Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Hello

My apologies for the lack of messages recently, I'm afraid we suffered a complete broadband failure which lasted over a week! Hopefully it is sorted now.

As many will know I definitely have a soft spot for gulls and will happily gaze at them for hours (often trying to work out what they are)! In August this year I was fortunate to be in Glasgow where there is quite an urban community of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, surely one of the better looking large gulls? Anyway the following photographs depict some of the birds close to hand...

Regards

Neil M

Adult or near-adult.

Juvenile (hatched this year).

First summer (second
calendar year).

Probably a fourth summer
but some third summers can
be very advanced.

Advanced first summer
(second calendar year).

Birds of Thursday...

Hello

A couple of busy local ringing sessions took place today in almost perfect weather conditions with the usage of mist nets. Dave, Lynne and Lewis were at Pitsford Reservoir where they captured and processed 90 birds of 14 species (53 new and 37 re-traps). This total was made up of 30 Blue Tits, 20 Great Tits, a Coal Tit, 9 Dunnocks, 5 Robins, 3 Wrens, 7 Tree Sparrows, 3 Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap, a Chaffinch, 5 Reed Buntings, a Song Thrush, a Blackbird and 3 Moorhens.

Harrington Airfield enjoyed a second consecutive day of ringing, this time with some 170 captures of 16 species (144 new and 26 re-traps). The session was dominated by Goldfinches with 74 new birds and 8 re-traps from previous sessions. Other birds were made up of a Song Thrush, 6 Dunnocks, 7 Yellowhammers, 8 Great Tits, 14 Blue Tits, 2 Wrens, 2 Goldcrests, 2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Blackcaps, 3 Robins, 18 Meadow Pipits, 4 Linnets, 7 Chaffinches, 5 Reed Buntings and 8 Swallows.

A few Redwings were on-site as were a couple of Golden Plover and calling Grey Partridge. Skylarks were very evident there today with one flock totalling 48 birds. A female Merlin arrived this afternoon and went storming after Meadow Pipits.

Elsewhere and Stanwick Pits/Lakes held three Cattle Egrets today plus a late Common Tern and a Ringed Plover. Seventy Golden Plovers were located in a field south of Cogenhoe village and Summer Leys reserve at Earls Barton hosted a Great White Egret and Garganey with a Spotted Redshank reported from the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve at Ditchford Pits.

Birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning include a pair of Stonechats, a Whinchat, a Little Egret on the brook and a hunting Barn Owl and 15 Redwings were seen flying over Moulton Agricultural College.

Regards

Neil M

Goldfinch.

Swallow.

Yellowhammer.


All images courtesy of
John Tilly.

October's cool air brings new birds...

Hello

Birds for yesterday (Tuesday) included several Redwings locally, although speaking to other birders it seems they were not the first of the autumn (but certainly the first I have encountered). Plenty of Meadow Pipits and other diurnal migrants were taking advantage of the pleasant conditions at Harrington Airfield in the morning and the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton produced a Whinchat, a pair of Stonechat, a Siskin, two Redpolls, a couple of Redwings and fifteen Golden Plovers plus an increase in the number of visible Skylarks and Blackbirds.

The Little Stint was again at Boddington Reservoir, the Titchmarsh Reserve attracted a Great White and twelve Little Egrets and Pitsford Reservoir hosted a Great White Egret, a Pintail, a Yellow-legged Gull and a Greenshank.

Today (Wednesday) and Adam saw a late Common Swift heading north over Corby this morning and Andy Cook saw a Red-crested Pochard and a Hobby at Clifford Hill Pits. Nick's efforts at Titchmarsh were again rewarded today with an Osprey and a Great White Egret and Steve Fisher found the six Cattle Egrets and a Peregrine at Stanwick, this time around the roadside pit.

A ringing session at Harrington Airfield this morning netted 76 birds of twelve species made up of two Blackbirds, a Chiffchaff, two Long-tailed Tits, ten Great Tits, eight Blue Tits, ten Yellowhammers, five Reed Buntings, a Chaffinch, twenty-two Goldfinches, ten Meadow Pipits, a Robin and four Dunnocks. Another session is planned there for tomorrow (Thursday) and access to the rough area around the bunkers and old runway will be restricted.

Regards

Neil M

Meadow Pipit at
Harrington Airfield
today...courtesy of
Lynne Barnett.

Rain, a little sunshine and plenty of birds!

