Greenland White-fronted Goose and Bitterns.

Hello

My reward for visiting Harrington Airfield to feed the birds and complete a litter pick was to see a smart male Brambling and flushing a Woodcock!

The Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton was still busy with birds and included two hundred Fieldfares, two hundred and fifty Starlings, four Song Thrushes, fifty Redwings, eighty Linnets, fifteen Skylarks and twenty-five Reed Buntings. One of the Stonechat pair popped up and a Barn Owl was hunting first thing. Four Redpolls and a Nuthatch were brief garden visitors.

Some good birds located in the county today with local patch birding leading to an excellent find of an adult Greenland White-fronted Goose with the Greylag flock at Wicksteed Park, Kettering courtesy of Nick Parker. This race of the species is a rare visitor to Northants, most birds that fly from Greenland and the Canadian east coast travel no further than Ireland and the west coast of the UK with a bias to the north. The largest concentration away from Ireland is on the north-west mainland and islands of Scotland with Islay and Dumfries and Galloway housing the majority. It seems odd that this individual should stray to middle England just as we are experiencing a significant invasion of Eurasian or Russian White-fronted Geese from the east. Nevertheless this handsome goose is most welcome!

The other excellent find today was courtesy of Ken Prouse who saw first one and then two Bitterns fly to roost into a reedbed at Stortons Pits this afternoon - excellent stuff!

Harlestone Heath today was home to eight Crossbills in larches near to the sawmills, ca40 Siskins, two Grey Wagtails (including a singing male) and two very vocal Ravens with two pairs of Stonechats on the rough fields between the plantations and Kings Heath.

At Pitsford Reservoir there were two Great White Egrets north of the causeway and a Chiffchaff and a Kingfisher in Yacht Bay. The hides on the reserve are now closed and we await a decision as to whether the site will remain open (Rutland Water and all facilities closed today).

Stanwick Pits today still hung on to at least twenty-one White-fronted Geese, a Cattle Egret, a drake Goosander and a Chiffchaff and the Summer Leys LNR was good for two Great White Egrets, three Goosanders and a distant Cattle Egret in a sheep field next to the river. A Great White Egret was on the A605 floods at Lower Barnwell Lock.

Regards

Neil M

Greenland White-fronted Goose
at Wicksteed Park courtesy of
Nick Parker.

Kestrel courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Grey Wagtail courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Cold and sunny

Hello

Another cold day with a fresh breeze but also sunshine and blue skies too!

Harrington Airfield was home to plenty of birds today but the only noteworthy birds were a couple of Ravens, a flock of fifty Skylarks and a single Brambling.

At Pitsford Reservoir the Great Northern Diver was patrolling the Brixworth bank south of the causeway again, about two thirds from the causeway towards the Gorse Bushes. Other birds for the reservoir included a drake Pintail, a Redshank, a Green Sandpiper and a pair of Stonechats.

In the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today bird flock counts were made of two hundred Fieldfares, a hundred each of Starling and Redwing, eighty-two Yellowhammers and seventy Linnets. The four Stonechats were still present and a Raven flew over the village.

Several Siskins were present at Kelmarsh Hall and gull stalwarts at Rushton Landfill located a third winter Iceland Gull and two Caspian Gulls with a herd of five Whooper Swans visiting Stanford Reservoir this morning.

The Nene Valley was visited by multiple observers with two Great White Egrets, a pair of Pintail and a Ring-necked Parakeet being seen at Thrapston Pits and down the road at Stanwick Pits there were at least twenty-seven White-fronted Geese, six Pintail, eleven Goosanders and three Redshanks. Summer Leys LNR hosted three Great White Egrets, a pair of Goosanders and a pair of Stonechats with a female Red-crested Pochard being located at Kislingbury Pits.

Regards

Neil M

Green Sandpiper.

Grey Heron.

Male Siskin.

Female Sparrowhawk.

