Spring is still around the next bend!

Hello

Eric's efforts at Titchmarsh reserve yesterday (7th) provided views of two Great White Egrets, three Little Egrets, an Egyptian Goose and two Redpolls and today (8th) he visited Blatherwycke Lake and saw 15+ Mandarin Ducks and three pairs of Shelduck at nearby Deene Lake. There didn't seem to be any sign of the Hawfinches at Blatherwycke churchyard.

Jacob was at Pitsford Reservoir today but with the possible exception of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a few pipits and wagtails didn't witness much migrational movement. After an effort he saw the Slavonian Grebe in the Pintail Bay (it soon disappeared again), a drake Mandarin Duck, a Redshank, a Raven, a Grey Wagtail and a sub-adult Caspian Gull in the gull roost. A dead Dunlin may have been a casualty of the recent cold weather - it seems that waders in particular suffered with many casualties reported nationally.

On a positive note I saw some big congregations of thrushes today, with some of the mixed Fieldfare and Redwing flocks numbering a couple of hundred and surely an indication that the majority survived the freezing maelstrom of last week. Plenty of Reed Buntings in our garden with smaller numbers of Yellowhammer, Tree Sparrow and common finches will hopefully be part of the scene for a little while yet!

A visit to Cottesbrooke village at lunch-time confirmed the continuing presence of Hawfinches with two vocal but furtive birds keeping to the yews off Station Road almost opposite the playing field. One did perch up in the tall ash tree for a short time. Ravens, Nuthatches and Red Kites are daily birds here...

Regards

Neil M

Hawfinch in Forest
of Dean 24th Feb
courtesy of Jacob.

Goldcrest courtesy
of Jacob.

Drake Mandarin Duck
courtesy of Bethan Clyne.

Ringing at Sunderland Wood.

Hello

Four of us enjoyed a small ringing session in Sunderland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate today in almost spring-like weather conditions and at times quite warm sunshine. We caught nearly eighty birds with common tits predominating. One Blue Tit had been ringed originally as a nestling in nearby Rabbit Hill Spinney in May last year.

Highlights were re-trap singles of Marsh Tit and Nuthatch, a couple of new Chaffinches and appreciating the vivid azure blues in the plumage of many of the male Blue Tits in preparation for the breeding season. A walk in the wood provided views of at least four Woodcock, a Tawny Owl and more common fare.

Small numbers of Siskins were present in three different woodland settings on the Kelmarsh Estate today...

Regards

Neil M

A male Nuthatch, first ringed in 2015.

                                    

Bits and pieces at Pitsford

Hello

Jacob's birding at Pitsford Reservoir yesterday (5th) provided views of an Oystercatcher, two Dunlin, six Snipe, 386 Lapwings flying north, two Caspian Gulls and a Little Owl.

Today (6th) and birds seen at Pitsford Reservoir included the Slavonian Grebe, an Oystercatcher, a Redshank and 110 Lapwings flying north. A pair of Raven and a few Redpolls and Siskins were in Brixworth Country Park.

A Barn Owl has been active around Hanging Houghton the last couple of days, including plenty of vocalisation!

Regards

Neil M

Grey Heron.
Courtesy of Jacob.

Caspian Gulls
courtesy of Jacob.

Mallard
courtesy of Jacob.

Mute Swan.
Courtesy of John Tilly.

Cormorant.
Courtesy of John Tilly.

Feed Station Sunday

Hello

Well the temperature may have shot up and the snow is melting fast, but it was a day dominated by visiting some of our feed stations today.

After feeding the birds in the garden, and saying good-bye to the Fieldfares as they largely departed, off then to Scotland Wood. Cold, loads of snow and foggy but the Marsh Tits flew towards me as I placed their sunflower seeds in the prescribed position on the wooden gate and I wandered deeper into the wood filling up the feeders as I went. Lots of footprints in the snow indicate large numbers of Pheasants, some deer and a Fox or two.