Hello

Yesterday (Sunday) and a check of the dam area at Pitsford Reservoir in the morning provided closer views of the second winter Mediterranean Gull that has been around for a few days now. At least two Yellow-legged Gulls were present there and Adrian later added a female Ruddy Shelduck and a drake Mandarin. North of the causeway and Adrian saw a Great White Egret, another Yellow-legged Gull, eight Pintail, a Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper.

Clifford Hill Pits was the venue still for two Slavonian Grebes, a drake Red-crested Pochard, two Whinchats and two Stonechats. The Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton came back to life after a quiet period and produced sightings of a Marsh Harrier, two Golden Plovers, two Whinchats and a pair of Stonechat.

This morning (Monday) there was a fabulous reprieve from the wet weather and the still conditions and broken sunshine provided an opportunity for a ringing session on land at Woodford Halse. In total 126 birds were caught and processed of 14 species of which only three were bearing rings from previous efforts. The number was made up of 2 Wrens, 3 Chiffchaffs, 5 Goldcrests, 6 Long-tailed Tits, 51 Blue Tits, 36 Great Tits, a Marsh Tit, 2 Coal Tits, 4 Meadow Pipits, 2 Blackcaps, a Robin, 8 Dunnocks, 2 Nuthatches and 3 Chaffinches.

A pair of Raven were about as were several Grey Wagtails and a Clouded Yellow butterfly.

Also this morning Nick Parker saw an Osprey overflying Thrapston Pits and the birds at Clifford Hill today again included the two Slavonian Grebes, a Red-crested Pochard, a Common Sandpiper, a Hobby and two Whinchats.

A visit to Borough Hill Country Park early this afternoon coincided with a flock of fifteen Crossbills flying over heading NW plus an overflying Siskin and a handful of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. Not too far away the Little Stint and a Green Sandpiper were at Boddington Reservoir and Pitsford Reservoir hosted a Great White Egret and a Rock Pipit not far from the dam this afternoon, both birds arriving ahead of a serious band of rain!

Harrington Airfield provided a Short-eared Owl this afternoon being pursued by corvids, a Common Redstart near Bunker One and a pair of Stonechat at Bunker Three. Two Whinchats were at Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Leucistic Great Tit.

Meadow Pipit.

Images courtesy

of Chris Payne.

Northants Bird Club Indoor Meeting

Hello

Wednesday 2nd October is the date for the next indoor meeting of the Northants Bird Club at the regular venue of the Fishing Lodge, Pitsford Reservoir (just off the Brixworth road outside the village of Holcot).

Club member Dave Jackson will be providing Part 1 of his illustrated talk on the Birds of New Zealand which I'm sure will be full of excellent photos!

The meeting will commence at 7.30pm with a few notices and then it is over to the main presentation. Hot drinks and biscuits will be available during the evening and the meeting is open to members and non members alike.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Neil M

Blustery Saturday

Hello

The pairs of Raven were vocal at both Hanging Houghton and Staverton villages today as they bond for nesting efforts next year (hopefully).

Mike Alibone today relocated the two Slavonian Grebes at Clifford Hill Pits and a Red-crested Pochard was there later too. Five Pintail were present at Summer Leys today and birds at Pitsford Reservoir included a Great White Egret, the leucistic drake Pochard (stunning bird), in excess of eight Yellow-legged Gulls, two Greenshanks, three Common Sandpipers, a Green Sandpiper, a Snipe, two unidentified calidris waders in flight and a Grey Wagtail.

Eleanor's afternoon visit to Borough Hill Country Park, Daventry provided an excellent haul of passerines feeding in the lee of the wind and included six Stonechats, two Whinchats, a Wheatear, three Common Redstarts and a Spotted Flycatcher.

Regards

Neil M

First year Common Gull.

First year Black-headed Gull.

Greenshanks courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Pitsford WeBS count

Hello

Today a small team of us completed the WeBS count at Pitsford Reservoir and we were lucky to miss the heavier showers.

A Ruddy Shelduck was seen briefly in flight and two Great White Egrets were still in residence (Walgrave and Holcot Bays). Over 1800 Tufted Ducks were present, the majority south of the causeway and scarcer ducks included a drake Mandarin Duck by Catwalk Bay, two Goldeneye, eleven Pintail (between causeway and the Bird Club hide) and a Red-crested Pochard hybrid (not sure what it's exact parentage is but it was with Mallard). Other birds included eleven or twelve Little Egrets, six Yellow-legged Gulls, two Greenshanks, two Common Sandpipers, three Green Sandpipers, a Snipe, three Ringed Plovers, a juvenile female Peregrine, a Kingfisher, four Grey Wagtails and quite a flurry of House Martins passing through and plenty of Chiffchaffs in the bushes.