All images courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Lockdown approaches

Hello 

With national lockdown looming, it is likely that the contents of this blog will become a little sparse during the next coming weeks until opportunities begin again in March! I'm sure that our gardens and footpaths close to our abodes and local patch birding will again be the main focus for wildlife sightings.

The birds at Harrington Airfield were ready and waiting for their food today with Robins, tits and even a few finches following me around as I distributed their treats. The Golden Plover flock on the top fields was about eighty strong, a couple of Ravens flew through and two or three Bramblings were again by the airfield museum.

The Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon was again full of birds which included an actively-hunting female Merlin, four Bramblings and four Stonechats.

At Pitsford Reservoir the Great Northern Diver was hugging the Brixworth bank south of the causeway and other birds there included a Grey Wagtail, two early Oystercatchers and a pair of confiding Stonechats.

The Bearded Tits were heard calling at Stanford Reservoir today, another female Merlin was seen at Helmdon, a now rare Willow Tit was recorded at Delapre Abbey and twenty Crossbills were still by the toilet block at the Wakerley Wood car park.

In the Nene Valley in excess of twenty White-fronted Geese were still at Stanwick Pits plus eleven Goosanders, four Pintail and two Cattle Egrets. Five Cattle Egrets were still in the vicinity of Wollaston Lock between Earls Barton Pits and Wellingborough with two Goosanders on the river.

Regards

Neil M

Common Gulls.

Male Stonechat.

Female Stonechat.

All images from Pitsford
Reservoir today...

New Year county birding

Hello

Another cold day and low temperatures anticipated for the week ahead although it should be mostly dry.

A day out away from people and checking poorly-watched areas in the north of the county was the agenda today. First stop was East Carlton Country Park at dawn and a quick walk around provided the usual species with good views of Redwings, drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatch, Marsh Tit and a Grey Wagtail.

We then checked the Welland Valley from Cottingham to Wakerley where the floods had mostly subsided and many of the birds of last week had moved on. Nevertheless there was a pair of Egyptian Geese, two Little Egrets and a Redpoll below Cottingham. A variety of gulls and Lapwings were in the valley fields between Rockingham and Gretton and there was a small flock of Meadow Pipits and a Grey Wagtail at Gretton Weir.

Further north and more Lapwings, gulls, a few waterfowl and at least four Golden Plovers were between Gretton and Harringworth. Leaving the valley it was time to check on the old Spanhoe/Harringworth Airfield and Wakerley Wood complex which provided views of over twenty Redpolls, thirty Siskins and about twenty-five Crossbills (mostly in larches by the car park at Wakerley Wood), several Marsh Tits, some showy Goldcrests and a pair of Ravens.

Blatherwycke Lake attracted four Egyptian Geese, a Black Swan, twenty-six Mandarin Ducks, two drake Goosanders, two Kingfishers and five Siskins. Deene Lake was good for another Egyptian Goose, nine Shelducks, a Little Egret and a Redpoll.

A concentration of Red Kites at Laxton was hugely impressive with about one hundred and twenty birds present plus another fifty over nearby woodland on the road to Deene. A flock of twenty-two White-fronted Geese flew south west over Laxton at about 3.35pm.

Geoff Douglas witnessed three Whooper Swans flying over his garden at Barton Seagrave this morning and these birds subsequently turned up at Hollowell Reservoir where they remained for a short time. Two Whooper Swans that subsequently flew SW over Pitsford Reservoir may have been different birds. The Great Northern Diver was still at Pitsford Reservoir today and showed very well and a Great White Egret was seen in flight over Pitsford village this afternoon.

In the Nene Valley Thrapston Pits boasted five Great White Egrets, a Ring-necked Parakeet and a pair of Stonechats and Earls Barton Pits provided a Bittern flight view at Quarry Walk and later a Peregrine. Five Cattle Egrets were still between Mary's Lake and Wellingborough near Wollaston Lock.

