February bits and pieces

Hello

A visit to Market Harborough this morning started well - I heard the Peregrines as soon as I opened the car door and watched as a pair attacked a Common Buzzard that dared to overfly the town centre. The walk along the River Welland failed to locate an Otter but a Grey Wagtail and three Siskins were some compensation. Small numbers of Siskins were at Kelmarsh Hall and Scotland Wood and over a hundred were well spread at Harlestone Heath where there were also two Ravens. A Brambling was again with other finches in a field off  Webbs Lane, Sywell.

The Dartford Warbler again showed well at Duston Mill today, mostly in the field to the south of the canal, and there was a drake Goosander at Delapre Lake/Hardingstone Pits and images of Chiffchaffs photographed at Ecton SF a few days ago include a putative Siberian Chiffchaff.

At Stanwick Pits there were three White-fronted Geese on the Main Lake this morning and later this afternoon, and fifteen Great White Egrets and two Cattle Egrets were also on-site. A Chiffchaff and five Goosanders were seen at Stanford Reservoir today.

Regards

Neil M

Dartford Warbler at
Duston Mill today courtesy
of the finder Ken Prouse.

Drake Goosander at
Delapre Lake/Hardingstone
Pits today courtesy of
Don West.

Small birds of interest

Hello

A much calmer day of weather today and still some great birds to be seen in the county.

The Dartford Warbler was still at Duston Mill today together with two Stonechats and there are some super pictures of this bird in circulation (sadly not from me though!). A Raven was seen in flight there too.

Birds at Pitsford Reservoir today again included the Great Northern Diver, an adult Yellow-legged Gull and Common Sandpiper all in the southern section. Birds north of the causeway included a Great White Egret, a Redshank and still the partly white Reed Bunting at the Old Scaldwell Road feeding station.

A drake Goosander was on the River Nene at Weston Mill, Northampton, a Ruff was at Summer Leys LNR this afternoon and the adult Whooper Swan was conveniently close to the Navigation Inn near Cosgrove in the south of the county.

Singles of Cattle Egret and Great White Egret were at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve at Ditchford Pits, two adult Caspian Gulls were at Hollowell Reservoir early this afternoon and at least forty Bramblings were still attracted to seed at Harrington Airfield.

Some garden ringing on the outskirts of Northampton today provided a Siskin, a Reed Bunting, two Goldfinches and six Lesser Redpolls. One of the Redpolls was an aberrantly-plumaged bird that was particularly eye-catching.

Details have come through of a Belgium-ringed Blackcap that was controlled at Pitsford Reservoir on 8th October 2021. This male bird was originally caught and ringed on 6th September 2020 at Sint Huibrechts-Hern, Limburg, Belgium when assessed as a first year. It is difficult to speculate where this bird had been between these dates and where it's potential breeding and wintering region might be, the distance between the two sites is 466km with Pitsford lying WNW of the original ringing location.

Regards

Neil M

Partly-white Lesser Redpoll.

Blue Tit courtesy
of John Tilly.

Map depicting two
sites associated with
the Belgium-ringed Blackcap
courtesy of Nick Wood.

 

Wet and wild Sunday

Hello

A very windy, wet and wild day, the weather being much more significant than forecast with numerous localised power cuts, downed trees etc.

The Dartford Warbler continued to show today at Duston Mill, delighting visitors with some good showings and often still in the company of two Stonechats. Six Goosanders were next door at Stortons Pits and there was a Birdguides report of a Siberian Chiffchaff with a Chiffchaff along a stream by Sixfields Lake car park late morning.

The southern section of Pitsford Reservoir continued to host the Great Northern Diver (The Narrows and Pintail Bay), a Common Sandpiper (on the dam) and an adult Yellow-legged Gull this afternoon. At least thirty Bramblings were still at Harrington Airfield early this afternoon.

The three Nene Valley White-fronted Geese turned up on Aldwincle Lake at Thrapston Pits this afternoon where there was also an Oystercatcher and two Kingfishers.

Early this afternoon there was a Caspian Gull seen off the A5 pools near Lilbourne which flew west and a male Blackcap was seen feeding on ivy berries in a Woodford Halse garden.

Regards

Neil M

Common Sandpiper.

Song Thrush.
 Providing berries 
during the winter and early spring,
ivy is an important food plant for
birds such as thrushes, warblers,
Woodpigeons and many others.

Stock Dove.

Exotic winterers

Hello

Cool and breezy today with a very special red and then orange sunrise.

The Duston Mill Dartford Warbler and the pair of Stonechats materialised today and the warbler provided nice views this afternoon.

