Gales galore

Hello

Stormy weather is upon us, something we have to put up with when the temperatures are so mild.

Milky sunshine and relative warmth stimulated several Yellowhammers into singing at Harrington Airfield this morning where there were still a few Bramblings.

Efforts at finding the Dartford Warbler drew a blank at Duston Mill this morning but the pair of Stonechats were still present.

The Common Sandpiper and an adult Yellow-legged Gull were around the dam area of Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and the drake Smew was again visible from the causeway at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this morning as were two Great White Egrets. Over at Hollowell Reservoir Mark saw two Caspian Gulls, a Great White Egret, two Stonechats and nineteen Siskins. Another twenty Siskins were in trees along the stream at Harlestone at about lunchtime and a Redpoll was in a Scaldwell garden.

Yesterday the Siberian Chiffchaff was seen for a short time in Nick's Kettering garden and a Raven was at Yardley Gobion.

Regards

Neil M

Carolina Wood Ducks
courtesy of Robin Gossage.
A potential vagrant from the USA,
there is a small population
in the UK which are mostly captive
but a few escapees exist in a wild
feral state.

Aconites and Snowdrops
are in profusion this year.

Few sightings of note

Hello

Heavy rain for much of the morning probably affected the sightings in the county today.

Single Barn Owls were seen at Harrington Airfield, Lamport Crossing and in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today, presumably the high winds and recent rains has probably affected their usual hunting practices.

An Oystercatcher was in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and a Kingfisher was by the Sailing Club.

The three White-fronted Geese were again reported from Stanford Hall today and Stanford Reservoir hosted five Goosanders, a Kingfisher and two Chiffchaffs.

Regards

Neil M

Black-headed Gull.

Drake Goldeneye.

Bathing Blackbird.

Lambs!

Finches and gulls on show

Hello

Although elusive, the two Hawfinches were seen in Cottesbrooke village again this morning, showing at about 10am in the tall poplars opposite the bus shelter in Station Road, close to the Creaton Road junction. The Nuthatches were vocal there and a pair of Ravens patrolled the village.

At Pitsford Reservoir this morning the Great Northern Diver was in The Narrows and towards the Pintail Bay and the regular adult Yellow-legged Gull was just off the Sailing Club.

About twenty Bramblings remained at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and the drake Smew turned back up at Ravensthorpe Reservoir just north of the causeway; the Pink-footed Goose was with other geese in fields between there and Ravensthorpe village. A Caspian Gull was spotted at Hollowell Reservoir again today as was a Jack Snipe.

Two more Caspian Gulls were seen today at the regular venue off the A5 on pools near Lilbourne and the very popular Dartford Warbler was still at Duston Mill. A Cattle Egret was with Little Egrets close to the River Nene adjacent to the Summer Leys LNR and a Peregrine was nearby.

At Stanford Reservoir the adult Mediterranean Gull again turned up in the afternoon and three Goosanders were seen too.

A Blue Tit was ringed as a nestling at Rabbit Hill Spinney, Kelmarsh on 24th May last year and on or about 9th February this bird died after hitting a window at Desborough, 261 days later and at least 7km away from where it was hatched.

A first year male Brambling that was ringed near RAF Marham in Norfolk on 19th January 2020 was caught again at Harrington Airfield on Saturday just gone, 754 days later. Of course this bird has summered the last two years well to the north, perhaps in Scandinavia, so who knows how many kilometres this bird has clocked up during it's time. These details indicate of course that this migrant has wintered in the UK during 2019/2020 and again during 2021/2022. Most Bramblings winter on the continent, sometimes in vast flocks but clearly small numbers favour the relative mildness and food availability of the UK.

Regards

Neil M

Carrion Crow.

Grey Wagtail.

Map indicating ringing and control
locations of the Brambling first ringed
in Norfolk and then controlled
at Harrington Airfield courtesy of
Nick Wood.

Windy and wet Sunday

Hello

A rather blustery and wet day didn't make it perfect conditions for finding wildlife and my efforts today came to very little that was different!

Forty Bramblings were noted at Harrington Airfield this morning and Ravens were seen at Hanging Houghton and Cottesbrooke. Grey Wagtails were at Kelmarsh and Brixworth and at Pitsford Reservoir the Common Sandpiper remained on the dam and the adult Yellow-legged Gull was just off the Sailing Club.

Four Goosanders were on the River Nene at Clifford Hill Pits this afternoon and a Ruff was still at the Summer Leys LNR this morning. The three White-fronted Geese were again reported from Stanford Hall today and birds noted at nearby Stanford Reservoir included a Great White Egret, five Goosanders, two Kingfishers and a Chiffchaff.

An Otter was well-photographed at Becketts Park, Northampton yesterday morning.

