Birds of woodland, gravel pit and reservoir

Hello

At Harrington Airfield this morning the Short-eared Owl was again at Bunker Three and there was a male Brambling with a Peregrine chasing the two hundred or so Golden Plovers. Two Ravens were at Cottesbrooke with another couple at Haselbech. 

A drake Ring-necked Duck was on Big Lake at Ditchford Pits today with a pair of Smew on nearby Delta Pit. The Mediterranean Gull was again on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits today and other birds on the reserve included three Great White Egrets, four Little Egrets, a drake Goosander and a Water Rail. Five Cattle Egrets were on North Lake, Stanwick Pits this morning.

A 'ringtail' Hen Harrier was seen over the road between Deenethorpe and Benefield this afternoon, three Crossbills were in the spruce plantation below the dam at Hollowell Reservoir and two Crossbills were at Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate.

Some more ringing at Scotland Wood today netted another seventy-four birds which included a Nuthatch, two Redwings, a new Marsh Tit and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

At Pitsford Reservoir a Great White Egret and a Chiffchaff were north of the causeway and there was a female Brambling in a Scaldwell garden.

Regards

Neil M

Jay courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Starling courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Marsh Tit courtesy
of Nathan Jones.

County birds for Friday

Hello

More Black-headed Gulls and smaller numbers of Common Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gulls were pushing through the county today, perhaps most evident this afternoon with some big flocks around.

The adult Mediterranean Gull was still on the Titchmarsh Reserve this morning and other birds in the Nene Valley included four Cattle Egrets at Stanwick Pits around North Lake and the drake Ring-necked Duck still on Big Lake, Ditchford Pits this afternoon.

Fineshade Wood attracted a handful of Siskins and two Ravens and a good walk around at Wakerley Wood notched up fifteen Crossbills in the car park including some very bright males, about twenty-five Siskins, eight Redpolls, a Chiffchaff and at least two Ravens.

In the Welland Valley the two Oystercatchers remain below Cottingham and a Barn Owl was perched on a post near Gretton. There were plenty of gulls, Wigeon and Teal close to Harringworth village.

At Blatherwycke Lake there was just one pair of Mandarin Ducks, two Egyptian Geese, a Little Egret and a Water Rail with twelve Shelducks again at nearby Deene Lake.

At Pitsford Reservoir today the Yellow-legged Gull was off the Sailing Club and north of the causeway there were two Kingfishers, an Oystercatcher, two Siskins and a Redpoll but otherwise it seemed very quiet.

A limited ringing session took place at Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate today which netted sixty birds - all common species with perhaps the highlights being two Nuthatches, a Treecreeper, three Marsh Tits and a Song Thrush. Other birds on-site included at least half a dozen Siskins and a Raven.

Regards

Neil M

Male Nuthatch at
Scotland Wood today.

Treecreeper at
Scotland Wood today.

Below...Badger on the patio!

Video and images courtesy
of Lynne Barnett.

Spring movers

Hello

Limited birding opportunities for me today although I did flush up a Woodcock in Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate. Large numbers of Black-headed and Common Gulls invaded the county today, many of them moving on in a north and east direction.

Bethan and Jacob's efforts at Pitsford Reservoir north of the causeway provided sightings of a Great White Egret, at least four Oystercatchers. eighteen Snipe, a Kingfisher, an adult male Peregrine and two Siskins.

Eight Crossbills were at Hollowell Reservoir this morning and birds visible/audible from the causeway at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon included a Raven, a Water Rail, a Kingfisher and a Chiffchaff.

The adult Mediterranean Gull was seen on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits this morning and birds at Cifford Hill Pits included a drake Red-crested Pochard, four Goosanders, three Oystercatchers, two Redshanks and a Dunlin. At Stanwick Pits there was an adult Mediterranean Gull on the Layby Pit with nine Redshanks, a Dunlin and a Pintail all on Main Lake.

A Little Owl was on show at Delapre Park today, Clive had two Blackcaps in his Wollaston garden today and a Peregrine was again showing on the National Grid communications tower at Northampton.

A Starling murmuration of some thousands is an evening spectacle in the Linden Avenue/St Mary's Road area of Kettering with attendant raptors in the shape of Sparrowhawks and Peregrine.

Some garden ringing today completed by Dave Francis on the outskirts of Northampton provided nine Reed Buntings, a Siskin, three Goldcrests and other common birds including a six year old Blue Tit.

The rural South Northants birding site map of Edgcote has been added to the Birdwatching Site Maps tab.

