Weekend News

 I have been out of county for most of the weekend at an agility competition with Jaeger and Rouzel.  It was their last competition of the season and they pulled out all the stops picking up six first places between them!!!.    However this meant that I have probably missed out on the rare and unusual visitor to the county, a Hoopoe,  which turned up in Harlestone village.  It would appear that it has been around for a couple of days before the news broke and showed well on and off yesterday but was only seen briefly today. 

Yesterday the remnants of the movement of Little Gulls were found along the Nene Valley at Summer Leys,  Stanwick GP and Thrapston GP.  The Bearded Tit showed well at Stanwick GP and seems to be a bit of a poser judging by the amazing photographs circulating. There was also a Common Tern and Marsh Harrier at Stanwick GP.    At nearby Summer Leys 3 Jack Snipe were reported plus Marsh Harrier,  Brambling and Ruff.                                           Over at Hollowell Reservoir there were 16 Dunlin, Yellow Legged and Caspian Gull.  Today a few new birds at Hollowell,  Common Tern,  4 Stonechats and 2 Goosander. Late this afternoon a Merlin was seen at Harrington Airfield sitting on one of the bunkers.  I very nearly went to Harrington myself on my way home but the amount of cars parked there put me off so I continued home for a cup of tea !!

Have a good week.                                                                             Regards Eleanor 

Little Egret.

Marsh Harrier.

Green Sandpiper and Ringed Plover.

All images from Summer Leys LNR
on 19th Oct courtesy of Tony Stanford.

The winning team -
Jaeger and Rouzel!

After the storm

 Well after watching the news I think that it is fair to say that Northamptonshire escaped the devastation caused by storm Babet. Yes it has been windy and very wet but that's about all. Birdwise it has remained fairly quiet.  On Wednesday the female Merlin was again at shrike hedge, Cattle Egret,  Brambling and Peregrine at Summer Leys,  Caspian Gull and Stonechats at Hollowell Reservoir and at nearby Ravensthorpe Reservoir a Pink Footed Goose.  This bird frequents both of these reservoirs.             However there was an interesting record of a Nightjar being picked up alive in the Corby area and being taken into care.

Yesterday a male Bearded Tit/Reedling was located near the main path at the eastern end of Stanwick GP.  I wonder whether this bird has been here since the spring and has managed to keep a low profile or whether this is his first visit?? Who knows,  just something to ponder about.                         Just down the road at Titchmarsh LNR the female/1st Winter Ring Necked Duck was showing well.    At Pitsford Reservoir a Goldeneye,  Red Crested Pochard,  Great White Egret and Stonechats were the main birds of note.

Today has thrown up more interesting birds which could be storm related.  I had a flock of 10 Pink Footed Geese heading west whilst I was out between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton. I just love their call which alerted me to their presence.    A Rock Pipit was found at Stanwick GP and there appeared to be a movement of Little Gulls which were recorded at Stanwick GP,  Summer Leys and Stanford Reservoir.                    There were several sightings of Marsh Harrier today at Summer Leys,  Stanford Reservoir and Titchmarsh LNR.             The long staying and very showy Bittern (except when I'm there) was again giving exceptional views at Summer Leys. 

Maybe today was just a taster of what might turn up over the weekend.  Fingers crossed.  It does seem that " interesting " birds turn up a few days after stormy weather.    We just need to get out and find them!!!  Have a good weekend and enjoy your birding..........it could be you who finds the next rarity. 

Regards Eleanor 

The calm before the storm!!

 Today has been a glorious Autumn day with blue skies,  warm sunshine, a gentle breeze and a crispness to the air. I thought that I'd better make the most of it before the predicted storm hits over the next couple of days.  Indoor jobs were put on hold and I've been out and about with my 4 legged companions.    