Stanwick Pits hosted four Cattle Egrets, a Great White Egret, a Pintail and at least twenty-three White-fronted Geese and a Pintail was on the A605 floods at Oundle.

Birds elsewhere included a Jack Snipe at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and three Bramblings in a field opposite the north entrance to Hollowell Reservoir.

Regards

Neil M

Great Northern Diver
at Pitsford Reservoir today
courtesy of Bethan Clyne.

Male Crossbill at 
Wakerley Wood today.

Whoopers, winter thrushes and winter trees

Hello

Some time at Harrington Airfield this morning was sufficient to locate about seventy Golden Plovers, a Common Snipe, a Raven, three Bramblings, two Redpoll and a singing Chiffchaff.

Pitsford Reservoir attracted birds and birders alike with the Great Northern Diver still in situ south of the causeway and a herd of six Whooper Swans which flew off and then went on to visit Hollowell Reservoir before flying off north and later being seen in flight in Leicestershire. Other birds at Pitsford included two Great White Egrets, two Redshanks, Snipe, a Raven and six Stonechats.

Hollowell Reservoir also hosted a Great White Egret, the female Ruddy Shelduck, a Jack Snipe, two Snipe, seven Crossbills in the Guilsborough Bay, four Bramblings in nearby fields, a Grey Wagtail and three Stonechats.

A Raven was at Hanging Houghton and there were still good numbers of birds in the Brampton Valley below the village which included a Peregrine with prey this afternoon. A walk around Harlestone Lake provided a drake Goosander, a noisy pair of Ravens, a Grey Wagtail and a Siskin. Two Water Rails, a Snipe and a Grey Wagtail remained at Brixworth Treatment Works.

With the slight rise in day temperature and depletion of hedgerow berries, Redwings and Fieldfares were very high profile feeding in sodden fields all over the county today. An adult Caspian Gull was noted at Rushton Landfill site today and the two Bearded Tits and a Jack Snipe were recorded at Stanford Reservoir.

In the Nene Valley the super-flock of now thirty-three White-fronted Geese cavorted around the Stanwick Pits complex with birds being seen on a variety of pits and feeding on fields. Also present was a Green Sandpiper, three Redshank and four Pintail. The Cattle Egrets in the valley were found generally further west today with five being located in a sheep field between Mary's Lake (Earls Barton Pits complex) and the River Nene (plus a Raven).

Elsewhere and the Goosander flock at Abington Park had inflated to fourteen today (ten drakes), a Green Sandpiper was seen at Deene Lake and over twenty Crossbills were still present at Wakerley Wood.

Afternoon birding near Lamport and Faxton was concluded when hare coursers were discovered on the farmland there - they quickly ran off and drove away once they realised they had been clocked (details passed to Northamptonshire Police).

Regards

Neil M

Redwing.

Fieldfare.

The mighty Oak.

Sweet Chestnut.

Magnificent winter trees
at Lower Harlestone.

The first day of 2021

Hello

In compliance with our new Tier 4 restrictions just two of us completed a short ringing session at Harrington Airfield this morning and were treated to three Fieldfares and eight Redwings plus a Song Thrush, a Blackbird and a couple of Starlings together with some common finches, three Yellowhammers, three Robins and of course some Blue Tits. About fifteen Golden Plovers were on-site and a first year Caspian Gull flew over relatively low in a north-easterly direction.

Abington Park (Northampton) hosted eight Goosanders (six drakes) and at least ten Ring-necked Parakeets today and Pitsford Reservoir continued to hang on to the Great Northern Diver and a Great White Egret.

Yesterday's mobile White-fronted Goose flock of twenty-six birds were located at Stanwick Pits today where there were still the original seven others plus five Cattle Egrets, two Great White Egrets, a Green Sandpiper, three Redshanks and two Pintail. Summer Leys LNR recorded a further three Great White Egrets and Ringstead Pits another two with two pairs of Pintail at the latter site.

