Ditchford WeBS count

Hello

Much of the day was spent completing a waterbird census at part of the Ditchford Pits complex. Although initially murky the weather came good with some weak sunshine and dry conditions.

Birds east of Ditchford Lane included three Great White Egrets, ten Little Egrets, a Kingfisher, a Goosander, six Common Snipe, a Water Rail, two Chiffchaffs, four Redpolls and at least three Grey Wagtails. West of Ditchford Lane there were three more Great White Egrets, two Little Egrets, two Egyptian Geese, a drake Pintail, two Goosanders, a Water Rail, a Jack Snipe, thirteen Common Snipe, an Oystercatcher, four Cetti's Warblers and a Stonechat. A Cattle Egret flew west towards Wellingborough at 12.40pm.

At Earls Barton Pits today the Glossy Ibis was on the Summer Leys LNR and a Whooper Swan was initially on the reserve and moved to Hardwater Lake. Other birds included three Great White Egrets, two Goosanders, ten Golden Plovers, a Cetti's Warbler and a mixed flock of Siskin and Redpoll.

At Cogenhoe Mill Alan found six Ring-necked Parakeets, a Green Sandpiper, a Grey Wagtail and several Chiffchaffs and the adult White-fronted Goose was still at Whiston Pits.

Two more Goosanders were at Harlestone Lake this afternoon and birds at Stanford Reservoir were two Great White Egrets, two Water Rails and two Ravens and another Raven was noted at Kelmarsh. 

Six Smew and a Scaup remained at Eyebrook Reservoir today.

Regards

Neil M

Great Crested Grebe.

Female Chaffinch.

Redpolls.

Common Buzzard.

Images courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Pitsford WeBS count

Hello

The monthly waterbird census was completed at Pitsford Reservoir today and a continuing trend is relatively low numbers of wildfowl and other birds using the water. The Great Northern Diver was again present in The Narrows south of the causeway and two pairs of Stonechat were present too. North of the causeway where the water is still brown with sediment from the early winter rains it was quiet with the only birds of note being two Great White Egrets which appear to be new arrivals, a drake Pintail, about a hundred Common Snipe and two Jack Snipe with three Tree Sparrows at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station.

At Stanford Reservoir there was a Caspian Gull, two Goosanders, three Egyptian Geese, two Great White Egrets, a Water Rail and a Chiffchaff.

The White-fronted Goose was again reported at Whiston Pits with other geese and the Scaup was also reported at Blatherwycke Lake.

A Short-eared Owl and two Common Snipe were again on private land near Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon and two Green Sandpipers and two Barn Owls were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Long-tailed Tits and
Blue Tits.

Magpie.

Goldfinch eating Vibena seeds
courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

Grandpa of the Woods!

Hello

Another cloudy, cold and dull day but with very little wind and little in the way of precipitation.

Stanwick Lakes hosted an event today associated with next week-end's RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. In addition to wildlife walks, making bird food and feeders, lots of static displays, leaflets etc there was also a bird ringing demonstration which yielded over forty common birds, with perhaps a Redwing being the star bird.

The event attracted a great deal of attention particularly with children and their respective parents which included people who attended knowing of the event and also people using the Stanwick Lakes facilities popping in to see what was going on. Other birds noted on-site included three Goosanders, a Grey Wagtail and three hundred Lapwings.

A little ringing at Sunderland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate provided typical woodland birds which included two Marsh Tits and no less than three Great Spotted Woodpeckers. One of these woodpeckers was a male first ringed in the same wood in 2014 and is at least ten years old and undoubtedly close to the longevity record for this species - affectionately called 'Grandpa of the Woods'!

Pitsford Reservoir continues to host the juvenile Great Northern Diver south of the causeway plus a pair of Stonechats and a Yellow-legged Gull and scarce birds north of the causeway included two Tree Sparrows at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in the trees down the lane to the feeding station.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir amounted to a Great White Egret and four Smew remained at Eyebrook Reservoir.

Nene Valley birds included the Summer Leys LNR Glossy Ibis, the White-fronted Goose still at Whiston Pits (see video below courtesy of Neil Hasdell), two Great White Egrets at Ditchford Pits, two Caspian Gulls at Clifford Hill Pits and a Jack Snipe at nearby Barnes Meadow LNR. 

On the A605 floods at Oundle there were a pair of Pintail, over forty Shovelers and a Great White Egret whilst at Blatherwycke Lake the Scaup was still present plus nine Mandarin Ducks.

Blackcaps visited gardens at Corby and Kettering and Harrington Airfield hosted a pair of Stonechats, fifty Golden Plovers, a Woodcock and a Barn Owl being pursued by a Common Buzzard.

Regards

Neil M

Marsh Tit.