I started the day with a wander around the fields below Hanging Houghton and Blueberry.  It soon became apparent that birds were on the move, especially Fieldfares,  Redwings and Siskins.  There was a pair of Stonechat at Blueberry plus 2 Bramblings and 4 Redpolls.   Instead of heading home for  breakfast,  much to Tor's disgust,  I drove straight to Harrington Airfield which too was busy with birds moving over. There was a lot more Fieldfares and Song Thrushes about today and the bushes were full of Redwings. At the end of the second bunker I  flushed a lovely male Ring Ouzel which then flew towards the shooting wall.  It was whilst I was stood here listening and watching the birds going over that a female Merlin flew low across the fields chasing the many Skylarks.  Other birds of note were 2 pairs of Stonechat , 2 Bramblings and a single Golden Plover over.

This afternoon I enjoyed another meander around Blueberry etc. Quite a few Red Admiral butterflies enjoying the sunshine too.  The female Merlin again appeared around "shrike hedge " area chasing the passerines.  I'm sure that this is the same bird which has been seen several times in this area and was the same bird which was at Harrington this morning.  As a Merlin flies it is literally a few wing flaps/glides between Harrington Airfield and shrike hedge and currently plenty of potential food at both these sites.      There was also a pair of Stonechat here this afternoon which were likely to be the birds seen at Blueberry this morning as I couldn't find them at Blueberry this afternoon. 

Very little bird news from around the county.  Merlin,  Marsh Harrier and Great White Egrets at Stanford Reservoir,  Cattle Egret,  Marsh Harrier,  Stonechat and Brambling at Summer Leys,  Raven, Great White Egret and Yellow Legged Gull at Pitsford Reservoir,  Redpolls in the Welland Valley and flocks of Golden Plovers at Greens Norton and Oundle. 

Maybe Storm Babet will bring us a few new birds ?........watch this space!

Regards Eleanor 

Pitsford ringing

Hello

A ringing session took place in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir today and yielded one hundred and fifty-one birds with Blue Tits and Great Tits dominating. However the first bird was a fine Tawny Owl and the last bird processed was a smart adult female Great Spotted Woodpecker. In between these birds there were three Marsh Tits, three Coal Tits, three Treecreepers, ten Goldcrests, two Blackcaps, five Redwings, two Song Thrushes, five Chaffinches, two Siskins and three Lesser Redpolls.

There were a large number of finches on the move today with Siskins, Redpolls and Bramblings moving through the site quickly.

At Summer Leys LNR the Bittern was on show again today plus two Marsh Harriers and the Cattle Egret with a Whooper Swan on Mary's Lake. A Goosander was at Clifford Hill Pits today, a flock of fifty Golden Plovers were seen near Greens Norton and Hollowell Reservoir hosted a third winter Caspian Gull, a Dunlin and two Stonechats. A Whooper Swan was at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this morning.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir today included a Marsh Harrier, a Great White Egret, two Pintail and a Wheatear. Forty-three new birds were ringed on-site.

Two pairs of Stonechats and a couple of Bramblings were at Harrington Airfield, a female Merlin was in the Brampton Valley again near 'shrike hedge' below Hanging Houghton and Fieldfares were on the move in good numbers this afternoon.

The finch movement today ensured that our garden was visited by two Bramblings, two Lesser Redpolls and a dozen Siskins and also two Grey Wagtails visited the garden pond!

Regards

Neil M

Tawny Owl at Pitsford
Reservoir today.

Brambling courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Siskin courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Cold start to a sunny Sunday

Hello 

Another cold start to the day and with a few more to come methinks!

Birding at Stanford Reservoir today provided excellent close views of one of the wing-tagged juvenile Marsh Harriers still present plus two Great White Egrets, two Pintail, two Common Snipe, two Bramblings, about thirty Redpolls and five Siskins.

A first winter Ring Ouzel was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell early this morning but probably didn't linger and was last seen flying off down a hedgerow. A few vocal Bramblings were there too.

Two Cattle Egrets were at North Lake, Stanwick Pits today and at Summer Leys LNR the Bittern was still on the scrape and showed well this afternoon. A Cattle Egret was still present there too and a Marsh Harrier was seen a couple of times.

Another (or the same) Marsh Harrier was seen over Viaduct Pit at Ditchford Pits later today and an adult Yellow-legged Gull touched down there briefly.