An adult male Bullfinch was ringed at Greens Norton on 2nd September 2021 but unfortunately some 156 days later, on or about the 5th of this month, this bird was taken by a cat in the same village.

John Woollett's garden ringing has provided 170 Goldfinches in recent weeks which provides some indication of how important winter feed stations are to some species. Like many finches, Goldfinches remain very mobile outside the breeding season and will liberally travel to find the necessary food. Over the years our local ringing recoveries indicate that many Scottish and North England breeding Goldfinches pass through and winter in Northamptonshire. It also seems that some of our breeding birds move east into France.

Regards

Neil M

Goldfinch.

Bullfinch courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Raven.

Kelmarsh Hall ringing

Hello 

A blustery south west wind dominated the weather today but this change did little to alter the local birding scene.

The Dartford Warbler remained at Duston Mill with it's Stonechat partners, the Siberian Chiffchaff again visited Nick in his Kettering garden and the White-fronted Goose was again at Sywell Country Park.

A Great White Egret was at Clifford Hill Pits as were two Stonechats and twenty-seven Golden Plovers. A Peregrine was seen at Higham Ferrers and the three White-fronted Geese remained at Stanford Hall. An array of birds at Stanford Reservoir today included a Mediterranean Gull again, two Caspian Gulls, a Great White Egret, five Goosanders and a Chiffchaff. The long-staying Pink-footed Goose remained at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today.

A census of birds at Kelmarsh Hall using bird ringing techniques provided 172 individual birds which included 107 Blue Tts, 24 Great Tits, 3 Coal Tits, a Marsh Tit, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Goldcrests, 5 Robins, 14 Dunnocks, a Redwing, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Greenfinches and 9 Goldfinches. Other birds present but not caught were thirty-five Siskins, two Bramblings and a pair of Ravens.

Regards

Neil M

Blue Tit.

Dunnock.

Common Frog courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

                                   Tawny Owl assessing a nest box courtesy of Chris Payne.

Hawfinches, scarce warblers and plenty more!

Hello

A raft of good birds on offer in the county today including some great new finds!

Jon's birding efforts at Cottesbrooke came up trumps this morning with two Hawfinches found in the village. These big finches stayed around for the day, moving between the church and the bus stop and sometimes seen on the ground underneath yew trees. It is important for anyone visiting the village in a vehicle to park off the road - the roads are narrow and are used by tractors and farm machinery regularly.

Nick Parker's garden in Kettering was the venue for a Siberian Chiffchaff - it's always pretty special when a scarce bird comes looking for you!

The Dartford Warbler and two Stonechats were still showing on and off at Duston Mill and ranging around at least two different fields.

The Great Northern Diver was again on view in The Narrows at Pitsford Reservoir today with a Barnacle Goose just off the Sailing Club. The first year White-fronted Goose was still with Greylags and Canada Geese at Sywell Country Park early this afternoon and other birds included a Water Rail, two Grey Wagtails, about thirty Siskins and a Cetti's Warbler. Three Caspian Gulls were on view at Hollowell Reservoir.

Sightings at Stanford Reservoir included the Mediterranean Gull again, a Woodcock, a Water Rail, a Goosander, two Great White Egrets, a Kingfisher and a Cetti's Warbler. Small numbers of Siskins were at Kelmarsh Hall. 

A little ringing at Harrington Airfield today provided over sixty processed birds dominated by twenty-one Yellowhammers and twenty-one Bramblings. One of the Bramblings was already bearing a British ring from a capture in January 2020 although we have yet to find out where this encounter occurred. Other birds noted on-site included a nearby Barn Owl, four Golden Plovers, up to forty Bramblings, a Siskin and a pair of Grey Partridge.

Regards

Neil M

Fieldfare.

Goldfinch courtesy of
John Tilly.

Mistle Thrush.

Early signs of spring

Hello

Seemingly a rather quiet day in the county for birds today but Neil Hasdell found a drake Smew at Pitsford Reservoir, just south of the causeway plus a Barnacle Goose, a Redshank and a Great White Egret.

At Duston Mill the wintering Dartford Warbler and pair of Stonechats continued to delight and at Ravensthorpe Reservoir there was a Pink-footed Goose and two Great White Egrets.

A Peregrine was seen at Kettering and at Summer Leys LNR a Peregrine there was hunting Starlings. Three Oystercatchers had arrived back on the reserve by this afternoon.

At least thirty Bramblings were at Harrington Airfield this afternoon - a ringing session is planned for tomorrow when the area around the bunkers and old airstrip will have restricted access. Over twenty Siskins were at Kelmarsh Hall this morning.

