Pitsford Webs count

Hello

Yesterday (Monday) saw the waterbird count at Pitsford Reservoir being completed for the month of September but there are no big numbers of waterfowl yet. The Wigeon are building up as expected but the Gadwall and Tufted Duck numbers are no better than July. Six Pintail in the Scaldwell Bay will no doubt increase if the water continues to fall and provide the muddy shallows they adore. South of the causeway an Osprey passed over heading south at height and there were four Common Sandpipers, a Common Redstart, two Crossbills and several bouncy flocks of Siskins. Birds north of the causeway included a Garganey on the shoreline in the Holcot Bay, four Great White Egrets, at least one Green Sandpiper (the Scaldwell Lagoon can no longer be viewed due to vegetation so who know what is in there!) and a couple of Common Sandpipers. A Black Tern arrived just before we concluded the count and other birds north of the causeway included a Tufted Duck with some Scaup genes near to the causeway, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Hobby or two, a Kingfisher, a Goldeneye and more Siskins.

There were still lots of Migrant Hawkers and Ruddy and Common Darters as well as a couple of tardy Southern and Brown Hawkers and butterflies included fresh Commas and Small Heaths.

At Hollowell Reservoir yesterday the Little Stint was showing with nine Ringed Plovers, a Greenshank, a Pink-footed Goose, a juvenile Caspian Gull and a Whinchat. Stanford Reservoir hosted two Marsh Harriers (one wing-tagged), the Ruddy Shelduck again, a Hobby and two Common Sandpipers with the ringers catching eighty-four new birds, processing two ringed birds from elsewhere and twenty-six re-traps.

Also yesterday there were a couple of reports of the Pectoral Sandpiper from Summer Leys LNR again and the Bittern showed well from the Double-decker hide. Other birds logged were a Dunlin, eight Ringed Plovers, five Common Sandpipers, a Little Ringed Plover, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Ruff.

A Black Tern was at Clifford Hill Pits and a Marsh Harrier was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton in the evening. Earlier in the day there was a Common Redstart and two Whinchats at Blueberry Farm around the stables with two Whinchats and a Wheatear at Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley.

A Spotted Flycatcher was seen at Bearshank Wood and Harrington Airfield yielded two or three Common Redstarts, a Wheatear, three Whinchats and eight Grey Partridges.

Today (Tuesday) and a big change in the weather with light rain sweeping the county and a few heavy showers too.

The Bittern at Summer Leys has been showing well today and other birds include a Black-tailed Godwit, a Ruff and eight Ringed Plovers.

The Little Stint remains at Hollowell Reservoir today with the supporting cast of six Ringed Plovers, four Common Snipe, two Greenshanks and a Green Sandpiper and a Whinchat.

Stanford Reservoir's contribution included two Marsh Harriers still, the Ruddy Shelduck, two Common Sandpipers, a Water Rail and two Hobbies. Five Yellow-legged Gulls and a Common Sandpiper were off the dam at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and evening.

A quick visit to Lamport Hall provided sixteen Spotted Flycatchers and a Common Redstart and the Blueberry Farm area was good for up to three Wheatears and two Whinchats. The 'Shrike Hedge' area of the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton initially supported two Whinchats and a Wheatear this morning and with the wet weather this afternoon there was a flock of about sixty Skylarks, two extra Wheatears and a Marsh Harrier.

Regards

Neil M

First year female Sparrowhawk
from the ringing session at
Harrington Airfield on Sunday
courtesy of Steve Wilson.

First year female Common Redstart
from Harrington Airfield on Sunday
courtesy of Steve Wilson.

Bittern at Summer Leys LNR
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Bittern at Summer Leys LNR
courtesy of Neil Hasdell.

Hot and humid birding

Hello

Ringing at Linford Lakes in unseasonably warm conditions yesterday provided the ringers with seventy-nine birds of twelve species, seventy-one of which were newly-ringed. Blackcaps were the winners in the numbers game with forty birds processed and fourteen Chiffchaffs continues a good autumn for them too. Four Reed Warblers and a Cetti's Warbler also hit the nets but the star birds were a Kingfisher and a juvenile Green Woodpecker. Other wildlife noted included a Great White Egret, a Green Sandpiper and a Raven.

At Harrington Airfield today we were fortunate to encounter twenty-one species of birds in the mist nets totaling one hundred and eighty-seven birds, of which one hundred and four were Blackcaps. Other warblers amounted to a Willow Warbler, a noteworthy sixteen Chiffchaffs, a Reed Warbler, five Lesser Whitethroats and twelve Common Whitethroats. A first year female Common Redstart was only the second to be caught at this site this year. A handful of finches included a rather unseasonal Lesser Redpoll and twelve Meadow Pipits marks the beginning of the migration season for them.