At least ten Crossbills were around Wakerley Wood car park today with another seven behind the dam at Hollowell Reservoir; two Mediterranean Gulls roosted at Boddington Reservoir (adult and first year) and a flock of 108 Golden Plovers were located by the Banbury Lane near Potcote. 

Large numbers of passerines (including two Bramblings) were in The Hill field at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) this afternoon attracting the attention of the female Merlin which is currently hanging around the general area. Two Shelducks were on a private lake near there and there was a good mix of finches and buntings and Tree Sparrows on the nectar/bird crop in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghon which included at least four Bramblings. Two pairs of Stonechat were in the same general area and the two long-staying Bearded Tits remained on the Leicestershire bank at Stanford Reservoir.

Regards

Neil M

Wigeon courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Song Thrush courtesy
of Chris Payne.

Drake Pintail.

Happy New Year!

Hello

I don't think we will forget 2020 in a hurry and we still have some major health challenges for the first part of 2021 it seems!

Another very cold day sees the old year out with a continuation of bitter weather forecast well into January. There was more evidence of displaced birds arriving in the county today - there were thirty Blackbirds crammed on to our small back lawn at dawn with plenty of fresh Goldfinches and new Robins too. These and others are probably fleeing snow and harsh conditions elsewhere in the UK. A bright male Nuthatch was another additional garden bird.

Down at Greens Norton Chris still has his pair of Blackcaps visiting the garden and today a Fieldfare was a new arrival on the fallen apples.

Kenny and Keith completed a last fling ringing session of the year at Linford Lakes, catching a small number of birds which again included a new Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest as well as more common fare. A re-trapped Robin was ringed as a juvenile there in 2015.

A flock of fifteen finches disturbed from hedging along the Brampton Valley Way near Draughton Crossing included at least some calling Bramblings and singles of Grey Wagtail were at both Hanging Houghton and Kelmarsh Hall.

The twenty-six White-fronted Geese and a Great White Egret were again in the Nene Valley at Earls Barton with seven more still at Stanwick Pits together with six Cattle Egrets and three Redshanks. Interestingly the White-fronted Geese at Earls Barton were seen to head off east at 11.10am by Adrian and were seen continuing east over Oundle at 3.20pm (Phil Horsnail) and so have presumably left the county.

Another Great White Egret was seen in flight over Stortons Pits and twenty-three Crossbills were located at Bucknell Wood in the south of the county.

Two adult Caspian Gulls appeared again at the Rushton Landfill site today and birds at Pitsford Reservoir amounted to the Great Northern Diver, a Great White Egret and two Stonechats.

Tomorrow (New Years Day), there will be ringing operations being conducted at Harrington Airfield in the morning and access to the old airstrip and bunkers will be restricted during this time. It is anticipated this will be the last ringing session there for quite a while.

Happy New Year!!

Neil M

Robin.

Today's Chiffchaff at
Linford Lakes courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Drake Goosander courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Late December birding

Hello

Some ringing at Linford Lakes today was responsible for ninety captures, fifty-two of which were new birds. Blue Tits and Great Tits made up the bulk of the catch but also a Chiffchaff was newly-ringed and other birds included a Coal Tit, four Goldcrests, seven Robins, five Dunnocks and four Blackbirds.

Another session with the minimum of nets at Harrington Airfield was targeted towards the residual thrushes left on-site and five Fieldfares, twenty Redwings and three Blackbirds were quickly processed. Birds seen there included twenty-five Golden Plovers, a Barn Owl and four Ravens.

The flock of Redpolls remain at Rothersthorpe village, numbering over a hundred birds and I spent some time working through over two hundred finches and buntings in the Brampton Valley near Hanging Houghton which included one hundred and fifty Linnets with smaller numbers of Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers. The two pairs of Stonechats were present too.