A Marsh Harrier was also at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and a pair of Stonechats were there this morning. A couple of Ravens were at Hanging Houghton today and although there were plenty of Skylarks in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton nothing else of note was reported.

Over at Hinton Airfield in the south of the county, John watched a female Merlin hunting Skylarks and at Pitsford Reservoir today three Whooper Swans flew over the causeway and there were three Great White Egrets, a Stonechat and the regular adult Yellow-legged Gull with the injured right foot all north of the causeway, plus a few Siskins. Two adult Caspian Gulls again graced the gull roost off the dam this afternoon where there were also two adult Yellow-legged Gulls.

Some ringing at Linford Lakes on the edge of Milton Keynes was definitely a quality affair with captures of a Barn Owl, a Kestrel, six Redwings, three Song Thrushes, two 'continental' Blackbirds, six Chiffchaffs, a Meadow Pipit, a Lesser Redpoll, four Blackcaps and two Goldcrests amongst the forty-two birds handled.

Regards

Neil M

Barn Owl.

Female Blackbird.

Kestrel.

Redwing.

All images courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Ditchford WeBS count

Hello

It was the turn of Ditchford Pits to be assessed for it's waterbirds today and after a cold start the sunshine and breeze made for a day of pleasant weather. Birds west of Ditchford Lane included two Egyptian Geese, two Kingfishers, a Peregrine, three Stonechats, a Grey Wagtail, plenty of Chiffchaffs, three Cetti's Warblers and migrant Siskins whizzing through. The section east of Ditchford Lane was quieter for birds with two Common Snipe, a Kingfisher, four more Stonechats, more Chiffchaffs, Siskins, a Redpoll and five Cetti's Warblers. Odonata noted were quite a number of Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters and a couple of Willow Emerald damselflies.

Elsewhere and the Ring-necked Duck remained at Thrapston Pits on the Titchmarsh Reserve (plus a Common Sandpiper). The bird thought to have been an American Wigeon from the 10th onwards at Pitsford Reservoir has been re-assessed and is now thought to probably be a hybrid American x Eurasian hybrid and today it was showing well in the Walgrave Bay. In the Scaldwell Bay there was a pair of Stonechats, five Pintail and three Green Sandpipers noted.

A Merlin was seen twice during the day in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton with nine Ravens powering south over the village early on.

Stanford Reservoir hosted a Whooper Swan, a Marsh Harrier, a Great White Egret, five Red-crested Pochard and a Brambling flying over.

A Glossy Ibis was seen first thing on the scrape at Summer Leys LNR but not subsequently and other birds seen later were a Cattle Egret, a Marsh Harrier, a Peregrine, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, at least three Great White Egrets, a Common Snipe, a Raven, a Goldeneye (on Mary's Lake), a Pintail, a Stonechat and three Swallows.

At Stanwick Pits two Cattle Egrets flew over north-east this morning and two were at Eyebrook Reservoir this morning.

Two Short-eared Owls were hunting over the north side of Borough Hill Country Park (Daventry) this afternoon, with eight Stonechats also being present.

Two Short-eared Owls were high over Harrington Airfield this morning heading south-west and there were two pairs of Stonechats, two Bramblings, at least four Redpolls and twenty-five Siskins.

Regards

Neil M

Common Buuzzard.

Willow Emerald damselfly.

A rather worn 
Migrant Hawker.

Goldfinches.

A fresher 
Migrant Hawker.

Common Darters.

Heeland Coo!

All images from
Ditchford Pits today.

Warmth, bluster, rain and calm

Hello

A strange mix of weather today with blustery and very mild conditions with some weak sunshine for the first half of the day with heavy rain this afternoon then a cessation of wind and rain to provide a calm, sunlit evening.

It is also that time of the year when roving tit flocks with a few Goldcrests, the last of the warblers and Treecreepers are foraging the hedges and copses where they bump into Song Thrushes and Redwings from the continent. Today the warm temperatures created further opportunities for dragonflies and Red Admirals to twirl and whizz around, the latter trying to find nectar and sweetness from fruits to continue their migration south.

