Another heatwave over

Hello

Breezy, a reduction in temperature and some showers was certainly a change to the weather if not the birds.

At Pitsford Reservoir this morning there was a Black-tailed Godwit in the Scaldwell Bay and this afternoon/evening there were four Yellow-legged Gulls (including a juvenile) and two Common Sandpipers visible from the dam. A Raven was at Hanging Houghton.

A meander around Harrington Airfield provided two broods of Grey Partridge, the Marsh Harrier with heavily abraded flight feathers, three Ravens, a Common Redstart near the Chippings Compound and two Whinchats north of Bunker Three.

Five Black-tailed Godwits and a Pintail were noted at Summer Leys LNR today.

Regards

Neil M

Male Linnet courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Carrion Crow courtesy
of John Tilly.

Kingfisher courtesy of
Neil Hasdell.

Painted Lady courtesy of
Neil Hasdell.

Odonata of Christie's Copse

Hello

Birds for Stanford Reservoir today included an Osprey, four Ravens, two Common Sandpipers, three Oystercatchers and a Siskin.

At Pitsford Reservoir this morning there was a range of odonata utilising the pools at Christies Copse in the Walgrave Bay which included Brown Hawker, Black-tailed Skimmer, Four-spotted Chaser, Broad-bodied Chaser, Common Darter, Large Red-eyed Damselfly and Common Azure Damselfly. A Kingfisher flew through.

This evening birds north of the causeway included a late in the day fishing Osprey, two Black-tailed Godwits, two Oystercatchers, a Green Sandpiper, two Common Sandpipers and five Great White Egrets. Which wasn't bad considering there were two people walking along the shoreline between the Bird Club hide and the Old Scaldwell Road before they were politely asked to vacate the area.

At Clifford Hill Pits this evening there were eleven Black-tailed Godwits, a Common Sandpiper and a Little Ringed Plover. Summer Leys LNR attracted three Pintail and an Osprey was seen with a trout over the Elinor lake at Thrapston Pits late morning.

A Common Redstart was found at Litchborough at the cricket field and another Common Redstart and a Whinchat were in the vicinity of Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning. A Kingfisher was noted at Towcester Water Meadows.

A probable second calendar year Marsh Harrier was at Harrington Airfield this morning and a Common Redstart was near the Chippings Compound.

Regards

Neil M

Common Emerald Damselfly.

Common Darter.

Black-tailed Skimmer.

Four-spotted Chaser.

Broad-bodied Chaser.

Common Darter.

A humid Sunday

Hello

Another warm day but misty first thing and plenty of cloud cover cut down on the extreme heat.

A Ferruginous Duck at Stanford Reservoir this evening is likely to be one of a couple of long-staying/domicile birds from Warwickshire. Other birds there were a Common Sandpiper, three Oystercatchers and a Raven.

A Little Tern at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows was a good mid-summer record and the female Ruddy Shelduck was today back at Winwick Pools.

At least seven Great White Egrets at Pitsford Reservoir today included a colour-ringed bird which has been present about a week but the ring was first accurately read today and proved to be an individual which was ringed as a nestling in Somerset in April this year.

Two Hobbies, two Common Sandpipers and Small Copper and Silver-washed Fritillary butterflies were present at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today. A Common Redstart was at Hollowell Reservoir and was last seen by the feeder stream at the north end of the reservoir. Another Common Redstart was again near Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon.

Crossbills today included eight at Wakerley Wood car park this morning and one in flight at Harry's Park Wood. A Grasshopper Warbler was seen near Whiston Lock in the Nene Valley early this afternoon in a field with pylons.

Regards

Neil M

Gatekeepers courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Adult female and juvenile male Green
 Woodpeckers courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Juvenile Starling.

Peacock butterfly.

Migrants and late breeders

Hello

More heat today but a welcome breeze and not as hot as yesterday.

A Common Redstart was near Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning and Harrington Airfield provided some action with a Common Redstart near the ringing ride at Bunker One, a dispersing juvenile Marsh Harrier and the very welcome sight of two broods of Grey Partridges, the smallest perhaps being only a day or two old.

