Ditchford WeBS (West)

Hello

Yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) and Jacob and Bethan checked the gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir and located two Yellow-legged Gulls (adult and first year).

Today (Thursday) and I completed the WeBS count on the western section of Ditchford Pits. It was very quiet for birds in mild, breezy conditions and the only birds of note were a fine adult Peregrine on the pylons west of Ditchford Lane plus an overflying Raven. A Mink was seen and a Migrant Hawker dragonfly was still on the wing.

A Grey Wagtail remained at Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Red-necked Phalarope.

Brunnich's Guillemots.

Iceland Gull.

Great Black-backed Gull.

Red-throated Diver.

All images from Iceland in June.

Ringing recoveries

Hello

Not much opportunity for birding today but early this morning the eleven Whooper Swans were still in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir and five Great White Egrets were visible north of the causeway. Later in the morning the Whoopers were in a close-knit flock next to the Maytrees Hide, disturbance had caused much of the wildfowl to exit the bay (tree management work near to Willow Hide) and the Whoopers were pretty much the last ones out. I hope they remained and they didn't use this as an excuse to move on...

We have received notification of some ringing recoveries including a House Sparrow fatality in Hanging Houghton (road casualty) and a Goldfinch fatality in Scaldwell village (both birds were ringed as juveniles this autumn in Hanging Houghton). Other records with a little more history are as follows:-

KN98466 was a juvenile Blackcap first ringed at Harrington Airfield on 30th August 2018 by Helen Franklin and then re-captured four days later at Southwick Wood by Colin Graham. For some reason this bird moved 27km ENE after initial capture, the significance which may prove difficult to interpret!

AKD286 relates to a juvenile Cetti's Warbler ringed at Tring, Hertfordshire on 5th August 2018 and this young bird travelled 32km north to be re-captured at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes on 30th September 2018 (56 days later).

LJ39586 refers to a juvenile Starling first caught and ringed in Rushden on 13th July 2018 which was subsequently reported as taken by a cat elsewhere in Rushden on 20th October 2018.

Regards

Neil M

Blackcap

Cetti's Warbler.

Starling.

Autumn merging towards winter...

Hello

Eric enjoyed himself at Thrapston Pits today with a quality selection of birds which included the now long-staying six Velvet Scoters, a Great White Egret, five Little Egrets, a pair of Red-crested Pochard, a Scaup and two Yellow-legged Gulls.

Eleanor ran around the south section of Pitsford Reservoir this morning, notching up three Great White Egrets (one Moulton Grange and two in Pintail Bay) and several Redpolls.

In the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning there were four Bramblings, two Siskins and two Redpolls with lots of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits on the fields. A Grey Wagtail was in the village as were a couple of Siskins. Harrington Airfield sported a day time hunting Barn Owl this afternoon but little else. A Grey Wagtail and several Siskins were noted at Overstone Park.

Regards

Neil M

Arctic Tern.

Golden Plover.

Redshank.

Sanderling.

Eider.

Sabine's Gull.

Kittiwake.

I think without exception all these
images were taken in the rain during
our 'summer' trip to Iceland this year
(it was exceptionally cold and wet but
still amazing despite the weather conditions).

Sunday's stuff!

Hello

Northants Ringing Group ringers were out doing their stuff today at Stortons Pits and Linford Lakes.

The session at Stortons started with the whoosh of three thousand Starlings zapping past as they left their night-time roost and birds caught amounted to 37 individuals made up mostly of Blue and Great Tits but also a Redwing. The Linford ringers caught 39 birds with quality catches in the shape of 2 Blackcaps, a Chiffchaff, 10 Redwings, a Cetti's Warbler, 2 Meadow Pipits and a Jay.

A visit to Pitsford Reservoir today provided views of the eleven Whooper Swans still in the Scaldwell Bay, five Great White Egrets, an influx of Little Egrets, just three visible Red-crested Pochards and a handful of Pintail.

The Great White Egret count at Ravensthorpe Reservoir went up to two and the Ravens at Staverton increased to four today.

Regards

Neil M

Meadow Pipit wing covert
variation. The upper bird's
borders to the coverts are
the same colour and tone
throughout indicating either
an adult bird or a first year
that has moulted all the feathers
it left the nest with. The variation
in the covert borders of the lower
 bird indicates that this bird was
hatched in 2018.

The upperside of the tails of
two Redwings. The left hand bird
is exhibiting relatively broad
individual feathers and broad tips
with minimal wear all suggestive
of an adult. The narrower feathers
  with pointed and worn tips of the
right hand bird indicate that this bird
is in it's first year of life.
These instructive images courtesy
 of Kenny Cramer.

First year Common Gull.

An image of an acrobatic
 Pine Marten from the August trip
 to the Ardnamurchan Peninsular
in the West Highlands of Scotland
(and definitely one of the stars of
the show)!