Our garden Hedgehogs are very busy fattening up ahead of their potential hibernation and Common Frogs and Common Toads have been active during the last couple of wet days and Grass Snakes basking in the warm sunshine.

Seventeen Barnacle Geese of unknown origin were in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this morning and this afternoon they flew around the southern half of the reservoir and appeared to land in a field just north of Moulton Grange Bay. Two adult Yellow-legged Gulls were also present.

The first year/female Ring-necked Duck was seen again on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits (plus two Pintail) and the Cattle Egret and a Green Sandpiper were around the scrape at Summer Leys LNR, with three Grass Snakes showing well next to the Rotary Hide.

A Merlin was a good sighting at Stanwick Pits this morning where there was also a Cattle Egret, three Pintail and a Redshank.

Birds at Hollowell Reservoir were a Pink-footed Goose, two adult Caspian Gulls and an adult Yellow-legged Gull and over at Stanford Reservoir there were up to five Whooper Swans, a Garganey, four Red-crested Pochard, a Pintail and a Marsh Harrier.

Harrington Airfield this morning provided the first Woodcock of the autumn plus two Swallows, singing Chiffchaffs, two pairs of Stonechats, four Redpolls, two Bramblings, several Siskins, about a hundred Redwings and thirty Golden Plovers. A Grey Wagtail remains in the village at Hanging Houghton. Our local brood of Barn Owls finally fledged this evening.

Sywell Country Park hosted a pair of Stonechats, a Cetti's Warbler, about twenty Siskins and a Painted Lady butterfly with Painted Lady, Comma and of course many Red Admirals at Lamport Hall.

Regards

Neil M

Common Toad Sywell
Country Park today courtesy
of Eleanor.

Barnacle Geese.

Merlin courtesy of
Beth Clyne.

Woodcock.

A profusion of finches

Hello

Some ringing in a corner of a field set aside as a wild bird food crop on the Courteenhall Estate today provided 231 captures with finches dominating made up of 152 Goldfinches, two Lesser Redpolls, a Siskin, two Bullfinches, eight Chaffinches and six Linnets. Other birds included a juvenile male Sparrowhawk, two Reed Buntings, a Blackcap, a Chiffchaff, a Goldcrest and a Marsh Tit. At least five other Lesser Redpolls and six Siskins and a male Brambling were attracted to the same area with perhaps three hundred Goldfinches feeding on the seed-rich patch. A Grey Wagtail was also present.

Five Avocets found by Neil Hasdell at Pitsford Reservoir today was a significant surprise (please see Neil's video clip below) - they spent much of their time around the bund area between the James Fisher and Bird Club hides in the Scaldwell Bay. Other birds noted included at least ten Pintail, a Green Sandpiper, a pair of Stonechats, a Great White Egret and a Yellow-legged Gull. Later in the day eight adult Whooper Swans arrived, stayed just a few minutes and flew off again.

Nick Parker saw eight Whooper Swans at Titchmarsh Reserve, Thrapston Pits which flew off heading at south west and must have been the birds seen subsequently at Pitsford. A flock of forty-three Barnacle Geese also at Titchmarsh is remarkable - they could be from a regional feral flock but being there at the same time as Whoopers it makes you wonder if they have come from the same part of the world! To make Nick's birding life even more surreal he then goes and locates a Ring-necked Duck there too (visible from North Hide)!

The Bittern was showing well in front of Pioneer Hide on the Summer Leys reserve this morning and other birds included a Ruff, a Green Sandpiper and a Pintail. A fishing Otter showed rather distantly at Stortons Pits today.

Birds at Hollowell Reservoir today included a Rock Pipit, an adult Caspian Gull, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Pintail, a Great White Egret and two Stonechats. Ravensthorpe Reservoir hosted an adult Caspian Gull, a Pink-footed Goose and a drake Mandarin Duck.

Short-eared Owls popped up in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton, Daventry Country Park and Borough Hill Country Park, Daventry. A pair of Stonechats were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton near the large barn.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Mute Swan
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Otter fishing at Stortons Pits
today courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Adult male Siskin
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Juvenile male Sparrowhawk
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Lesser Redpoll courtesy
of Chris Payne.

