Pitsford WeBS count

Recent images from
David Arden of the Otters
at Ravensthorpe Reservoir

Hello

Chris Payne continues to monitor the turnover of Goldfinches at his ringing sites in South Northants and on Saturday he caught and ringed twenty more birds at Greens Norton and today ten more at Bradden, together with ten Chaffinches, a Goldcrest and other common birds.

Today a small band of us completed the Pitsford Reservoir WeBS count and although there were no surprises there was a good haul of interesting species. We could only be sure of four Great White Egrets (there could have been five) and counted 16 Little Egrets, four Scaup north of the causeway, a drake Goosander, 24 Pintail, two drake Red-crested Pochard and a pair of Red-crested Pochard x Mallard hybrids (male and female). Waders were made up of a Redshank, two Green Sandpipers and 27 Snipe.

An adult male Peregrine was also present plus the regular adult Yellow-legged Gull, two Ravens, four Kingfishers and at least one Stonechat. Other birds included three Grey Wagtails, two Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap.

Cathy Ryden again located an Otter at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon and again the Great White Egret and a Kingfisher were also present.

Regards

Neil M

Great White Egret

Lapwings

Pochard

Hen Harrier

Hello

No birding for me today and Eleanor's opportunities were limited due to other commitments. However she managed a circuit of Harrington Airfield and was rewarded with a 'ringtail' Hen Harrier flying around at about 3.45pm and a female Peregrine flying over. A pair of Stonechat were again between the Brampton Valley Way and Gamboro' Plantation west of Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Peregrines.

 Variable in size and plumage, and with a difference
 in 'jizz' it is normally possible to identify
the gender of your Peregrine. The males
are nimble and athletic and regularly take
on more manoeuvrable prey such as waders,
Starlings and a variety of passerines up to
size of pigeons. Occasionally they attack birds
such as Teal and in coastal areas they regularly
take petrels, shearwaters etc. The heavier and
larger females can take larger prey and sometimes
'run down' less manoeuvrable prey such  as larger
wildfowl, gulls, Fieldfares and the like. However
the supreme hunting skills of  the Peregrine means that
no bird is safe and they have been known to take prey
ranging in size between the diminutive Goldcrest
right up to geese, herons and the like. We now see the
Peregrine far more regularly in Northamptonshire
and it is clear that some individuals probably spend
long periods of time here during the non-breeding
season and a few summer too.

Wet start of the week...

Hello

With such a dry October it was inevitable that the rain would eventually arrive, and it certainly did today!

Birding in the deluge was difficult as reflected with just a pair of Stonechat in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and two Grey Wagtails at Brixworth Water Treatment Works being the best of this morning's sightings.

This afternoon the gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir materialised rather late and contained within a second winter Little Gull and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. The regular Grey Wagtail was present too...

Regards

Neil M

Goldfinch flock on sunflowers in the
 Brampton Valley below Hanging
 Houghton, between the Brampton Valley
 Way and Gamboro' Plantation.

Male Stonechat in the Brampton
Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Both images taken yesterday and
courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Storm Angus around the corner?

Hello

A grey, dank and rather cold day but a whole lot better than what is forecast for tomorrow!

This morning and a visit to Ditchford Gravel Pits west of Ditchford Lane provided views of a Great White Egret, four Little Egrets, an immature female Peregrine, two Egyptian Geese, a Green Sandpiper, a Snipe, a couple of Water Rails, a Chiffchaff, a Cetti's Warbler and a Siskin.

Jacob Spinks was at Pitsford Reservoir today and three Black-tailed Godwits were late but welcome additions to his patchwork challenge year list. He also saw a Barn Owl at Blueberry Farm this afternoon.

This afternoon was spent visiting and topping up wild bird feeding stations, with more of the same in the deluge tomorrow !

A Grey Wagtail and a Siskin were at Kelmarsh Hall, four Ravens were at Walgrave and a hunting Barn Owl was again in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Great White Egret.

Black-tailed Godwit.
Image courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Neither of these images were taken today or relate
to the same individual birds mentioned in today's blog.

Otterfest!

Hello

Two of us committed to some ringing at Harrington Airfield this morning, catching 41 birds which included migrant thrushes in the form of 16 Redwings, 2 Song Thrushes and 4 Blackbirds. Other birds seen included a Grey Wagtail and 3 Siskins and a Golden Plover was heard calling.