At Kelmarsh Hall the Siskins and Goldfinches were pleased to see me as the niger feeders were mostly empty, and after dispensing two bucket loads of niger, mixed seed, sunflower seed, peanuts and fat it was on to Sunderland Wood. This is a rather isolated ash wood and it was still pretty precarious with heavy drifted snow and untreated minor roads but we made it! Sadly we seem to have lost a couple of the Robins at one spot in the wood but the Nuthatches flew to me immediately I entered the wood and most of the other birds came on cue too!

Later in the day I visited the feeding station at the Water Treatment Works on the outskirts of Brixworth, no access with a vehicle being possible still with a big drift across the entrance. After checking the feeders I noticed Grey Heron, Snipe and Teal on the small marsh plus a male Stonechat (the first for the site I think) and at least one Grey Wagtail. The Magpies and Crows waited for their treats and after feeding the smaller passerines it was off to Pitsford Reservoir.

The feeders at Christies Copse were topped up yesterday so no need today, but the main feeding station situated at the bottom of the Old Scaldwell Road has required daily visits since the harsh weather. Some of the apples I placed out yesterday were still there but some had been consumed, hopefully by hungry Fieldfares.  Tree Sparrows, Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings depend on this sub-site and were present in good numbers today. A calling Curlew flying north is definitely an indication of spring!

My last feeding station for the day was in the exposed grounds of the Sailing Club where the easterly winds have been particularly bitter and as a consequence not many birds have spent long feeding there. This is also one of two waterfowl feeding areas at the reservoir and the Mute Swans, Coots, Moorhens and Mallard enjoyed their fodder!

After several days of not seeing it, the Slavonian Grebe was again back in the Pintail Bay!

Eleanor saw the Barn Owl again in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon and Eric and Debbie's patrol of the Titchmarsh Reserve today produced sightings of a Water Rail, two Oystercatchers and several Snipe plus a pair of Goosander and a Siskin.

Regards

Neil M

Marsh Tit.

Magpie.

Curlew.

Northants BIrd Club Meeting 7th March

Hello

On Wednesday 7th March it is the Northants Bird Club AGM and Indoor Meeting at the usual venue of the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir.

The Chairman Bob Gill will introduce the AGM which tends to be a short affair (no pun intended) and then it will a presentation by the celebrity birdwatcher Gary Prescott who will illustrate and present his escapades as 'The Biking Birder'! Gary has travelled all over the UK and abroad in search of birds both for his own personal pleasure but also to raise money for conservation charities. His next big adventure in April is cycling around Peru, Andes and all!

The meeting will start promptly at 7.30pm and there will be hot drinks and biscuits available during the evening. The meeting is open to both members and non-members, albeit that only members will be able to vote if necessary during the AGM.

Come along and be entertained!

Regards

Neil M

Fieldfare.
Courtesy of Dave Jackson.

Meadow Pipits.
Courtesy of Robin Gossage.

A shift in the temperature...

Hello

Noteworthy birds were minimal today, not helped by the poor visibility of course!

Harrington Airfield hosted two pairs of Grey Partridge and a Woodcock and another Woodcock was flushed in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir. A Blackcap again visited Jacob's garden at Scaldwell today.

Still plenty of Fieldfares in our garden today, eating the food almost as fast as I'm putting it out, but with a shift in the weather and temperatures overnight it will be interesting to see how long they will stay. I suspect many will disappear to forage for worms as soon as they espy fields without snow.

Like many of us, Dave Francis has been supplying his garden birds with plenty of food and fruit and his Fieldfares have been responsible for finishing off the fruit from an ornamental crab apple. Ringing operations are limited in severe weather and there are strict guidelines to ensure that particularly tired or starving birds are not targeted by ringers (when of course they are easier to catch). Dave has been assessing the health of the birds visiting his garden and opened a forty foot mist net for a short duration today, catching six Fieldfares, three Blackbirds, four Siskins, twelve Goldfinches, a Pied Wagtail and a few other common species. Interestingly a couple of these birds were re-traps from previous sessions a short time ago and they were heavier (and carrying more fat reserves) on this occasion, so clearly their feeding regimes have been successful in this cold spell. A Brambling has attached itself to a small flock of Chaffinches visiting his garden.

