Repeats and a Bittern

Hello

Most of the bird news is repeats of previous days as we enjoy a warm spell of weather.

At Stanford Reservoir today the two Cuckoos were still present plus a Hobby and a Cetti's Warbler.

At Pitsford Reservoir an Osprey put in an appearance again north of the causeway this morning, as viewed from the Bird Club hide.

A Bittern at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this evening was an excellent record and it is debatable as to whether this might be a wandering non-breeding bird or an individual dispersing after breeding.

The Earls Barton New Workings/Whiston Wetlands was still productive with a Great White Egret, two Shelducks, about thirty Lapwings and at least five Avocets. This has easily been the best spring ever in the county for Avocet records.

Regards

Neil M

Lapwing chicks.

Painted Lady butterfly.

Little Egret.

This Grass Snake had eaten
something rather substantial!
Images courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Naturetrek tours at Pitsford Reservoir.

Hello

Pitsford Reservoir today was the venue for two Naturetrek Day Tours, one a general wildlife romp around the reserve and the other, led by Dave Jackson, concentrated on how to get the most out of macro photography. It was a warm, breezy day but not as hot as forecast with quite a significant cloud cover which may have been a blessing! Insects probably dominated proceedings with most birds of the woodland hidden in foliage. 

Bird-wise a flock of fifteen Crossbills flew south-east at about 11.50am, an Osprey was seen in the Scaldwell Bay where there were also two Great White Egrets and a Hobby was over the Walgrave Bay. Butterflies were limited to a single Marbled White (not seen by us), Common Blue, Large Skipper, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Large White, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and Painted Lady. The contents of the moth traps provided Privet Hawk-moth, Elephant Haw-moth and Lackey with Chimney Sweepers in the meadows. Odonata were better with Blue Emperor, Hairy Hawker, Black-tailed Skimmer, Four-spotted Chaser, Broad-bodied Chaser, Common Blue Damselfly, Large Red-eyed Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly and both Banded and Beautiful Demoiselles.

At Stanford Reservoir today the best birds on show were a Little Ringed Plover, two Spotted Flycatchers, a Hobby, a Cuckoo and two Cetti's Warblers.

Clifford Hill Pits this morning yielded an Avocet, three Ringed Plovers, one Little Ringed Plover, two Shelduck and a Hobby at nearby Barnes Meadow. Earls Barton New Workings/Whiston Wetlands provided six Avocets, four Ringed Plovers and a Green Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

Osprey courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Red Kite.

Privet Hawk-moth.

Beautiful Demoiselle.

Four-spotted Chaser.

All images from Pitsford
Reservoir today.

More birds of the blustery wind and sunshine

Hello

Birding at Stanford Reservoir today provided the 'reeling' Grasshopper Warbler again, two Spotted Flycatchers, the two Cuckoos still, two Hobbies, a Kingfisher and two Cetti's Warblers.

Two Grey Wagtails and a Kingfisher were in the Welland Valley below Cottingham this morning.

A Naturetrek Day Tour around Rectory Farm, Great Easton and Eyebrook Reservoir provided two sightings of an Osprey, a Raven, at least three Great White Egrets and several Brown Hares and a  significant hatch of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies.

An Osprey showed a couple of times at Pitsford Reservoir today both over the causeway and in the Scaldwell Bay.

A Spotted Flycatcher was at Towcester Water Meadows today, a Hobby and a Cuckoo were at Sixfields Lake and a Barnacle Goose was at Clifford Hill Pits.

This evening and a Barn Owl was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Banded Demoiselles.

White-legged Damselfly.

Kestrel.

Spotted Longhorn Beetle
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Local breeders and some still on their journey north

Hello

Still evidence of high arctic spring passage with a Turnstone and ten Ringed Plovers on the New Workings/Whiston Wetlands this morning. Other birds included six Avocets, a pair of Shelduck, a Common Snipe and a Barn Owl.

Lilbourne Meadows reserve hosted up to nine Little Ringed Plovers which included three flying juveniles, three Redshank, two Oystercatchers and good numbers of singing Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings. Two Ravens were at Honey Hill, Cold Ashby. Two Cuckoos including the rufous morph and a Cetti's Warbler were noted at Stanford Reservoir.

