Dank Wednesday

Hello

A few more sightings for yesterday (Tuesday) evening included a male Marsh Harrier in the Brampton Valley Way below Hanging Houghton plus two hunting Barn Owls and over at Stanwick Pits Steve Fisher located two Cattle Egrets and a Redshank. Kenny Cramer continued his Cuckoo project at Linford Lakes into yesterday evening and caught and ringed two more Cuckoos making an impressive total of six birds this year.

Butterfly enthusiasts were also out and about yesterday and Fineshade Wood was the venue for up to three or four Dark Green Fritillaries (a very scarce and localised butterfly in Northants) and a Black Hairstreak which is not common at this venue. A Marbled White was at Earls Barton Pits (behind Mary's Lake).

Today (Wednesday) and perhaps it's little surprise that wildlife sightings are down somewhat in rather dank conditions. It didn't stop a big hatch of Chimney Sweeper moths at Sywell Country Park though (report courtesy of Fiona Barclay), a hatch of Scarlet Tiger moths at Hanging Houghton, a Turtle Dove was seen at a site in the county, a Black-tailed Godwit was still at Summer Leys LNR and this afternoon and evening an Osprey was at the Elinor trout fishing lake at Thrapston Pits. The usual third calendar year Yellow-legged Gull was at the dam-end of Pitsford Reservoir this morning.

Regards

Neil M

A trio of Cuckoos!
Image by Kenny Cramer

Rouzel and a poppy!
 An oil seed rape field near
 Pitsford Reservoir is
 completely infiltrated by poppies
 and looks stunning!

Jaeger.

Small Tortoiseshell at
Harrington Airfield yesterday.

Yesterday's Pink-footed
Goose at Pitsford Reservoir.

Great Crested Grebe at
Pitsford Reservoir.

Rosy June?

Hello

Kenny was back at Linford Lakes early this morning and managed to catch two Cuckoos, one of which was the male caught back on the 17th May and a new bird. This makes it four birds caught and ringed there this year.

Chris and Helen completed some ringing at a new site near Greens Norton, processing a very respectable thirty birds including a number of Blackcaps one of which was already bearing a ring from elsewhere. Birds on-site included Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail.

A Crossbill was heard calling distantly at Hanging Houghton this morning and the singing Quail continued to please quite a procession of visitors to Harrington Airfield today. A Barn Owl was seen a couple of times there today too.

Bird of the day though was a Rosy Starling photographed in a Hackleton garden this morning, but sadly not seen since. Hopefully this individual and maybe others to come will give themselves up eventually!

Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon hosted a Pink-footed Goose, a first summer Yellow-legged Gull, a colour-ringed Common Tern, a summer flock of twenty-one Lapwings and a Stoat, all in the Scaldwell Bay. The drake Red-crested Pochard remained on the visitor centre lake at Stanwick Pits this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Cuckoo number four
for Kenny this year.

Great Crested Newt, also
courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

Bee Orchid at
Harrington Airfield.

Common Spotted Orchid
at Harrington Airfield.

Cuckoo, Crossbills and Swallows

Hello

A breezier morning than anticipated but the day calmed to a sedate evening.

The Harrington Airfield Quail was audible on and off today, sticking in much the same place near to the piles of sand 100 - 150m from the concrete track main entrance. Please do not enter the trackside vegetation or crop. Efforts at hearing the Scotland Wood Farm bird both yesterday afternoon and this afternoon were unsuccessful. A Spotted Flycatcher was singing in nearby Scotland Wood today (private woodland).

Birds at Hollowell Reservoir today included an early morning Osprey and later a flock of four Common Scoters (one drake, three females) were reported.

Steve Brayshaw recorded a flock of about twelve Crossbills in Denton Wood which is a restricted area of Yardley Chase with no general access, a typical record for this time of the year. A single Siskin there is also not unprecedented.

Kenny Cramer caught and ringed his third Cuckoo of the year at Linford Lakes this evening and he's hoping for more! Chris Payne was busy ringing nestling Swallows today which at least in his neck of the woods (South Northants) seem to be doing fine.

Finally Matt Hazleton located two Black-tailed Godwits at Summer Leys this evening, again another typical date (are they on their way to breeding grounds or are they failed breeders on their way back)?