Regards

Neil M

Black-headed Gull.

Common Gull.

Male Reed Bunting. This species
moves around a great deal in the
early spring as they seek out feeding
opportunities prior to settling down 
for breeding. They exploit gardens
looking for seed and tend to prefer
millet (particularly red millet) and 
other small seeds, but will occasionally
peck at fat products and other feedstuffs
too.

A grey spring day

Hello

A change of scenery today with a walk around the Nene Barrage section of Clifford Hill Pits which held large numbers of birds including an excellent array of gulls and wildfowl. Parking in Riverside Retail Park and a noisy Ring-necked Parakeet flew over. Other birds attracted to the wetlands included a pair of Pintail, seven Goosanders, a single Golden Plover, a pair of Oystercatchers, a couple of Siskins and a Cetti's Warbler.

A ringing session at the main feeding station at Pitsford Reservoir this morning began with a Chiffchaff being the first bird caught. Others included twelve new Reed Buntings, seven Tree Sparrows, five Great Tits, seven Blue Tits, two Dunnocks, a Robin, a Greenfinch, a Yellowhammer, a Starling and two Blackbirds.

Other birds on-site in the Scaldwell Bay included a pair of Oystercatchers, thirty Snipe, two Jack Snipe and a hunting female Merlin which caught a Starling over fields to the west of the reserve.

A Sand Martin was seen at Summer Leys LNR this morning and there was also a 'redhead' Smew there plus an Oystercatcher, a Siskin and a Redpoll.

The Short-eared Owl flushed up again from Bunker Three at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and there were about two hundred mobile Golden Plovers on-site.

Adrian located an adult Mediterranean Gull on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits this afternoon, a Peregrine was on the usual communications tower at St Peter's Way, Northampton and Clive again saw a Blackcap in his Wollaston garden.

Regards

Neil M

A rather tame Grey
Heron at Weston Mill,
Northampton today.

Female Goldeneye courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Goldfinch courtesy of
John Tilly.

Tuesday's tidings!

Hello 

Another grey day but perhaps not quite so raw as I listened to a singing Siskin in my neighbour's garden first thing and watched a female Sparrowhawk speed across the field behind the garden. Still reasonable numbers of birds in the garden with plenty of Goldfinches, small numbers of Chaffinches and Greenfinches and a few Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers. One of our Great Spotted Woodpeckers has a liking for sunflower hearts and the finches have to move over or off the feeder when he turns up.

Two Grey Partridges and two Grey Wagtails were near Brixworth and an afternoon walk at Harrington Airfield provided views of twenty Golden Plovers, a pair of Grey Partridge and at least three Bramblings.

Birds south of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir today included the regular Yellow-legged Gull, a Raven, a pair of Stonechats and two Grey Wagtails. North of the causeway and there were views of a Great White Egret, a Peregrine, two Snipe, two Oystercatchers, a Kingfisher, a Siskin and a Chiffchaff.

The drake Smew was reported at Skew Bridge Lake at Ditchford Pits again today and there were five Cattle Egrets and seven Redshanks at Stanwick Pits. A Peregrine was visible on the church at Higham Ferrers and another was again near the top of the communications tower at St Peter's Way, Northampton.

Jon found about eight of the Crossbills at Hollowell Reservoir on the north side of the Sailing Club bay.

Ringstead Pits has been added to the Birdwatching Sites Maps tab courtesy of Neil Hasdell.

Regards

Neil M

Cock Pheasants come
in a variety of colours
and markings, this one
sporting a blue head and 
collar with no white 
neck ring.

Fourth calendar year
Yellow-legged Gull, 
almost certainly the 
 same individual seen as
an advanced first year
bird in the autumn of 
2018, and has rarely strayed
from Pitsford Reservoir since.
Yellow-legged Gulls generally
exhibit a much more rapid age
 moult strategy than say the 
average Herring Gull.

Raw first day of March

Hello 

A raw, grey and initially murky day felt quite different to the lovely sunny weather from last week!

A walk in the morning mist at Harrington Airfield first thing proved quite challenging to see anything but the Short-eared Owl flushed up at Bunker Three again and about a hundred Golden Plovers came wheeling out of the mist on a couple of occasions. At least one Raven could be heard calling and there are still a few Grey Partridges on-site.

In the Welland Valley this afternoon there was a Little Egret and two Oystercatchers below Cottingham and a young male Merlin showed twice in the valley between Rockingham and Gretton.