Birds of the cooling rain

Hello

At Pitsford Reservoir today there was a huge juvenile female Peregrine in the Walgrave Bay plus a Raven with five Pintail noted in the Scaldwell Bay and a Stonechat and an adult Yellow-legged Gull near the Maytrees Hide. The American Wigeon wasn't picked out today but is presumably still lurking there somewhere amongst the many hundreds of Eurasian Wigeon (with many of them roosting in waterside bushes and providing difficult viewing).  A check of the rather wet gull roost this evening produced two adult Caspian Gulls, three Yellow-legged Gulls, four hundred and sixty-five Lesser Black-backed Gulls and sixty-three Herring Gulls (including the first 'argentatus' race birds of the autumn).

At Stanford Reservoir the four Red-crested Pochards remained and there was also a Great White Egret and a Stonechat.

Summer Leys birds included a Cattle Egret, a first winter Mediterranean Gull, about thirty-five Golden Plovers flying over, two House Martins and still the colour-ringed Great White Egret.

A/the Short-eared Owl put in another appearance in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and again near 'shrike hedge' this afternoon and two Stonechats were present too. A Raven and a Grey Wagtail were in Hanging Houghton village.

With over five thousand new Blackcaps caught and ringed in the county this year (the majority by members of the Stanford Reservoir Ringing Group) it perhaps isn't surprising that a few recoveries have been reported. One of those was a first year male ringed at Greens Norton on 8th September 2023 which was caught again at Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory, Kent on 22nd September 2023. In those fourteen days this young bird had travelled 192km heading ESE and had gained 2.2 grammes ready for the next migration hop.

Regards

Neil M

A black bird against a grey
sky but the call and shape
of the Raven over Pitsford
Reservoir is distinctive and 
these days a regular event.

Jaeger, an observant and attentive
 member of the Pitsford WeBS team!

Pitsford WeBS count

Hello

Today was waterbird count day at Pitsford Reservoir when an effort is made to count all areas of the reservoir. These days often provide a snapshot about what is present on any one day - it is indeed a rare event when the whole reservoir is covered by observers these days except on the WeBS count!

A first year drake American Wigeon was the best bird of the day and the first one for many years. Not surprisingly it was staying with the hundreds of Eurasian Wigeon present north of the causeway, initially being found in the Scaldwell Bay but then flying around into the Walgrave Bay. I'm afraid that distance and poor light prevented any suitable images. Hopefully it will remain and provide better photographic opportunities.

Other birds present included fifteen Pintail, a drake Mandarin Duck, a Jack Snipe, twenty-five Common Snipe, three Common Sandpipers, three Great White Egrets, a first winter Mediterranean Gull, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Hobby, a remarkable nine Stonechats, over forty Siskins, a dozen Redpolls, six Grey Wagtails and three Ravens.

Dave Francis completed some ringing at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station and processed forty-five birds made up of eight Blackcaps (one a control), eight Blue Tits, six Long-tailed Tits, five Chiffchaffs, five Great Tits, four Meadow Pipits, two Song Thrushes and singles of Reed Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Redwing, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Magpie, Dunnock and Wren.

Stanford Reservoir today hosted a Short-eared Owl, two Egyptian Geese, a Great White Egret, four Red-crested Pochards, 752 Redwings, sixty-six Skylarks, forty-nine Fieldfares, four Redpolls, eleven Siskins and four Swallows.

Another Short-eared Owl was flushed from the ditch at 'shrike hedge' in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton where there were also a pair of Stonechat and two Bramblings and a steady passage of Redwings. A Green Sandpiper was on the brook in the valley there and a Grey Wagtail was in the village.

Two pairs of Stonechat and sixteen Golden Plovers were at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and Summer Leys LNR provided a Cattle Egret, four Great White Egrets and a Ruff.

Regards

Neil M

Reed Warbler.

Ruff.

Common Gull.

Great White Egret.

Images courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

 Video below is another clip
from Chris Payne's Storm
Petrel footage from Skokholm
with a chick receiving it's first
feed after hatching.

