Birds of the mild and bluster

Hello

Early morning birds at Harrington Airfield today included the Short-eared Owl again plus a flock of about one hundred and fifty Golden Plovers and at least three Bramblings. Pitsford Reservoir has had a quiet winter and this continues with the only birds of note today being three Oystercatchers, the long-staying Yellow-legged Gull and a pair of Stonechats.

The Glossy Ibis showed well on and off this morning at Islip Meadows adjacent to Thrapston Pits but apparently it went missing after 1pm with no subsequent reported sightings. Titchmarsh Reserve held plenty of birds with a Bittern flying off from a reedbed next to the Palmer Hide at about 1.30pm, five Great White Egrets, six Little Egrets, a drake Goosander, a couple of Cetti's Warblers, four or five Chiffchaffs, a Peregrine, two Oystercatchers, three Kingfishers, two Grey Wagtails, a Water Rail, a few Siskins and a pair of Stonechats.

At Stanwick Pits the Bar-tailed Godwit was seen again as were five White-fronted Geese and at Ringstead Pits a Pink-footed Goose was in a field between the old railway line and Woodford Mill, and there was also a Great White Egret and three Pintail.

The Scaup remained at Hollowell Reservoir and there were three Snipe and six Stonechats. Two Ravens visited Hanging Houghton again today, a Grey Wagtail was at Kelmarsh and a Great White Egret flew SE over the Brampton Valley Way near Brixworth this afternoon heading towards the village. This afternoon the Barn Owl and a pair of Stonechats were again in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Badby Woods/Fawsley Park has been added to the Birdwatching Sites Map tab.

Regards

Neil M

That's another Kestrel
box up and ready! Chris
Payne is pictured up the
ladder, image courtesy
of John Boland.

Cock Linnet courtesy
of Nathan Jones.

Bearded Tit.

Water Rail. This image and
the Bearded Tit were taken
by Laurence Arnold at
Stortons Pits.

A quieter day in February

Hello 

The Glossy Ibis has remained at Islip Meadows, Thrapston today, showing on and off and delighting observers as it sometimes fed at close range.

Down the road at Stanwick Pits the flock of about thirty-one White-fronted Geese and the Bar-tailed Godwit were still present. The Earls Barton Pits complex including the nearby valley provided sightings of three Great White Egrets, three Dunlin, twelve Golden Plovers, a pair of Stonechats and a Kingfisher.

At Pitsford Reservoir today sightings included a Peregrine, two drake Pintails, an Oystercatcher and a Dunlin. Four Stonechats were in the Brampton Valley again below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

It's a tough life being
a fish! Even a large Perch
is no match for a hungry
Cormorant. Images courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

A view of woodland
at Kelmarsh Hall

Male Reed Bunting
courtesy of Nathan Jones.

Glossy Ibis

Hello 

With a couple of brief views over the last few days, the favoured feeding area for the Glossy Ibis was successfully identified and this bird was watched on and off during the day at Islip Meadows alongside Thrapston Pits. This species has been seen quite a few times in the county during the last decade but has been notoriously difficult to catch up with as all the previous individuals haven't stayed long. Feeding on the saturated and close-cropped meadow the ibis was pulling out lobworms with great gusto!

Other birds there included two drake Goosanders on the river, a few Golden Plovers, three Shelducks and a Chiffchaff and a Grey Wagtail were at Islip Treatment Works.

Elsewhere and a Peregrine was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton where one of the pair of Stonechats was visible and the village itself continued to host a singing Blackcap and a pair of Ravens.  Another Peregrine was seen again at St Mary's Church, Higham Ferrers and Stanwick Pits continued to nurture thirty-three White-fronted Geese, the Pink-footed Goose, the Bar-tailed Godwit, three Pintail and four Dunlin.

Two Pink-footed Geese were a new find in the Nene Valley east of Ringstead Pits near Woodford Mill. The paltry gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir included the regular adult Yellow-legged Gull with a singing Chiffchaff in waterside bushes. Birds at Harrington Airfield included at least two Bramblings and thirty-plus Golden Plovers.

With relatively high temperatures forecast and a southerly weather flow from North Africa, the conditions seem good for some very early summer migrants and early nesting attempts by our resident birds!