Yellow-legged Gull.

A second winter Mediterranean Gull arrived in the gull roost fairly early in the evening off the Sailing Club.

Chiffchaff

Elsewhere and the Little Stint was apparently present still at Boddington Reservoir...and Little Owls were visible at Delapre Park, Northampton and visible from the entrance road towards the abbey (a species that is much more difficult to see locally these days).

Regards

Neil M

Cormorant. Sadly one of

these birds was flying around

with fishing line and a pike lure

protruding from its beak at Pitsford

today, quite a common occurrence at

this site since coarse fishing has been

permitted at the reservoir.
Image courtesy of Robin.

Birds of the breeze and sunshine...

Hello

I popped down to Pitsford reservoir this morning and spent a couple of hours collecting seed and restocking the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station. Whilst there I scanned around to see what was on offer, there were certainly plenty of Tufted Ducks with rafts of them close to the Maytrees Hide. Many more flocks arrived from south of the causeway and the overall number must have been close to a thousand birds. Tomorrow is the WeBS count so we will see how many we count!

A Great White Egret was fishing in the Scaldwell Bay which also hosted a Common Sandpiper, four Pintail and four Yellow-legged Gulls. The moderate to strong breeze and broken sunshine was perfect for raptors and other larger birds to cruise about, to the point where it was hard to leave as there was always another new bird on the horizon to look at. At least a dozen Common Buzzards and six Red Kites showed on and off and two Hobbies were hunting dragonflies around the leeward side of the trees. Two Ravens and other corvids joined in the fun! In the meantime Neil Hasdell had located a Greenshank and three Ringed Plovers at the dam and Moulton Grange Bay shoreline.

A revisit to Pitsford this evening to count the roosting gulls, this time up at the Sailing Club, provided distant views of a second winter Mediterranean Gull and twelve Yellow-legged Gulls but nothing else of note. A pair of Raven were again very obvious in Hanging Houghton village today.

The weekly visit by local naturalists to the MOD section of Yardley Chase paid off today with the discovery of two Pied Flycatchers (this is strictly a private site). At Summer Leys/Earls Barton Pits, birds included a Great White Egret, a Green Sandpiper, a Ringed Plover, a Hobby and a Pintail, and yesterday's Little Stint was still present at Boddington Reservoir today...

Regards

Neil M

Common Buzzard.

Red Kite.

Hobby (with House Martin).

Raven.

Pitsford Showcase

Hello

Sunshine and showers today and a very autumnal feel but still warm. Pitsford Reservoir was the venue for a Wildlife Trust supporters day with indoor presentations from Sarah and Mischa showcasing the reserve. A bird ringing demonstration was the outside presentation near to the Fishing Lodge. Some eighty-six birds were processed which included four Mallard and a Moorhen from a static trap with the remainder of the birds being caught in mist nets. The total was made up of a Dunnock, a Blackcap, a Nuthatch, a Treecreeper, three Wrens, twenty-three Great Tits, twenty-nine Blue Tits, three Coal Tits, two Marsh Tits, seven Long-tailed Tits and ten Goldcrests.

Other birds noted at Pitsford today included a Great White Egret, two Greenshanks, a Ringed Plover, a Hobby and a Raven.

Gary Pullen found a Little Stint at Boddington Reservoir today, a Great White Egret remained at Summer Leys and two Common Redstarts were found at Harrington Airfield by Neil Underwood.

Regards

Neil M

Coal Tit courtesy

of John Tilly.

Little Grebe,
courtesy of Robin.

Green Sandpiper,
courtesy of Robin.

Pochard, Barn Owls and more!

Hello

Little opportunity for birding today but others braved the elements and saw a few things out there!

Birds reported at Summer Leys today included a Great White Egret, two Snipe, a Common Scoter, a Green Sandpiper and a Hobby. Nick Parker witnessed a Marsh Harrier flying south over Titchmarsh Reserve, Thrapston at 11.10am and this afternoon Gary Pullen located a Rock Pipit on one of the tern rafts at Daventry Country Park.

A few interesting recoveries of ringed birds as follows...

Roger Eads successfully photographed a female Pochard at Pitsford Reservoir on 5th September 2019 sporting a nasal saddle inscribed LLP. This bird was ringed at Saint-Philbert-De-Grand-Lieu France on 19th January 2017 and seen there again on 10th May 2018. This is one of several such marked Pochard that have emanated from France and then subsequently been seen at Pitsford.