The Great Northern Diver remains at Pitsford Reservoir and today it seemed to linger in the vicinity of the Gorse Bushes (half way between the causeway and the dam). Other birds included a Great White Egret, a Stonechat and thirty Snipe north of the causeway and an adult Yellow-legged Gull off the dam. Nearby and there were two Water Rails, eight Snipe and two Grey Wagtails at Brixworth Treatment Works.

Three Crossbills were located on the south side of Badby Wood today by Mike and Mark, and John Friendship-Taylor located a Barnacle Goose on the county border just east of Clifton and later a first year Mediterranean Gull in the Boddington Reservoir gull roost. A small passage of Common Gulls this afternoon were presumably a cold weather movement linked to snow elsewhere.

The Nene Valley continued to host the flock of twenty-six White-fronted Geese and at least three Great White Egrets at Earls Barton Pits with Stanwick Pits continuing to attract eight White-fronted Geese, five Cattle Egrets and five Great White Egrets.

A Great White Egret was seen at Stanford Reservoir and three Caspian Gulls were reported at Rushton Landfill site.

Regards

Neil M

Redpoll.

Linnet.

Blackbird. A male caught
and ringed at Harrington
Airfield today boasted a
wing length of 140mm,
normally a feature associated
with birds from the far north
of Europe.

Winter weather not far away!

Hello

Another cold rather raw day but with good visibility and it seems we have missed the snow that has visited not too far away!

The Great Northern Diver was again off the dam at Pitsford Reservoir today and a Great White Egret was in the Walgrave Bay with the Redshank still on the causeway. The two Bearded Tits remain at Stanford Reservoir (believed still on Leicestershire bank). The Ruddy Shelduck was again reported from Hollowell Reservoir, sticking with the Canada Goose flock.

In the Nene Valley, twenty-six White-fronted Geese were in meadows near to Summer Leys LNR (with a Great White Egret on the reserve) and at least five were still at the north end of Stanwick Pits. The Bittern was seen again late morning in flight at the Quarry Walk reedbed, Earls Barton.

At Abington Park, Northampton today there were six Goosanders and twelve Ring-necked Parakeets present (and a lot of people)! Four Stonechats were still in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

There seems to be plenty of garden Blackcaps around this winter - Phil Jackman has three visiting him regularly at his Kettering garden (plus a Grey Wagtail).

This afternoon fifty Golden Plovers were in flight over Harrington Airfield - tomorrow there is a ringing session planned at this site and there will be no access to the old airstrip and bunker areas during the course of the operation - access along the concrete track and other footpaths is unaffected.

Regards

Neil M

Goldcrest.

.

Goldfinch.

First year Grey Heron.

All images courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Cold and murky Monday

Hello 

A cold and murky day with difficult visibility this morning and again late afternoon.

The Great Northern Diver played hide and seek in the fog at Pitsford Reservoir but then showed very well off the dam.

Mark tried hard to locate his Siberian Chiffchaff at Hollowell Reservoir today but it wasn't found, but there was an adult Caspian Gull, the female Ruddy Shelduck and a Crossbill. Stanford's birds included the four wintering Black-necked Grebes, a Great White Egret and a noteworthy adult Kittiwake.

The Nene Valley today provided views of five Cattle Egrets at the east end of Stanwick Pits and at least twelve White-fronted Geese and two Great White Egrets were visible from Summer Leys LNR.

The Welland Valley is also very flooded and although the Bewick's Swans were not seen in the valley between Gretton and Rockingham today, other birds included three Shelduck, large numbers of Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Shovelers and Mallard, two hundred Lapwings, three Dunlin, hundreds of large gulls, flocks of Black-headed Gulls, Fieldfares and Starlings and a flock of over eighty-five Pied Wagtails.

Similar species of wildfowl were present on the floods at Harringworth together with more Lapwings and a female Peregrine.

Not far away and Deene Lake hosted two Egyptian Geese, three Shelducks and a pair of Stonechats with twenty-four Mandarin Ducks, two Little Egrets, a Water Rail, a Kingfisher and a Cetti's Warbler  all at Blatherwycke Lake.