Pitsford Reservoir continues to be the venue for a Great Northern Diver which this afternoon was in The Narrows and swimming towards Pintail Bay. At one stage it tried to fly in the strong wind and caught it's wing in the surface water and ungraciously summersaulted upside down in the water! Other birds at this site included a Common Sandpiper on the dam this morning and an adult Yellow-legged Gull off the Sailing Club this afternoon; a Barnacle Goose and a Redshank were north of the causeway this morning.

The wintering Black Redstart was still at the summit compound at Borough Hill Country Park, Daventry this morning and the Whooper Swan was still accompanying Mute Swans in the Tove Valley near Cosgrove.

In excess of thirty Bramblings remained at Harrington Airfield this morning with still a flock of Siskins at Harlestone Heath by the railway line. Half a dozen Bramblings were along the Brampton Valley Way near Draughton Crossing this morning.

Chris Payne's efforts at looking for wildlife using a thermal imaging camera last night provided views of a variety of wildlife near Greens Norton including two Woodcock, a Fox and two Otters!

The three White-fronted Geese were again at Stanford Hall this morning and birds at Stanford Reservoir included two Great White Egrets, a Yellow-legged Gull and four Bramblings.

Regards

Neil M

This winter sees several exotic bird
species wintering in the UK including
this fabulous Belted Kingfisher in Lancashire.
Originating all the way from the USA
this giant of a kingfisher has been seen at a 
number of locations.
 Images courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

Common Buzzard courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Sparrowhawk courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Nordic traveller

Hello

Cool and breezy today with wintry showers this morning.

Efforts at finding the sometimes elusive Dartford Warbler at Duston Mill today failed to locate the bird, and the Stonechats couldn't be found either.

The first year White-fronted Goose was again seen at Sywell Country Park today and the Pink-footed Goose was still at Ravensthorpe Reservoir where there were also four Great White Egrets. Birds at Hollowell Reservoir included two Great White Egrets, a Jack Snipe and six Stonechats. A Green Sandpiper was on the dam at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon.

Birds at Harrington Airfield this afternoon included at least seventy Bramblings, two Woodcock, thirty Golden Plovers and four Grey Partridges.

We now have the details of the Norwegian-ringed Brambling that was trapped at Harrington Airfield on 12th December 2021. This first winter bird was first ringed at Sore Merkeskog, Utsira, Rogaland on 4th October 2021. This aerodynamic finch took a maximum of sixty-nine days to travel a minimum of 846km in a general SW direction.

Regards

Neil M

The first year female
Brambling first ringed
in Rogaland, Norway
and controlled at
Harrington Airfield.
Image courtesy of
Liam Andrews.

Map of Brambling
migration trajectory
courtesy of Nick Wood.

Finches on show

Hello

The Dartford Warbler was on show on and off at Duston Mill again this morning and it was good to see so many local birders enjoying it's antics. The pair of Stonechats and a Chiffchaff were there too and nearby Sixfields Lake hosted three Goosanders, a Little Egret, a Grey Wagtail and a Cetti's Warbler. On the other side of Northampton there was a Jack Snipe at Barnes Meadow LNR plus eight Common Snipe, a Raven and a Cetti's Warbler.

The bird food field (perhaps Millet) off Webb's Lane, Sywell this afternoon held c400 Linnets, fifty each of Chaffinch and Yellowhammer, a few Reed Buntings and other common finches and at least one Brambling. There were at least twenty Bramblings at Harrington Airfield this morning.

There were two Ravens at Hanging Houghton village this morning with another at Holcot village and there were six Bramblings and two Woodcock at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell. A smart Brambling graced a garden in South Northants today. 

Quality birds remain at Stanwick Pits with the three White-fronted Geese still there plus five Cattle Egrets and fourteen Great White Egrets and birds visible from the dam at Pitsford Reservoir this morning included a Barnacle Goose and an adult Yellow-legged Gull.

The three White-fronted Geese were again at Stanford Hall this afternoon and a Hawfinch at Hartwell briefly by Gordon's Lodge at 9.15am before flying south was a good winter record.

Regards

Neil M

Male Brambling courtesy
of John Tilly.

Linnets at Sywell
courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

Dartford Warbler!

Hello

Another mild day with breeze and sunshine made it a good day to be out and about!

Ken Prouse found the bird of the day (and possibly the month) when he came across a Dartford Warbler on rough ground at Duston Mill, Northampton (SP730594) this morning. With only a handful of previous county records this species remains a rare wintering bird locally. For a time this bird was in company with a pair of Stonechats, a relationship that is well documented in it's usual haunt further south in England. The bird showed throughout the day. Well done Ken!

A Green Sandpiper and three Stonechats were nearby at Upton Country Park.

The drake Smew and the Pink-footed Goose were again at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today and Mark located two Caspian Gulls at Hollowell Reservoir where there were also two Great White Egrets and four Stonechats.