Perhaps the best captures were two first year Sparrowhawks - first a female and a little later a male.

Other birds on-site included a Wheatear on Bunker One, a Barn Owl, fly-overs of plenty more Meadow Pipits and small numbers of Siskin, Yellow and Grey Wagtails. A flock of medium-sized unidentified and silent waders powered over south before dawn.

These ringing session and the others of the last few days plus all the efforts at Stanford Reservoir appear to demonstrate a trend of high numbers of warblers moving through the midlands only to be replaced by new birds the following day. There were absolutely no re-trapped birds of any description at Harrington Airfield today which is unprecedented.

A Pectoral Sandpiper was photographed at Summer Leys LNR late this morning and still present early afternoon but it isn't clear if this bird was seen again late afternoon/evening. The Bittern showed again a couple of times, sometimes affording good views and other birds included Peregrine, Ruff, seven Ringed Plovers, a Dunlin and four Common Sandpipers.

The Hollowell Reservoir Little Stint was still present early this morning with eight Ringed Plovers on the north-east shoreline. A Hobby and a Kingfisher were noted in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this evening.

Two Whinchats were still at Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this evening and late afternoon saw twelve Spotted Flycatchers, two Common Redstarts, at least two Siskins, two Hobbies and many hirundines and Chiffchaffs viewable from the footpath at the south side of Lamport Hall.

The female Ruddy Shelduck appeared at Stanford Reservoir at dawn and again at dusk and the two wing-tagged Marsh Harriers were still present plus four Siskins, two Common Sandpipers and two Hobbies.

Regards

Neil M

Sunrise Linford Lakes.

Chiffchaff.

First year male
Sparrowhawk.

All images courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Wandering juvenile Great White Egret and Marsh Harriers.

Hello

Possibly the warmest day so far of the current heatwave and possibly a little respite tomorrow with some hoped-for cloud cover but it is likely to be humid.

All action at Stanford Reservoir with three Marsh Harriers present this morning, two of which exhibit wing tags which confirms them as juveniles and ringed as nestlings near Welney in Cambridgeshire and Breydon Water, Norfolk this summer. A Peregrine and a Common Sandpiper were also present and the ringers ringed a staggering 429 new birds today!

At Hollowell Reservoir the Little Stint was still present plus five Ringed Plovers, four Common Sandpipers and a Greenshank.

At Pitsford Reservoir the Wood Sandpiper was still in the Scaldwell Bay, sometimes visible from the Bird Club hide and other times on the bund and viewable from the James Fisher Hide. Other birds included four Green Sandpipers, a Ringed Plover and three Great White Egrets.

At Summer Leys LNR the Bittern again showed on the main scrape, generally from the double-decker hide. A colour-ringed Great White Egret was also present and Kim managed to find out that it is a bird ringed this year as a nestling at Ham Wall, Somerset where a number of pairs breed. Other birds included a Peregrine, a Hobby, a Ruff, three Common Sandpipers and four Ringed Plovers.

Three Whinchats were at Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton with two Wheatears this morning and this evening just the Whinchats appeared to be present.

Meadow Pipits, Yellow Wagtails and Siskins were mostly audible as they passed over Harrington Airfield in blue skies this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Little Stint.

Marsh Harrier courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Great White Egret courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

The Blackcaps keep coming!

Hello

A couple of Northants Ringing Group sessions were undertaken today which helps to underline the sheer number of Blackcaps on the move at the moment. The ringers at Stanford Reservoir have shown in the past that it is possible to catch and ring two hundred of these birds in a day, such are the concentrations of this successful migrant warbler. These days it is more of a short and medium distance migrant and during passage eats plenty of berries to supplement it's insect diet. They are now capable of eating a variety of wild bird food put out for birds in general in gardens and despite being ruthlessly persecuted in the Mediterranean region it is a species that seems to be doing well.

Chris Payne and small team were ringing at a private site near Greens Norton today and in one morning caught and ringed 144 Blackcaps out of an excellent total of 161 birds. A Kingfisher is always an undoubted highlight!

Some more ringing in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this morning wasn't quite so spectacular but ninety birds were processed which included thirty-two Blackcaps. One of these birds was carrying a ring from elsewhere so hopefully we will find out soon where from! Other warblers caught and ringed included eight Chiffchaffs and singles of Sedge Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat, and a Treecreeper is always great to admire in the hand.

