Spring into summer

Hello

We seem to have entered a period of sunshine and warm temperatures but also a worrying lack of rain as our continental-style weather continues.

The Black-necked Grebe popped up again at Summer Leys after remaining hidden for most of the morning - the islands are fantastic for breeding and migrant birds there but they do have a habit of hiding what you are trying to look at! Steve Fisher's early morning jaunt at Stanwick Pits provided views of a Garganey on the Main Lake. A Peregrine showed well at Thrapston Pits today.

Up to three Hobbies have been on show at and over the village today and it's difficult to look up and not see a Common Buzzard or Red Kite. The head count of juvenile Pied Wagtails in the garden has now gone up to six and is presumably a mix of two different broods? They and the attendant adults have to be on high alert as the regular male Sparrowhawk is visiting the garden several times each day.

A couple of Broad-bodied Chasers have sallied through the garden today but not lingered and Fiona's moth trap caught plenty of interesting specimens overnight. The warm temperatures and calmer conditions have clearly stimulated more bat activity as we slip from spring to summer, but so far they seem to be just pipistrelle types.

Butterflies have been inspiring people locally and at the moment Salcey Forest is providing plenty of Wood Whites. It already seems to be a good season for Small Heaths with them being seen at a variety of sites and immigrants in the shape of Painted Lady and Clouded Yellow have been seen in the county during the last week or so. Black Hairstreak enthusiasts are awaiting their first emergence any day now!

Regards

Neil M

Black-tailed Godwit
at Summer Leys earlier
in the month courtesy
of Geoff Walker.

Fungus Beetle courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Ornate Brigadier by
Robin Gossage.

Canada Goose and family.

Mother Shipton (day
flying moth).

Singing Corn Bunting by
Cathy Ryden. Once a regular
if localised bird for us in
Northamptonshire they are
now very scarce but still quite
numerous to the east of us
in parts of Cambridgeshire and
Lincolnshire.

Not everyone has a Rook
as a breeding bird in their
garden. It can be quite a
 noisy affair!
Image courtesy of
Jim Dunkley.

An image of an interesting
Common Buzzard taken by
Jim Dunkley recently. The tail is
severely abraded and this bird appears
 to be in active wing moult and
replacing the inner primaries. I'm
sure this tired-looking bird has an
 unusual story behind it!

Chasers and Demoiselles

Hello

After completing a bird survey this morning, I then explored the Welland Valley to the north of Rockingham as far as Harringworth. Birds in this under-watched area of the county included on-territory Lapwings, Sedge and Reed Warblers, Meadow Pipit, three Cuckoos and oodles of Red Kites. The bridge over the River Welland at Harringworth was good for Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail and Spotted Flycatcher. A couple of Little Egrets were working the valley and a pair of Gadwall appeared rather maternal.

Odonata were out in large numbers with good numbers of Banded Demoiselles, four species of damselfly and several Hairy Hawkers. Mayfly larva were swimming to the surface and in a matter of seconds after hitting the water's surface flying speedily away as an emerged adult. However the demoiselles were very much in hunting mode and frequently intercepted the Mayfly maiden flight and took them to a nearby reed to consume. The demoiselles are probably their nemesis under the water when both in their larval stage and again when they emerge as flying adults!

A Bittern in flight at Stanwick Pits at 7am this morning was a good find by Adrian. The bird kept flying west and vanished towards the Irthlingborough and Meadows reserve. And a Black-necked Grebe on the Summer Leys reserve this evening was another good find.

Eleanor saw the pair of Spotted Flycatchers in trees near to Beck Dairy (Cottesbrooke) again today and found another pair at Haselbech Grange. Fiona hosted two Broad-bodied Chasers in her garden, initially posing very nicely.

Regards

Neil M

Scarce Chaser courtesy
of Cathy Ryden.

River Welland near Gretton.

River Welland at Harringworth.

Railway line viaduct at
Harringworth.

Broad-bodied Chaser

Red Kite

Banded Demoiselle.

Banded Demoiselle eating
a Mayfly.

Damsels and Dragons!

Hello

A cloudy and dull day for the most part with warm sunshine at times and still a strong wind with powerful gusts...but it should be calm from tomorrow onwards!

A Spotted Flycatcher was still along the Brampton Valley Way north of Draughton Crossing and Harrington Airfield hosted a 'reeling' Grasshopper Warbler at Bunker Three plus a pair of Grey Partridge.

Clifford Hill Pits was the venue for four Dunlin, a fly-through adult Mediterranean Gull and a Pink-footed Goose. A Cattle Egret was foraging with cattle near North Lake at Stanwick Pits again.

As we progress towards summer from spring, insects begin to take centre stage, and today I was able to find good numbers of damselflies and a few dragonflies. The beauty of strong winds is that it tends to concentrate insects in the lee of bushes and trees and it was here where I discovered a particularly showy Hairy Hawker or Hairy Dragonfly. This is a beast that I have rarely been able to study or photograph so was definitely the wildlife highlight of the day.

Regards

Neil M

Red-eyed Damselfly.

Common Blue Damselfly.

Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Brown Hare.

Male Hairy Dragonfly.