Regards

Neil M

Carrion Crow tucking into some nice trout!
The summering large gulls at Pitsford Reservoir
and other birds enjoy the bounty of moribund trout
which have been caught and released by anglers, with a
proportion subsequently dying from the rigours
 of being line-caught.

Just-fledged Carrion Crow.
The local Ravens and Rooks
fledged in May with some Ravens
in April, now it's the turn of the
remainder of the corvids.

Large Skipper.

Comma courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

More post-breeding dispersal

Hello

A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was seen at Stanford Reservoir today where there were also three hundred Lesser Black-backed Gulls, three Oystercatchers, two Cuckoos including a rufous morph female and a Kingfisher.

A Little Owl was showing nicely at Hanging Houghton this afternoon with a Barn Owl in the Brampton Valley below the village this morning.

More post-breeding dispersal today with a Curlew and two Redshanks at Clifford Hill Pits and the two summer plumage Mediterranean Gulls were again at Summer Leys LNR this afternoon - they may have left it a bit late to breed locally this year. Four Hobbies and six Egyptian Geese were at Earls Barton Pits at the older end of the complex.

A Great White Egret, two Egyptian Geese and a Grey Wagtail were in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir today; the best of the odonata on show being Four-spotted Chasers and Beautiful Demoiselles.

Regards

Neil M

Efforts at opening up
the old oak woodland in the
 Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir
 have provided an opportunity for
dormant seed banks to germinate - 
resulting in an impressive display 
of Foxgloves.

This first year male
Sparrowhawk was photographed
by Tony Stanford and exhibits a
curious elongated toe on it's
left foot.

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly.

Autumn birds already!

Hello

Two Spoonbills dropped into Eyebrook Reservoir today before going again in between showers and Stanford Reservoir again provided the 'reeling' Grasshopper Warbler, an Oystercatcher, two Cuckoos, two Kingfishers and two Cetti's Warblers.

In the Nene Valley the Summer Leys LNR provided two adult Mediterranean Gulls, a Caspian Gull briefly and a Ringed Plover. At the Whiston Wetlands/Earls Barton New Workings there were six Avocets and a Green Sandpiper.

A Spotted Flycatcher was at Beck Dairy, Cottesbrooke this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Green Sandpiper.

Lapwing.

Juvenile Grey Wagtail.

Reed Warbler.

All images courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Returning Lapwings and
Green Sandpipers are already
post-breeding migrants and 
summer hasn't arrived yet!

A wet summer beckoning?

Hello

A bit more showery stuff today than I was expecting but some nice weather in between. The rain will be a feature for tomorrow seemingly with a particularly wet afternoon forecast.

Today and the Grasshopper Warbler was still 'reeling' at Stanford Reservoir and where a fishing Osprey was at lunchtime. Other birds were two Oystercatchers and a Cuckoo.

Single Sanderlings were noted at Eyebrook Reservoir and Clifford Hill Pits, two Oystercatchers were in the Welland Valley below Cottingham and a pair of Peregrines were on St Dionysius church spire at Market Harborough with no apparent indication of breeding there.

Whiston Wetlands/Earls Barton New Workings today held seven Avocets, two Dunlin, four Oystercatchers, four Redshanks, a Peregrine and two Barn Owls.

Six Common Cranes seen flying over Grendon Lakes this evening was a good record and this afternoon an Osprey was seen to catch a Bream at Hollowell Reservoir. During the last three days over a hundred Common Swifts have been busy feeding north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir, a small percentage of the huge flocks we used to see there on cool June days twenty or more years ago!

In a good year for Black Hairstreak butterflies, a number of new sites have been found which included Twywell Hills and Vales and Stanwick Pits as this species begins to extend it's range after years of stubbornly being found only at a couple of key sites. Although it's not happening in our garden yet, Scarlet Tiger moths are now being seen on the wing, mostly in urban and sub-urban gardens. Among other butterflies, Marbled White emerged at Collyweston quarry today.

Odonata on the wing in the Welland Valley just upstream from Gretton Weir included Hairy Hawkers, White-legged Damselflies and Banded Demoiselles.

Regards

Neil M

Peregrine courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Black Hairstreak butterfly
courtesy of Neil Hasdell.

Marbled White butterfly
courtesy of David Arden.

Swallow courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

The overdue wet weather!

Hello 

A very wet day in the county and some similar weather forecast for Saturday too!

Yesterday a Crossbill was over Irthlingborough and today a Cattle Egret in breeding plumage was at Stanwick Pits.

