Middle of June already!

Hello

A pair of scruffy Ravens was about all Eleanor could find at Blueberry Farm today and an evening stroll at Harrington Airfield was good enough to see a pair or two of Grey Partridge and hearing a 'purring' Turtle Dove...

A couple of days ago Dave Francis checked the tern rafts at Pitsford Reservoir and the Common Tern nest count has now increased to 51 which is a very good effort. Last year was very productive after a couple of very lean years so we are hoping for more breeding success in 2017.

Regards

Neil M

Beautiful Hooktip moth.

Figure of Eighty moth

Privet Hawk-moth.
All moth images courtesy of Jacob,
the subjects coming to his moth trap
at Scaldwell.

Yes it really is a Blue Tit, well what's left of it!
Adult female Blue Tits have a very hard time
during the breeding season with an astonishing
work rate...

The beginning of the day...

Female Great Spotted Woodpecker
and her fledged young...

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Above five images all courtesy of
Cathy Ryden.

Chequered Skipper butterfly
courtesy of Martin Randall.

Monitoring our local birds

Hello

A great deal of activity amongst the Northants Ringing Group team members during the last couple of days as we try to map the fortunes of breeding birds at our local sites. The high winds of recent days have prevented the use of mist nets in the main but both yesterday and today (Wednesday) has provided a period of stability and low wind speeds.

Chris Payne has been concentrating his efforts at monitoring how Swallows are getting on in South Northants, keeping counts of nests, numbers of eggs and hatched young. An established pair of Swallows will often hatch five youngsters in the first brood if the conditions are favourable, and with a protein-rich diet of insects these nestling are capable of growing up fast indeed! Which is just as well as the parents will often then try for a second brood and will do this even when the flying young from the first brood stay close! In the best conditions possible, some birds will even try a third brood before they and their offspring flee south for the winter.

Two ringing sessions at Harrington Airfield (Tuesday and Wednesday) provided a nice catch of birds with plenty of evidence of just-fledged youngsters which included Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer. Uncommon captures included a Green Woodpecker, a Jay, a Nuthatch and four Linnets. Birds noted on-site yesterday included an Osprey flying south towards the Brampton Valley at 10.30am and a Siskin. A Grasshopper Warbler was heard singing both days and 2-3 Turtle Doves remain as do a few pairs of Grey Partridges. Butterflies included Orange-tip, Small Heath, Common Blue, Ringlet and Painted Lady.

Yesterday (Tuesday) evening saw a short ringing session at Lamport which resulted in seven Swifts being caught (three of which were initially ringed last year), a couple of Swallows and thirteen House Martins (one initially ringed at the same place last year). Other birds noted here included Hobby and Spotted Flycatcher.

This morning (Wednesday) saw another CES ringing effort at Pitsford Reservoir so you can see that the ringers were thinly spread! This resulted in 50 captures, the highlights being ten Blackcaps, six Garden Warblers, four Treecreepers, two Marsh Tits, a Kingfisher and a Jay.

Regards

Neil M

Male Linnet.

Male Yellowhammer.

Female Orange-tip butterfly.

Male Green Woodpecker. This bird was
first ringed as a juvenile in 2015 but is
now very much an adult male and is no doubt
supporting it's own nestlings which will probably
 fly the nest any day now.

Jacob Spinks proving that is is possible
to obtain good flight shots of Common Swifts!

Common Swift at Lamport.

You know I can't resist taking images
of Red Kites even if I  probably
have hundreds of similar photos!

Bees and Bee Orchids

Hello

Interesting birds at Harrington Airfield seemed to be restricted to just a few Grey Partridges today, although Roger Eads found a swarm of bees in a hawthorn bush (picture below)! The orchids are looking very good there at the moment, Common Spotted dominating but also small pockets of Bee Orchids too. Please note that there will be bird ringing in operation there tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday morning and the old airstrip and bunkers will be out of bounds. The concrete track and footpaths remain unaffected.

Regards

Neil M

Bee swarm by Roger Eads.

Birds in the hand by Jacob Spinks.
The very pale eye and solid shawl of
grey on the Jackdaw is typical of a mature
 bird, the males being marginally larger.
The ruby red eye of the Collared Dove
also indicates maturity, but these doves
can breed all year round and ageing can be
difficult!

As highlighted by Chris Payne, quite
poignant for the time of the year with
lots of young birds about!

And a breezy Sunday too!

Flying Fortress over
Welford this afternoon.

Hello

I spent the morning completing another Common Bird Census at Pitsford Reservoir today in warm and pleasant conditions with it becoming progressively windier as the day progressed. The White-fronted Goose was still on-site and Jacob also saw two second summer Caspian Gulls. The Oystercatchers continue to feed their remaining youngster and scarcer residents included several Marsh Tits and a Willow Tit.

At this time of the year insects often take centre stage and the warm sunshine created an environment for many to emerge and show themselves. Butterflies on the reserve today included Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Large Skipper, Small Copper and Brown Argus. The new ponds in the Walgrave Bay created last year were sheltered and provided a haven for dragonflies, namely Blue Emperor, Broad-bodied Chaser and Four-spotted Chaser.