Regards

Neil M

Cuckoo courtesy of
Kenny Cramer.

Swallow nestlings at
two different stages of
development by Chris
Payne.

More June Quail

Hello

A calmer day with less wind and intermittent showers and two new calling Quail were found today. One was calling from a wheat field this morning near to Scotland Wood Farm between Haselbech village and the A508 and the other was calling consistently for much of the day at Harrington Airfield. This latter bird was calling from vegetation 100 - 150m alongside the concrete track from the main entrance off the Draughton Road and was often close (but hidden). However this bird was silent this evening.

Spotted Flycatchers were noted today at Haselbech (near church), Beck Dairy (Cottesbrooke) and along the Brampton Valley Way north of Draughton Crossing.

At Stanwick Pits today there were two Cattle Egrets and a Ringed Plover on the main pit and a drake Red-crested Pochard on the Visitor Centre lake. The usual third calendar year Yellow-legged Gull, two Grey Wagtails and a Hobby were at the south end of Pitsford Reservoir this morning.

Over at Ravensthorpe Reservoir an Osprey was fishing this morning and at nearby Hollowell Reservoir Gary Burrows located a Ruddy Shelduck with the Canada Goose flock. A pair of Oystercatchers on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve were with two youngsters today and two Cuckoos were noted too. Oystercatchers were also at Thrapston Pits as was a Cuckoo and hundreds of Common Swifts.

At Harrington Airfield this evening the first Willow Warbler and Linnet fledglings were out and about and a Barn Owl was hunting the field margins.

Regards

Neil M

Red Fox.

Fledgling Willow Warblers
at Harrington Airfield this evening.

House Martins.

Hello

Some powerful weather out there today with strong, squally gusts of wind and sudden downpours, seemingly calming down late afternoon...

Steve Fisher found a drake Red-crested Pochard on the Visitor Centre Lake at Stanwick Pits this morning - I wonder whether this is the Stortons bird deciding on a day out to the east?

The westerly winds and precipitation again caused some of our aerial feeders to funnel along the leeward side of trees, particularly so at the Sailing Club at Pitsford Reservoir this morning. It was difficult to count them but there could have been as many as three hundred House Martins feeding on the flying insects seeking haven from the wind. There were much smaller numbers of Swallows, Sand Martins, Swifts and Pied Wagtails doing much the same plus a Grey Wagtail and a Spotted Flycatcher.

I had a go at catching and ringing the House Martins and one strategically placed forty foot mist net succeeded in catching ninety-six of these delightful hirundines. I'm assuming that they are breeding birds from the surrounding villages.

A Black Tern on the main lake at Stanwick Pits this evening was found by Tom Green.

Regards

Neil M

House Martin.

Drake Red-crested Pochard
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Blustery Friday

Hello. 

A blustery day with plenty of sunshine this afternoon and very few birds of note reported for Northamptonshire. The anticipated Rosy Starling invasion is underway but the majority of the birds have been found on headlands, islands and coastal areas all around the UK. In due course it is likely that birds will be found inland, most likely with Starlings.

Four Cattle Egrets were accompanying the herd of cattle at Stanwick Pits this morning and a drake Garganey and a Ringed Plover were located at Summer Leys LNR. Two Yellow-legged Gulls were at the south end of Pitsford Reservoir this morning where the strong north westerly wind and cool conditions funneled the local Swift and House Martin population to where the insects were, in the lee of the trees by the Sailing Club.

Regards

Neil M

Adult and juvenile
Goldfinches. The first
brood juveniles have
been out for a little while
now and the long Goldfinch
breeding season should
produce plenty more youngsters
yet. Most of the juveniles
won't fully adopt the distinctive
 face pattern of the adults until
the early autumn. All images
courtesy of John Tilly.

Pitsford breeding birds

Hello

A cool, grey day today with the occasional glimpse of sunshine and some light showers (heavy in some places) this afternoon.

Very little seemingly found in the county today as migrants dry up and the breeding birds try their best to raise youngsters.

At Pitsford Reservoir an Osprey was seen over the causeway at about 3.35pm and this morning other birds there included a Hobby, a Little Egret, good numbers of Black-headed Gull chicks on the rafts, the pair of Oystercatchers and broods of Grey Herons on the verge of fledging. The Cormorant colony, numbering some forty active nests has plenty of young and the adult Rooks and their young have now mostly moved away from the two on-site rookeries.