The cold day brought a resurgence of birds back in to the garden which included a couple of Reed Buntings and three Yellowhammers.

The drake Ring-necked Duck was reported at Big Lake, Ditchford Pits today and the drake Smew was apparently on the Skew Bridge Pit again too. Late news from yesterday was of a sighting of the male Bearded Tit again at Stortons Pits.

Geoff saw another Merlin between Upper Benefield and Deene today where there was also a Little Owl on show. Two Peregrines were over Barnes Meadow LNR today and probably the same two birds were also seen perched on the National Grid communications tower off St Peter's Way, Northampton.

Four Cattle Egrets were at Stanwick Pits this morning and birds in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir included a Great White Egret, a Woodcock, an Oystercatcher, five Snipe and a gathering of 73 Stock Doves. A Barn Owl was at Scaldwell village this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Stock Dove.

Barn Owl by
Nathan Jones.

Kestrel courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Sunday's sightings

Hello

Another sunny day but very cool when the sun wasn't out!

On the Kelmarsh Estate today there were Ravens over Rabbithill Spinney and there was at least one Siskin at Scotland Wood. Birds at Pitsford Reservoir included a Yellow-legged Gull, two or three Great White Egrets, five Snipe, an Oystercatcher, two Ravens and two Siskins.

Two Ravens and a Grey Partridge were also at Scaldwell village and pairs of Peregrines were on their respective churches in Market Harborough and Higham Ferrers.

Ditchford Pits continued to host the drake Ring-necked Duck on Big Lake and a drake Smew on the Skew Bridge Lake next to Rushden Lakes Shopping Centre. A single Goosander was noted at Thrapston Pits.

Two Ravens were again at Cottesbrooke village and a Barn Owl was hunting the valley this morning below Hanging Houghton. A first winter Caspian Gull was on floodwater alongside the A5 by the DIRFT 3 complex near Lilbourne.

Regards

Neil M

Peregrines at
Market Harborough
courtesy of Trevor
Alcock.

First year male Blackbird
courtesy of John Tilly.

The primeval Raven.

More Bramblings...

Hello

A second day of ringing took place at Harrington Airfield today in amazing weather and resulted in ninety-eight captures of eighteen species which included plenty more Yellowhammers, lots of finches including five more Bramblings, a Tree Sparrow, two Fieldfares, three Redwings and a third calendar year male Sparrowhawk. Other birds on-site included a Raven, a calling Grey Partridge and about seventy Golden Plovers.

At Pitsford Reservoir birds on show included a flock of 310 Golden Plovers circling around plus an Oystercatcher and a Little Egret with a Siskin still in a Scaldwell garden.

Two Ravens were at Cottesbrooke village and there were singletons of Barn Owl at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and in the valley below Hanging Houghton.

Four Cattle Egrets were at Stanwick Pits this morning and a pair of Peregrines were at St Mary's church, Higham Ferrers. At Quarry Walk, Earls Barton there was a small party of Redpolls feeding in alders and about ten Crossbills were at Hollowell Reservoir on the north side of Sailing Club Bay.

A pair of Smew were on an unspecified pit at Ditchford Pits but near to Rushden Lakes with a Chiffchaff at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows. The juvenile Iceland Gull was again reported in sheep fields south of Rushton Landfill today.

Ian's feeding station at Woodford Halse attracted two male Bramblings today amongst a mixed flock of Chaffinches and Yellowhammers with a male Blackcap in Ian's garden. A female Blackcap was in a Hunsbury garden today and a male was seen not far away at Wootton.

Butterflies on the wing in the county today included Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma.

Regards

Neil M

First year female Brambling.

Adult male Bramblings...
surely one of the most stunning
of finches.

Third calendar year
male Sparrowhawk.

Finches, buntings and Barn Owls

Hello

A ringing session at Harrington Airfield this morning provided 101 captures of fourteen species of birds with finches and Yellowhammers dominating.  Linnets were the most common capture with thirty-four birds and two female Bramblings were a bonus. Other birds on-site included at least one more Brambling, calling Grey Partridges and about two hundred and forty Golden Plovers still. Another ringing session will take place tomorrow morning and general access to the bunkers and old airstrip area will be restricted.

At Sywell Country Park birds seen during a circular walk (with lots of people) included a Cetti's Warbler, 1-2 Water Rail(s), two Chiffchaffs, a pair of Stonechats, six Redpolls, thirty Siskins, a pair of Grey Wagtails and a Green Sandpiper.

