Ringing Kelmarsh Hall

Hello

Yesterday (Tuesday) and a ringing session at Bradden in South Northants provided 47 Blue Tits, 19 Great Tits and a Goldcrest.

A ringing session took place today (Wednesday) at Kelmarsh Hall in pleasant late autumn weather conditions including quite a warm sun!

In total 159 birds were caught and processed of 17 species. Of these only eight birds had been ringed before. The tit family naturally dominated proceedings with 73 Blue Tits, 50 Great Tits, 8 Coal Tits and 4 Marsh Tits. Other birds included a likely candidate for a continental Blackbird, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Nuthatch, a Robin, 6 Dunnocks, 3 Wrens, 6 Goldcrests, a female Blackcap, 4 Goldfinches, a Chaffinch, a pair of Bullfinch, a Grey Wagtail and a Treecreeper.

Five Siskins were on-site briefly and a Peacock butterfly came out of somewhere to sunbathe!

Eleanor's ramble around the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon was good for a pair of Stonechat and six Bramblings.

Elsewhere and Neil Hasdell saw a Peregrine and a Brambling at Harrington Airfield, five Goosanders were at Abington Park (N'pton), Summer Leys held a 'redhead' Smew and a Great White Egret and a Short-eared Owl was still at Neville's Lodge near Finedon.

Regards

Neil M

Blackbird.

Blackcap.

Bullfinch.

Coal Tit.

Great Tit.

Marsh Tit.

Nuthatch.

Treecreeper.

All images courtesy
of John Tilly.

Birds of the Rockingham Forest.

Hello

Today Eleanor took the rare opportunity of visiting some of our old birding haunts in the north of the county. Fineshade Woods was her first stop where she completed an eight mile run around the woods with Tor and Jaeger. The woods seemed quiet apart from the usual Nuthatches, Marsh Tits and Jays but she also saw a Woodcock, two Ravens, at least two Bramblings and about thirty Siskins. After refreshments at the very good cafe there it was time for a two hour hike around nearby Wakerley Wood which again seemed quiet and again no Crossbills, Hawfinch etc. Located birds did include more Nuthatches and Marsh Tits, a female Peregrine, another Woodcock, a few Siskins, four Redpolls and a Brambling.

Eleanor's last venue was Blatherwycke Lake where two Pink-footed Geese were within the Greylag flock, plus an Egyptian Goose, a Black Swan and eight Mandarin Ducks.

Birds at Hanging Houghton included a couple of Ravens and a female Brambling and the Fieldfare flock was still at Harrington Airfield together with a male Brambling and eighteen Golden Plovers.

The Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir was my venue this afternoon with a walk down to the Ringing Hut and back - no great surprises with two Great White Egrets, six Red-crested Pochards, a drake Pintail and a drake Mandarin Duck.

Elsewhere and Nick saw a Bittern as well as a Great White Egret at Summer Leys, a Great White Egret was at Stanwick Pits and a Peregrine was seen over Kingsthorpe.

Regards

Neil M

Pink-footed Goose.

Great White Egret.

Drake Mandarin Duck.

Berry-eating gulls!

Hello

With more rain last night, there was more sodden ground and raging brooks in the centre of the county this morning! A quick look around a few sites on the Kelmarsh Estate this morning didn't provide any birds of note so on to Pitsford Reservoir where there were still four Red-crested Pochards (two drakes) in the Scaldwell Bay and three Stonechats.

A first for me was watching a small flock of Black-headed Gulls trying to pluck sloe berries from the bushes around the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station! I've watched these birds taking caterpillars and insects whilst hovering over bushes but I didn't even know they liked sloe berries - at least one bird was successful and another actually landed in a bush to try it's luck!

A little later I ended up at Harrington Airfield and took a soggy walk across the top fields and around the bunkers. A good three hundred Fieldfares were swirling around at very low level around the bushes because of the strong wind - smaller numbers of Starlings and Redwings were with them. A single Woodcock flushed up from bushes and another was also flushed from field hedges near Hanging Houghton. Vis mig today seemed weak with a just a couple of Siskins and a few small flocks of Redwing going over south.

At the south end of Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon the unwell adult Mediterranean Gull was straddling the pontoon next to the Sailing Club and there were three female/immature Common Scoters - the original bird from yesterday was between the Pintail and Yacht Bays with two others in the open water of the main basin.

Northampton's Chronicle and Echo on-line newspaper reports that an Otter is being regularly seen in Abington Park, Northampton!

Regards

Neil M

Black-headed Gull courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Otter.