Three White-fronted Geese were on the roadside pit at Stanwick Pits this afternoon and a Caspian Gull was identified at Clifford Hill Pits also early this afternoon.

Over at Stanford Reservoir an adult Mediterranean Gull was in the roost and there was an Oystercatcher here too plus six Goosanders. 

I watched a pair of Ravens nest-building today and the lengthening days, relatively mild conditions and irregular sunshine is stimulating plenty of bird song locally.

Regards

Neil M

Drake Smew.

Oystercatcher.

Adult Mediterranean Gull.

Interesting birds in every direction

Hello

The Dartford Warbler was again on show at Duston Mill today and the Pink-footed Goose was seen at Ravensthorpe Reservoir late morning. At Hollowell Reservoir there were two adult Caspian Gulls early this afternoon plus an adult Yellow-legged Gull and four Stonechats.

Birds at Harrington Airfield this afternoon included at least fifty Bramblings, two Woodcock and a Barn Owl and the male Ruff remained at Summer Leys LNR. There was a gathering of eighty-eight Goldeneye near to the Maytrees Hide at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon, many of them displaying noisily.

A Caspian Gull was at Rushton Landfill this afternoon, the three White-fronted Geese were at Stanford Hall and a Great White Egret and a Goosander were at Stanford Reservoir.

Notable birds found wintering in the UK now includes an American Robin at Eastbourne and I went west today to see the long-staying juvenile Pacific Diver in Glamorgan which showed nicely (eventually)!

Regards

Neil M

Muntjac.

Starling courtesy of
John Tilly.

Pacific Diver.

February bits and pieces

Hello

A visit to Market Harborough this morning started well - I heard the Peregrines as soon as I opened the car door and watched as a pair attacked a Common Buzzard that dared to overfly the town centre. The walk along the River Welland failed to locate an Otter but a Grey Wagtail and three Siskins were some compensation. Small numbers of Siskins were at Kelmarsh Hall and Scotland Wood and over a hundred were well spread at Harlestone Heath where there were also two Ravens. A Brambling was again with other finches in a field off  Webbs Lane, Sywell.

The Dartford Warbler again showed well at Duston Mill today, mostly in the field to the south of the canal, and there was a drake Goosander at Delapre Lake/Hardingstone Pits and images of Chiffchaffs photographed at Ecton SF a few days ago include a putative Siberian Chiffchaff.

At Stanwick Pits there were three White-fronted Geese on the Main Lake this morning and later this afternoon, and fifteen Great White Egrets and two Cattle Egrets were also on-site. A Chiffchaff and five Goosanders were seen at Stanford Reservoir today.

Regards

Neil M

Dartford Warbler at
Duston Mill today courtesy
of the finder Ken Prouse.

Drake Goosander at
Delapre Lake/Hardingstone
Pits today courtesy of
Don West.

Small birds of interest

Hello

A much calmer day of weather today and still some great birds to be seen in the county.

The Dartford Warbler was still at Duston Mill today together with two Stonechats and there are some super pictures of this bird in circulation (sadly not from me though!). A Raven was seen in flight there too.

Birds at Pitsford Reservoir today again included the Great Northern Diver, an adult Yellow-legged Gull and Common Sandpiper all in the southern section. Birds north of the causeway included a Great White Egret, a Redshank and still the partly white Reed Bunting at the Old Scaldwell Road feeding station.

A drake Goosander was on the River Nene at Weston Mill, Northampton, a Ruff was at Summer Leys LNR this afternoon and the adult Whooper Swan was conveniently close to the Navigation Inn near Cosgrove in the south of the county.

Singles of Cattle Egret and Great White Egret were at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve at Ditchford Pits, two adult Caspian Gulls were at Hollowell Reservoir early this afternoon and at least forty Bramblings were still attracted to seed at Harrington Airfield.

Some garden ringing on the outskirts of Northampton today provided a Siskin, a Reed Bunting, two Goldfinches and six Lesser Redpolls. One of the Redpolls was an aberrantly-plumaged bird that was particularly eye-catching.

Details have come through of a Belgium-ringed Blackcap that was controlled at Pitsford Reservoir on 8th October 2021. This male bird was originally caught and ringed on 6th September 2020 at Sint Huibrechts-Hern, Limburg, Belgium when assessed as a first year. It is difficult to speculate where this bird had been between these dates and where it's potential breeding and wintering region might be, the distance between the two sites is 466km with Pitsford lying WNW of the original ringing location.

Regards

Neil M

Partly-white Lesser Redpoll.

Blue Tit courtesy
of John Tilly.

Map depicting two
sites associated with
the Belgium-ringed Blackcap
courtesy of Nick Wood.

 

Wet and wild Sunday

Hello

A very windy, wet and wild day, the weather being much more significant than forecast with numerous localised power cuts, downed trees etc.

