A wet Saturday

Hello

As forecast a very wet day but hopefully there is some more settled, sunnier weather on the horizon!

A Pink-footed Goose made an appearance at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today with three Shelduck being the best on offer at Stanford Reservoir. Pitsford Reservoir didn't fare much better with sightings of two Great White Egrets, two Redshank and two adult Yellow-legged Gulls.

On the passerine front Eleanor located two Common Redstarts sheltering in a hedgerow at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and later saw two Whinchats in a wild flower strip between Lamport and Scaldwell.

Six Grey Wagtails were at Brixworth Water Treatment Works today and despite the miserable weather there was quite a strong passage of gulls through the county with many Black-headed Gulls on the move and lots of Lesser Black-backeds too, some of them in family parties still with the juveniles emitting begging calls as they pass overhead!

A Black-tailed Godwit remained at Summer Leys LNR today.

Regards

Neil M

The sometimes intensive
training pays off when collies
Jaeger and Rouzel both come
 first in their respective groups in
 a regional agility competition
 yesterday. Eleanor is the one in
the middle!

Cinnabar Moth caterpillar
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Juvenile Robin courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Peacock butterfly courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Blackcap on elderberries
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Purple Hairstreak butterfly, another
good year for them, image courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Holly Blue courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls
courtesy of John Tilly.

Creatures at harvest time

Hello

An early morning find of an Avocet at Hollowell Reservoir was just reward for Jon our county recorder who is one of a number of local patch birders working hard out there almost every day to see what of interest turns up on their chosen site. Constant effort creates a much better understanding and enhanced forecasting of what is happening or changing locally and all of us should appreciate the likes of Steve Fisher (Stanwick Pits), Chris Hubbard (Stanford Reservoir), Gary Pullan (Daventry Country Park and Boddington) and others out there juggling work and other responsibilities with their passion for birding.

An Osprey was seen at Hollowell Reservoir later and at Pitsford Reservoir there were three Common Sandpipers on the dam this morning and two Red-crested Pochard and two Great White Egrets in the Scaldwell Bay. A Raven was noted at Pipewell and this afternoon Honey Hill produced some migrants which included a Spotted Flycatcher, a possible Pied Flycatcher (flew from the observer before identification confirmed) and two Common Redstarts.

A Black-tailed Godwit was still at Summer Leys LNR today and Stanford Reservoir attracted a Marsh Harrier, at least six Spotted Flycatchers and a high count of fourteen Ravens. Four Grey Partridges were at Harrington Airfield on a very dull and cloudy evening as were a minimum of six Brown Hares!

Regards

Neil M

A rather tired Green Woodpecker
at Stortons Pits today courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Grass Snake at Stortons Pits
today courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Brown Hares at Harrington Airfield
in very poor light this evening.

Redstarts and godwits

Hello

A trundle around the Lilbourne Meadows reserve today provided lots of young birds with Goldfinches and Linnets flocking already on the grass and plant seeds and family parties of Common Whitethroats working the hedgerows. A family of Yellow Wagtails probably originated on the reserve and there were plenty of Sedge Warblers in the grasses and scrubby areas which are probably a combination of birds bred on the reserve and migrants coming through from elsewhere. Two Common Redstarts were on site, one a stunning adult male just starting it's post-breeding moult. Waders included a few Lapwings, a Black-tailed Godwit first thing, eight Green Sandpipers and a single Common Sandpiper. One or two Grey Partridge(s) were noted. There is still a great deal of work being completed on this reserve which includes significant landscaping and bund work and more vegetation clearances and fence work which means the opening of this reserve has been put back another year and currently public access is restricted to the roads and a footpath on the M1 side of the reserve.

A visit to Honey Hill yielded just common migrants but the swathes of Harebells looked fabulous as did the four Brown Hares there too!

Birds in and around the vicinity of the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this morning included the male Common Redstart, two drake Red-crested Pochard, two Great White Egrets and two Green Sandpipers, with two Common Sandpipers at the dam end of the reservoir. The female Ruddy Shelduck was at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon but may have flew back towards Hollowell Reservoir.

Two or three Common Redstarts were still at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning and a Wheatear and two Whinchats were in the Brampton Valley in the vicinity of Shrike Hedge between Hanging Houghton and Cottesbrooke.

A Black-tailed Godwit was on the scrape at Summer Leys LNR this afternoon and four Sandwich Terns were seen to fly though at Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits this morning.

At Stanford Reservoir there were two Common Redstarts, one of which was caught and ringed and two Spotted Flycatchers which were similarly caught and ringed. Other birds included a Black-tailed Godwit on the dam and three Shelducks.

