Pitsford events

Hello

Today I undertook the last Common Bird Census of the season around the reserve at Pitsford Reservoir, starting at 5am this morning. An unearthly golden glow and banks of mist awaited and enthralled me as I meandered north of the causeway. Although it was pleasant temperatures right from the word go it didn't become hot and sunny until I was about half way around.

Being towards the end of the season this last session is all about mopping up on late breeders and seeing evidence of productivity rather than mapping territories. Even now though there were odd Robins, Song Thrushes, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs still singing and holding territory but of course all the tits and many of the warblers, Treecreeper and Goldcrest offspring were gleaning the trees and bushes in large roving mixed flocks. Willow Tits were noted in the Scaldwell and Holcot Bays. Fresh-in migrants included juvenile Willow Warblers and a juvenile Grey Wagtail, and juvenile Sedge Warblers will be from elsewhere (none breeding on the reserve at all this year).

Great White Egrets were noted south of the causeway and in the Scaldwell and Walgrave Bays, probably just two mobile birds being involved in these sightings. Some fifteen Little Egrets were present as were nearly four hundred moulting Gadwall and reasonable numbers of Tufted Duck and Pochard. Kingfisher and Common Sandpiper added a little more variety and two eclipse drake Red-crested Pochard were today in the Scaldwell Bay. No doubt the summering Goldeneye is still there somewhere but I didn't see it.

Larger breeding birds included five broods of Mute Swan, two broods of Great Crested Grebe, four broods of Tufted Duck, three Common Buzzard families and two family groups of Sparrowhawk. 

The very warm conditions brought forth a host of insects which included 15 species of butterfly (perhaps the best being Purple Hairstreak) and 14 species of odonata which included Beautiful Demoiselle and another Lesser Emperor dragonfly. A fairly worn Hummingbird Hawk-moth showed well in the Holcot Bay.

The week of events celebrating fifty years of conservation at Pitsford Reservoir continues and there is an excellent free photographic exhibition at the Fishing Lodge illustrating some of the wildlife on-site including images from Robin Gossage and Dave Jackson (open 9.30am - 4pm every day up to and including Sunday 28th July). Weather permitting there will also be a bird ringing demonstration near to the Fishing Lodge on Saturday 27th July with a drop-in opportunity of coming along anytime between 8.30am and 12.30pm.

Regards

Neil M

Pitsford early this morning...
a combination of sunrise and
 overnight mist.

Great Crested Grebe.

Grey Heron.

Little Egret.

Common Blue Damselfly.

Common Darter.

Azure Blue Damselfly.

Blue Emperor.

Juvenile Grey Wagtail.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

All images today at
Pitsford Reservoir.

Harrington preparation

Hello

Three juvenile Cattle Egrets seen at Ringstead Pits today are the result of successful breeding in the county for the first time.

A small party of us spent some time at Harrington Airfield today preparing the site for late summer/autumn bird ringing. Birds seemed thin on the ground but we did see a Turtle Dove and a Hobby.

Regards

Neil M

Part of the Harrington team
today - photograph taken by
the fifth member Lynne Barnett!

Turtle Dove.

Hobby courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Stortons ringing

Hello

Birds reported in the county today were limited to just a few regular observers and Steve Fisher again saw two Cattle Egrets and two Common Sandpipers at Stanwick Pits. Just down the road at Kinewell Lake (Ringstead Pits) a drake Red-crested Pochard was also located.

Birds north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this morning included six Little Egrets and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. A Weasel was seen briefly by the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station.

Also today a small team of ringers operated at Stortons Pits catching some 68 birds made up of a Chiffchaff, 20 Reed Warblers, 5 Sedge Warblers, 3 Cetti's Warblers, a Garden Warbler, 10 Blackcaps, 3 Whitethroats, a Blackbird, 3 Song Thrushes, 2 Dunnocks, 3 Robins, 3 Wrens, 3 Long-tailed Tits, 3 Great Tits, 4 Blue Tits and 3 Goldfinches.

Regards

Neil M

This adult female Sparrowhawk
was today watched plucking a bird at
 Pitsford Reservoir which at the time
 I thought was a pigeon or dove.

 A close up of some
of the scattered feathers suggest it
 might have been a Great Spotted
Woodpecker. This plucking post is
actually a Common Buzzard nest
which wasn't used this year

NBC Trip to Camargue 2

Hello

Very little opportunity for birding today so I've posted a few more images from the Northants Bird Club trip to the Camargue in France...

Regards

Neil M

Wild Boar.

Firecrest.

French Alps.

White Stork.

Tawny Owl.

Coypu.

Little Egret.

Cattle Egret.

Little Egret.

Brixworth ringing

Hello

Stanwick Pits/Lakes was today again the venue for a couple of Cattle Egrets and two Common Sandpipers.