Neil Hasdell has been busy again and we have now added three more maps to the Birdwatching Sites Map Tab for Boddington Reservoir, Sywell Country Park and the Fermyn Wood complex.

Regards

Neil M

Glossy Ibis at Islip
Meadows courtesy
of Bob Bullock.

Kingfisher courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Lingering winterers

Hello

The singing Blackcap and two Ravens remained at Hanging Houghton today and the Barn Owl and two pairs of Stonechats were in the Brampton Valley below the village. All the Fieldfares in our garden abandoned us as soon as the milder conditions dominated and we are back to just our regular visitors.

A single 'redhead' Smew remained at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today, hiding well against the west bank south of the causeway and the female Scaup was still at Hollowell Reservoir together with a Crossbill and three pairs of Stonechats. A few Siskins were noted at the dam-end of Pitsford Reservoir and the regular adult Yellow-legged Gull was on a buoy there.

Yesterday (Monday) evening and a Great White Egret and a hunting Barn Owl were by the marina at Ringstead Pits. Today (Tuesday) and Stanwick Pits remains good with the Pink-footed Goose, about thirty White-fronted Geese, a Bar-tailed Godwit, three Pintail, four Dunlin and a possible Australian Shoveler all being present! A female Stonechat was on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve just down the road and further west the Summer Leys reserve hosted two Great White Egrets, three Pintail, forty Golden Plovers and eleven Snipe.

Elsewhere and Wicksteed Water Meadows proved profitable with a Woodcock, three Jack Snipe and a Stonechat all seen during the WeBS count. Nearby there were three Stonechats in a rough field off Cranford Road, Kettering together with thirty Skylarks and thirty Linnets. At Lings Wood, Northampton a flock of fifteen Redpolls were discovered and there is a report that the Glossy Ibis has been seen again late this afternoon - briefly on Islip Water Meadows which is adjacent to Thrapston Pits...

Regards

Neil M

Barn Owl at Hanging
Houghton courtesy of
Nathan Jones.

Female Blackcaps.

Male Blackcap.

Fieldfare. This image and
the Blackcaps are courtesy
of Laurence Arnold.

Pitsford WeBS count

Hello

Yesterday (Sunday) and the drake Ring-necked Duck was located on the Higham (Main) Lake between Higham Ferrers and Irthlingborough. This is east of the Rushden Lakes complex not west as quoted on a national network.

With a change in guidance from the British Trust for Ornithology in relation to conducting surveys during this current lockdown, the monthly WeBS count was completed at Pitsford Reservoir today. Waterfowl numbers were very low and it is concerning how the numbers in general have been on a slide for a couple of years now. More drastically the numbers of gulls on-site really have tumbled and are now present in unprecedented very small numbers.

Waders today included two Jack Snipe, fifty-eight Snipe and three Woodcock north of the causeway and a walk around the whole of the reserve totting up some of the passerines after the cold period of weather included a Cetti's Warbler, a Chiffchaff, twenty Treecreepers, at least eleven Goldcrests, seven Great Spotted Woodpeckers, five Green Woodpeckers, fifty-nine Blackbirds, sixteen Skylarks heading north and another twelve in full song! There were several Siskins, two Ravens, a Redpoll and a Kingfisher and the best of the mammals included a Stoat and a Brown Hare. Up to four Peacock butterflies were on the wing in the Scaldwell Bay.

South of the causeway there was a pair of Stonechats, five Chiffchaffs, two Ravens and two Grey Wagtails, several Siskins and a drake Mandarin Duck which was grazing with the geese.

The singing Blackcap and a pair of Ravens were still at Hanging Houghton with a Barn Owl and a female Stonechat in the Brampton Valley below the village.

At Harrington Airfield today the Short-eared Owl was again by Bunker Three and other birds included two male Bramblings, seventy Golden Plovers and four Ravens.

The female Scaup and a Great White Egret was seen again at Hollowell Reservoir and the three 'redhead' Smew and a Great White Egret were at Ravensthorpe Reservoir again.

Stanwick Pits again hosted about thirty White-fronted Geese and a Pink-footed Goose and the Bar-tailed Godwit had changed location to the Roadside Pit. Single Great White Egrets were at Grendon Lakes and on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows Reserve at Ditchford Pits (where there was also a Stonechat).

A Peregrine was seen circling St Mary's church in Wellingborough today.