Coal Tit.

Great Spotted Woodpecker -
the 'Grandpa of the Woods'.

Above three images courtesy
of Lewis Aaron.

Birds of a cold, steely day

Hello 

A modest ringing session at Brixworth today provided only a small number of captures but included ten Pied Wagtails, a Grey Wagtail, a Redwing, two Blackbirds and two Chiffchaffs. At least one other Grey Wagtail was also present, two Ravens flew over and a Siskin was mobile.

Birds seen at Stanford Reservoir were a Caspian Gull, a Water Rail, two Common Snipe, a Great White Egret and a Stonechat and five Smew were still at Eyebrook Reservoir.

The Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon yielded two Barn Owls and two or three Green Sandpipers. At least one Siskin was at Scotland Wood, a Barn Owl was hunting at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and two Woodcock were flushed by beaters at Short Wood, Lamport.

A female Scaup remained at Blatherwycke Lake today, two Whooper Swans flew over Greens Norton this morning and Summer Leys LNR attracted an early Oystercatcher, a Goosander, two Great White Egrets, fifty Golden Plovers and a Chiffchaff. A female Merlin was between Abthorpe and Wappenham.

Regards

Neil M

Green Sandpiper courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Grey Wagtail.

Barn Owl courtesy of
Nathan Jones.

Local birding mid-winter

Hello

A cool, settled and rather grey day but thank-fully without the fog.

The Great Northern Diver was again between the causeway and the dam at Pitsford Reservoir and a couple of Tree Sparrows were joined by a House Sparrow at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station north of the causeway.

Eyebrook Reservoir was still the venue for five Smew (four drakes) and two fly-over Bewick's Swans. Two Egyptian Geese were in the Welland Valley below Cottingham where there was also a Green Sandpiper and a Grey Wagtail.

At Stanford Reservoir today there was an adult Caspian Gull in the gull roost, a Great White Egret, eight Goosanders, a Water Rail and a Stonechat. Forty-eight Golden Plovers and a Raven were the only note-worthy birds seen at Harrington Airfield today.

A couple of Grey Wagtails were in the Brampton Valley at Brixworth and the valley below Hanging Houghton attracted a Barn Owl, a Green Sandpiper and a Grey Wagtail. There were two Ravens in the village. A Barn Owl was a roadside bird between Arthingworth and Kelmarsh this afternoon.

An adult White-fronted Goose was again sighted at Whiston Pits with the large Greylag flock and the Glossy Ibis was reported again from Summer Leys LNR where also a Redpoll. A pair of Egyptian Geese were in a field off the Embankment at Wellingborough this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Little Egret courtesy of
Jonathan Pitt.

Drake Shoveler courtesy
of Jonathan Pitt.

Kestrel courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Grey Heron courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

More ringing recoveries

Hello

Very little reported in the county today although the morning fog probably didn't help!

At Stanford Reservoir there were two Water Rails, a Common Snipe and a Chiffchaff and at least six Smew remained at Eyebrook Reservoir. A Raven was in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth.

Some more ringing recoveries associated with the Northants Ringing Group are as follows:-

1. A juvenile Reed Warbler was ringed at Stortons Pits on 21st July 2019 and caught again by a ringer at Noyant, Soulaire-et-Bourg, Maine-et-Loira, France on 21st August 2023, 1492 days elapsing and the French site being directly south from where originally ringed. Having successfully wintered in Africa during the previous four winters it appears it was on it's way to try again!

2. An adult Reed Warbler was ringed at Linford Pits on 13th April 2024 and captured again on 24th July 2024 at Beal in North Yorkshire when assessed as being a male. It would appear that Linford was a staging post with 102 days elapsing between the two dates and the bird travelling on another 183km in a northerly direction;

3. A juvenile Reed Warbler was ringed at Pitsford Reservoir on 24th August 2023 and caught again on 24th July 2024 as an adult at Anglers Country Park, Wakefield, West Yorkshire. This bird had successfully wintered in Africa between these two dates and the distance between the two sites in England is 149km;

4. A juvenile Blue Tit was ringed in Astcote near Towcester on 25th June 2021 but was taken by a cat in the same village on or about 24th July 2024, 1125 days elapsing between the two records;

5. A juvenile male Siskin was ringed at Durris, Aberdeenshire on 12th July 2023 and captured again at Greens Norton on 21st March 2024, 253 days elapsing between the two dates and Greens Norton being 550km south from where first ringed;

6. A Kestrel was ringed as a nestling at Stanwick on 26th May 2019 and found dead at Stanion, Corby on 17th July 2024 just 16km away and with 1879 days elapsing between the two dates.

Regards

Neil M

Drake Goldeneye.

Common Snipe.

Drake Pintail.

Lapwing.