The drake Ring-necked Duck was reported again on Big Lake at Ditchford Pits today (and yesterday) and birds at Thrapston Pits today included the Glossy Ibis, the 'redhead' Smew and six Great White Egrets.

The juvenile Iceland Gull continues to be attracted to Rushton Landfill and was seen on the roof of the main building there during the early afternoon. Mark found an adult Mediterranean Gull off the dam at Hollowell Reservoir late in the afternoon.

A drake Goosander was on the golf course lake at Collingtree, a female Blackcap was in a garden at Wollaston and a Siskin was in a garden at Scaldwell.

Two Barn Owls were again in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today and a pair of Stonechats remain. Due to a recent incident it is worth reminding photographers to keep their distance from the roosting/nesting sites of Barn Owls and that any attempts at photographs should be at long range or preferably in areas where they hunt and with no close proximity to where they reside.

Regards

Neil M

Adult male Siskins
coming to feeders at
Wakerley Wood yesterday.

Linnet courtesy of
John Tilly.

Yellowhammer courtesy
of John Tilly.

Birds of wood and valley

Hello

A ringing session at Kelmarsh Hall today netted 141 birds of 15 species made up of five Blackbirds, a Redwing, a Robin, eight Dunnocks, a Treecreeper, two Nuthatches, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, three Goldcrests, four Long-tailed Tits, seventy-five Blue Tits, nineteen Great Tits, two Coal Tits, three Chaffinches, two Greenfinches and fourteen Goldfinches.

Other birds on-site included at least fifteen Siskins, one or two Woodcock, a Grey Wagtail and a Barn Owl.

Birds in the the north of the county included a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at Fineshade Wood where there were also two Crossbills, about fifty Siskins, a Brambling, at least four Redpolls and two Ravens.

Nearby at Wakerley Wood and someone has added a number of bird feeders to the car park which proved very popular with a number of birds including over a hundred Siskins which were creating a deafening cacophony! At least ten Redpolls were also trying to get on to the feeders but were being pushed around by the Siskins. Twenty Crossbills were feeding in the car park larches and included some spectacular red males.

Away from the car park and another Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was located in the wood which also supported another fifty or so Siskins, four Redpolls, a Chiffchaff, two Ravens and a pair of Peregrines overhead.

Blatherwycke Lake hosted eighteen Mandarin Ducks, a Little Egret, two Egyptian Geese and an Otter! Just down the road and Deene Lake supported two Egyptian Geese, twelve Shelducks and a pair of Stonechats.

Floodwater and plenty of damp areas and some mud in the Welland Valley attracted large numbers of Common and Black-headed Gulls and near Harringworth there were two Oystercatchers, four Shelducks and three Little Egrets and near Cottingham there were two more Oystercatchers and a Peregrine.

Over at Thrapston Pits the Glossy Ibis was still present on the Titchmarsh Reserve, there were up to ten Great White Egrets, plus the 'redhead' Smew, three Oystercatchers, a Water Rail and a pair of Stonechats. 

Five more Great White Egrets were at Summer Leys LNR as were four Goosanders and there were three Cattle Egrets at Stanwick Pits today.

There will be ringing sessions at Harrington Airfield tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday which requires access restrictions to the bunkers and scrubby areas but footpaths remain unaffected - there were about two hundred and forty Golden Plovers on the fields there this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Oystercatcher.

Otter.

Egyptian Geese.

Male Siskin.

Scarce birds and butterflies

Hello

Some of the scarce birds reported this month in the county are still around today - the Glossy Ibis was quite mobile on the Titchmarsh Reserve, the drake Ring-necked Duck was again on Big Lake at Ditchford Pits and the Iceland Gull was in the vicinity of Rushton Landfill this afternoon.

Birds in and around Hanging Houghton included the singing Blackcap visiting gardens in the village, with the valley below the village and up towards Blueberry Farm yielding the female Merlin again, two Barn Owls, two pairs of Stonechats, 595 Fieldfares and 55 Yellowhammers.

Pitsford Reservoir remains essentially quiet with the Yellow-legged Gull, a Great White Egret, a Redpoll and twenty-three Golden Plovers flying north being the best seen.

Thrapston Pits was the meeting point for nine Great White Egrets and other birds included the elusive 'redhead' Smew again.

A single Brambling was seen at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and this site will be the venue of some ringing on Friday and Saturday when the bunkers and old airstrip bushes will have restricted access.

At Kettering Parish church there were two Peregrines present today and the morning sunshine provided butterfly sightings in the county of Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone and Comma.