Birds on-site at Pitsford Reservoir today included the Wood Sandpiper still in the Scaldwell Bay (just to the left of the Bird Club hide), a Greenshank, four Great White Egrets, two Pintail, two Ravens, a Kingfisher and several Siskins bouncing overhead. Several Badgers were seen early this morning as well as the usual Brown Hares and Muntjac.

An interesting list of birds for Summer Leys LNR today included the Bittern again plus two Ringed Plovers, a Dunlin, a Common Sandpiper, two Great White Egrets and seven Little Egrets with a Ruff, a Common Sandpiper and a Common Snipe at Clifford Hill Pits.

Seven Black Terns were at Eyebrook Reservoir early this afternoon and the birds seen at Stanford Reservoir included still two Marsh Harriers, eleven Pintail, two Hobbies, a Common Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper and two Common Snipe.

The Little Stint was still at Hollowell Reservoir today where the supporting cast were one or two Greenshank(s), a Common Sandpiper, two Dunlin, a Ringed Plover, three Whinchats and Siskin. An adult Caspian Gull was at neighbouring Ravensthorpe Reservoir early this afternoon.

A Corn Bunting, a Common Redstart, three Whinchats and a Wheatear were around Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon with eight Spotted Flycatchers and two Common Redstarts at Lamport Hall.

Regards

Neil M

Kingfisher courtesy
of Chris Payne.

Blackcaps courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Heatwave birding

Hello

For most of us the heatwave continues and will do over the week-end.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir today included two Marsh Harriers again, one of which exhibited a red wing tag. Waders included three Ringed Plovers and two Golden Plovers flying through with two Common Sandpipers on the deck. At least three Whinchats and a Spotted Flycatcher were present and over two hundred new birds were ringed.

A Little Stint was a good bird for Hollowell Reservoir and two Whinchats remained at the feeder stream end of the reservoir. A second calendar year Mediterranean Gull was off the dam at Ravensthorpe Reservoir early this afternoon. Pitsford's contribution was a Common Sandpiper and three Grey Wagtails on the dam and a male Common Redstart in field hedging in the Scaldwell Bay, two Pintails, two Great White Egrets and a Yellow-legged Gull all north of the causeway.

Birds at Summer Leys LNR today included a Ruff, six Ringed Plovers, two Dunlin and two Common Sandpipers and two Cattle Egret were discovered on Titchmarsh LNR, Thrapston Pits this evening.

Migrant passerines included about six Spotted Flycatchers at Lamport Hall, at least two Spotted Flycatchers at Kelmarsh Hall and still two Whinchats by Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. A pair of Mute Swans at Kelmarsh Hall have an extraordinary brood size of eleven  three-quarter size cygnets.

An adult Caspian Gull was present at Daventry Country Park today.

Another ringing session is planned for Harrington Airfield this coming Sunday when there will be restricted access around the bunkers and old airstrip. Anyone wishing to come along to observe proceedings are requested to make prior contact.

Regards

Neil M

Southern Hawker.

Marsh Tit.

Coal Tit.

Brown Hare leveret.

All above images courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Wildlife of Pitsford

Hello

Birds at Pitsford Reservoir this morning included four Yellow-legged Gulls at the dam with three Common Sandpipers there too. This afternoon a Wood Sandpiper was found feeding close to reeds in front of the Bird Club hide in the Scaldwell Bay and four Great White Egrets were north of the causeway. Also this afternoon three Otters were seen twice in the Holcot Bay.

Stanford Reservoir hosted an eclipse drake Red-crested Pochard today, a Common Sandpiper, a Wheatear and two Spotted Flycatchers. Two hundred and forty-eight new birds were ringed there today which included one hundred and ninety-five Blackcaps!

Hollowell Reservoir provided for two Greenshanks, a Common Sandpiper, a Pink-footed Goose, thirteen Yellow Wagtails and two Whinchats.

Summer Leys LNR yielded a Great White Egret, four Little Egrets, two Snipe, five Ringed Plovers, a Ruff, a Dunlin, three Common Sandpipers and a Black-tailed Godwit. A Clouded Yellow butterfly is the first local record for a while. A Ruff and four Snipe and two Wheatears were at Clifford Hill Pits.

At Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning there were still two Common Redstarts with two Wheatears nearby and two Whinchats and a Wheatear at Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. Diurnal migrants on the move included Yellow and Grey Wagtails and Meadow Pipits with an unseasonal singing Sedge Warbler, two Grey Wagtails and a Little Egret at the brook there.