Meagre pickings

Hello

Neither Eleanor or I saw very much today in much better weather conditions. A male Brambling was in the village at Hanging Houghton and the Ravens paid us a visit, vocalising all the time they were here! Eleanor watched a female Blackcap sunning herself and flushed a Woodcock at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

My visit to Pitsford Reservoir late morning was mostly uneventful with lots of open and empty water. Quite a few birds were pushed up into the Pintail Bay due to the fishing boats and sailing craft and one of these birds was a female/immature Common Scoter.

Birds found elsewhere included a Great White Egret and a 'redhead' Smew at Summer Leys, four Red-crested Pochard and two Great White Egrets in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir and the 'ringtail' Hen Harrier at the DIRFT3 site near Crick.

A couple of ringing sessions were held locally with a catch of 22 birds of eight species at Linford Lakes which included a Blackcap, five Goldcrests, a Goldfinch, four Greenfinches and a couple of Blackbirds and 55 birds being processed at Stortons Pits which included two Redwings, two Blackbirds, three Goldcrests, lots of tits and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Regards

Neil M

Blackbird courtesy
of John Tilly.

Fieldfare courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Collared Dove.

Cold, foggy and now more rain!

Hello

An early morning walk at Harrington Airfield this morning was cold and foggy and it was difficult to see very much at all! A decent flock of Fieldfares were swirling around and resting regularly on the plough of the top field and there were relatively small numbers of the other common thrushes too. Bramblings could be heard calling at various places but were not visible as were Golden Plovers!

A later visit to Pitsford Reservoir confirmed a significantly higher water level and with plenty of brown water swirling about, such conditions generally ensures something of an exodus of water birds and so it seemed to be. All I managed to see were four Red-crested Pochard (two drakes) north of the causeway.

Elsewhere, Mike Alibone hit on a 'ringtail' Hen Harrier at the DIRFT 3 site near Crick and birds at Clifford Hill Pits amounted to two drake Red-crested Pochards, a Stonechat and twenty-five Golden Plovers.

A couple of ringing recoveries have been received recently and are as follows:-

1.  A female Blackcap was caught and ringed at Stortons Pits on 30th September 2018 and was then caught again at Rutland Water on 17th July 2019. It is assumed that this bird was initially encountered as a passage migrant but may have returned to the Midlands to breed at Rutland Water and she will have travelled a great deal more than the 49km distance between the two sites;

2.  A Mallard duckling was ringed at Pitsford Reservoir on 17th June 2019 and like so many of our birds locally was reportedly shot near Lamport on 25th October when reported as a drake. The majority of the Mallard ringed at Pitsford are recovered within the county with one exceptional individual that found itself the other side of Moscow (also shot)!

Regards

Neil M

Drake Wigeon.

Great Crested Grebe.

Reed Bunting.

All images courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Peregrine!

Hello

Further birds seen at Pitsford Reservoir yesterday (Thursday) included five or six Red-crested Pochard, five Pintail (three drakes), three Stonechats, a Kingfisher and a Peregrine and the mammals included Stoat (all seen by Wendy and Robin Gossage).

This morning's (Friday) weather was pretty abysmal but it didn't stop migration with a number of birds on the move in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. Mostly it was finches with several Siskins and Redpolls and twenty-five Bramblings, but also winter thrushes, Meadow Pipits and Starlings.

Ruth Ward saw a Marsh Harrier over-flying Summer Leys this afternoon heading west and a Great White Egret was seen later, and John Hunt located a perched Peregrine on Oundle church spire. 

There was no sign of the harrier at Harrington Airfield this afternoon but birds on view included Red Kites, Common Buzzards, a perched immature male Merlin and an adult male Peregrine. There were also at least four Bramblings on site and 2-3 in our garden this afternoon. An adult Mediterranean Gull (he/she is still kicking) was again in the gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon.

John Woollett and John Boland completed a little ringing at Stortons Pits today with two nets catching 41 birds made up of 22 Blue Tits, 15 Great Tits, 2 Long-tailed Tits, a Wren and a Magpie. Four of the Blue Tits were birds first ringed as nestlings in the nest boxes at Stortons and have clearly remained site faithful!

Regards

Neil M

Peregrine!

Always an exciting bird to see,
particularly when in flight and in
hunting mode. The top image was
taken at Pitsford and the lower images
are from Summer Leys where a pair
act in concert to hunt down quarry.

Images courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Egrets and owls

Hello

A bit of a surprise this morning for Lynne Barnett at Maidwell when she noticed a Great White Egret perched on an outbuilding in the garden! I think we recognise that Grey Herons regularly tour gardens looking for food, particularly in the breeding season, but I think this is the first time a GWE has been witnessed doing it locally!

A quick scan into the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this morning produced two Great White Egrets, three Red-crested Pochard (two drakes) and a female Stonechat.