A Blue Tit that was ringed as a nestling in a box at Hargrave, Northants on 11th May 2019 was recaptured by a ringer at Old Weston, Cambridgeshire on 13th September. Although in a different county this bird travelled just 10km in a north easterly direction.

A juvenile Garden Warbler ringed at Stortons Pits on 5th August 2018 was re-captured at Queen Mary Reservoir, Surrey on 7th August 2019 (367 days later), presumably on its way south to Africa for the second time in its short life.

Regards

Neil M

Pochard courtesy
of Roger Eads.

Chris Payne has been checking
nest boxes in the south of the county
today and found a healthy brood of
Barn Owls at one site!
 Images courtesy of Chris.

Chiffchaffs, dragonflies and Storm Petrels.

Hello

A morning walk first thing confirmed the presence of good numbers of freshly-arrived Chiffchaffs in the hedges, their distinctive shrill calls seem to have been everywhere I have today...

A couple of Ravens returned to Hanging Houghton and a quick check on a couple of sections of the reserve at Pitsford Reservoir in sunny weather this morning confirmed the presence of plenty of late season dragonflies seeking prey of their own; Migrant Hawkers seemed particularly numerous. A Hobby by the Fishing Lodge was chasing and catching the said dragonflies. Scanning the Scaldwell Bay shallows provided views of four Pintail but nothing else of note.

The gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir off the Sailing Club this evening attracted a second winter Mediterranean Gull and at least five Yellow-legged Gulls.

Elsewhere and Nick Parker located a Great White Egret on Town Lake at Thrapston Pits and Bob Bullock's visit to Ravensthorpe Reservoir scooped two Green Sandpipers with a Dunlin, two Common Sandpipers, three Ringed Plovers, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, two Egyptian Geese and a Stonechat at nearby Hollowell Reservoir.

Regards

Neil M

Infra Red image of a Storm
Petrel and it's five week old
fluffy chick courtesy of Chris
Payne. More details can be
found in the British Birds
 e-newsletter (issue 53).

Redshanks courtesy of
John Tilly.

Common Darter munching
another insect.

Migrant Hawkers at Pitsford
Reservoir today...

Sunday's birds

Hello

The first excursion this morning was up to Harrington Airfield where there were plenty of open country birds such as Linnet, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer and Skylark. A female Stonechat was at Bunker Three and there was a small family party of Grey Partridges plus a fly-over Grey Wagtail.

There are plenty of birds visiting our garden feeders at the moment with particularly good numbers of first year Blue Tits and Goldfinches plus a couple each of Nuthatch and Marsh Tit.

Stuart Munday saw a Great White Egret and a Snipe at Summer Leys today and Adrian Borley visited the reserve section of Pitsford Reservoir and notched up two Great White Egrets, a Common Sandpiper, a Snipe and both Pintail and Goldeneye.

This evening a vocal Ruddy Shelduck flew south over the Sailing Club at Pitsford Reservoir and the gull roost there contained an influx of Great Black-backed Gulls, at least five Yellow-legged Gulls and a first winter Mediterranean Gull.

Birds vocal in and around the village at Hanging Houghton after dark the last couple of nights have included Tawny Owl, Barn Owl, Hobby, Gadwall and Wigeon.

Regards

Neil M

Curlew at Titchwell
courtesy of John Tilly.

Great White Egret
courtesy of John Tilly.

Saturday's birds

Hello

A day of chores today but the first dog walk of the day this morning was in stunning, golden light in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton where there were plenty of common raptors out hunting. A Common Redstart was in 'shrike hedge' and a Golden Plover was present in the fields for a short time. A large flock of Linnets and small flocks of Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers suggest that the wild bird food crop and nectar beds may attract birds throughout the autumn. Fiona saw a Whinchat on 'shrike hedge' this afternoon.

Two Ravens were near Scaldwell village, a Hobby was over Delapre (Northampton) and Stanwick Pits again hosted six Cattle Egrets today plus two Hobby and two Yellow-legged Gulls. A Great White Egret and a Snipe lingered at Summer Leys today and Thrapston Pits supported a Dunlin, a Snipe, a Pintail and a Yellow-legged Gull.

Regards

Neil M

Long-billed Dowitcher.

Lapland Bunting.

Above images taken
in Dorset recently
courtesy of John Gamble.

Hobby.