A modest ringing session at Brixworth Treatment Works today provided a small number of captures, with bigger birds stealing the limelight. Seven Magpies were all juvenile birds, obviously unfamiliar with mist nets! Other captures included a Woodpigeon, an adult female Green Woodpecker, two Starlings, a Grey Wagtail (one of two present), two Reed Warblers, two Blackcaps and six Chiffchaffs.

Regards

Neil M

Woodpigeon.

Green Woodpecker.

Magpie.

Nene Valley birding

Hello

Yesterday (17th) saw both Eric Graham and Nick Parker at Thrapston Pits and between them they saw a Little Tern (which remained just some fifteen minutes), two Yellow-legged Gulls, two Green Sandpipers and a Common Sandpiper.

Stanwick Pits also hosted birds with Cattle Egrets coming and going between this site and nearby Ringstead Pits and Steve Fisher was in amongst it with four fly-over Spoonbills, a Greenshank, two Green Sandpipers, three Common Sandpipers and four Yellow-legged Gulls all on show. Further west along the valley and Summer Leys attracted two Ruff, a Common Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper and a Raven.

Today (18th) and Stanwick Pits again hosted a Cattle Egret, two Common Sandpipers and a Snipe, and a Common Sandpiper was on the causeway this evening at Pitsford Reservoir. Thrapston Pits mustered two Wigeon and a Green Sandpiper today...

This afternoon Harrington Airfield harboured a Turtle Dove and two Grey Partridges and two Common Redstarts - one by Bunker One close to the ringing ride with the other in bushes west of the concrete track and near to the northern end. Marbled White butterflies are still in good numbers there.

Regards

Neil M

Wren.

Moorhen.

Female Blackbird.
All above images courtesy
of John Tilly

Spotted Flycatcher nest with
young yesterday in South
Northants, image courtesy
of Chris Payne.

NBC trip to the Camargue

Hello

Unfortunately no time for any birding today so I thought I would post some images from the Northants Bird Club trip to the Camargue in May 2019. I'm still in the process of formatting quite a number of images and in time I will make these available too...

Regards

Neil M

Short-toed Eagle.

Marsh Frog sp.

Corn Bunting.

Western Marbled White.

Coypu.

Montagu's Harrier.

Firecrest.

Pitsford Ringing

Hello

More bird ringing took place at Pitsford Reservoir today, mostly in the Scaldwell Bay. About a hundred birds of 22 species were caught and assessed and the continued picture indicates a productive summer for many smaller birds. Warblers today included 14 Blackcaps (all juveniles) , 7 Garden Warblers, 2 Whitethroats, 4 Reed Warblers and 6 Chiffchaffs. A female Cetti's Warbler was only the third such individual to be ringed at Pitsford. A young Willow Tit was also good news and the first new bird of this species to be captured this year. Other interesting birds included re-trap singles of Jay and Green Woodpecker, three Treecreepers, a Marsh Tit and six re-trap Mallard.

Other birds noted on-site included a Great White Egret, two Red-crested Pochard and two Green Sandpipers (one of which was pursued by a Hobby). The warm weather today caused significant insect activity with huge hatches of Thunder Flies and flying ants as well as plenty of butterflies and odonata.

Elsewhere and Stanwick Pits provided three Black-tailed Godwits early morning.

Regards

Neil M

Jaeger and Rouzel and
Cornflowers near Lamport.

Juvenile Great Spotted
Woodpecker courtesy of
Chris Payne.

An atmospheric Pitsford
 Reservoir early this morning
courtesy of Lynne Barnett.

Ruddy Darter at Pitsford
Reservoir today...

Birds of mid July.

Hello

A Cuckoo was noted at Blueberry Farm this morning and a lunch-time wander at Harrington Airfield provided views of two Grey Partridges, a Turtle Dove, a Hobby and plenty of Marbled White butterflies. A probable Common Redstart was calling from bushes near to Bunker Two but refused to show itself!

A quick visit to Pitsford Reservoir to top up feeders yielded two Yellow-legged Gulls off the Sailing Club and plenty of Marbled White butterflies in the Scaldwell Meadow.

Birds at Stanwick Pits today included a Cattle Egret, a Whimbrel, a Greenshank and three Common Sandpipers (all courtesy of Steve Fisher).

An evening ringing session at Lamport Hall concluded with forty-one captures of thirty-eight House Martins and three Common Swifts. The Swifts there seemed to be in much lower numbers than previous years but we identified four active nests (or at least holes where adults were visiting). House Martins were in good numbers and probably similar to previous years and the birds caught included seven fledged juveniles and three birds first ringed there in 2017 and 2018.

Regards

Neil M

Common Swift.

House Martin.