Some more ringing at Linford Lakes today was particularly productive with 70 birds caught made up of 52 new birds and 18 re-trapped individuals. Thirteen Goldfinches and 8 new Goldcrests boosted the total and Kenny and Sarah also caught a Redwing, two Siskins and a spanking Grey Wagtail.

Jacob Spinks and Eleanor Morrison were at Pitsford Reservoir today committing to further patchwork birding. Birds of note included a Raven, a Yellow-legged Gull, 3 Red-crested Pochard (2 drakes), 20 Pintail (14 drakes), a Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe, a Redshank, 2 Great White Egrets, 3 Kingfishers and 6-7 Siskins. Robin and Wendy Gossage and Dave Jackson were at Pitsford yesterday and amongst other things saw a fine adult Peregrine and the Otter again  - see the account and images on the Northants Bird Club blog-site -  http://northantsbirdclub.blogspot.co.uk/ 

This morning Debbie and Eric Graham were at Thrapston GP and saw the Slavonian Grebe from North Hide, a Great White Egret, an Egyptian Goose, a Kingfisher and great views of an Otter on Heron Lake.

News was received that the regular female Otter was again on show on the River Welland at Market Harborough yesterday and with at least three animals being seen regularly at Ravensthorpe Reservoir they seem to be popping everywhere!

This afternoon four Waxwings were on show for about half an hour at Staverton, mostly sitting in conifers and singing their hearts out! The usual two Ravens were also present. The Ravensthorpe Reservoir Great White Egret was again present this afternoon.

A hunting Barn Owl and again two Bramblings were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton late this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Great White Egret at
Pitsford Reservoir courtesy
of Jacob Spinks.

The spanking Grey Wagtail
 courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

The beautiful Redwing
courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

North of the county

Hello

An excursion today to some of our old haunts in the north of the county in cold but sunny conditions started with a visit to East Carlton Country Park and surround. Common woodland birds were present as usual and included a Brambling and several Siskins. We moved on to the Welland Valley and located a Little Egret near Cottingham and a flock of 370 Lapwings about a mile from Rockingham village, a large flock by modern day standards.

Wakerley Woods was next and a good walk around provided views of a Woodcock, several redpoll sp and several Siskins and two Bramblings. Several fruiting Service Trees in the car park were attracting plenty of birds including Bullfinches, Redwings and Blackbirds.

A short drive across the A43 and we were at Fineshade Woods which yielded several redpoll including three confirmed Lessers, several Siskins and two Ravens. We fed the Red Kites and moved on to Blatherwycke Lake which hosted good numbers of wildfowl, the most noisy being a staggering flock of about 740 Greylag Geese - definitely the biggest flock I have ever seen in the county (with another 70 just down the road at Deene Lake)! The Mandarin Duck flock was at least 64 birds strong and two Black Swans and two Chinese Geese and a Little Egret added even more exotica.

Deene Lake birds were made up of two Little Egrets, a drake Goosander, a Green Sandpiper, eight Snipe and a couple of Siskins and a Kingfisher.

We finished at Fermyn Wood Country Park watching over birds coming in to roost in the thorn bushes but didn't witness anything out of the ordinary.

Cathy Ryden again visited Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon and saw two or three Otters and a Great White Egret as visible from the causeway.

Regards

Neil M

Goldcrest at
Wakerley Wood

Red Kite
Fineshade Wood

Coal Tit
Fineshade Wood

Great Tit
Fineshade Wood

Blue Tit
Fineshade Wood

Becoming colder...

Hello

Eleanor connected with a Short-eared Owl twice today near to the southern-most field of Blueberry Farm, albeit that the habitat of the old seta-side is rapidly deteriorating. A pair of Stonechat and two Bramblings persist in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Cathy Ryden was again over at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon but didn't see the Otters which are now showing regularly. However the Great White Egret was present as was a Kingfisher.

There may well be some ringing operations at Harrington Airfield during Saturday, Sunday and Monday and as such access to the old airstrip and bunkers will be restricted. Access to the concrete track and public footpaths remains unaffected. Anyone who would like to assist or simply be a spectator is requested to make contact beforehand.

Regards

Neil M

Images from Ravensthorpe Reservoir
courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Old gravel pit syndrome!

Hello

Well the bright day with plenty of forecast sunshine didn't really happen!

In any event I spent much of the day over at Ditchford GP completing the WeBS count on the older pits which don't receive much birder attention. They don't seem to turn up much that is unusual but parts of the old complex do still look very good, well they do to me if not the birds!