Two Spotted Flycatchers visited a Hollowell village garden today and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was heard at Hanging Houghton at lunchtime.

A Sanderling remained at Clifford Hill Pits this morning and at Stanford Reservoir two Cuckoos included a rufous-phase female and other birds were a Kingfisher and two Oystercatchers. A Curlew was noted at Ring Haw, Old Sulehay early this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Common Wool Carder Bees on
'Lambs Ears' courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.

Avocets at Whiston
Wetlands courtesy of
Jim Dunkley.

Great Crested Grebes
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Common Tern courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Little Owls, a Quail and interesting insects.

Hello

Stanford Reservoir had a productive morning with an Osprey briefly and still singing singles of Quail and Grasshopper Warbler. Two Oystercatchers and two Cuckoos were also there.

At Pitsford Reservoir an adult Yellow-legged Gull was off the dam this morning and Clifford Hill Pits catered for a Sanderling, two Ringed Plovers and two Little Ringed Plovers.

The Earls Barton New Workings/Whiston Wetlands area provided views of four Avocets including a half-grown youngster, a Black-tailed Godwit, two Little Ringed Plovers, a Hobby, a Cuckoo and a Grey Partridge.

Four Green-eyed (or Norfolk) Hawkers were seen at Wicksteed Park Lake today and a Little Owl was vocal at Hanging Houghton and also where Currant Clearwing moths came to a lure. A pair of Little Owls near to Scaldwell village have young and a Hobby was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Little Owl.

Green-veined White.

Great White Egret
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Cool start to June

Hello

Windy and wet this morning but better this afternoon and mostly dry with a little sun.

The singing Quail was still audible at Stanford Reservoir at lunchtime today and the Grasshopper Warbler was still 'reeling' too. Other birds included three Oystercatchers, a Kingfisher and a Cuckoo.

Two Avocets were at Summer Leys LNR this morning, a Dunlin and a Little Ringed Plover were at Titchmarsh Nature Reserve at Thrapston Pits and an Osprey was again north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon.

An adult female Peregrine was on St Dionysius church spire in Market Harborough town centre this afternoon and a Barn Owl was at Hanging Houghton this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Cuckoo.

White-legged Damselfly.

Four-spotted Chaser.

Pitsford Common Bird Census

Hello

I spent the first half of the day completing a Common Bird Census around the reserve section of Pitsford Reservoir. I use this as an excuse to go looking for interesting insects, mammals etc too. Seven hours of surveying saw me meet just one other person, something that makes the reserve very special if you enjoy taking in the wildlife around you without the people for a change. The best birds were probably a Barn Owl, a Hobby, a Yellow-legged Gull and two Great White Egrets (in non-breeding plumage) and also a Little Egret, a drake Wigeon, a small collection of Gadwall and a Raven family.

Crossbills were heard calling in the Walgrave Bay and may not have lingered and it was concerning how few contacts I had with Marsh Tit (one bird), two Bullfinch contacts only and only one singing Lesser Whitethroat. Although singing on-site earlier in the spring there were no singing Willow Warblers and just one territory of Sedge Warbler. Twenty singing Garden Warblers is also low but there were many more in May and hopefully they are busy feeding broods of young rather than singing.

A Grass Snake was seen briefly, in all probability the only species of reptile on-site and very much reduced in number over the last couple of decades. Odonata comprised of Broad-bodied and Four-spotted Chasers plus Common Blue Damselflies and Large Red-eyed Damselflies but there will be other species I missed. Five species of butterfly included my first Meadow Browns of the year.

At Stanford Reservoir the Grasshopper Warbler was 'reeling' again this morning and a Quail was heard singing near the dam this evening. Two Cuckoos were also present.

Another Grasshopper Warbler was showing well near the layby entrance of Whiston Wetlands this morning. A Siskin was heard calling flying over Hanging Houghton early this morning.

On this blog the pages for the two Camargue in Spring tours and the Romanian tour to the Carpathians and Danube Delta have been updated with additional images.

Regards

Neil M

Common Blue Damselfly.

Juvenile Carrion Crow.

Ovipositoring female
Broad-bodied Chaser.

Male Broad-bodied Chaser.

Recently-emerged
Broad-bodied Chaser.

Large Red-eyed Damselfly.

All images from Pitsford
Reservoir today.