Regards

Neil M

Barn Owl Hanging Houghton
courtesy of Nathan Jones.

Common Buzzard Hanging Houghton
courtesy of Nathan Jones.

Female Stonechat Hanging Houghton
courtesy of Nathan Jones.

Male Stonechat at
Pitsford Reservoir
courtesy of Dave Jackson.

Birds of mid February

Hello

Still cold and windy but an imminent change in the weather it seems!

The Short-eared Owl re-appeared at Harrington Airfield this morning where there were also two Ravens, a Woodcock and at least three Bramblings. Two Ravens and a singing Blackcap were in Hanging Houghton village and the Brampton Valley below the village was good for a hunting Short-eared Owl, a Barn Owl and two Stonechats. Another Barn Owl was hunting at nearby Blueberry Farm and six Siskins were near Haselbech.

Birds at Sywell Country Park today included a small flock of Redpolls, a Water Rail, a Grey Wagtail and a pair of Stonechats.

In the Nene Valley two Green Sandpipers and just seven Chiffchaffs were in the vicinity of Ecton Sewage Farm and at Ditchford Pits there was a drake Smew on the Skew Bridge Lake and a Great White Egret on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve.

Stanwick Pits continues to be the place for the wintering White-fronted Goose flock with thirty-three individuals today plus a Pink-footed Goose, four Dunlin and three Pintail. A female Scaup was found off the south-east shore at Hollowell Reservoir today and five Redpolls continue to visit garden feeders in Greens Norton village.

A ringing encounter with an adult female Blue Tit at Hanging Houghton was pretty special as she was first ringed as a nestling on 31st May 2013 - which means she is over seven years old!

Regards

Neil M

Snowy scene on the
Kelmarsh Estate

Lapwing.

Wren.

Robin.

Lots of birds about!

Hello

With the continuation of this very cold weather I spent pretty much the whole day feeding birds! The weather forecast suggests that there should be a change beginning tomorrow with a much milder and damper new week in store.

Today's birding in the garden was again dominated by the fabulous Fieldfares with at least fifty birds feeding in the garden but not all at the same time. In fact they are so argumentative that the back lawn has numerous grey feathers where scuffles are almost constant! Like most garden birds it seems that individuals have different tastes - some of the Fieldfares stick rigidly to apple and ignore everything else; others love the dried mealworms and just a few will take cheese, suet pellets and other broadcast fare. Dodging around them are good numbers of Blackbirds and up to four Redwings at a time - they also have a taste for the dried mealworms. A few Reed Buntings and Pied Wagtails were joined by a male Blackcap this afternoon which even sang briefly.

At Harrington Airfield this morning the wintering female Merlin showed up and there were still four Bramblings coming down for the food. A couple of south-bound Lapwing flocks were the first of several seen during the day. Yesterday (Friday) afternoon the Iceland Gull was again seen at Rushton Landfill site.

The wintering Great Northern Diver at Pitsford Reservoir was between the Catwalk Bay and the causeway this morning and a Barn Owl was hunting below the dam. This evening the diver was off the Sailing Club as was an adult Yellow-legged Gull. A Woodcock was flushed near Brixworth and the Barn Owl was seen to successfully catch a vole at Blueberry Farm this afternoon where four Snipe were flushed from a ditch.

Nick Parker found the best bird of the day with a single Glossy Ibis flying south over Thrapston Pits at about 11.35am but so far it hasn't been re-located. Nick also saw a Knot with Lapwings at Islip Water  Meadows. Other Nene Valley birds included seven Great White Egrets at Summer Leys LNR first thing with Stanwick Pits returning totals of thirty-three White-fronted Geese, a Pink-footed Goose, two Cattle Egrets, a Great White Egret, four Pintail and two Dunlin.

Clifford Hill Pits provided some sightings with two Jack Snipe, two Snipe, four Dunlin, at least fourteen Golden Plovers and two Stonechats. Single Goosanders were noted on the River Nene at Thrapston and Higham Ferrers, three 'redhead' Smew and a Great White Egret were at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and birds at Hollowell Reservoir included a Jack Snipe, ten Snipe, a Great White Egret and eight or nine Crossbills.

A Peregrine was on a church again at Higham Ferrers, a lonely Siskin was on the Kelmarsh Estate and a pair of Stonechats were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. Several Redpolls were feeding from a suspended feeder at Greens Norton today and a Polish ringed first year Caspian Gull was on the ice at Stanford Reservoir this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Blue Tit on tree sap
icicle courtesy of
Trevor Wilson.