Windy Saturday

Hello

More blustery conditions today with periods of sunshine and the occasional shower.

The more interesting birds reported today in Northamptonshire included a Cattle Egret at the north end of Stanwick Pits and a hepatic (rufous-phased) Cuckoo near Mary's Lake at Earls Barton Pits.

I saw recently-fledged Blue Tits and Tree Sparrows today and our Pied Wagtail family is actually made up of four juveniles and not three! A male Sparrowhawk visited our garden today and grabbed a juvenile (but full size) Blackbird but then released the bird under duress when the brave Blackbird parents immediately attacked him and drove him off after hearing their youngster's distress calls - amazing stuff!

Other bits and bobs included a Spotted Flycatcher at Beck Dairy, Cottesbrooke again, a Kingfisher along the brook in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and a Hobby for the third day in a row over the garden.

Regards

Neil M

First year female and male Blackbirds,
both birds hatched last year and now
collecting food for their own dependent
 young.

Clearly a female Grey Squirrel
with dependent young in the dray
judging from her condition.

Adult female House Sparrow with a
small Crane Fly sp. Most seed-eating
passerines hunt invertebrate food for
their youngsters in order to provide
sufficient protein for health and growth.

One of the recently-fledged
Pied Wagtails currently in our
garden!

Windy Friday

Hello.

A breezy morning turned into a blustery, windy day albeit with plenty of sunshine.

Deb and Eric patrolled Titchmarsh reserve early this morning and notched up a Great White Egret and three Cuckoos, one of which was attempting access to a Sedge Warbler nest.

A Hobby appeared over our garden again today but most of our sightings were rather mundane.

Yesterday afternoon and one of our pairs of Pied Wagtails showed up with three just-fledged youngsters and they were here all today too!

A Barn Owl was seen near the village of Old this morning.

The strong, blustery wind is apparently with us for the next couple of days.

Regards

Neil M

Male Blackbird courtesy
of Cathy Ryden.

Male Blackbird sunning itself
and exposing the preening
gland on the rump. Image
courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Mute Swan family at
Sywell Country Park
courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

Woodpigeon courtesy
of John Tilly.

Spotted Flycatchers, warblers and butterflies.

Small Heath butterfly.

Hello

Despite initially ideal ringing conditions for mist nets this morning, I came away from a ringing session at Harrington Airfield with just twenty-one captures. It was definitely quality and not quantity today with the catch being made up of two Blackbirds, a Robin, a Blue Tit, two Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, a Common Whitethroat, a Lesser Whitethroat, three Willow Warblers (including another returning bird from last year), a Grasshopper Warbler, two Linnets and six Yellowhammers.

A hunting Barn Owl was there to greet me when I arrived early this morning as were two pairs of Muntjac and several Brown Hares. Butterflies again included Common Blue and Small Heath and a few Red Admirals were on the wing today.

Spotted Flycatchers are currently at a number of sites locally should anyone be struggling to catch up with this declining summer visitor. During the last two days they have been found along the Brampton Valley Way north of Draughton Crossing, Beck Dairy outside the village of Cottesbrooke, New Covert between Kelmarsh and Arthingworth and the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir (reserve and site still closed but birds audible at least from the road).

A Hobby was over the garden early this afternoon, Clifford Hill Pits hosted a Sandwich Tern briefly this morning plus a Pink-footed Goose and Summer Leys was the venue for a lingering Great White Egret and a Common Sandpiper. The long-staying Red-crested Pochard was still at Stortons Pits today.

An adult male Peregrine was again in the Blueberry Farm area near Maidwell this evening...

Regards

Neil M

Spotted Flycatcher courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Common Blue butterfly.

Cuckoos, owls, Grasshopper Warblers and baby birds!

Hello

Yesterday evening (Tuesday) and Kenny Cramer tried his luck at continuing his Cuckoo ringing project at Linford Lakes and successfully caught his second bird within a week.

Eric's expedition on the Titchmarsh Reserve yesterday provided two Hobbies, three Cuckoos and the now standard breeding birds on site which includes excellent numbers of all-sorted warblers.

Sad news that the Barn Owl taken into care after being found in Scaldwell village last week didn't make it and died, but the good news is that another bird was seen flying around the village at the week-end. A adult Tawny Owl was dead alongside the A508 south of Maidwell today.

Up to two or three 'reeling' Grasshopper Warblers have been present at Harrington Airfield this spring and there were still two this morning. None of these individuals have been easy to spot but Pete Gilbert set about trying to see one of these birds and capturing a digital image- well done Pete!

Stanwick Pits this morning (Wednesday) provided sightings of two Cattle Egrets and a Curlew and two Ospreys were over the A5199 near Hollowell this afternoon. The drake Mandarin Duck was north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and was feeling amorous towards, of all things, a Greylag Goose! A Turtle Dove was heard 'purring' at a site in the county today.

Birds recently fledged during the last couple of days include Long-tailed Tit, Goldfinch and Starling and for those researchers completing nestbox surveys, this is the time to be ringing the nestlings of Great and Blue Tits and other species too. Some Swallows in the county have young in the nest already (it feels like they've only just arrived)!