Ravensthorpe Reservoir was the venue today of our very long-staying female Ruddy Shelduck and a Lesser Emperor dragonfly plus unidentified fritillaries and Small Copper butterflies provided some alternative wildlife viewing.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir included an Osprey, two Grasshopper Warblers caught and ringed, a Yellow-legged Gull, two Oystercatchers, a Common Sandpiper and six Ravens.

In the Nene Valley an adult Cattle Egret and three or four juveniles were at an unspecified breeding location and a Black-tailed Godwit was at Summer Leys LNR.

Three Crossbills were in flight over Lady Wood, part of the Souther Wood complex this morning and two Kingfishers and three Grey Wagtails were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Small Copper courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Juvenile Pied Wagtail
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Brimstone courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Female Ruddy Shelduck.

A very warm Friday

Hello

Given the extreme heat locally it isn't surprising that very few birds were reported in the county today. And with the Global Bird Fair overlooking Rutland Water being on Friday to Sunday this will distract would-be observers too.

Two Little Ringed Plovers were on the dam at Stanford Reservoir today and three Oystercatchers were present too.

A Greenshank was at Summer Leys LNR this morning and very early morning birding around Abington Park, Northampton produced two more singleton Crossbills.

A number of observers picked up on hatches of Brown Argus butterflies at several sites. A butterfly transect at Bucknell Wood yielded good numbers of butterflies of sixteen species with many Silver-washed Fritillaries and smaller numbers of Wood Whites and Purple Hairstreaks.

Regards

Neil M

Common Buzzard courtesy
of John Tilly.

Silver-washed Fritillary courtesy
of David Arden.

Dark Green Fritillary courtesy
of David Arden.

Purple Hairstreak courtesy
of David Arden.

A summer evening at
Pitsford Reservoir.

The stunning Red Admiral

Juvenile Marsh Harrier
at Titchmarsh reserve today
courtesy of Nick Parker.

Hello

So the beginning of another heat wave saw warm, sunny conditions today and still with a plethora of butterflies and other insects.

A singing Spotted Flycatcher in the village here at Hanging Houghton presumably signals efforts at producing a second brood. Also in Hanging Houghton, a Red Kite dropped a small mammal which recovered quickly enough from it's presumed injuries to reach cover in a hedge before the kite had second thoughts - a young Weasel!

Stanford Reservoir provided for an Osprey and two Hobbies again and birds north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir where the water levels continue to drop included two Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, four Green Sandpipers, five Great White Egrets and an Osprey.

Ten Crossbills moving north over Abington Park, Northampton this morning was a good local record and Common Gull and Siskin are both good seasonal records.

In the Nene Valley there was a Black-tailed Godwit at Summer Leys LNR, a Great White Egret at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows LNR and a juvenile Marsh Harrier headed west over the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston.

A Purple Emperor was again attracted to oozing tree sap at St Crispins by the clock tower in Duston, Northampton. Silver-washed Fritillaries were around the car park at Wakerley Wood this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Red Admirals on our
garden buddleia. 

Ringing at Stortons and Pitsford

Hello

A warm day but with cloud for much of the morning and sunny this afternoon.

Northants Ringing Group members took the opportunity of good mist net conditions to complete some bird ringing at Pitsford Reservoir and Stortons Pits.

The Pitsford team worked the Christies Copse rides and processed forty-five birds of ten resident species which included a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Treecreeper, three juvenile Chaffinches and two Bullfinches which these days are scarce on-site.

Birds at Pitsford today included at least six Great White Egrets, a Hobby, at least one Crossbill flying over, a Green Sandpiper, a Cuckoo and a Yellow-legged Gull. Toadlets were seen, a young Grass Snake was found, plenty of butterflies included Purple Hairstreak and the bigger odonata showing were Blue Emperor, Brown Hawker, Broad-bodied Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer and Beautiful Demoiselle.

Over at Stortons Pits the team produced fifty-three birds of fifteen species for processing which were mostly young birds hatched this year with seventeen Blackcaps being a good total and other warblers including a Chiffchaff, four Garden Warblers, six Reed Warblers (including an aberrant bird with white in it's plumage), three Sedge Warblers and a Common Whitethroat.

Birding at Stanford Reservoir produced a juvenile Goosander, five Oystercatchers, a Great White Egret and two Hobbies.