Male Starling in winter
sunshine courtesy of
John Tilly.

Garden birding

Hello

With the very cold weather continuing our small garden has been very busy with birds again today including an invasion of Fieldfares - on several occasions I counted over twenty individuals attacking apples and each other, or feeding on dried mealworms/suet pellets and the last of the guelder rose berries.

Double-glazed windows isn't great for photography but I spent a little while this morning trying to digitally capture the mini invasion.

At least two Bramblings were still at Harrington Airfield this morning, an adult Peregrine was north of Kelmarsh, a Barn Owl was again at Blueberry Farm and the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton continued to host two more Barn Owls and a pair of Stonechats.

Elsewhere and again the Nene Valley dominated proceedings with three Great White Egrets at Summer Leys and Stanwick Pits continued to attract the Bar-tailed Godwit, two Dunlin, two Oystercatchers, two Redshanks, nine Snipe and seven Pintails.

This morning the Ring-necked Duck showed on the Large Lake at Ditchford Pits (plus two Oystercatchers flying over) but couldn't be found on a search this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Feisty Fieldfares!

Mistle Thrush.

Pied Wagtail.

Redwing.

Otters, nest boxes and new maps

Hello

Late news from yesterday (Wednesday) included up to four Otters showing well south of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir, and last night the extreme cold seemed to vocalise the local owls with three Tawnies calling around the village at Hanging Houghton and a Barn Owl shrieking and flying down the tree-lined main road!

It seems that the Nene Valley was the place for the best birds today (Thursday) with the Ring-necked Duck and at least three Smew at Ditchford Pits (two drake Smew and the Rn Duck on the Skew Bridge Lake next to Rushden Lakes Shopping complex and single mobile 'redhead(s)' on Wilsons and Large Lake and Delta Pit).

If you find the plethora of gravel pits and lakes at Ditchford Pits confusing, Neil Hasdell has kindly come to the rescue and has created some new maps of this interesting area with the names of all the pits/lakes marked - please look on the Birdwatching Site Maps tab.

Also in the Nene Valley the Bar-tailed Godwit is hanging on at Stanwick Pits (on the Main Pit) plus at least twenty-seven White-fronted Geese and two Cattle Egrets were still at the north-east end of the complex.

At Summer Leys LNR there were five Great White Egrets, a Shelduck and an Otter showing at about 5pm.

A Peregrine was still visible on St Mary's church at Higham Ferrers and there was a Raven, at least two Bramblings and four 'boxing' Brown Hares at Harrington Airfield.

A Barn Owl persists at Blueberry Farm and the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton provided records of a Jack Snipe, a Barn Owl, two Stonechats, plenty of Fieldfares, at least 116 Skylarks and three more feisty Brown Hares.

It seems that despite the harsh weather many of the Long-tailed Tit flocks have already broken up and I'm seeing them in pairs; Blackbirds and Song Thrushes are singing continually and spring is not far off now. So it's timely to mention nest boxes as we should be erecting and rectifying damaged boxes in time for the breeding season. Chris Payne constructs quality boxes for a variety of species and a two page fact sheet can be found on the Tab 'Eco (nest) Boxes'. In addition to boxes for tits, Robin, Tree Sparrow etc, Chris creates larger boxes for owls, Kestrel and others.

Regards

Neil M

Drake Smew.

Weasel.

Long-tailed Tit.

Otter.

Birds of the cold

Hello

It may be the last of any significant snow this week but seemingly tonight is likely to be one of the coldest nights on record so please make sure your bird feeders are filled up in the morning ready for the hungry birds!

The drake Ring-necked Duck had switched pits at Ditchford Pits today, choosing the old Skew Bridge Pit next to the Rushden Lakes complex as it's water of choice. Other birds in the Nene Valley included five Dunlin on a flooded field next to Barnwell Country Park, the Bar-tailed Godwit still on the Main Lake at Stanwick Pits and a Pintail, a Chiffchaff and a Cetti's Warbler at Stortons Pits.