Migrants from the north and east

Hello

Plenty of thrushes passing through and lingering in the county today with some high numbers noted.

At Stanford Reservoir an estimated 3,500 Redwings moved through the site today plus two-hundred and fifty Fieldfares, forty Skylarks and three Bramblings. The four Red-crested Pochard were still there and other birds seen were a Marsh Harrier, a Golden Plover and a Pintail. The ringers there trapped and ringed a late Willow Warbler which demonstrated characteristics of the north-eastern 'acredula' race. Five Great White Egrets were there first thing before flying off.

Further ringing took place at Harrington Airfield where seventy-eight birds were processed which included eighteen Redwings, nine Song Thrushes (including continental grey birds), a continental-type Blackbird, a Green Woodpecker, eighteen Blackcaps, three Meadow Pipits, four Reed Buntings and three Yellowhammers. A Ring Ouzel was in bushes by Bunker Two at 8.30am but not encountered subsequently, a Crossbill flew over south, a male Brambling was there briefly and other birds present were several Golden Plovers and a Barn Owl. A few Redpolls and Siskins lingered briefly before moving on and Redwings numbered in their hundreds with perhaps only about fifty Fieldfares and with smaller numbers of Chaffinches and Starlings moving south.

A male Ring Ouzel was located at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell together with two Bramblings and a pair of Stonechat with three Stonechats and three Bramblings and a hundred Linnets at 'shrike hedge' in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. High numbers of Skylarks were on the fields there.

At least sixteen Great White Egrets at Summer Leys LNR must have looked pretty spectacular where there was also a Cattle Egret and a Dunlin. Four to six Common Sandpipers were at Pitsford Reservoir south of the causeway plus a Great White Egret, winter thrushes and small numbers of Redpolls and Siskins.

Two adult Caspian Gulls and a Pintail were at Hollowell Reservoir and a pair of Stonechat were seen at Borough Hill Country Park, Daventry. Five Stonechats and an Otter were at Upton Country Park.

Regards

Neil M

Otter and Stonechats
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Green Woodpecker
courtesy of Jane Neill.

'Continental' style
first year male Blackbird
courtesy of Jane Neill.

The winter thrushes are coming

Hello

A particularly warm day and we were seeing some evidence of mass migration on the east coast as winter thrushes finally filtered through in some numbers. Short-eared Owls, winter finches, thrushes and wildfowl have impacted the east coat in large numbers and traditionally it takes a couple of days to see a few individuals from this immigration to be seen locally.

Redwings were in big numbers today with flocks seen over urban and rural areas during the first half of the morning and again this evening with four hundred logged during the day at Harrington Airfield which included some roosting birds this evening. Two Fieldfares were at Harrington this morning and about ten dropped in this afternoon. Other birds seen there today included three pairs of Stonechats, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, twenty-five Golden Plovers and several Siskins and Redpolls plus two Ravens and Grey Partridges.

Three female Stonechats were at 'shrike hedge' in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton with a pair seen there later. Other birds in the Brampton Valley included a Barn Owl, several Golden Plovers, a couple of calling Grey Partridges, five Tree Sparrows, a flock of forty-five Skylarks, a single Grey Wagtail plus a few Siskins and Redpolls.

At least six Stonechats were at Borough Hill Country Park (Daventry) today and a Peregrine and a Kingfisher were at Summer Leys LNR this morning and Barn Owls noted during the last couple of days including hunting birds at Scaldwell and Maidford plus a brood of four youngsters being ringed in South Northants on Friday.

At Stanford Reservoir today sightings included four Red-crested Pochards, a Marsh Harrier, a Great White Egret, a Green Sandpiper, a Pintail, a Water Rail, forty-five Redwings and at least eleven hundred Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the roost. In addition over two hundred birds were processed by the ringers on-site.

Regards

Neil M

Barn Owl nestlings
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Muntjac.

Hornets taking over
an owl nest box!

Stonechat.

Lapwing.

Above four images taken
at Pitsford Reservoir by
Tony Stanford.