The Great Northern Diver and a first year Shag were at Pitsford Reservoir this lunchtime, the diver near the mouth of Pintail Bay and the Shag in the main basin. Other birds included a Redshank on the causeway and on the reserve there was a drake Mandarin Duck, a Woodcock, a Water Rail, a Great White Egret. three Pintail and several Siskins.

Over fifty Bramblings were present at Harrington Airfield today plus over fifty Redwings and a pair of Grey Partridge. Further Caspian Gulls included two at Rushton Landfill and two off the A5 on pools near Lilbourne. The three White-fronted Geese were still at Stanford Hall today and the reservoir provided for a Goosander, three Ravens, a Kingfisher, a Chiffchaff and four Bramblings.

Regards

Neil M

Today's Dartford Warbler
courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

Male Lesser Redpoll
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Male Siskin courtesy
of Chris Payne.

 Two Siskins and the above Redpoll
 were caught and ringed at Greens
Norton today together with a small
number of common birds.

Another day finishing clearing
 out the owl boxes at Pitsford
Reservoir, image courtesy
of Michelle Spinks.

First day of Feb

Hello

A breezy, bright day and with relatively high temperatures and warmish sun made it feel more like a spring day!

The county hotspot today was Ravensthorpe Reservoir with birds on show including a drake Smew, a Pink-footed Goose and up to five Great White Egrets and two Siskins. The three White-fronted Geese seem to be enjoying the parkland surroundings of Stanford Hall still with birds at nearby Stanford Reservoir amounting to a Great White Egret, three Ravens, a Kingfisher and two Bramblings.

Stanwick Pits is still pulling in the egrets with two Cattle Egrets and fifteen Great White Egrets there with the three Nene Valley White-fronted Geese being seen on the Main Lake there this afternoon.

Three Caspian Gulls were together at the pools off the A5 near Lilbourne early this afternoon and single Green Sandpipers were seen at Upton CP and Pitsford Reservoir.

This morning there were six Bramblings again at the summit of Blueberry Hill near Maidwell and Harrington Airfield this afternoon held about forty Bramblings, a pair of Ravens and two pairs of Grey Partridge and twenty-nine Pied Wagtails.

Regards

Neil M

Starling courtesy of
John Tilly.

Pied Wagtail.

Drake Goldeneye.

Quiet last day of the month

Hello

Windy and cold at Harrington Airfield this morning but at least it was clear and bright! At least thirty Bramblings were on-site, mostly in the ringing ride by Bunker One and about forty Golden Plovers were on the top fields. A flock of about three hundred Linnets were feeding on a crop at Sywell today, which also attracted small numbers of Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer.

A drake Smew was found at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today where there were also two Great White Egrets and Stanwick Pits continues to host at least two Cattle Egrets and three White-fronted Geese.

Three White-fronted Geese were still at Stanford Hall today and Stanford Reservoir attracted a Caspian Gull, two Yellow-legged Gulls, two Goosanders, a Water Rail, a Cetti's Warbler, a Chiffchaff and six Bramblings.

A Great White Egret was north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir today and a Green Sandpiper was seen at Upton Country Park.

Regards

Neil M

A Long-tailed Tit trapped and
released at Harrington Airfield
on 22nd January this year was 
first ringed as a juvenile in 2015
making it almost seven years old.
The oldest known bird nationally
from ringing data is eight years and
eleven months.

Image courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Blue sky Common Buzzard
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

A Blue Tit first ringed as a 
juvenile at Geddington on
17th June 2020 by Andy Glover
has since been re-trapped at it's
new home of Kelmarsh Hall on
27th Nov 2020, 25th Feb 2021,
11th April 2021 and also 5th
January this year.

Image courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Birds of orchard, wood, gravel pit and reservoir

Hello

A couple of Northants Ringing Group ringing sessions included a revisit to a community orchard in Milton Keynes where Kenny and team hoped for some more thrushes. A Green Woodpecker was an interesting catch and other birds included a Woodpigeon, a superb fourteen Blackbirds, five Long-tailed Tits, twenty Blue Tits, a Greenfinch and two Goldcrests. A female Sparrowhawk was briefly in the net but these lively accipiters rarely stay long and she quickly wriggled free!

Over a hundred woodland birds were processed at Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate today with the highlights being three Blackbirds, four Redwings, four Marsh Tits, eleven Coal Tits, three Nuthatches and two Goldcrests. Several Siskins were present throughout the session and other birds included one or two Woodcock and Raven. A Brambling was at nearby Kelmarsh Hall.

Two Woodcock and a Snipe were flushed in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning and birds in the Ecton SF/Billing Pits area included a Green Sandpiper, at least five Chiffchaffs and a Great White Egret. Six Goosanders were again at Stortons Pits and the Bittern was seen again briefly at the west end of the reedbed at about 11am. Four Whooper Swans flew south-east there at about 9.55am.