At Harrington Airfield this afternoon there were plenty of the regular raptors active and a male 'grey' harrier (presumably a Hen but just not seen well enough) at range for just a couple of wing flaps before it disappeared below the lie of the land. Other birds included a couple of vocal Bramblings and a covey of four Grey Partridges.

At Neville's Lodge this afternoon Tom Green located two Short-eared Owls which were vocal and also Grey Partridge and Snipe too.

Jacob Spinks has spent much of the year at Spurn on the Yorkshire coast and naturally has seen a great deal of rare and scarce birds. Whilst working there he has also committed to a little ringing and yesterday caught and ringed a Long-eared Owl, surely one of the most stunning birds to be encountered as a ringer or birdwatcher.

Regards

Neil M

Great White Egret
at Maidwell courtesy
of Lynne Barnett.

Jacob Spinks with
Long-eared Owl.

The beautiful Long-eared
Owl courtesy of Bethan Clyne.

Ringing at Scotland Wood

Hello

A ringing session was held at Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate this morning, the small numbers of ringers available meaning that this was a small scale effort but still resulted in 86 birds being caught and processed. It was good to record 31 re-traps among this number, birds that have survived from previous seasons and probably spending much of their lives in and around this woodland complex.

The total included a male Sparrowhawk, 19 Great Tits, 31 Blue Tits, 13 Coal Tits, 2 Marsh Tits, a Long-tailed Tit. a Wren, 3 Dunnocks, 8 Goldcrests, 3 Chaffinches, a female Brambling and 3 Nuthatches.

Other birds noted on-site included a male Brambling, a couple of Siskins and Redpolls and a Tawny Owl that watched me with interest when I unloaded my car at the start of the session!

Two or three Bramblings visited our garden at Hanging Houghton again today.

Elsewhere and Short-eared Owls seemed to be the theme with two seen by the DIRFT 3 development site and adjacent Lilbourne Meadows Reserve and another at Neville's Lodge near Finedon. Both Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows and Summer Leys Reserves accounted for single Great White Egrets today with a pair of Peregrines chasing Lapwings at the latter.

Regards

Neil M

Nuthatch.

Brambling.

Sparrowhawk.

Damp and breezy Tuesday

Hello

Dog walking and combining some of it with visits to service seven wild bird feeding stations was the order for the day...

Brixworth Treatment Works sported a couple of Grey Wagtails but nothing else of note, Harrington Airfield held several Bramblings which were well scattered, plus a mobile flock of twenty-three Golden Plovers and plenty of in-coming thrushes and over-flying Starlings and Woodpigeons.

Pitsford Reservoir was the site for the adult Mediterranean Gull and an adult Yellow-legged Gull by the Sailing Club and north of the causeway there were the usual two Great White Egrets, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a drake Pintail and three Red-crested Pochard, most of these birds being in the Scaldwell Bay. Small flocks of Bramblings and rather larger flocks of winter thrushes headed south west.

The Marsh Tits at Kelmarsh Hall and Scotland Wood and at the Old Scaldwell Road at Pitsford came to greet me as I filled up the feeders, or more likely they just wanted me out of the way before they raided the sunflower seeds! And with two visiting the garden feeders too it's great to hear their little sneezing call wherever I go! A couple of Bramblings muscled in on the Chaffinch flock regularly visiting our small garden.

A walk across the fields near Hanging Houghton this afternoon was pleasant despite the rain with plenty of birds taking advantage of the excellent mature and improved hedgerows managed by the Lamport Hall Trust with a flushed Woodcock and Bramblings being about the best birds seen. Lots of fungi in evidence and several examples of the Dog Vomit slime mould too.

Regards

Neil M

Yellow-legged Gull.

Wood Sandpiper.

Greenshank.

Images courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Limited birding

Hello

Mild and pleasant this morning, duller and with some rain this afternoon, albeit that the forecast indicates colder influences from the north and east pretty soon!

Not much opportunity for any birding for me or Eleanor today so most of the sparse sightings from today are due to others attempting to find something out there!

A couple of Ravens again made one of their frequent visits to the village today and making all sorts of curious noises.

Steve Fisher's efforts at Stanwick Pits yielded two Great White Egrets and five Cattle Egrets and Robin's foray to Harrington Airfield was worth it with a view of a Merlin and a Brambling. The small gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon was uninspiring albeit that the sick adult Mediterranean Gull was still present, but sadly not for much longer I don't think...

Ringing sessions are planned on the Kelmarsh Estate this coming week (Wednesday and Friday), concentrating on small woodland birds. Please let me know should you wish to come along to observe or even assist in the operations. In some respects the flagship bird for the estate could be the Marsh Tit which is actually well represented in the woodlands and to my mind has not declined locally (nationally it is still described as declining significantly).

Regards

Neil M

Marsh Tit.