Adult and juvenile Tawny Owls were located and there were plenty of singing Blackcaps and Garden Warblers and a Cetti's Warbler territory, but there appears to be only one pair of Willow Warblers giving it a go this year. Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers are not breeding on the reserve this year and just a few Reed Warblers are on territory. A pair of Shovelers, a few Gadwall and four Pochard were the best of the wildfowl. Common Terns are in reasonable numbers but the gulls have used up a lot of space on the rafts and with one raft out of action the terns will probably not breed in the numbers of recent summers.

First brood Tree Sparrows are out and about as were families of several tit species but sadly it seems that 2020 will be the year when Pitsford finally loses its Willow Tits with no known records so far. The last two years has seen one pair on-site plus a couple of unpaired birds, a far cry from the eighties when there were several birds in each major bay. Like elsewhere they have dwindled and unless we see some new birds coming in from elsewhere (there are very few in the county now) then this last Willow Tit outpost will be lost for good.

Elsewhere and a Barn Owl was hunting the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning and the first Common Spotted Orchids are now in flower at Harrington Airfield.

Regards

Neil M

Tawny Owl fledgling
(France in 2019).

It's not unusual to see
one of the Oystercatchers
standing on the roof of the
Bird Club hide at Pitsford
Reservoir!

Black-headed Gulls seem to be having
a good year at Pitsford this year.

Common Tern.

Rainy Wednesday

Hello

At last some rain! Nowhere near enough of course but it's a start!

The Quail wasn't heard in the fields below Hanging Houghton today despite a couple of visits.

Adrian found both the drake Garganeys at Earls Barton Pits this morning, one on Hardwater Lake and another on the Summer Leys LNR. He also located a 'reeling' Grasshopper Warbler in the Nene Valley on the edge of Wellingborough near to the private fishing lake next to the prison and then saw an adult Mediterranean Gull over his street in Wellingborough!

A Spotted Flycatcher was along the Brampton Valley Way just north of the Draughton Crossing yesterday and an Osprey was north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir late morning today with a third calendar year Yellow-legged Gull and Grey Wagtail near to the dam. Two Scaup were reported from Daventry Country Park today and Stanford Reservoir hosted two Ospreys yesterday evening and a Great White Egret this morning. An Osprey caught a fish at Hollowell Reservoir this afternoon.

The number of Ospreys seen in the county the last few days is probably an indication of how many birds are wandering around out there and a reflection of the success of the local Rutland Osprey Reintroduction Scheme.

Regards

Neil M

Osprey.

Common Tern by
Cathy Ryden.

Swallow nestlings today
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Scarce Chaser at Ring Haw,
Old Sulehay courtesy of
David Arden. This dragonfly
is currently restricted to the east
of the county but will surely spread
further west during the next couple
of seasons.

Willow Warblers, Common Whitethroats and Ospreys

Hello

A bird ringing session was completed at Harrington Airfield today with the capture and processing of 62 individuals of twelve species all of which are typical breeding birds on-site. Of six Willow Warblers, four were re-traps from previously including two returning birds from 2019 and one individual that was ringed as an adult there on 2nd June 2017. This means that this bird which weighs all of nine grams will have already clocked up at least four return journeys to Africa! The breeding 'colony' of Willow Warblers at Harrington do exhibit a strong site fidelity and it seems that there are more than ever there this year. Nine Common Whitethroats were caught and one was a returning bird from 2018.

On my arrival at the old airfield complex at about 4am this morning there was a Barn Owl flying around by the concrete track entrance and at 4.25am an Osprey flew over low to the north. Burnett Companions (day-flying moths) were in good numbers as were a variety of common butterflies once the dew had dissipated and the sun came out. 

Another ringing session took place at Stortons Pits today which resulted in thirty or so birds and Common Whitethroats were present in good numbers.

The Quail was calling again this morning in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton, being audible at 5.30am and again at 6.45am - both times it sounded as if the bird was calling from a large wheat field. A drake Garganey was again on the main lake at Stanwick Pits this morning and an Osprey and two Common Sandpipers were at the dam end of Pitsford Reservoir late morning. Another Osprey was on the Elinor trout fishing lake at Thrapston Pits at 7.45pm this evening and at least one Barn Owl was circulating around the Hanging Houghton parish. John Hunt noted an Osprey flying north-west over Spratton village at 5.30pm this afternoon.

