass headlands. Just a few Marbled Whites were visible at Blueberry Farm.

Birds of interest in the area of the dam and sailing club at Pitsford Reservoir this evening amounted to little more than two adult Yellow-legged Gulls and a Common Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

Some of the Red Arrows
(of a flight of nine aircraft)

Yellow-legged Gull
at Pitsford Reservoir
today courtesy of
Jacob Spinks (Young
Birdwatcher of the
Year finalist!)

French Dragons

Hello

Some initial images of dragonfly fauna and other beasts from the French Camargue region earlier this month. These pictures were taken during an eight day Naturetrek tour I helped out on, specifically looking at dragonflies and birds - but of course we looked at everything that crossed our path!

Regards

Neil M

The spectacular Scarce
Swallowtail butterfly...

Wall Brown butterfly.

Black-tailed Skimmer eating
a Wall Brown butterfly!

Pronged Clubtail

Cicada

Honey Buzzard

Red-veined Darter.

Black-tailed Skimmer
with blow-fly prey.

Mating pair of Blue-tailed Damselflies.

Catching birds of the air

Hello

This morning's walk was at Harrington Airfield and provided views of two Turtle Doves and a Willow Tit, all close to the main concrete track.

This evening a small band of us met at Lamport Hall and managed to catch several birds made up of sixteen House Martins, five Swifts and a House Sparrow.

Big numbers of Marbled Whites were still on the wing at Twywell Hills and Dales Country Park today and about eight were visible at Blueberry Farm.

Regards

Neil M

Small Tortoiseshell

Juvenile Jackdaw with
aberrant bill colour.

Common Swift.

House Martin.

French-ringed Sedge Warbler

Hello

Ian Wrisdale is the principal ringer at Stanwick Gravel Pits and manages a long term Constant Effort Site there. On three occasions this year (15th May, 4th June and 12th June) Ian has caught a French-ringed Sedge Warbler which is presumably breeding at Stanwick. The initial ringing details have come through now and this bird was first caught and ringed on 8th August 2015 when it was aged as a bird hatched in that year. The original ringing location was at Trunvel, Treogat, Finistere in France, some 562km from Stanwick GP.

David Arden was also at the Fermyn Wood complex yesterday and managed some fine images of some of the bigger butterflies on show...

Regards

Neil M

From eggs to nestlings,
the journey of a Swallow nest
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Purple Emperor and
White Admiral butterflies
Fermyn Wood complex by
David Arden.