A quiet weekend for birds

Hello

A wet and dreary morning but then a pleasant afternoon of weak sunshine summed up the weather today!

It was status quo at Pitsford Reservoir today with two Great White Egrets north of the causeway and an adult Yellow-legged Gull and four Red-crested Pochards were in the Scaldwell Bay.

Nick and Eric were at Thrapston Pits and between them saw two Great White Egrets, five Little Egrets, the Whooper Swan and a Kingfisher. Matt saw another Great White Egret at Summer Leys and there was a flock in excess of 300 Golden Plovers there.

A wander at Harrington Airfield this afternoon provided views of 2-3 Bramblings, a covey of five Grey Partridges and three Snipe.

Regards

Neil M

Brambling at
Harrington Airfield.

Northants Bird Club Meeting 6th Nov

Hello

The next indoor meeting of the Northants Bird Club is on Wednesday 6th November when club member and decorated photographer Dave Jackson presents Part Two of his Birds of New Zealand. The quality of his digital images are assured!

Dave will begin his talk just after the usual notices at the commencement of the meeting at 7.30pm at the usual venue of the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir. This is an open meeting and we welcome both members and non members alike. Hot drinks and biscuits will be available during the evening!

Regards

Neil M

November arrivals.

Hello

A visit to Pitsford Reservoir a couple of times today resulted in some birds not untypical of the season. In the Scaldwell Bay this morning there were four Red-crested Pochard (two drakes), an adult Yellow-legged Gull and a Stonechat. A little later birds at the south end of the reservoir included two Black-necked Grebes, which judging from their behaviour were fresh arrivals, and there was a Rock Pipit on the dam.

A very dark afternoon produced an early gull roost and an adult Mediterranean Gull and a third winter Yellow-legged Gull were in the roost.

Elsewhere and Steve Fisher saw three Great White Egrets just after dawn at Stanwick Pits and at Summer Leys John Moon found a 'redhead' Smew which remained into the afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Rock Pipit Pitsford
Reservoir courtesy of
Bob Bullock.

Fly Agaric.

Collared Earthstar.

Amethyst Deceiver.

Stinkhorn.

Autumn is definitely the season
 for fungi! All-sorted specimens
 by Robin Gossage,

Owl boxes

Hello

It was cold first thing with a frost and bright horizon at dawn but by this evening the temperature had risen considerably which generally means there is rain and wind around the corner!

An hour's stomp around Harrington Airfield first thing this morning provided views of a female Merlin, several Bramblings and migrant flocks of Woodpigeons, Starlings, Redwings and Fieldfares. Meadow Pipits and 'alba' wagtails continue to move in smaller numbers now and a few Siskins went SW. Neil Underwood later had a Peregrine here.

Today was earmarked for Tawny Owl box erection and three of us spent the latter part of the morning into lunchtime on the Kelmarsh Estate where we put up three new boxes (as constructed by Chris Payne) in three different woodlands. Fingers crossed for next year!

Eleanor's wander around Blueberry Farm and the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton for a good part of the afternoon was pretty uneventful but there are still two pairs of Stonechats remaining and small numbers of Bramblings. A Brambling again visited our garden today and a Raven was nearby.

At Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon an adult Mediterranean Gull was on the Sailing Club pontoon, there was a third winter Yellow-legged Gull and a Rock Pipit seemed to fly away to the south from the dam on the approach of dusk. Other birds included a Kingfisher and at least one Grey Wagtail.

A Marsh Harrier showed several times at Summer Leys today.

Regards

Neil M

Tawny Owl.

We hope they like
their new homes!
Image courtesy
of Helen Franklin.

Ringing at Brixworth

Hello

A ringing session took place today at Brixworth Treatment Works where a team caught and processed 86 birds of 14 species. Seventy-five of these birds were newly-ringed, the other eleven having been caught on-site during previous sessions. We failed to catch some of the traditional species at this site; the wagtails and magpies evaded capture! However we assessed a male Sparrowhawk, three Blackbirds, a Redwing, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, twenty-five Blue Tits, sixteen Great Tits, five Long-tailed Tits, four Robins, thirteen Wrens, six Dunnocks, a Bullfinch, three Reed Buntings, a Yellowhammer and six Goldcrests.

Other birds noted included at least two Grey Wagtails, nine Snipe and two Water Rails.

Three Bramblings were with the Chaffinch flock by the large barn in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning. A Red-crested Pochard and a Stonechat were at Clifford Hill Pits today and a Marsh Harrier flew over the scrape at Summer Leys at about 10.15am...

Regards

Neil M

Goldcrest.

Long-tailed Tit.

Redwing.

Reed Bunting.

Robin.

Sparrowhawk.

Wren.

Yellowhammer.

All images courtesy
of John Tilly.