Northants Bird Club Indoor Meeting 7th Nov

Hello

A walk at Harrington Airfield this morning did not produce much out of the ordinary and the choice birds at Hanging Houghton amounted to just a Raven, a Grey Wagtail and a couple of Siskins. A single Great White Egret at Ravensthorpe Reservoir was the only bird of note seen there. A Grey Wagtail was at Brixworth Water Treatment Works.

On Wednesday 7th Nov it is the indoor meeting of the Northants Bird Club at the usual venue of the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir beginning at 7.30pm. The returning speaker is Conor Jameson who previously presented on the Goshawk. This time his talk is about the Hudson Legacy - the influence of the Victorian author, campaigner and ornithologist W.H. Hudson. This inspired individual helped create modern conservation, organisations and the presentation will reflect on this and with birding stories along the way.

As usual hot drinks and biscuits will be available and everyone is welcome!

Regards

Neil M

Pitsford wildfowl
courtesy of John Tilly.

Waderquest World Watch week-end

Hello

Waderquest is again planning a World Watch week-end

where observers are encouraged to get out there and find

and count waders wherever you happen to be...

Here is the website page with details...

http://www.waderquest.net/wader-conservation-world-watch/

Whether you can help this year or not, all the best, and

have a great weekend whatever you are doing.

Many thanks.

Rick and Elis.

Rick Simpson: Chair.

Elis Simpson: Treasurer.

Wader Quest Board of Trustees.

www.waderquest.org

waderquest@gmail.com

https://twitter.com/waderquest

https://www.facebook.com/WaderQuest

Lapwing courtesy
of John Tilly.

November sunshine birds

Hello

Yesterday (Thursday) and Eleanor came across two Woodcock around the edge of The Hill field on the Blueberry Farm complex.

This morning (Friday) Eleanor was at Hockerhill Farm which is on a small upland plateau between Wilby and Mears Ashby (no public access). Grassy paddocks and thick set berry-laden hedges provides good habitat for a variety of birds. At the moment there are large numbers of migrant thrushes and Starlings and today two very vocal first year Ring Ouzels were in with them.

Eleanor was further rewarded with her dog-walking and bird feeding chores at Harrington Airfield this afternoon when she was treated to sustained views of a stunning adult male Hen Harrier hunting the top fields and rough areas. Smeagol the spaniel also flushed up another Woodcock!

What was intended as a taster, low key introduction to ringing at Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate today spiralled somewhat with 112 birds of 14 species being caught and processed from just two mist nets. This total was made up of a Jay, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Blackbird, six Nuthatches, eighteen Great Tits, twenty-five Blue Tits, twelve Coal Tits, six Marsh Tits, nine Long-tailed Tits, six Chaffinches, a Robin, three Wrens, twenty-two Goldcrests and a Treecreeper. Other birds on-site included at least three Bramblings, a handful of Siskins and a couple of Redpoll.

Regards

Neil M

Coal Tit.

Goldcrest.

Jay.

All above images
courtesy of John Tilly.

A small Toad that
needs to quickly start
hibernating! Image
courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

Halloween Birds

Hello 

Another cracking weather day today but not a huge amount of time for birding!

Thrapston Pits still features with the continuing presence of the six first year Velvet Scoters and Eric also espied 50+ Goldeneye, a pair of Red-crested Pochard, a Water Rail, a Brambling on the feeders, plenty of Goldcrests, several Cetti's Warblers and still some dragonflies and Red Admiral butterflies.

A couple of Brambling were here in the village at Hanging Houghton this morning and a female joined the Chaffinches feeding on seed on our back lawn. At 10.15am three calling Crossbills flew low east over the houses and away.

The eleven Whooper Swans were still in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir late morning but were quite flighty at times. At least two Great White Egrets were on show, the flock of Red-crested Pochard had risen to twenty birds (now with two leucistic individuals), and they had transferred to the Walgrave Bay.

The gull roost off the Sailing Club/dam is counted at least once a month and amongst the 9000 plus birds there was an adult Yellow-legged Gull and two Mediterranean Gulls (adult and first year). A Scaup was patrolling the shore and diving regularly between the dam and Moulton Grange Bay and a pair of Raven were at Brixworth Country Park.

Elsewhere there were forty Golden Plovers and a covey of nine Grey Partridges at Harrington Airfield and another covey of eight Grey Partridges and a Barn Owl in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

The Thrapston Velvet
Scoters courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Nearly November!

Hello

Eleanor popped down to Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and scanned from the Old Scaldwell Road. The fabulous flock of eleven Whooper Swans were still present as were four Great White Egrets all on show at the same time. At least six Red-crested Pochard were visible in the Scaldwell Bay as were half a dozen Pintail.