Images courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Limited reports today

Hello

The count of Smew at Eyebrook Reservoir just outside the county went up to seven today (five adult drakes), but they have been very scarce in the county so far this winter.

Chris and the regular birders at Stanford Reservoir keep almost daily tabs on what appears there and today there was a Great White Egret, two Goosanders, a Water Rail, two Stonechats and a Chiffchaff.

The Great Northern Diver was seen in the Pintail Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this morning and birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton were two Barn Owls, a male Merlin, two Grey Wagtails, a Green Sandpiper, two Common Snipe, a Chiffchaff and two Bramblings.

Ravens were noted at Hanging Houghton and Little Billing, Northampton. A Brambling was with other finches between Wakerley Wood and the A43 crossroads.

Regards

Neil M

Blue Tit. This bird exhibited
an injured left leg which was
tucked up under the body. Tits 
like to peck at their items of food
whilst holding it with their feet so
hopefully this first year male will
adapt to manage.

Robin.

Cormorants courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Milder and the ice is melting

Hello

At Pitsford Reservoir today birds south of the causeway were the Great Northern Diver still, a pair of Stonechats, two Kingfishers, a Barn Owl, a Chiffchaff and twenty Siskins; a Woodcock was at Christies Copse on the reserve and a couple of Tree Sparrows were at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station.

Stanford Reservoir hosted a Caspian Gull, a Great White Egret and a Goosander and Eyebrook Reservoir appears to be the main site in the UK for Smew this winter with five present today (four adult drakes).

Four Ravens were at Harrington Airfield this morning and a Raven and a couple of Grey Partridges plus about one hundred and fifty Goldfinches, two Barn Owls, a male Merlin, two Grey Wagtails and a Green Sandpiper were in the Brampton below Hanging Houghton. Three Grey Wagtails were in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth.

Summer Leys LNR today was the venue for four Great White Egrets, thirty Golden Plovers, five Lesser Redpolls and a Grey Wagtail.

Regards

Neil M

Skylark courtesy of
Jane Neill.

Song Thrush.

Reed Bunting.

Grey Wagtail.

Above four images courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Still cold and icy

Hello

Well despite what the weather forecasters suggested, today was another cold day with sub-zero temperatures pre-dawn and a hard frost!

A collection of small birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning included two hundred Linnets, a hundred Goldfinches and smaller numbers of Chaffinches and Skylarks and was enough to create two Merlin observations involving at least one male and possibly two. Grey Partridges were calling and a couple of Red Foxes were on the prowl and at least one Barn Owl was hunting with a Brambling coming down for seed.

Nearby and a Peregrine and a Short-eared Owl were at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and a Raven was in Hanging Houghton village.

A new bird in was a Black Redstart at Daventry as found by Ian at his works address at Cummins Engine Plant. A Cattle Egret was at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows LNR and birds at Clifford Hill Pits amounted to a Pink-footed Goose, six Goosanders, a Great White Egret and a Yellow-legged Gull.

Three Yellow-legged Gulls were in the roost at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and birds at Stanford Reservoir included a Caspian Gull, fifty-five Great Black-backed Gulls, a Great White Egret, seven Goosanders, a Kingfisher and a Cetti's Warbler. An adult drake Smew was seen at Eyebrook Reservoir.

Regards

Neil M

A mixture of gulls at Stortons
Pits including Great Black-backed
Gulls courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Tawny Owl courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Little Grebe courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

A red morning beginning

Hello

Hopefully our last cold day for a while but still a day of feed station maintenance locally.

Birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton included three Grey Partridges, a Raven, a Golden Plover and one or two Barn Owl(s).

Stanford Reservoir hosted a drake Pintail, seven Goosanders, a Great White Egret, a Stonechat, a Water Rail, a Golden Plover, a Kingfisher and a Chiffchaff.

Birds at Pitsford Reservoir included the now long-staying Great Northern Diver, three or four Stonechats and a Barn Owl. At Ravensthorpe Reservoir the two White-fronted Geese were still present and a drake Smew was present in the ice hole. Up to five Smew and a Scaup were still at Eyebrook Reservoir.

A late afternoon visit to Harrington Airfield yielded sightings of a Short-eared Owl, a Barn Owl and a Woodcock.

At Titchmarsh reserve today there was a Great White Egret, a Goosander, four drake Pintail and a couple of Common Snipe. Blackcaps turned up in gardens at Wellingborough and Oundle today and Fieldfares were reported in several gardens too.

Deene Lake provided some good birding with a Jack Snipe, two Whooper Swans in flight, a Great White Egret, ten Shelducks, three Black Swans, two Egyptian Geese, a pair of Stonechats and a Redpoll.

