Murky and damp Harrington

Hello 

Little opportunity for birding today in damp, gloomy, but mild conditions.

A couple of hours at Harrington Airfield this afternoon confirmed the continuing presence of Fieldfares but the thrushes are fewer in number now it seems... Nevertheless there will be some planned ringing there tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday when certain sections will be restricted and notices will be erected. This doesn't affect passage along the footpaths and main concrete track. 

The flock of Golden Plover there today and whizzing around the top fields numbered at least fifty birds...

Regards

Neil M

Golden Plovers

Male Chaffinch.

This species takes advantage of three
areas at Harrington Airfield which are
regularly provided with broadcast mixed
  seed during the winter.

Sunday's birds

Hello

A much better day weather-wise today and Debbie and Eric's venture out to Thrapston Gravel Pits this morning provided an opportunity of recording a Slavonian Grebe visible from the South Hide on the Titchmarsh Reserve, four Little Egrets, three Goosanders and two Cetti's Warblers.

John Woollett and team completed some bird ringing at Stortons Gravel Pits this morning and the captures included some interesting re-traps with a Reed Bunting and two Great Tits which were first ringed in 2011. Twenty-five more re-traps including two Cetti's Warblers kept the ringers busy and thirteen new birds were ringed which included four Blackbirds, at least two of which showed characteristics suggesting they were of continental origin.

Jacob Spinks spent much of the day at Pitsford Reservoir today and collated a very good list of birds which included a Siberian Chiffchaff near to the Northants Bird Club hide, two Great White Egrets, two drake Smew (Scaldwell Bay), a drake Goosander, five Pintail, a first year Caspian Gull, a Redshank, a Green Sandpiper, a Kingfisher, a Grey Wagtail, a redpoll sp and a Willow Tit.

Regards

Neil M

Pintail.
Courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Great White Egret.
Courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Fieldfare.

Long-tailed Tit

Grey Heron.

Great White Egret.

Above images courtesy
of  Robin Gossage.

Birds of a dull, wet day...

Hello

A day in rather dreary conditions at Ditchford Gravel Pits didn't produce many birds of interest, perhaps the best being a single Jack Snipe, eight Snipe, a drake Goosander, two or three Grey Wagtails, two Chiffchaffs, eight Cetti's Warblers and three Water Rails.

A pair of Stonechat remain near Hanging Houghton, two Ravens were at Staverton this morning and three Great White Egrets were present at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon.

Jacob Spinks and Andrew Tyrrell found themselves at Beeley in Derbyshire today and they saw the local star of the show, the Dusky Thrush. Other birds around the small village included 20+ Siskins, two Dippers, a Crossbill and a Peregrine.

Regards

Neil M

Dusky Thrush
courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Images from Ditchford Gravel Pits
today, courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Dusky Thrush

Hello

A trip up to Beeley in Derbyshire not far from Matlock was required today to see the recently-found asiatic Dusky Thrush. The bird showed well although in very dull conditions, often alongside other thrushes. A small stream nearby hosted an accommodating Dipper and other birds included a couple of Ravens, a Grey Wagtail and small numbers of Siskins.

The last time I saw Dusky Thrush was in Eastern Russia when I was lucky to see adults on their breeding grounds on the edge of northern tundra. There they were vocal with a far-carrying calls which often gave away their presence in low bushes hugging streams and rocky outcrops. The silent bird at Beeley had seemingly adapted to it's Western Palearctic home and was eating apples in an orchard and foraging for invertebrates in rough pasture fields.

Back in cloudy Northants a pair of Stonechat were still in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and Harrington Airfield hosted up to five hundred Fieldfares this afternoon plus a Snipe and just over forty Golden Plovers.

Regards

Neil M

There it is!
Dusky Thrush pandemonium...
and the village of Beeley will
see even more visitors tomorrow.

Dusky Thrush
courtesy of Dave Jackson.

Dusky Thrush enjoying
windfall apple,

Dipper.
Courtesy of Dave Jackson

No birding today

Hello

No opportunity for any birding today, but some images for your perusal...

Regards

Neil M

Wow!

Image courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Robin.

Courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Dusky Thrush in Derbyshire today.
Image courtesy of  Jim Dunkley. With lots of
thrushes in the UK from much further east, it makes
 sense that among the thousands of Redwings etc
there should be the odd rare thrush too.

Ringing at Kelmarsh

Hello

With a change in the weather with much milder conditions and a fresh breeze, we decided on a change of venue for bird ringing today. So it was that we found ourselves at Kelmarsh Hall this morning which is a more sheltered environment than Harrington Airfield.