About twenty Spotted Flycatchers and a Whinchat were at Lamport Hall this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile and adult
Yellow-legged Gulls.

Wood Sandpiper.

Brown Hare leveret.

Otters.

All images from Pitsford Reservoir
today, the Brown Hare and Otters 
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Birds of a hot September day

Hello

Another very warm day but with more of a breeze made it very pleasant.

A Bittern seen on the main scrape at Summer Leys at about 6pm this evening was probably bird of the day. Other birds included a juvenile Shelduck, three Ringed Plovers and three Common Sandpipers.

Clifford Hill Pits attracted three Wheatears and a Whinchat with a Common Redstart nearby opposite the hotel on Hardingstone Lake and two Spotted Flycatchers at Delapre Park - all this morning.

Just two Common Redstarts were on show at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning but Harrington Airfield was busier with four Common Redstarts, thirty plus Blackcaps, twenty plus Common Whitethroats, two Lesser Whitethroats, two Spotted Flycatchers, a Wheatear and a Marsh Harrier. Lamport Hall continued to attract Spotted Flycatchers which numbered at least twenty birds and also two Common Redstarts.

Honey Hill, Cold Ashby was good for at least two Common Redstarts, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Wheatear, six Ravens and migrant Meadow Pipits.

Hollowell Reservoir hosted two Whinchats, a Wheatear, the Pink-footed Goose, two Greenshanks, a Common Sandpiper, a Ringed Plover and two Spotted Flycatchers.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Shelduck at
Summer Leys LNR
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Common Buzzard
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Kestrel courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Male Siskin caught and ringed
in the county today, image courtesy
of Chris Payne.

Three Barn Owl chicks ringed
in the county this evening.

Indian Summer?

Hello

Few bird sightings on a very warm day for the time of the year, with a similar pattern of warm sunshine predicted for the next six days or so.

At Hollowell Reservoir today an adult Caspian Gull was on show plus a Ringed Plover, two Greenshanks, a Common Sandpiper, a Hobby and a Whinchat with Willow Emerald Damselfly being a notable record for this location. Two Ravens were at the dam end of Pitsford Reservoir this morning and a single Wheatear was seen at Clifford Hill Pits. Two Grey Partridges were near Old village.

Blueberry Farm still played host to three Common Redstarts this morning with a single Whinchat near Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

This afternoon and the footpath between Bridle Road, Old and Pitsford Reservoir provided views of two Common Redstarts and a single Whinchat with two Common Redstarts and a Wheatear at Harrington Airfield.

An excursion to Honey Hill, Cold Ashby was good for six Spotted Flycatchers and a Common Redstart and this evening the hoped-for gathering of migrants at Lamport Hall didn't come to much with a single Common Redstart, about six Spotted Flycatchers and two Ravens.

Quite a number of Yellow Wagtails were on the move for most of the day and a few high-flying Siskins were noted at three locations. Very small unidentified blue butterflies were seen poorly in Scaldwell village and Harrington Airfield today - much too small for Common or Holly Blues. They remained unidentified and it is understood that Small Blue butterflies may have been released relatively locally.

Regards

Neil M

Kite-tailed Robber Fly courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Rufous Grasshopper courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Nursery-web Spider courtesy
of John Tilly.

Meadow Grasshopper courtesy
of John Tilly.

Turnstone courtesy of
John Tilly.

Ruff courtesy of
Dave Jackson.

Fall of Blackcaps

Hello

Efforts were made today to catch and ring migrant birds at Harrington Airfield this morning and the session appeared to have coincided with a fall of warblers on-site. Two single Common Redstarts were present but declined to visit the mist nets! Diurnal migrants appeared to be restricted to one or two Siskin(s), several Yellow Wagtails and several Swallows. Nocturnal migrants roosting in the bushes included over two hundred Blackcaps with one hundred and eighty-five being caught and ringed. Other warblers ringed included five Garden Warblers, twenty-eight Common Whitethroats, seven Lesser Whitethroats, four Reed Warblers, a Willow Warbler and nine Chiffchaffs.

Stanford Reservoir attracted two Marsh Harriers this morning plus a Water Rail, five juvenile Shelduck, a Common Sandpiper, a Cetti's Warbler, six Yellow Wagtails and twelve Meadow Pipits.