Two Peregrines were in Northampton today, two Redpolls were at Kelmarsh and a Siskin was at Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

A very red morning in the
Brampton Valley.

Muntjac.

Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Ring-necked Parakeet courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

A cold January Saturday

Hello

Another cold, crispy day but it looks as if this period of cold weather will be changing to warmer weather in the new week.

The Pitsford Reservoir Great Northern Diver was still present again today in The Narrows with a pair of Stonechats nearby, three Pintail in a break in the ice north of the causeway, three Tree Sparrows at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station and a Jack Snipe which was flushed from a field between Scaldwell village and the reservoir, flying towards the latter.

Two drake Smew and the Scaup were still at Eyebrook Reservoir and the Nene Valley provided a White-fronted Goose in flight over Whiston Pits and nearby birds below Cogenhoe and in the vicinity of Cogenhoe Lock included a Cattle Egret, a Marsh Harrier, a fly-over Curlew, two Green Sandpipers and several Common Snipe. Seven Goosanders were at Clifford Hill Pits late this morning.

A female Blackcap was in a garden at Wollaston and a pair of Blackcaps have been regular in a Spratton garden during the last week.

A Short-eared Owl was out hunting at Harrington Airfield this morning, followed a while later by a Barn Owl. Other birds included three Golden Plovers and plenty of Yellowhammers.

A Short-eared Owl was in hedging at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon with another not too far away on private land with no public access. A female Peregrine and two Woodcock were also at Blueberry Farm and birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton included two Barn Owls, a Grey Wagtail, thirteen Grey Partridges, two hundred Linnets, a hundred Goldfinches and forty Skylarks.

Regards

Neil M

Wintry scenes at Pitsford Reservoir
today with much of the reservoir
north of the causeway being ice.

Fallow Deer courtesy
of Jonathan Pitt.

Long-tailed Tits courtesy
of Jonathan Pitt.

Magpie.

SP54 Short Day Count

Hello

Potentially the coldest nights and day of the winter so far saw three of us complete the Banbury Ornithological Society Short Day Count in SP54 - in the deep south of the county!

We started at Thenford and found plenty of common finches which included a Redpoll and a few Siskins and several Greenfinches but not the hoped-for Hawfinches. The corvids were vocal and included a couple of Ravens and a Grey Wagtail was present too. More Ravens were at Marston St Lawrence and a couple of Siskins too and at least four Ravens were at Farthinghoe LNR and where a flock of twenty Golden Plovers were heading over south. Over three hundred Lapwings were seen flying south during the day in response to even more adverse conditions further north.

Another bird that was responding to the cold weather was the Skylark with about a hundred near Trafford Bridge, a flock of fifty near Sulgrave and small numbers elsewhere. An unidentified small egret was seen in flight also near Sulgrave and couldn't be found again, a covey of eight Grey Partridge were on the edge of the square towards Chacombe and a Barn Owl was seen at Weedon Lois. A female Shoveler in a hole in the ice was noteworthy at Edgecote where there was also a Grey Wagtail and thrushes were particularly evident today with good numbers of all five common species trying to feed in the frosty fields.

Mammals featured too with Fallow Deer, Roe Deer, Red Fox, Grey Squirrel, Rabbit and Brown Hare all being espied.

Elsewhere and three drake Smew and a Scaup were at Eyebrook Reservoir, the Ruddy Shelduck moved from Winwick Pools to Hollowell Reservoir (where there were also four Stonechats) and Stanford Reservoir continued to host the two Whooper Swans, a Great White Egret, five Goosanders, a Water Rail, three Chiffchaffs and a Stonechat.

At Pitsford Reservoir the Great Northern Diver was again seen in The Narrows and the two White-fronted Geese were still at Ravensthorpe Reservoir. Another White-fronted Goose was in the Nene Valley with Greylags at Billing Pits and birds nearby at Ecton SF included a Green Sandpiper, a Cetti's Warbler and at least two Chiffchaffs.

Other Nene Valley birds included the Glossy Ibis, a Caspian Gull, two Great White Egrets, two Golden Plovers and six Common Snipe at Summer Leys LNR, a Cetti's Warbler and a Water Rail at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows, a Great White Egret at Grendon Pond and a Caspian Gull at Whiston Pits between Cogenhoe and Earls Barton.

The two Short-eared Owls were still on private land near Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and birds in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton included two Barn Owls, fifty Skylarks and a Grey Wagtail.

Birds for Harrington Airfield included the 'ringtail' Hen Harrier again, a Barn Owl and fourteen Grey Partridges and two Siskins were at the Sandy Lane Attenuation Pond at Duston.

Regards

Neil M

Mute Swan.

Grey Partridges courtesy
of Jacob Spinks.

Edgcote.

Lapwing.