Here a single sixty foot mist net was sufficient to successfully catch eighty-five individuals made up of both migrant and resident birds. Nineteen Blackbirds included only one re-trapped individual and other thrushes included three new Fieldfares and six Redwings. Blue Tits were numerous with thirty-three caught, supported by fifteen Great Tits, a Coal Tit, two Robins, a Dunnock, a Bullfinch, a Greenfinch and three Goldfinches. One of the first year Blue Tits originated from Pitsford Reservoir.

Other birds noted on-site included a Raven, a small flock of Siskins, a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail.

Regards

Neil M

Female Blackbird.
Image courtesy of
Cathy Ryden.

First year male Blackbird.
Image courtesy of Eleanor.

Redwings are reportedly in the UK
in large numbers, but there are plenty
of other thrushes too including plenty
of migrant Blackbirds joining the
 resident birds.

Foggy Tuesday

Hello

The forecast for foggy conditions proved accurate today, albeit that the temperatures rose as the day progressed.

A small team of us visited Harrington Airfield and attempted to catch and ring some of the migrant thrushes utilising the plentiful hawthorn bushes. The conditions ensured that the bushes and nets attracted the swirling moisture to the point that most things became rather wet.

However we managed to catch and process 82 birds, all but three of the birds were thrushes made up of 30 Blackbirds (24 new and 6 re-traps), 4 Song Thrushes which included a re-trap and a very grey continental bird, 7 Fieldfares and 38 Redwings.

We also saw 120+ Golden Plovers, 1-2 Woodcock and heard a Brambling.

Eleanor located three Woodcock at Blueberry Farm and a pair of Stonechat near Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Dripping hawthorn berries.

The stunning Redwing, again
making up a large proportion
of today's ringing catch.

All images courtesy of
Cathy Ryden.

Monday update...

Hello

Limited opportunities out and about today so I'm afraid very little to report. With colder temperatures the feeding stations on the Kelmarsh Estate were in need of replenishing. I noticed three Ravens over Kelmarsh village and a single Willow Tit at Scotland Wood whilst undertaking this task today.

Eleanor noted two pairs of Stonechat in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton but otherwise didn't connect with anything noteworthy.

Some ringing is planned for Harrington Airfield tomorrow and possibly Wednesday too. The areas with erected mist nets will be out of bounds but all the public footpaths and concrete track will be unaffected. We hope to be able to catch and assess more winter thrushes but birds can be fickle things!

Barrie Galpin is the BTO rep for Northamptonshire and is now taking on the responsibility of coordinating the WeBS (Wetland and Waterbird counts) away from the Nene Valley. Apparently there are some small waters in the county which don't have counters, so if you fancy having a go please contact Barrie - 

barrie.galpin@zen.co.uk

Regards

Neil M

The handsome Fieldfare
and Redwing - this stunning
duo are often referred to as
'winter thrushes'.

Images courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Northants Bird Club Indoor Meeting this Wednesday...

Hello

On Wednesday evening the next NBC Indoor Meeting will take place at the Fishing Lodge, Pitsford Reservoir, on the Brixworth Road just outside the village of Holcot village. The meeting begins promptly at 7.30pm and following a few notices club member Dave Jackson will take us on a photographic journey to Southern Africa. This follows the club's excursion to the continent earlier this year and the contributing images are from members that took part.

Hot drinks and biscuits will be available and both members and non-members are most welcome!

Regards

Neil M

Monitor Lizard

Sunday's wildlife

Hello

More ringing took place today this time at Linford Lakes on the outskirts of Milton Keynes. Kenny Cramer is the principal ringer on site and had envisaged catching good numbers of thrushes. His prediction proved accurate with catches of 12 Blackbirds, a Fieldfare, and a very impressive 52 Redwings. It seems that there are particularly large numbers of Redwings circulating in the UK currently, perhaps initially assisted with the easterly airflows of the early autumn. The British Trust for Ornithology is reporting that it is possible it may be a record year for this species.

Other birds caught at Linford today included a Reed Bunting, four Goldcrests, a Bullfinch, a Siskin, a Goldfinch, a Treecreeper, a Green Woodpecker and a female Blackcap; a total of 81 captures of 14 species is a very good session.

Further ringing is planned for Harrington Airfield this week with the potential for more thrush ringing on Tuesday and Wednesday. Public access to the ringing areas will be restricted but the concrete track and footpaths will remain unaffected.

Birds at Harrington Airfield today included a female Peregrine and about fifty Golden Plovers.

Pitsford Reservoir retains good birds, Jacob Spinks today locating two Great White Egrets, a drake Smew, a Redshank, two Green Sandpipers, a Dunlin, 10+ Snipe and a Peregrine, and I saw an adult Caspian Gull in the roost off the Sailing Club.

Wildlife watching at Ravensthorpe Reservoir is also to a high standard currently and today's sightings included two Otters on show again this afternoon, three Great White Egrets, a Green Sandpiper, a Water Rail and a party of redpoll sp in the birches there.