Just a reminder that there will be some bird ringing at Harrington Airfield tomorrow (Thursday) which ensures that there will be access restrictions on the old airstrip and bunkers. The concrete track and footpaths remain unaffected.

Regards

Neil M

Cuckoo courtesy of
Kenny Cramer.

Skulking Grasshopper Warbler at
Harrington Airfield courtesy
of Pete Gilbert.

Fledgling Blackbird
courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Nestling Great Tits
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Stock Dove squabs
courtesy of Chris Payne.
They definitely look much
prettier when they grow up!

Birds of soaring temperatures

Hello

A dull, cloudy and breezy start to the day which then gave way to strong sunshine and high temperatures.

A ringing session took place at Harrington Airfield this morning and with the social distance rules it meant just a single ringer on-site which also means that just four mist nets were deployed. The catch was a modest forty-eight birds of seventeen species, thirteen of these were birds previously ringed on-site. The total was made up of a Woodpigeon, two female Green Woodpeckers, two Blackbirds, a Song Thrush, three Long-tailed Tits, a Blue Tit, two Great Tits, three Willow Warblers, a Blackcap, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Common Whitethroat, a Robin, a Dunnock, two Goldfinches, two Linnets, twenty-three Yellowhammers and a Tree Sparrow.

Two of the Willow Warblers were returning birds from 2018 and 2019, the Common Whitethroat from last year and one of the Linnets was a returning male from 2017.

Two Grasshopper Warblers were 'reeling' there (one for only a short time) and butterflies included Orange-tip, Small Heath and Common Blue.

Elsewhere and Bob Bullock watched a Marsh Harrier overfly Summer Leys this morning and another Grasshopper Warbler was singing in the Nene Valley between Ecton SF and Whiston Locks.

Regards

Neil M

Grasshopper Warbler
courtesy of Dave Jackson.

Yellowhammer courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Tiger Cranefly sp
courtesy of Robin
Gossage.

Raptors and more!

Hello

Adrian's early morning muster at Earls Barton was successful at locating a Garganey on the Summer Leys reserve and a Cattle Egret frequenting the area around Hardwater Lake. A Ringed Plover was there briefly this evening.

The Red-footed Falcon was reportedly still present at Ringstead Pits today, apparently showing to the south west of Kinewell Lake.

Thrapston Pits today hosted two Cuckoos, four Hobbies, a Curlew, the family of Oystercatchers and plenty of butterflies and dragonflies on the wing - information courtesy of Eric Graham.

An Osprey fished successfully at Pitsford Reservoir early this afternoon and took it's trout to a tree to eat and this evening a Dunlin flew around the Scaldwell Bay and then continued on it's way north west. A Broad-bodied Chaser (dragonfly) paid our garden a very brief visit this afternoon and a Raven passed over. Two Hobbies were hunting at Greens Norton today.

A Grasshopper Warbler was 'reeling' well at Harrington Airfield this morning near to Bunker One and butterflies included a pair of Small Heaths. Please note that bird ringing is planned for this site tomorrow and Thursday and access to the old air strip and Bunkers is not possible during this time. Access via the footpaths and concrete track is not affected. 

This evening a male Peregrine was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and a Barn Owl was hunting in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Thank-you

Neil M

Kestrel.

Linnet.

An Osprey over Harrington Airfield
a few days ago...

Red Kite.

Images courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Sunny Sunday

Hello

A stunning day's weather in sunny Northamptonshire but the breeze still had an edge to it, particularly when the sun hid behind the clouds!

Yesterday's star bird the Red-footed Falcon was seen on and off over Kinewell Lake at Ringstead Pits today but it seemed to be habitually feeding higher up and consequently less easy to track. There were several Hobbies there too.

Elsewhere and there were singing Grasshopper Warblers at Harrington Airfield today and also in the Nene Valley between Cogenhoe Mill and Whiston Lock. On territory Nightingale and Turtle Dove were noted in the county today (site locations withheld) and two each of Cuckoo were noted near Ashton Treatment Works and Ditchford Pits at the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadow reserve. A single Hobby was noted at Stortons Pits, a Spotted Flycatcher was still at Beck Dairy (Cottesbrooke) and Ravens were noted at Maidwell (three) and near Old.

Kenny and Sarah completed some bird ringing at Linford lakes on the outskirts of Milton Keynes this morning and processed 37 birds of eleven species. The star bird was a first year Cuckoo, not a bird caught regularly anywhere, but Sarah and Kenny have the knack of catching them (five in 2017)! Much of the rest were an excellent number of twenty-one Reed Warblers including a bird ringed elsewhere. Other birds included singles of Garden Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Blackcap and a Robin, six Reed Buntings, two Long-tailed Tits, a Blue Tit and a dapper Kingfisher.

Two or three Barn Owls were hunting the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Cuckoo. The moult break with the
grey adult feathers contrasting with
the chestnut barred feathers of the
juvenile plumage from last year makes
it an easy bird to age as a first year.
Images courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

Iron Prominant moth.

Lesser Swallow Prominant moth.

Moth images courtesy
of Robin Gossage.