A female Peregrine was in Market Harborough town centre today and yesterday an Otter showed well along the River Welland there in the afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Harebells and Roesel's
Bush-cricket Honey Hill.

Southern Hawker at Scotland
Wood, Kelmarsh Estate.

Red Admiral at Scotland
Wood, Kelmarsh Estate.

Waders love mud

Hello

There was an influx of Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns at Pitsford Reservoir this morning, with a couple of Common Gulls in tow too. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was off the dam and four Common Sandpipers were noted at that end too. Four Common Sandpipers on the causeway this evening may or may not be the same birds!

North of the causeway saw the Common Redstart still in situ in hedging west of Maytrees Hide, one or two Hobby, a Green Sandpiper, a Great White Egret and up to about twenty Tree Sparrows around the feeding station.

Two Common Redstarts, at least three Spotted Flycatchers and a mixed flock of common warblers were in the bushes at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon.

A juvenile Mediterranean Gull was noted at Stanwick Pits this morning and birds at Stanford Reservoir included a Hobby, three Shelduck and a Common Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Black-headed Gull.

Common Sandpiper.

Little Ringed Plover.

Ruff.

All images courtesy 
of John Tilly.

Static Common Redstarts

Hello

A day of Common Redstarts in the county with all these birds having been present at their separate localities for some time now whilst they undergo post-breeding moult.

Two Common Redstarts remain at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell where there was also two Hobbies. Nearby two Hobbies, probably different birds, were in the Brampton Valley between Hanging Houghton and Cottesbrooke, hunting over fields near Shrike Hedge.

The male Common Redstart was in the perimeter fence hedging at Pitsford Reservoir this morning in the Scaldwell Bay between Maytrees and the Bird Club hide. Other birds noted included the two drake Red-crested Pochard and a Green Sandpiper. A Common Redshank and four Common Sandpipers were south of the causeway.

This afternoon a Common Redstart was by the ringing ride near to Bunker One at Harrington Airfield. A Grey Partridge was heard calling and there were still a few Marbled White butterflies on the wing.

Three Common Sandpipers were at Daventry Country Park, a Curlew was at Summer Leys LNR this afternoon before flying off and a Whinchat was nearby in the Nene Valley, still 100 metres from the iron bridge near Great Doddington Sewer Plant.

Three Ospreys flew south-west through Hollowell Reservoir this evening and three juvenile Spotted Flycatchers were at Cogenhoe Pocket Park at midday.

Regards

Neil M

Adult male Common Redstart
at Pitsford Reservoir today
courtesy of David Arden.

Juvenile Wren courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

A Stoat on the dam at Daventry
Country Park today courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Last day of July

Hello

A quiet day in the county today with little significantly different on the last day of the month.

A Common Redstart and a Whinchat were at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir hosted the two drake Red-crested Pochard, a Goldeneye and a Kingfisher this evening.

At Hollowell Reservoir this morning the female Ruddy Shelduck was still present plus an Oystercatcher, a Little Ringed Plover, five Green Sandpipers and three Common Sandpipers.

Birds recorded at Stanford Reservoir today included six Spotted Flycatchers, a Common Sandpiper, two Oystercatchers, eight Shelduck, eight Ravens and five Lesser Whitethroats. A Great White Egret was present at Summer Leys LNR as was a Red Underwing moth.

Of the many Common Terns found dead at Pitsford Reservoir this year at least four were previously ringed made up of three birds raised on the rafts there in previous years plus a bird ringed as a nestling at Ferry Meadows Country Park, Cambridgeshire way back on 27th June 2013. Well in excess of twenty Common Terns died at Pitsford earlier in the season all presumed victims of the bird flu which claimed many Black-headed Gulls too.

Regards

Neil M

Common Tern.

That has to hurt? Juvenile
Cormorants don't have the
best table manners when Mum/
Dad brings in the food!
Images courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Holly Blue butterfly.

Pebble Prominent moth.

Ringing at Linford Lakes

Hello

A small and very busy ringing team led by Kenny Cramer experienced a bumper ringing session on Friday at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes, catching an astonishing 251 birds of twenty species. Nearly all these were new birds and the majority were young birds hatched this year with warblers dominating the early morning and then the tits finding the mist nets in the latter part. The warblers were made up of forty-five Blackcaps, twenty Garden Warblers, twenty-one Reed Warblers, ten Sedge Warblers, six Common Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, six Willow Warblers and forty Chiffchaffs. The tits were made up of fifty-two Blue, eighteen Great and two Long-tailed. Other birds included six juvenile Goldfinches, two Treecreepers, a juvenile Goldcrest and three Great Spotted Woodpeckers with other birds including Blackbird, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Wren and Robin.