Fineshade Wood provided a surprise in the shape of a Water Rail on the disused railway line; more typical birds were two or three Woodcock, four Redpolls and about twenty Crossbills. On the opposite side of the A43, Wakerley Wood hosted thirty flighty Crossbills, about fifty Siskins and two Woodcock.

A Water Rail, four Snipe and a Grey Wagtail were at Brixworth Treatment Works this morning and the bird/nectar crop in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton was full of birds including up to two hundred Linnets plus Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, Chaffinches and a pair of Stonechats.

Regards

Neil M

Water Rail courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Peregrine courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Male Pied Wagtail.

Sunday's sightings

Hello

The birds at Pitsford Reservoir were elusive again today but sightings included the Great Northern Diver seen off the dam this morning and just north of the Pintail Bay early this afternoon. Two Great White Egrets appeared in the Scaldwell Bay and at least one pair of Stonechats remained.

Four Woodcock were flushed from underneath a hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning and a pair of Stonechat were present too.

The birds at Harrington Airfield first thing this morning included a lingering first year Peregrine and about a hundred Golden Plovers, with the female Merlin being seen again this afternoon.

At least two Black-necked Grebes and the two Bearded Tits were at Stanford Reservoir today and two Bewick's Swans were discovered in the Welland Valley (presumably flooded) between Rockingham and Gretton - this was once a traditional stop-over site.

The flooded Nene Valley continues to attract White-fronted Geese with an impressive flock of twenty six at Earls Barton Pits, visible from the old railway line in flooded fields opposite the Summer Leys LNR. Six Great White Egrets were also present. At least seven White-fronted Geese were still present at the north-east end of Stanwick Pits and other birds in the complex included seven Cattle Egrets and a Great White Egret. A Bittern was seen in flight over the Earls Barton Pits Quarry Walk reedbed.

Regards

Neil M

Female Merlin.

First year Peregrine.

Bittern.

Boxing Day birds

Hello

A much milder day weather-wise but seemingly with powerful gusts overnight courtesy of yet another storm!

Visits to the Kelmarsh Estate today didn't provide any sightings of interest and a succession of would-be observers to Pitsford Reservoir left disappointed as the Bewick's Swans of yesterday had seemingly departed and the Smew weren't located either. The Great Northern Diver was proving difficult to see but eventually it was seen this afternoon off the dam. It could well be the Hollowell bird as there was negative news from there today. Four Stonechats were still on show in the Scaldwell Bay.

A new bird in at Hollowell Reservoir was a Siberian Chiffchaff found by Mark Piper in the bay near to the Sailing Club. Other birds included a nominate Chiffchaff, a single Great White Egret, the female Ruddy Shelduck still and two Jack Snipe. Nearby and there were five Great White Egrets together at Ravensthorpe Reservoir which probably included the Pitsford birds as there were none reported today.

Stanford Reservoir again provided the right habitat for the four Black-necked Grebes and in the flooded Nene Valley the Bittern was seen again at Summer Leys LNR. A male Blackcap was in a East Hunsbury garden today.

Regards

Neil M

Siberian Chiffchaff.

Great White Egret.

Birds of Christmas Day

Hello

Lovely cool, crispy weather provided the stimulus to be out and about for much of the day, the last two cold nights also ensuring there were lots of hungry birds to feed too!

An enjoyable stroll around Harrington Airfield catalogued plenty of common birds but the only ones of note were a single Raven, ten Golden Plovers and a covey of five Grey Partridge.

A Raven was very noisy at Hanging Houghton on my return as I fed the birds in the garden for the second time - three Pied Wagtails and plenty of Starlings and Blackbirds and others were quickly back in to hoover up all the treats.