Regards

Neil M

Brimstone butterfly.

Small Tortoiseshell on Coltsfoot.

Comma.

Great White Egrets courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Mild and breezy

Hello

Another mild but very breezy day which is steadily drying out the topsoil and more spring flowers are now emerging.

The Great Northern Diver, a Great White Egret and a Water Rail were all in the vicinity of Catwalk Bay at Pitsford Reservoir today with a Grey Wagtail at the dam. Another Grey Wagtail and a Raven were the most note-worthy birds at Welford Reservoir and a visit to Harrington Airfield this afternoon provided views of the female Merlin again, one or two Brambling(s) and between three hundred and four hundred Golden Plovers.

Over at Thrapston Pits the Glossy Ibis was on the Titchmarsh Reserve and a little later a 'redhead' Smew materialised too. Other birds on the reserve included six Great White Egrets, a pair of Redshank, a Curlew and a drake Goosander. Not far away nine Barnacle Geese were in fields near Stanwick Pits and at Ditchford Pits a pair of Smew were on the eastern end of Main (Higham) Lake.

Fifteen Crossbills were still investigating the conifers at Hollowell Reservoir today and the juvenile Iceland Gull was in fields south of Rushton Landfill this afternoon.

A pair of Stonechats were visible in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Iceland Gull.

'Redhead' Smew courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Robin courtesy of
Robin Gossage.
Some resident pairs are
already nesting, some are
on the move through the county
 and others currently south of us
 wintering in the south of the UK
and in Portugal and Spain have yet
to arrive!

Early spring spoils

Hello

It might be mild conditions but for seed-eating birds there isn't a great deal of food out there at this time of the year so I spent much of my day walking around and dispensing lots of food both on the ground and from suspended feeders.

Harrington Airfield was first and the flock of fifty or so Chaffinches still included a couple of male Bramblings plus the usual Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, just a few Tree Sparrows and other regulars. There were about a hundred Golden Plovers hiding on the top fields making counting them difficult.

Kelmarsh Hall always has large numbers of birds coming for the food with tits, common finches and woodland birds dominating and a further three feeding stations corralled a mixture of amber and red-listed species.

It seems that the winter thrushes took centre stage at diurnal migration today - Jacob clocked up 443 Fieldfares and 1505 Starling moving north east over Scaldwell village and Chris down at Greens Norton counted over five hundred Fieldfares and over one hundred and seventy-five Redwings on the move. Gulls are moving over steadily and it's the return of passage adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls moving north - probably filtering back from Iberia - that has been most noticeable. Common Gulls are coming through in small groups now, often lingering to feed on wet fields with nomadic Black-headed Gulls. Larid fans will be checking these wanderers for something good from now through until early May!

At Pitsford Reservoir today the Yellow-legged Gull was again off the Sailing Club and birds north of the causeway included a Great White Egret, a few Snipe and an Oystercatcher.

The Glossy Ibis spent some time this afternoon on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits but at one stage was feeding with many wildfowl on the flooded meadows between Wadenhoe and Aldwincle. Other birds at Thrapston Pits included six Great White Egrets, a couple of Little Egrets, six Cetti's Warblers, five Chiffchaffs, two Grey Wagtails, three Kingfishers, a pair of Stonechats, two Oystercatchers and a drake Goosander. About thirty Siskins were in the alders at Wadenhoe Church where there was also a Grey Wagtail.

The juvenile Iceland Gull was showing distantly at Rushton Landfill late this morning and Ken did well to locate a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at Stortons Pits today plus a Stonechat and a male Blackcap.

Two Ravens passed through Hanging Houghton on their territorial patrol and two pairs of Stonechats remained in the valley below the village and at Stanwick Pits the Bar-tailed Godwit was still there and two Cattle Egrets were also present.

Regards

Neil M

Nuthatch courtesy of
Robin Gossage. A charismatic
bird with a wonderful extensive
range of calls and songs, and they are
noisy now as we count down to the 
breeding season!

Great Crested Grebe which appears
to be consuming a small Tench. This
is probably an unusual fish to eat - Tench
have a distasteful slime which sometimes
causes a bird to regurgitate and abandon
their prey. Image courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Bar-tailed Godwit. A very
scarce and often difficult bird
to see in the county, the current
bird at Stanwick Pits is certainly
very long-staying for the time of
the year.

Sunday's county birds

Hello

I spent the early part of today checking local Raven territories with mixed results but at least there were pairs in the right areas and most of the nests were intact from previous years.