Four Crossbills were seen in flight at Denton Wood, Yardley Chase early this afternoon and at least fifteen Crossbills were in the larches around the car park at Wakerley Wood this afternoon. Several Siskins were also present and butterflies included White Admirals, Silver-washed Fritillaries and Purple Hairstreaks among more common species.

At Clifford Hill Pits this morning there was an Oystercatcher, a Little Ringed Plover, a Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper. The Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Pits provided for a Greenshank and a Green Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

Treecreeper courtesy
of Sean Gower.

Male Bullfinch courtesy
of Sean Gower.

Chiffchaff courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Great White Egret courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Scarlet Tiger courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Hobby courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Another heat wave imminent!

Hello

Rather quiet at Stanford Reservoir today with an Oystercatcher and a Common Sandpiper of note; an Osprey was seen there yesterday.

At Pitsford Reservoir this morning there were at least two mobile and vocal Crossbills in the Walgrave Bay, again on the west side, with two Great White Egrets in the margins. Later a Greenshank and a Yellow-legged Gull were just off the dam.

Another Greenshank was on the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Pits where there was also a Common Sandpiper and two Little Ringed Plovers. A Great White Egret and a Common Sandpiper were at Summer Leys LNR.

A Black-tailed Godwit was at Hollowell Reservoir this afternoon and the Green-eyed Hawker was still patrolling the main feeder stream. A Silver-washed Fritillary may well be a new addition to the butterflies of Ravensthorpe Reservoir.

An adult and two juvenile Peregrines were active at Higham Ferrers today and near Maidwell this morning there was a Common Redstart and a Whinchat in hedging near Blueberry Farm.

Last year our garden buddleias were virtually empty of butterflies but today was quite different with plenty of visiting Red Admirals and Peacocks and a few Large Whites, Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Gatekeepers and Comma taking advantage. Three Ravens were over Hanging Houghton this afternoon.

Purple Hairstreaks were noted near the clock tower at St Crispin's, Duston, Northampton, a Scarce Chaser was at Whiston Lock and an early Migrant Hawker was out at Summer Leys LNR.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Dunnock

Juvenile Common Whitethroat.

Sedge Warbler.

Blue Emperor.
All the above images
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Red Admiral courtesy
of John Tilly.

Peacock courtesy
of John Tilly.

Rain, strong winds, fresh butterflies

Hello

Another day of blustery conditions after some welcome overnight rain.

At Thrapston Pits a Bittern was seen on the Titchmarsh Reserve and other birds of note were a Dunlin, two Common Sandpipers and a Little Ringed Plover.

Stanford Reservoir provided for a Common Sandpiper, two Oystercatchers, two Hobbies, seven Ravens and two Kingfishers.

Two Ravens were at Lamport Hall this afternoon and lots of butterflies included Marbled Whites, Painted Ladies and pristine Red Admirals and Peacocks.

Two Green Sandpipers and a Silver-washed Fritillary were found at Daventry Country Park and two more Silver-washed Fritillaries visited a garden at Cherry Hill, Old.

An Osprey flying west was a good record for Preston Capes in the west of the county and Crossbill(s) were heard calling over Brackley this morning. Two Little Ringed Plovers were seen on the new balancing lake at Towcester north of Silverstone Brook.

Four Black-tailed Godwits have spent the day at Summer Leys LNR and waders at Lilbourne Water Meadows this morning were two Oystercatchers, a Ringed Plover and two Little Ringed Plovers.

Two Dunlin were at Clifford Hill Pits this morning plus a juvenile Little Ringed Plover and about a hundred Sand Martins.

Crossbills were detected at Pitsford Reservoir this morning with at least eight birds flying west over the Walgrave Bay and at least one other being heard in conifer plantations. Six Great White Egrets and a Yellow-legged Gull were around the Scaldwell Bay this evening.

At Harrington Airfield this evening there was a Common Redstart near to the Highways Chipping Compound plus an adult Grey Partridge with eight young and four Ravens.

Regards

Neil M

Peacock.

Marbled White.

Ringlet courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Juvenile Carrion Crow
courtesy of John Tilly.

Male House Sparrow courtesy
of Tony Stanford.