The Great Northern Diver was again at Pitsford Reservoir, the Black Redstart was at the Borough Hill Country Park compound and birds at Hollowell Reservoir included a Caspian Gull and the female Ruddy Shelduck. An Oystercatcher at Thrapston Pits was an early 'spring' arrival and other birds included three Great White Egrets, two Egyptian Geese, a Peregrine, a Water Rail, two Kingfishers, two Cetti's Warblers, two Stonechats and two or three Chiffchaffs.

Over at Stanford Reservoir four Yellow-legged Gulls were noted in the roost, a Great White Egret was seen and a Water Rail and a Barn Owl were also recorded. Ringers on-site managed to ring twelve Bramblings there.

Regards

Neil M

Green Woodpecker courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Bittern courtesy of
John Tilly.

Lesser Black-backed Gull
courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Mixed weather weekend

Hello 

Mild conditions today but windy and back to being cold overnight and tomorrow.

About a thousand Fieldfares foraging in the fields were an amazing spectacle in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon and this concentration was probably why an adult female Peregrine was spending plenty of time there too! Just eleven Golden Plovers and a handful of Bramblings were at Harrington Airfield this afternoon.

The Great Northern Diver was seen in The Narrows at Pitsford Reservoir early this afternoon and half a dozen Siskins were at Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate also this afternoon.

Two Ravens remain very vocal in Hanging Houghton village with a couple of Siskins too. Another Raven, a Redpoll and a Grey Wagtail were near Brixworth and a Redpoll was in flight at Scaldwell village.

In the Nene Valley there were five Goosanders seen at Stortons Pits and observers at Summer Leys LNR enjoyed a Peregrine in hunting mode and six Great White Egrets. The three mobile White-fronted Geese were seen at Stanford Hall today and birds at nearby Stanford Reservoir included a Caspian Gull, a Great White Egret, three Little Egrets and two Water Rails.

Regards

Neil M

Meadow Pipit courtesy
of Don West.

Stoat - it turned up in
David Arden's garden
whilst he was conducting
the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch!

County winterers

Hello

Birds at Pitsford Reservoir today included the Great Northern Diver in the main basin north of the dam, the Barnacle Goose, the drake Mandarin Duck, a Great White Egret, a female Pintail and a Redshank.

The Black Redstart was again seen in the summit compound at Borough Hill Country Park, Daventry early this afternoon. A pair of Stonechats were at Upton Fields this morning and three Redpolls were in alders along the River Nene at Upton Country Park.

The female Merlin, a Corn Bunting and a Barn Owl were again logged in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today and another Barn Owl was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell. Approximately thirty Bramblings were at Harrington Airfield this afternoon.

Birding at Hollowell Reservoir provided two Caspian Gulls, a Great White Egret, two Shelducks, a Jack Snipe and six Stonechats. The Pink-footed Goose remained at Ravensthorpe Reservoir.

In the Nene Valley today there were two Cattle Egrets, a Great White Egret, a Goosander and a Redshank on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve, c200 Golden Plovers were at Summer Leys LNR and a Bittern was seen in flight at Stortons Pits this afternoon. Three White-fronted Geese were on the Main Lake at Stanwick Pits again today.

Three Caspian Gulls were noted at Rushton Landfill this afternoon and a pair of Blackcaps have been visiting a Kingsthorpe garden regularly.

Regards

Neil M

Cormorant.

Grey Heron.
Already there are Cormorants and Grey
Herons at their nests in the Nene Valley.

Goldcrest.

Big Garden Birdwatch

Hello

A relatively quiet day for birds being reported in the county today but there are still interesting birds out there!

A WeBS count was completed at Ditchford Pits today but gone are the days when we used to see wintering Bitterns and other cold weather birds at this site. West of Ditchford Lane and the best birds were an adult female Peregrine, a Great White Egret and a male Stonechat. East of Ditchford Lane and the pits held a Great White Egret, two Goosanders, two Kingfishers, two or three Grey Wagtails, eight Common Snipe and a Jack Snipe.

Further along the Nene Valley and birds at Stanwick Pits first thing this morning included three White-fronted Geese, five Cattle Egrets and fourteen Great White Egrets.

Harrington Airfield this afternoon hosted about forty Golden Plovers, about twenty-five Bramblings and a flock of thirty-seven Pied Wagtails.

At 4pm this afternoon the first year White-fronted Goose flew into Sywell Country Park with the feral goose flock and a Jack Snipe was located at Hollowell Reservoir this morning.

It is the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch this week-end should you wish to partake!

Regards

Neil M

Woodpigeon.

House Sparrow.

Blue Tit

Robin.

Perhaps the most likely species
to be seen on the Big Garden Birdwatch!
Images courtesy of John Tilly.