Single Grey Wagtails were noted at Hanging Houghton and at Brackmills, Northampton and Barnes Meadow LNR hosted 10 - 11 Snipe. A number of the scuffed fields in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton are attracting large numbers of birds, the most obvious today being gulls, Skylarks and hundreds of Fieldfares. A huge passage of Starlings was again obvious today with birds arriving in big flocks from the east and flying quite slow and streaming west at low level.

Regards

Neil M

Little Grebe.

Great White Egret.

Stonechat.

Whooper Swan.

Meadow Pipit.

All images taken at Pitsford
Reservoir yesterday and courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Autumn birding in the county

Hello

With such an excellent weather forecast I decided that it would be a day out and about in the county. I started at Polebrook Airfield and the immediate area, the most obvious birds being the hundreds and hundreds of Starlings flying west, often low with some of them stalling to feed and rest. Thrushes and finches were on the move in good numbers and there were plenty of vocal Skylarks spiralling around the large flat fields. The only birds of note were a single Stonechat, a Chiffchaff, a couple of Bramblings, a few Redpoll, a Siskin and three Golden Plovers.

On next to Thrapston Pits where six first year Velvet Scoters looked spectacular as they were swimming and diving on Town Lake. There was no sign of the other two individuals from yesterday and I took a walk around Town Lake locating a first year Scaup, a couple of Kingfishers and three Cetti's Warblers but little else.

I then popped over to Ditchford Pits and finished the WeBS count off there, concentrating on the main pit between Higham Ferrers and Irthlingborough which was absolutely packed with wildfowl including over 500 Gadwall, over 500 Wigeon and 162 Mute Swans - amazing stuff and a very colourful scene in the beautiful October sunshine. The only birds of note were three Kingfishers, three Cetti's Warblers and a Chiffchaff.

I finished at Pitsford Reservoir and after filling the feeders for the Tree Sparrows at the Old Scaldwell Road I completed a little scanning. The Scaldwell Bay in particular was full of birds which included eleven Whooper Swans (two juveniles), eight Red-crested Pochard, a Shelduck, the usual adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Curlew, a Green Sandpiper and at least one Stonechat.

Eleanor's walk at Harrington Airfield this afternoon provided views of a hunting Barn Owl, two Woodcock, two Bramblings, a few Redpolls and Siskins with a Peregrine over the A14 just east of Kettering.

Regards

Neil M

Velvet Scoters.

Moorhen.

Northamptonshire Birding

Hello

A couple each of Redpoll and Brambling touched down briefly at Scotland Wood (Kelmarsh Estate) today and a pair of Raven were very vocal at Kelmarsh Hall. The usual pair of Raven were at Staverton today and a brief stop at Ravensthorpe Reservoir provided views of a Ruddy Shelduck, a Great White Egret and four Pintail.

Eric was at Thrapston Pits again today and an excellent suite of ducks on Town Lake included six Velvet Scoters, two Common Scoters and a Scaup, and that was after he had earlier heard a Yellow-browed Warbler near to his house in Corby (bird not seen).

A ringing session at Linford Lakes this morning by Kenny and Sarah provided 76 birds of which 45 were new. In addition to the usual tits they caught 14 Goldfinches, 4 Chaffinches, 2 Redwings, a Blackbird and a Goldcrest.

Regards

Neil M

A Blackbird hatched this
year but the colour of the
bill, pale edging to feathers
and no doubt the biometrics
suggest this bird is from the
continent and probably intends
to winter in the UK.

Close up of the rictal bristles
on this Redwing, relatively
easy to see on members of the
thrush family...

All images courtesy of
Kenny Cramer.

Pitsford WeBS count

Hello

Yesterday (Friday) Eric yet again toured Thrapston Pits, his avian highlights being four Red-crested Pochard with the drakes looking stunning in the autumn sunshine. Other birds included a couple of Little Egrets and five calling Cetti's Warblers.

Today (Saturday) and Chris Payne opened his mist nets at Bradden for just a couple of hours this morning and caught 52 birds which were made up of a male Siskin, three Goldfinches, two Nuthatches, a Dunnock, two Robins, a Treecreeper, 17 Blue Tits, 22 Great Tits and 3 Coal Tits.

Today was spent completing the WeBS count at Pitsford Reservoir which resulted in two Whooper Swans in the Scaldwell Bay (two further birds reported later in the day too), probably as many as six Great White Egrets, just five Little Egrets, sixteen Red-crested Pochard (including a leucistic female), a Ferruginous x Pochard hybrid, sixteen Pintail, fifteen Goldeneye, a drake Mandarin Duck, six Snipe, four Green Sandpipers, a Stonechat, a Grey Wagtail and several Redpoll and a couple of Siskins.

Regards

Neil M

Male Siskin courtesy of
Chris Payne.