The sunshine that was around in the early part of the morning promoted flights of insects in to the air which included a late Common Darter dragonfly. Reasonable numbers of wildfowl didn't include anything out of the ordinary but it was good to count a couple of Water Rails, three Jack Snipe and nine Common Snipe. Smaller birds included five Kingfishers, nine vocal Cetti's Warblers, nine Chiffchaffs and at least one Grey Wagtail.

Eleanor's foray to Harrington Airfield this morning produced plenty of winter thrushes but not much else. Birds visible from the Old Scaldwell Road at Pitsford Reservoir amounted to four Great White Egrets, ten plus Little Egrets, at least twelve Red-crested Pochard, two Scaup, several Pintail and a female Peregrine.

An afternoon amble in Brixworth Country Park was good for two Bramblings, six Siskins, a couple of redpoll sp and a fly-over Raven.

Cathy Ryden was over at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon and watched three Otters on the 'small side' plus a Great White Egret and a Green Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

Shovelers

Numerous flocks of Long-tailed Tits
occupy the willows and other bushes
around the Ditchford GP complex and
these flocks can be a good 'carrier' species
 for other birds. I found Chiffchaffs
 and Goldcrests with them but no late
 autumn sibes!

Hungry Cormorant!

Hello

No birding opportunities for me or Eleanor today but Lyn and John Hunt saw the Slavonian Grebe on the old Barclaycard Pit from the North Hide at Thrapston GP this morning...

Some more images from John Gamble and Cathy Ryden for our grateful perusal...

Regards

Neil M

John Gamble photographed this
Cormorant trying to subdue an eel last
 week at Lodmoor, Dorset. Apparently
it was successful and despite
its wriggling the eel was consumed.

More atmospheric images from the Wash in Norfolk
of the mobile flocks of Knot over the mud
and shallow waters, courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Fox Cub by Cathy Ryden.

Tree Sparrow by Cathy Ryden.

Supermoon

Another image
of the Kingfisher
caught at Pitsford
Reservoir yesterday,
courtesy of Cathy Ryden

Hello

A Brambling and a Grey Wagtail were at Hanging Houghton today with a pair of Stonechat in the Brampton Valley below the village and another pair in the southern-most field of Blueberry Farm.

Harlestone Heath is subject of a great deal of forestry work at the moment but finches there today included eight Bramblings, about forty Siskins, four mobile redpoll sp and two Crossbills by the railway line.

A visit to Naseby Reservoir this afternoon produced an adult Caspian Gull on the water's edge eating a dead carp, a Green Sandpiper and a Grey Wagtail.

Eight Waxwings were in bushes where the bird hide used to be at Brixworth Country Park at 3.30pm, although they did seem fidgety...

Regards

Neil M

Supermoon over Pitsford
Reservoir yesterday
afternoon courtesy of
Cathy Ryden.

Woodcock and friends

Hello

A ringing session in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir today provided 65 captures made up of 49 new birds, 16 re-traps and 2 controls (birds ringed from elsewhere).

Pride of place goes to the first Woodcock to be caught and ringed at Pitsford Reservoir, expertly caught by Neil Hasdell as it scrambled out of a mist net.

Big birds caught in the duck trap included three Mallard and five Moorhens and thrushes were well-represented with a Song Thrush, 14 Redwings and 8 Blackbirds, probably all of continental origin.

Smaller birds hitting the nets involved 11 Goldcrests which included a previously ringed bird from an unknown location, a couple of Meadow Pipits, a Willow Tit and a Kingfisher. A Grey Wagtail already bearing a ring was ringed as a nestling at Stanford Reservoir earlier this year.

Other birds noted by the ringing team on-site included a fly-over Crossbill, a Siskin, a Brambling and 2 Ravens. Visual water birds were four Great White Egrets on view at the same time, a dozen Little Egrets, several Pintail, 2 Shelduck, 2 Scaup, a Redshank and 3 Dunlin.

At Hanging Houghton noteworthy birds were 2 Ravens, 2 Bramblings and a Grey Wagtail with 2 Bramblings and 2 redpoll sp at Walgrave. Harrington Airfield hosted 2 Woodcock, 2 Snipe, a Short-eared Owl and a female Peregrine plus plenty of thrushes and Blueberry Farm provided views of a Barn Owl and a pair of Stonechat. Another Barn Owl was hunting near Scaldwell village early this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Kingfisher

Woodcock.
All images courtesy
of Jacob Spinks.