The cold temperatures of today have brought many birds in to the garden including a couple of Nuthatches and about three Tree Sparrows.

Regards

Neil M

Ducks on parade!

 Images taken at Pitsford Reservoir by Robin Gossage
depict (from top to bottom) Goldeneye, Shoveler and Teal.

Saturday county birding

Hello

Jacob Spinks was at Pitsford Reservoir today and his tally of birds were made up of a Caspian Gull, a Yellow-legged Gull, a drake Smew, two Great White Egrets, a Redshank, a Green Sandpiper and a Chiffchaff.

Clive Bowley was at Sywell Country Park and located a single adult Whooper Swan showing nicely.

Eleanor was at Staverton again today where four Ravens were in situ and the conifers there attracted at least ten Crossbills. At Ravensthorpe Reservoir there were again two Otters on show from the causeway and two Great White Egrets. Nearer to home and a Barn Owl and a pair of Stonechat were present in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Whooper Swan
courtesy of Clive Bowley

Pitsford ringing

Hello

A two hour netting session at Pitsford Reservoir this morning quickly provided 71 captures in Christies Copse, situated on the west side of the Walgrave Bay. Forty-one of these were new birds with the remaining thirty birds being mostly re-trap tits from previous efforts or the on-going nest-box scheme. The bird feeders pull in tits from around the reservoir and it is rather concerning how few young tits from the nest-boxes have been accounted for, further evidence of a poor breeding season locally for both Blue and Great Tits. Only one Coal Tit was a surprise but it is likely that had we kept the nets open for longer more Coal Tits would have been caught.

Highlights included a Redwing, two Song Thrushes, eleven Goldcrests, two Willow Tits and two Marsh Tits.

Other birds recorded in this section of the bay included a pair of Red-crested Pochard (male and female), at least one Water Rail, three Woodcock, a Green Sandpiper, a Kingfisher and a couple of vocal Ravens. Another two Kingfishers and a Green Sandpiper were in Yacht Bay at the other end of the reservoir with a flock of about twelve Golden Plovers over fields near to Scaldwell village.

Regards

Neil M

Green Sandpiper at Pitsford Reservoir
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

A Jay at Weston Mill,
Northampton back on
the frosty 29th November!
Images courtesy of John Gamble.

South Northants Ringing

Hello

Chris Payne and John Boland were fully employed ringing this morning at Bradden in South Northants processing over eighty birds in woodland habitat. This excellent total was made up of 22 Blue Tits, 33 Great Tits, 2 Coal Tits, a Marsh Tit, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 9 Chaffinches, 9 Goldfinches, 5 Robins, 2 Dunnocks and singles of Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Blackbird and a Sparrowhawk.

Chris went on to see a male and female Blackcap in his Greens Norton apple tree garden on his arrival home.

Michael Wood was at Blueberry Farm today and saw a Short-eared Owl and the usual pair of Stonechat was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Marsh Tit

Nuthatch

Sparrowhawk

Images courtesy of Chris Payne.

Wild Bird Feeding Stations

Great White Egret at
Pitsford Reservoir courtesy
of Cathy Ryden.

Hello

I spent most of today visiting wild bird feeding stations and ensuring there was plenty of food on offer in these cold temperatures. A Siskin was present at Kelmarsh Hall but otherwise it was quiet; Scotland Wood was the venue for some very vocal Nuthatches and the Marsh Tits came straight in for broadcast sunflower seeds.

Birds visible from the Old Scaldwell Road feeding station at Pitsford Reservoir at lunchtime amounted to just a single Great White Egret, three first winter Scaup and a couple of Pintail.

At least one Grey Wagtail was present at Brixworth Water Treatment Works and a pair of Stonechat remain in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

An afternoon walk at Harrington Airfield was a great way to appreciate the amazing colours created by the setting sun but the birds were mostly absent with just five Golden Plovers whizzing about.

CNX338 is a ring number read on a Goldcrest at Pitsford Reservoir on 13th November and it transpires that this bird was first caught and ringed at Theddlethorpe St Helen, Mablethorpe on the Lincolnshire coast on 11th October 2016. This bird exhibited top of the scale biometrics when processed at Pitsford and the circumstances suggest that this was a continental bird still very much on a SSW bearing. It took this little mite 33 days to travel 139km from Mablethorpe to Pitsford.

Confirmation has now been received that the Grey Wagtail caught at Pitsford Res on 13th November already bearing a ring was originally ringed as a nestling at Stanford Reservoir on 14th July 2016. This bird clearly hasn't travelled too far since fledging on the Northants/Leicestershire border.

Regards

Neil M

Goldcrest

Siskin.
Relatively few around so
far this season but they are
likely to increase in the back
half of the winter...