At Summer Leys LNR today there was a juvenile Osprey, a Ruff, three Ringed Plovers, a Common Sandpiper, four Great White Egrets and a juvenile Shelduck with a Yellow-legged Gull and two Common Sandpipers at Thrapston Pits. A Wheatear was at Clifford Hill Pits.

Hollowell Reservoir hosted four Greenshanks, seven Common Sandpipers, a Ringed Plover and a Great White Egret. At Blueberry Farm, Maidwell there were three Common Redstarts and a Tree Pipit and a Wheatear with two Whinchats and a Common Redstart in the Shrike Hedge area in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Three Common Redstarts and at least fifteen Spotted Flycatchers were at Lamport Hall as viewed from the footpath on the south side of the parkland this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Garden Warbler courtesy of
Chris Payne.

Kingfisher courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Dunlin courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Migrant activity in September

Hello

Some earnest ringing down at Linford Lakes on the outskirts of Milton Keynes provided seventy-eight captures of sixteen species with the Blackcap easily being the most common bird caught (twenty-five). Other warblers included sixteen Chiffchaffs, six Reed Warblers, three Common Whitethroats and a single each of Garden Warbler and Cetti's Warbler. A young Jay and a young Green Woodpecker were the star birds of the day although a variety of large insects found themselves in the nets including the large and once rare Clifden Nonpareill or Blue Underwing moth. The next door land owner shooting Woodpigeons with the shot raining down wasn't impressive on all counts! Other wildlife included Red Fox, Grass Snakes, a pipistrelle bat in the net, Common Newt, lots of Migrant Hawkers and a rather late Brown Hawker. Grey and Yellow Wagtails and a single Meadow Pipit were high-flying migrants over and at least one Raven was vocal.

Over at Stanford Reservoir the ringers were hard at it with 275 new birds processed today and birds seen included a Marsh Harrier, a Hobby, a Common Sandpiper and twenty-five Ravens.

At Pitsford Reservoir birds included two Great White Egrets north of the causeway, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Kingfisher by the Kingfisher Screen. At Hollowell Reservoir the Wood Sandpiper was still present plus three Greenshank, a Green Sandpiper and five Common Sandpipers.

A Dunlin was on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits, four Great White Egrets were at Summer Leys LNR plus a Ruff, four Little Ringed Plovers, three Common Sandpipers, a Dunlin, a Hobby and an episode of formation fishing of up to twenty Cormorants. Two Spotted Flycatchers were at nearby Mary's Lake. Two Whinchats were again seen at Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

A ringing session at Harrington Airfield tomorrow will mean restricted access to the bunkers and old airstrip but the concrete track and official footpaths are unaffected.

Regards

Neil M

Black-tailed Godwit
courtesy of John Tilly.

Greenshank courtesy of
John Tilly.

Clifden Nonpareil moth
courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

Jay courtesy of
Kenny Cramer.

Sunset at Linford Lakes
courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

Black-necked Grebe, Merlin and Wood Sandpiper

Hello

A day with very little wind and warm if rather grey and drizzly in some parts of the county today.

A Black-necked Grebe (moulting adult) was off the dam at Pitsford Reservoir this evening and was coming nice and close until two paddleboards and a canoe went directly for it and frightened it off down the reservoir - so no photo! Two adult Yellow-legged Gulls and three or four Common Sandpipers were also present and to the north of the causeway a Green Sandpiper and a Hobby were noted.

A Merlin in Old Quarry Lane, Hartwell this morning was a true sign of autumn as the youngsters disperse from the breeding areas to the north and follow their prey south.

A Wood Sandpiper arrived at Hollowell Reservoir this afternoon and an Osprey was again seen there too.

Birds at Clifford Hill Pits included a Common Redstart, a Whinchat and two Wheatears and a Turnstone was reported at Summer Leys LNR this afternoon. The mobile female Ruddy Shelduck was at Crick today.

A Hobby and two Ravens were at Lamport Hall at lunchtime with ten of a flock of twelve Common Buzzards moving south. The two Whinchats and a Common Redstart were at Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and Blueberry Farm supported three Common Redstarts, five Spotted Flycatchers and two Whinchats. Two Spotted Flycatchers were on the nature reserve at Woodford Halse this afternoon and a Common Redstart was calling from bushes at Harrington Airfield near Bunker Three.

Regards

Neil M

This Grey Heron was fishing
in the shallows at Pitsford Reservoir
today in thick algae-laden water. This 
spot is only 200m from the wild water
swimming area - rather them than me!

Bathing Meadow Pipit
courtesy of John Tilly.

Brimstone butterfly courtesy
of John Tilly.