Summer Leys LNR was good for two Great White Egrets, two Shelduck, a Snipe, two Dunlin and a Water Rail showing by the feeding station. Further down the valley and Thrapston Pits entertained another Great White Egret, a Peregrine, two Oystercatchers and a Sparrowhawk subduing a Blackbird.

A Peregrine was again on the National Grid tower off St Peter's Way, Northampton, there were still four Bramblings at Harrington Airfield and Pitsford Reservoir was visited by a female Merlin flying north this afternoon (a rare bird there in recent years) and a pair of Mandarin Ducks in the Pintail Bay.

Blueberry Farm near Maidwell provided views of a Barn Owl and over thirty Meadow Pipits and fields there and into the Brampton Valley held hundreds of foraging Fieldfares. Also in the Brampton Valley between Blueberry and Hanging Houghton were nine Grey Partridges, ten Tree Sparrows, two Barn Owls, four Stonechats, twenty five Golden Plovers and sixty Lapwings.

Regards

Neil M

Dunlin.

Peregrine.

Water Rail - in the 
thick mud!

The wintry weather continues

Hello

Another cold day with some quite spectacular snow flurries and a hail storm for some this afternoon.

It would appear that the weather has been affecting some of our coastal waders with inland records of Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwits and particularly Knot. Some of these birds appeared in the county yesterday with a Knot in the Welland Valley near Gretton which was still present today. Another Knot and a Bar-tailed Godwit and two Dunlin were found at Stanwick Pits today where there were still five Redshanks, twenty-nine White-fronted Geese and two Cattle Egrets.

The adult male Ring-necked Duck was seen again on Large Lake, Ditchford Pits today together with a Great White Egret.

Chris Green reported the details of the colour-ringed Peregrine on St Mary's church at Higham Ferrers to the BTO and details have come through quickly which indicates this bird was ringed as a nestling in Leicestershire in 2018, oddly enough on another St Mary's church at Bottesford! It wasn't clear from the BTO response whether the bird had been sighted elsewhere since 2018.

Jon found a couple of groups of Crossbills again at Hollowell Reservoir this morning, amounting to between five and ten birds and birds in the Nene Valley in the Ecton SF area below Cogenhoe included a Kingfisher, three Green Sandpipers, a good number of wintering Chiffchaffs, five Stonechats and two Grey Wagtails.

Eleanor's afternoon patrol of Blueberry Farm near Maidwell again connected with the wintering female Merlin and a Barn Owl, and a Raven was noted at Pitsford Reservoir. Our garden birds included three Reed Buntings and several Fieldfares seeking sanctuary and food plus another increase in visiting Blackbirds.

Regards

Neil M

Common Buzzard near
Scaldwell today attracted
to a roadkill Badger, image
 courtesy of Jacob.

Skylark and Meadow Pipit
are birds of the open country
and a falling of snow and freezing
conditions make them species
easy to witness making daytime
cold weather movements.

A little bit of Storm Darcy

Hello

It seems as if the county has remained on the edge of the latest winter storms with some snow but not the amount we perhaps feared.

The drake Ring-necked Duck was back on Big Lake at Ditchford Pits this afternoon and further east at Stanwick Pits Steve found the Ferruginous Duck hybrid again on the western section of Main Lake and twenty-nine White-fronted Geese and three Cattle Egrets at the north-east end of the complex.

Eight Goosanders were on a small pool at Northampton County Golf Course and a Barn Owl emerged to hunt the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton late this afternoon.

The weather seemed to cause the Golden Plovers and Lapwings to flee the fields at Harrington Airfield but there were new flocks of Fieldfares and Redwings on-site - no doubt pushed here from more extreme weather elsewhere. Four Bramblings remained with the other finches and were quite mobile.

At Pitsford Reservoir today the Great Northern Diver was fishing off the Sailing Club and a procession of birds were seen moving south west over the reservoir which included twenty Golden Plovers, a Dunlin, thirty-six Fieldfares, five Skylarks and four Meadow Pipits. A Stonechat and two Snipe were visible in the Scaldwell Bay and yesterday there was a male Stonechat and over two hundred Fieldfares at Chase Park Farm, Yardley Chase.

The weather caused two Mistle Thrushes to reclaim Chris Payne's garden at Greens Norton and our garden welcomed three Reed Buntings and one or two Fieldfare among the regular attendees.

Regards

Neil M

Fieldfare.

Common Buzzard
courtesy of Jacob.

Rook.