With similar duties to perform at Pitsford Reservoir, I visited the south end and after topping up the feeders etc I had time for a scan around and picked up on a juvenile Great Northern Diver initially in the Pintail Bay but later off the dam. With multiple Great Northerns at other large waters in middle England during November/December I think we've all been scratching our heads as to why we only had the one at Hollowell. Two Yellow-legged Gulls were off the Sailing Club.

With more birds to feed at the Brixworth Feeding Station I moved on to there next and was then able to count three Water Rails (two seen) and a Grey Wagtail at the Treatment Works there.

It was afternoon before I arrived at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station at Pitsford Reservoir where the water level had risen considerably to 100% capacity. David Arden had located four 'redhead' Smew in the Scaldwell Bay in the morning and after I had filled up the feeders etc I had a scan around. A Great White Egret flew past and I located the Smew with a stunning drake leading them around (a total of five birds). They were active and as I continued 'scoping them they swam past a small gathering of swans which included three adult Bewick's! The swans went on to graze the Scaldwell Meadows with the geese.

An adult Yellow-legged Gull may have been a third individual for the day and a pair of Stonechat, a Redshank and six Snipe were found along the water's edge with a Chiffchaff in the perimeter hedge.

Elsewhere and Bob Webster located eight Cattle Egrets and a Great White Egret at the north-east section of Stanwick Pits.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Great Northern Diver.

Drake Smew.

Bewick's Swan.

Merry Christmas!

Hello

A ringing session planned for Kelmarsh Hall was called forward to today due to the uncertainty of future pandemic restrictions post Christmas. The significant flooding of yesterday at Kelmarsh had subsided but it was still a sticky, muddy affair trudging to the nets and back. One hundred and twenty birds were processed, the highlights being four Fieldfares, three Redwings, four Blackbirds, a Nuthatch, twelve Goldfinches, a smart adult male Siskin and a Grey Wagtail. Two Ravens were vocal and displaying.

Hundreds of thrushes and Starlings were gleaning the saturated fields in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today where there was also a pair of Stonechats. A Barn Owl was between Upper Catesby and Hellidon this morning and a Woodcock was seen flying into Scotland Wood pre-dawn.

Stanford Reservoir today hosted at least one Black-necked Grebe, a female Scaup and one of the Bearded Tits was heard calling. Five Jack Snipe were located at Daventry Country Park this morning.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas wherever you happen to be and your circumstances. The year has been a tough one for many people and fortitude, patience and goodwill will also be required for a chunk of 2021 too. Thank-you for the support of readers, photographers and all nature lovers who have helped in supporting this blog and providing information, images, videos, maps and more!

Best Wishes

Neil and Eleanor

Robin.

A Northamptonshire sunset
taken this afternoon by Helen Franklin.

Severe weather and Blue Tits!

Hello

A day of heavy rain linked with mild temperatures and strong winds this evening and many places in the county are flooded - the weather forecast for tomorrow is quite different!

Very few reports of birds today but Stanford Reservoir continued to support the four Black-necked Grebes, a Great White Egret and the long-staying pair of Bearded Tits.

I visited three feeding stations in very wet conditions today but saw very little for my trouble but there was still a Grey Wagtail and a few Siskins at Kelmarsh Hall this afternoon.

So some pictures from the ringing session at Pitsford yesterday courtesy of Bethan Clyne...

Regards

Neil M

First year male Fieldfare.

Unusually coloured claws
on the Fieldfare...!

Blue Tits. Although more difficult
in the field, in the hand (for much of the year)
it is often possible to assess both age and gender.
 In general the females tend to smaller and duller with
the adults brighter and bluer. The males
tend to exhibit broader collars with more 
contrast on the face and head and azure
edges to the tail feathers (and proportionately
more azure in the crown that the females),
and the lesser and median coverts are a rich
almost cobalt blue colour. The adult males
exhibit blue primary coverts (with minimal contrast
in the depth of blue from the lesser/median coverts)
 with first year males exhibiting different primary
covert colours that can range from a bright turquoise
to a dull green, and contrast with the blue of the 
lesser/median coverts.