The singing Blackcap remained in the village at Hanging Houghton, it's very simple dialect suggests it's not a breeding bird from around here or perhaps a first year bird which has yet to develop a distinctive flourish!

Below the village in the Brampton Valley the Barn Owl was hunting both this morning and late this afternoon with another at nearby Blueberry Farm. Two pairs of Stonechats remained in the valley and this afternoon there was a passage of Fieldfares and Meadow Pipits moving north along the valley.

Pied Wagtails and gulls were the other visible movers of the day as the spring momentum continues and Redwings and Fieldfares were seen moving east over Scaldwell village with eight Siskins going south west.

Local rarities hanging on in the county included the Glossy Ibis seen again at Islip Meadows (Thrapston Pits) and the drake Ring-necked Duck was with a small flock of Tufted Ducks on the Big Lake at Ditchford Pits. The juvenile Iceland Gull was at Rushton Landfill this morning and there was a pair of Stonechats in the afternoon.

A White-tailed Eagle was reported flying over the Boughton Estate north of Kettering today but seemingly isn't one of the satellite-tracked Isle of Wight released birds.

The Great Northern Diver was seen again at Pitsford Reservoir today, south of the causeway and near the Catwalk Bay and there was a Great White Egret in the Scaldwell Bay plus two Stonechats, a Yellow-legged Gull and an Oystercatcher.

Stanwick Pits hosted two Great White Egrets, a Bar-tailed Godwit, the Ferruginous Duck hybrid and two Dunlin and other birds at Thrapston Pits included a fly-over Cattle Egret, two Great White Egrets, four Little Egrets, a Water Rail and four Goosanders.

Single Peregrines remained at St Mary's church, Higham Ferrers and on the mast at St Peter's Way, Northampton, and a Black-tailed Godwit and a Shelduck were at Summer Leys LNR and a female Blackcap was seen in a Wollaston garden. At Hollowell Reservoir a Crossbill was still present and a large flock of seven hundred Common Gulls were resting on the water.

Regards

Neil M

Male Stonechat at
Pitsford Reservoir
courtesy of Dave Jackson.

Male Siskin courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Kestrel courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Early spring migration.

Hello

A little bit of passage evident today with a few Meadow Pipits, Pied Wagtails, finches and thrushes on the move overhead, mostly going north or north-west.

Birds in the general Hanging Houghton area today included two Ravens, a singing Blackcap, a Woodcock, three Barn Owls and four Stonechats and nearby Harrington Airfield sported two Ravens, two hundred and fifty Golden Plovers, a female Brambling and three male Stonechats which were fresh in.

In the Nene Valley the Glossy Ibis was seemingly hidden for much of the day at Thrapston Pits but there was a lunchtime sighting of it in flight. Easier to find were a group of seven Great White Egrets on the Titchmarsh Reserve and another three on the Summer Leys LNR.

A Pink-footed Goose was still at Ringstead Pits near Woodford Mill and Stanwick Pits supported another Pink-footed Goose, the Bar-tailed Godwit still, six Redshanks and seven hundred Lapwings including a leucistic bird which if the same one has been doing the rounds along the Nene Valley and Pitsford Reservoir.

Adrian had a look for the Ring-necked Duck on the Main Pits (Higham Pit) at Ditchford Pits but with no joy (just a Goosander of note), but did bump into an adult Yellow-legged Gull on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve. The juvenile Iceland Gull was reported at Rushton Landfill again this morning (sadly it is limited and awkward viewing and parking opportunities at this spot alongside a busy road).

In some sheltered places today the weak sunshine and relatively high temperatures brought forth quite a number of Brimstone butterflies. Already in the UK there have been sightings of Swallow, Sand Martin and Wheatear and with more southerly winds there will no doubt be more soon!

Regards

Neil M

Barn Owl at Hanging Houghton
courtesy of Nathan Jones.

Redwing courtesy of
Robin Gossage. Plenty of
these birds were moving north
today.

Shoveler courtesy of
Robin Gossage. A much
scarcer bird in the county
these days with now just
a couple of focused areas
in the Nene Valley where they
still occur in some numbers.

Tree Sparrow. Another scarce
and declining bird in the county
with recent absences in most parts of South
Northants, once the regional 
stronghold in the county. The supported
colonies at Pitsford and Stanford
Reservoirs are now even more
important if we are to keep this
as a breeding species in Northamptonshire.
Image courtesy of Robin Gossage.