Back to today (Sunday) and birds at Pitsford Reservoir this morning included the male Common Redstart still, two Red-crested Pochards, two Common Sandpipers, a Green Sandpiper, a Redshank, a Great White Egret and a Hobby, all centred around the Scaldwell Bay.

Two juvenile Common Redstarts were at Summer Leys LNR today near to the main car park and a Greenshank was present before flying off west; a Whinchat was found next to the River Nene 100m downstream from the iron bridge below Great Doddington near to the sewer works.

An Osprey fished successfully at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today and Harrington Airfield hosted two Common Redstarts and a Wheatear.

Ten Spotted Flycatchers were the star birds at Stanford Reservoir today plus a Common Sandpiper and  eight Shelducks.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Goldfinch courtesy
of Michelle Sawbridge-Praties.

Lesser Whitethroat courtesy
of Michelle Sawbridge-Praties.

Juvenile Chiffchaff courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

The ring on this adult
Black-headed Gull having
a scratch confirms that this
bird is 26 years old!

Canon lens for sale

Hello

A very wet end to the day after some pleasant weather earlier and the singing birds are reducing day by day as we slip from summer to autumn.

Efforts at trying to keep our local Tree Sparrow population going around Pitsford Reservoir have fueled some success this year with a couple of broods of youngsters coming to the main feed station at the Old Scaldwell Road. The second feed station and nest box cluster off-site seems to have had success with an estimated twenty-four youngsters emerging from the nest boxes there so it seems we will keep our local Tree Sparrow population for a little longer yet! Ringing has told us that our local birds are joined by others from the north-east of England in the winter with the potential of fresh blood and variation in the gene pool of this nomadic species.

Today there was at least one Grey Wagtail in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth and a female Common Redstart was at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) in the hedgerow at the bottom of the Big Field.

At Stanford Reservoir today the three Whinchats remained and the four Goosanders showed up in flight over the dam. Other birds included the eight Shelduck still, a Common Sandpiper and two Hobbies.

Robin Gossage is looking to sell his Canon EF 100-400 lens (f4.5-5.6L IS USM Mk2). Versatility is the name of the game with this lens which is in great condition and has been rarely used during the last few years. The lens works even better with the new mirrorless cameras (adapter required). It comes with the original case, both end caps, hood, filter and booklet and has two small blemishes (one on the hood and one on the body).

If interested contact Robin at robin.gossage@sky.com or leave a message on 01604 847967. Viewing of the lens is welcome - Robin is open to any reasonable offer in the region of £1,100.

Regards

Neil M

Comma courtesy of
John Tilly.

Small Tortoiseshell courtesy
of John Tilly.

Some of our adult passerine birds
are looking pretty tatty and
those that have finished breeding
will be undertaking a full moult
replacing wing, tail and body
feathers like this Robin.
Image courtesy of John Tilly.

Robin's Canon 100 - 400 lens.

Late July sightings

Hello

A warm but autumnal feel to the day with the countryside now the haunt of noisy juvenile Common Buzzards as they beg for food from the adults - and it will go on for some time!

At Pitsford Reservoir the Black-necked Grebe was utilising much of the Scaldwell Bay and the adult male Common Redstart had moved down to the perimeter fence and hedge of The Scaldwell Bay between the Maytrees and Bird Club Hides. At least one Purple Hairstreak was fluttering around oaks near to the Fishing Lodge.

An Osprey was again over Titchmarsh LNR at Thrapston today and a Common Gull was present too. Later in the afternoon a cream crown Marsh Harrier spent some fifteen minutes there before heading south and two adult Yellow-legged Gulls were noted. The Ruddy Shelduck remained at Hollowell Reservoir where there was also a Dunlin, four Green Sandpipers and two Common Sandpipers.

Stanford Reservoir attracted a Black-tailed Godwit today, the three Whinchats were still there and also four Common Sandpipers, eight Shelduck and a Hobby.

At Lamport Hall today there was a Hobby, two Ravens, a Grey Wagtail, twenty-seven screaming Swifts and two Little Egrets flew over. A modest ringing session there captured seven Swifts and sixteen House Martins during the evening.

Regards

Neil M

Grey Wagtail at Duston Mill
weir today courtesy of
 Tony Stanford.

Grey Heron at Duston Mill
today courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Common Swifts at Lamport
Hall this evening courtesy of
Chris Payne.