Interesting insects in the garden today included a male Beautiful Demoiselle and Scarlet Tiger moth and an on-territory 'purring' Turtle Dove was confirmed at a site in the county. Black Hairstreak butterflies were seen at Salcey Forest and Glapthorn Cow pastures today.

Regards

Neil M

Willow Warbler.

Common Whitethroat.

Osprey.

Black Terns, Quail and lots of butterflies!

An image of New Zealand
Pigeons or Kereru, a picture
from the other side of the world
by Caroline Chambers!

Hello

More sunshine today with a moderate and sometimes blustery breeze and with some cloud cover too.

Two Cattle Egrets were reported at Stanwick Pits again this morning and single Common Sandpipers were noted at Sywell Country Park and Summer Leys LNR. A little later in the day and two Black Terns materialised over the main lake and stayed into the evening.

Another afternoon find was a Quail heard calling in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. Initially it was calling from a small grassy area but was probably flushed and ended up in the wheat field on the right hand side of the track travelling from the Brampton Valley Way. A Kingfisher was again along the brook there.

Insects in general were very high profile today, the weather surely permitting excellent emergent conditions. Butterflies seen in the county today included the first Marbled White of the year, possibly over seventy Black Hairstreaks at Glapthorn Cow Pastures and up to three Clouded Yellows at Blueberry Farm and towards Cottesbrooke. Big hatches of Meadow Brown, Orange-tip and Small Tortoiseshell were on the wing in NN6 and I saw my first Brown Hawker of the season today.

A ringing session is planned at Harrington Airfield tomorrow which requires there to be access restrictions to the areas around the bunkers and old runway. It will still be possible to walk along the main concrete track and nearby footpaths.

Regards

Neil M

Hoverfly
Helophilus pendulus.

Mimic Hoverfly
Volucella bombylans

Blue Tit. The adults are looking
tatty now, it's hard work bringing
up a Blue Tit family!
Image by John Tilly.

Female House Sparrow
courtesy of John Tilly.

Starling. The juveniles are
out now! Image courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Last day of May

Hello

More glorious sunshine, this time in association with a lovely cool northerly breeze was the background weather for today.

Early morning finds today included a Marsh Harrier flying north east at Summer Leys and two Cattle Egrets with cattle on the main lake at Stanwick Pits. A little later and a Caspian Tern was located in flight at Stanford Reservoir but stayed only a matter of minutes, but time for the single observer to obtain some images. Congratulations to Chris Hubbard for his exciting find.

A Caspian Tern was seen at three sites along the Hampshire coast this afternoon - these nomadic terns are known for their long distance wanderings and ability to cover miles very quickly so it could easily be the same bird.

Visits to Harrington Airfield and Pitsford Reservoir today didn't produce anything out of the ordinary. It is anticipated that Pitsford Reservoir will open on Tuesday 2nd June with public access to the south side as usual and permit holders only to the north of the road causeway (as usual). It is possible to apply for a free permit if you are a member of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, otherwise permits are available from the Fishing Lodge, and self vending day permits should be available again soon from the small hut at the road entrance to the Fishing Lodge.

A ringing session at Harrington Airfield is planned for this coming Tuesday during which time access to the bunker and old runway section will be restricted. Footpaths and the concrete track will still be accessible.

Regards

Neil M

A pair of Swifts in their
nest box with two eggs
courtesy of John Hunt.

Many Great Spotted Woodpecker broods are on
the verge of fledging, so it will be busy and potentially
noisy at peanut and fat feeders soon!
Images courtesy of John Tilly.

Over half the broods of Great Tits
are out now but there are some still
 to fledge.

Image courtesy of John Tilly.

It's all very well him
taking a photograph of
us, why doesn't he come over
and swat some of these flies!

Great Crested Grebe
Blatherwycke Lake.

I reckon if I crouch
down like this he'll
never see me...!

What did I tell you, he didn't
see a thing!

Little Owl at Polebrook Airfield.

Ragged Robin
Deene Lake.

Banded Demoiselle
Blatherwycke Lake.