Jacob heard the Grasshopper Warbler near Scaldwell village again today and Eleanor heard the usual one in it's weedy field between Lamport and Blueberry Farm. Harrington Airfield continued to host two Turtle Doves, a pair of Grey Partridge and a Sedge Warbler continues to sing from a patch of dense vegetation there.

Regards

Neil M

Oystercatcher. An adult was ringed on-site
several years ago and a ringed individual
comes back every year to breed. We haven't
been able to read the ring each year but assume
it is the same long-lived individual.

Meadow Brown butterfly.

Speckled Wood butterfly.

Muntjac.

Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly.

Blue Emperor dragonfly.

Four-spotted Chaser dragonfly.

Garden Warbler.

Brown Argus butterfly.

Red Kite.

All wildlife images taken at
 Pitsford Reservoir today.

Breezy Saturday

Hello

Jacob was out and about today and located a 'reeling' Grasshopper Warbler near Scaldwell village. He went on to Pitsford Reservoir and birds located included a second summer Caspian Gull, the immature White-fronted Goose, a Raven and two Little Ringed Plovers.

I saw a Hobby near Draughton and a road-kill Rabbit near the village attracted the attention of Magpies, Carrion Crows and a Red Kite but it was a Common Buzzard that finally took control!

Regards

Neil M

A North American Tulip Tree
in flower at Chapel Brampton.
Courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

Ant Beetle
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Grizzled Skipper butterfly
Twywell Hills and Dales
courtesy of Clive Bowley.

Nuthatch
courtesy of Phil Davies.

A cuckoo wasp sp (only
6mm long) courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Rufous-shouldered Longhorn Beetle
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Harrington Hares and other wildlife

Hello

A couple of visits to Harrington Airfield during the last few days indicates that many birds on-site are feeding young and despite turbulent weather Willow Warblers, Yellow Wagtails and Reed Buntings were still carrying food today. Another singing Reed Warbler was in the scrub on Wednesday, one of a series of late passage warblers noted here during the last ten days. The Grey Partridges are now less showy and hopefully will be incubating soon and two Turtle Doves were still present today.

A few butterflies were on the wing first thing this morning and included a worn Dingy Skipper, Common Blues and my first Meadow Brown of the season. Swathes of Sainfoin is just coming in to bloom and there are a few Bee Orchids in among the large numbers of Common Spotted Orchids.

At Pitsford Reservoir today a White-fronted Goose was unseasonal, an immature bird accompanying Greylag Geese in the Scaldwell Bay. An impressive stoop and swoop by a Sparrowhawk was the dramatic end to a Starling caught in mid-air by the main feeding station, and caused widespread panic among the remainder of the Starling flock and other nearby passerines. The pair of Oystercatchers appear to have just one surviving chick now.

Jacob saw a Raven displaying over Moulton village today and a Barn Owl was hunting along Mill Road between Scaldwell and Hanging Houghton yesterday evening.

Regards

Neil M

Common Blue butterfly.

Bee Orchid.

Common Buzzard.

Willow Warbler.

Brown or European Hare.
All above images taken at
Harrington Airfield today.

Mistle Thrush.

Pitsford update

Hello

Yesterday on a blustery, but thankfully dry morning two Wildlife Trust staff and five willing volunteers met just behind the Lagoon Hide at Pitsford Reservoir to spend five hours to use their joint expertise and log as many of the species of all disciplines in this previously under-recorded corner of the reserve. This was another Pitsford Bio-blitz day! The Trust have been lucky enough to benefit from photographs taken with a drone showing the current extent of the vegetation and water levels and the team happily ventured through the undergrowth attempting to identify everything from the major trees in the area – many of them good size oaks and willows – right down to the bryophytes and all the insects and birds on the wing – even the massive deer flies survived in the interests of science!

It was not possible to identify everything in the field, or even back at base afterwards.  Many little glass phials were brought home to be studied and their contents correctly classified using reference works too cumbersome to take into the field.  A comprehensive list will be compiled later for anyone who is interested and also for adding to the Trust’s records and similar events are planned to attend to more corners of the reserve which escape the attention of the other major recording sessions.

Today (Thursday) and Dave Francis completed a Constant Effort Site ringing session in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford resulting in the capture of 68 birds made up of 13 Great Tits, 11 Blue Tits, 9 Blackcaps, 6 Dunnocks, 6 Blackbirds, 4 Robins, 4 Wrens, 4 Chiffchaffs, 3 Long-tailed Tits, 3 Bullfinches, 2 Garden Warblers, a Kingfisher, a Coal Tit and a Chaffinch.

The powerful weather of the last few days has caused Swifts to gather at Pitsford to find their insect prey, nothing like the absolute clouds of a decade ago when a cold June day would attract literally hundreds of these birds, but a considerable congregation nonetheless. Traditionally there are casualties on the Holcot to Brixworth road causeway and sadly a bird was found dead in the road there this evening (the buffeting wind, low level flight and moving traffic creates the recipe for disaster).

Regards

Neil M

Of course this is very
much the nesting season
as exampled by images from
Chris Payne of a Swallow nest
with eggs and a Reed Warbler
nest with young.

Large Red Damselfly, image
by Helen Franklin.

John Showers shows how it should
be done! How to net a flying insect
and transfer it to a viewing phial as
part of the bio-blitz!
Images courtesy of Helen
Franklin.