Honey Buzzard, dragons, a Quail and rain!

Hello

A decent amount of rain today is much needed and it seems like we will experience showers over the next few days.

A Honey Buzzard flying west over Althorp was the star bird today, not a bird known to breed locally there have been multiple county records in July going back over the decades.

A Quail was heard calling from a wheat field between Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and the Brampton Valley this morning and migrants on the move included a Wheatear on the top of Blueberry Hill and a Common Redstart nearer the farm. A Common Redstart and two Whinchats were near to shrike hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning but weren't located this afternoon. Two Crossbills flew over there this morning.

At Pitsford Reservoir an Osprey was fishing north of the causeway before the rain came and this afternoon a Greenshank and a Crossbill were audible in the Walgrave Bay. Dragonflies at the Christies Copse ponds this afternoon included Blue Emperor, Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Black-tailed Skimmer, Four spotted Chaser, Broad-bodied Chaser and Common Darter. At least one Purple Hairstreak was in in the oaks there.

This evening there was an Oystercatcher, seven Common Sandpipers and five Yellow-legged Gulls at the dam-end of the reservoir.

Hollowell Reservoir also attracted an Osprey, six Common Sandpipers and a Dunlin and a female Red-crested Pochard was at nearby Ravensthorpe Reservoir.

A Ruddy Shelduck was at Stanford Reservoir today plus an Oystercatcher and three Common Sandpipers. Yesterday 130 new birds were ringed on-site which included three Grasshopper Warblers and a Lesser Whitethroat.

At Summer Leys today the list of birds included two Greenshanks, two Common Sandpipers, three Green Sandpipers, two Egyptian Geese, a Great White Egret and a female Goldeneye. A Dunlin and a Little Ringed Plover and an adult Yellow-legged Gull were at Titchmarsh Reserve, Thrapston Pits and the two Barnacle Geese were still at Clifford Hill Pits.

Eyebrook Reservoir catered for an Osprey, two Black-tailed Godwits and four Green Sandpipers and this afternoon Harrington Airfield provided for two Common Redstarts (between Chippings Compound and Bunker Two), a juvenile Marsh Harrier and a brood of Grey Partridges.

Regards

Neil M

Common Darter.

Black-tailed Skimmer.

Female Southern Hawker
ovipositing into vegetation.

Broad-bodied Chaser.

All the dragonfly images
were taken at Christies's Copse
ponds, Pitsford Reservoir
 this afternoon.

Juvenile male Green Woodpecker
 courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Adult male Great Spotted Woodpecker
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Early autumn passerine migration

Hello

At Stanford Reservoir there was a Common Sandpiper today and yesterday (Thursday) a juvenile Stonechat was caught and ringed.

Today a very young juvenile Black Redstart was photographed in a garden situation at an undisclosed location 'ten minutes away from Summer Leys LNR'.

Further movement was detected at Harrington Airfield today with a ringing session there catching migrant warblers including three Sedge Warblers which don't breed on-site. A Meadow Pipit was also there and two single Crossbills flew west during the morning. At least one Raven was present.

In the Nene Valley eleven Cattle Egrets (seven adults, four juveniles) were at a breeding site which also attracted an Egyptian Goose family and three Mandarin Ducks.

Ten Crossbills were seen flying east over Weekley Wood Avenue, Kettering early this morning.

Clifford Hill Pits hosted two Barnacle Geese again plus a Dunlin and two Little Ringed Plovers.

A Common Redstart and a Hobby and several Meadow Pipits were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and another Common Redstart was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell where two Crossbills and a Siskin flew over.

Regards

Neil M

Purple Hairstreak courtesy
of Neil Hasdell.

Brimstone courtesy of
Neil Hasdell.

Male Broad-bodied Chaser.

Meadow Pipit courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Common Blue courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Juvenile Starling courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Humid conditions and woodpeckers

Hello

A ringing session at Harrington Airfield was curtailed when an unexpected band of rain and drizzle arrived and refused to budge for a couple of hours. Before that happened we managed to process about sixty-five birds which included a juvenile Green Woodpecker, two Blackbirds, a Song Thrush, a Reed Warbler, fifteen Common Whitethroats, two Blackcaps, four Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, two Linnets, two Bullfinches and three Yellowhammers. An Osprey flew north at about 5.40am and later there was a Raven, a Common Redstart just south of Bunker One and two pairs of Grey Partridges, one with a large group of youngsters and with the parents using the injured wing distraction display. There will be a revisit there tomorrow morning to finish off the session, hopefully this time with no rain!

In the birding calendar we are now in autumn but some late breeding was indicated by some recently fledged Great Tits at Hanging Houghton (either a second or replacement brood) and a very late hatching of five Mute Swan cygnets north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir - one of only two broods on the whole reservoir (both broods of five).

At Pitsford Reservoir there was a Greenshank, two Redshanks, two Green Sandpipers, two Common Sandpipers and a Hobby in the Scaldwell Bay this morning and at Thrapston Pits an Osprey was over Elinor Lake with an adult Yellow-legged Gull on the lake.

Another early morning in Abington Park, Northampton produced more Crossbills with four flying west and a Hobby was seen at much the same time.

A Curlew flew over Old Pastures Wood, a Black-tailed Godwit was at Clifford Hill Pits and a Common Redstart was near shrike hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and with one or two such birds at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

Regards

Neil M

Harrington Airfield sunset
glow courtesy of Helen Franklin.

Green Shieldbug courtesy
of John Tilly.

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Green Woodpecker courtesy of
Peter Walmsley.

Green Woodpecker courtesy
of Jane Neill.

Early autumn birding

Hello

Birds north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this morning included four Great White Egrets (one colour-ringed), four Common Sandpipers, two Green Sandpipers, an Osprey and an adult Yellow-legged Gull.

A Wood Sandpiper was on the east side of the main lake at Clifford Hill Pits this morning and other birds included a Common Sandpiper, two Little Ringed Plovers and two Barnacle Geese.

Summer Leys LNR attracted a Bittern, up to five Black-tailed Godwits seemingly then reducing to just one, singles of Green and Common Sandpipers, a Great White Egret and five Egyptian Geese. At least one Crossbill was at Wakerley Wood this morning.

Stanford Reservoir provided for a Cuckoo, an Oystercatcher and three Kingfishers (one caught and ringed). Non-avian sightings at Harrington Airfield included a Southern Hawker dragonfly and a Stoat. A Little Owl remains vocal at Hanging Houghton this evening.

A ringing session will be held at Harrington Airfield tomorrow (Thursday) when there will be access restrictions around the bunkers between the Chippings Compound and the main concrete track. The footpath along the main concrete track will be unaffected.

Regards

Neil M

Brown Hare.

Large Red-eyed Damselfly.

Marbled White courtesy
of David Arden.

Peacock courtesy of
David Arden.

Large Skipper courtesy
of David Arden.

Mistle Thrush courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

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.