Two days ago there was a third hand report of three Short-eared Owls in a field near Weston (South Northants) - I just hope they have made it through as these conditions are very difficult for all the owl species.

Rather than adding yet more Fieldfare images to the blog, I've added some more bird images of a trip to Uganda in January - may you feel the warmth of the air in which they reside!

Regards

Neil M

The beautiful Marabou Stork!

Pink-backed Pelican.

Black and White Casqued Hornbills.

Pied Kingfishers.

Shoebill Stork.

African Jacana.

Long-toed Plover.

Watch out for those Drifts!

Hello

And the cold, snowy weather continues!

Birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton included a few cold-looking Lapwings and a Jack Snipe. A pair of Ravens were between Scaldwell and Hanging Houghton. 

A pair of Grey Partridge were on the feed stuff with plenty of other birds at Harrington Airfield this morning and a very young leveret was isolated and killed by a pair of Carrion Crows, despite four adult Brown Hares making half-hearted efforts at driving them off. I didn't know that hares produced young so early and I have never witnessed that behaviour before...

Fieldfares were in gardens all over Northants again today with numbers visiting further gardens in Corby, at Astcote and Rushden and we were inundated with them again today at Hanging Houghton. A very scarce visitor to our garden today was a Jay and this harsh weather was proving difficult for many birds with forlorn-looking Lapwings and Moorhens being seen at roadsides.

Jacob and Bethan visited Pitsford Reservoir today and saw a Golden Plover, two Woodcock, a Snipe and a Peregrine and noted an Icelandic race Redwing in Scaldwell village.

Regards

Neil M

Wintry scene at
Harrington Airfield.

Blue Tit.

Redwing.

The stunning Fieldfares -
our pantry is nearly empty!

Jaeger atop a snow drift
enveloping a stricken vehicle
that is not going anywhere...
unfortunately it's my vehicle!

Fieldfares and friends

Hello

The Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton produced birds again today in very hostile conditions, the best being a pair of Grey Partridge, a male Stonechat, six Snipe, a Woodcock and a Barn Owl. A Woodcock was flushed at Harrington Airfield and Brixworth Water Treatment Works attracted a Snipe and a Grey Wagtail plus a flock of Meadow Pipits working the filter beds. The resident pair of Raven were at Kelmarsh and a Little Owl was seen at Old.

It seems that Fieldfares were the stars of the show today with good numbers being reported in gardens all over the county. With little available food and having been pushed out of even more inhospitable places, these exhausted and hungry birds are roaming around for any remaining berries and apples. Fieldfares don't usually eat much in the way of mixed seed and standard bird food but these desperate birds are consuming such fare. We had over 25 in our garden today plus several Redwings, a Mistle Thrush etc and their favourite food is apples and dried mealworms. They are also eating grated cheese, fat pellets, mixed seed and soaked dried fruit is another option. Chris Payne had forty Fieldfares in his garden and Jim Dunkley (at Sywell), Nick Wood (Olney), Jacob Spinks (Scaldwell) and Helen Franklin (Priors Marston) all report Fieldfare antics in their gardens.

Jacob's garden also attracted a Moorhen, a probing Woodcock, nine Redpolls, Redwings, Mistle Thrush and a male Blackcap...not bad for garden birding!

The only birds of note at Pitsford Reservoir today were a second year Caspian Gull and a solitary, hungry and displaced Dunlin.

Regards

Neil M

This aggressive Fieldfare kept all other
birds at bay from the apples on offer, including
a visiting Blackcap.
Courtesy of Jim Dunkley from
his Sywell garden.

Fieldfares at Greens Norton today,
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Dunlin at Pitsford Reservoir
today, courtesy of Bethan Clyne.

Fieldfare at Scaldwell today,
courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Caspian Gull at Pitsford Reservoir today,
courtesy of Bethan Clyne/Jacob Spinks.

Woodcock at Scaldwell today,
courtesy of Jacob Spinks.