The Dartford Warbler continued to show today at Duston Mill, delighting visitors with some good showings and often still in the company of two Stonechats. Six Goosanders were next door at Stortons Pits and there was a Birdguides report of a Siberian Chiffchaff with a Chiffchaff along a stream by Sixfields Lake car park late morning.

The southern section of Pitsford Reservoir continued to host the Great Northern Diver (The Narrows and Pintail Bay), a Common Sandpiper (on the dam) and an adult Yellow-legged Gull this afternoon. At least thirty Bramblings were still at Harrington Airfield early this afternoon.

The three Nene Valley White-fronted Geese turned up on Aldwincle Lake at Thrapston Pits this afternoon where there was also an Oystercatcher and two Kingfishers.

Early this afternoon there was a Caspian Gull seen off the A5 pools near Lilbourne which flew west and a male Blackcap was seen feeding on ivy berries in a Woodford Halse garden.

Regards

Neil M

Common Sandpiper.

Song Thrush.
 Providing berries 
during the winter and early spring,
ivy is an important food plant for
birds such as thrushes, warblers,
Woodpigeons and many others.

Stock Dove.

Exotic winterers

Hello

Cool and breezy today with a very special red and then orange sunrise.

The Duston Mill Dartford Warbler and the pair of Stonechats materialised today and the warbler provided nice views this afternoon.

Pitsford Reservoir continues to be the venue for a Great Northern Diver which this afternoon was in The Narrows and swimming towards Pintail Bay. At one stage it tried to fly in the strong wind and caught it's wing in the surface water and ungraciously summersaulted upside down in the water! Other birds at this site included a Common Sandpiper on the dam this morning and an adult Yellow-legged Gull off the Sailing Club this afternoon; a Barnacle Goose and a Redshank were north of the causeway this morning.

The wintering Black Redstart was still at the summit compound at Borough Hill Country Park, Daventry this morning and the Whooper Swan was still accompanying Mute Swans in the Tove Valley near Cosgrove.

In excess of thirty Bramblings remained at Harrington Airfield this morning with still a flock of Siskins at Harlestone Heath by the railway line. Half a dozen Bramblings were along the Brampton Valley Way near Draughton Crossing this morning.

Chris Payne's efforts at looking for wildlife using a thermal imaging camera last night provided views of a variety of wildlife near Greens Norton including two Woodcock, a Fox and two Otters!

The three White-fronted Geese were again at Stanford Hall this morning and birds at Stanford Reservoir included two Great White Egrets, a Yellow-legged Gull and four Bramblings.

Regards

Neil M

This winter sees several exotic bird
species wintering in the UK including
this fabulous Belted Kingfisher in Lancashire.
Originating all the way from the USA
this giant of a kingfisher has been seen at a 
number of locations.
 Images courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

Common Buzzard courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Sparrowhawk courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Nordic traveller

Hello

Cool and breezy today with wintry showers this morning.

Efforts at finding the sometimes elusive Dartford Warbler at Duston Mill today failed to locate the bird, and the Stonechats couldn't be found either.

The first year White-fronted Goose was again seen at Sywell Country Park today and the Pink-footed Goose was still at Ravensthorpe Reservoir where there were also four Great White Egrets. Birds at Hollowell Reservoir included two Great White Egrets, a Jack Snipe and six Stonechats. A Green Sandpiper was on the dam at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon.

Birds at Harrington Airfield this afternoon included at least seventy Bramblings, two Woodcock, thirty Golden Plovers and four Grey Partridges.

We now have the details of the Norwegian-ringed Brambling that was trapped at Harrington Airfield on 12th December 2021. This first winter bird was first ringed at Sore Merkeskog, Utsira, Rogaland on 4th October 2021. This aerodynamic finch took a maximum of sixty-nine days to travel a minimum of 846km in a general SW direction.

Regards

Neil M

The first year female
Brambling first ringed
in Rogaland, Norway
and controlled at
Harrington Airfield.
Image courtesy of
Liam Andrews.

Map of Brambling
migration trajectory
courtesy of Nick Wood.

Finches on show

Hello

The Dartford Warbler was on show on and off at Duston Mill again this morning and it was good to see so many local birders enjoying it's antics. The pair of Stonechats and a Chiffchaff were there too and nearby Sixfields Lake hosted three Goosanders, a Little Egret, a Grey Wagtail and a Cetti's Warbler. On the other side of Northampton there was a Jack Snipe at Barnes Meadow LNR plus eight Common Snipe, a Raven and a Cetti's Warbler.

The bird food field (perhaps Millet) off Webb's Lane, Sywell this afternoon held c400 Linnets, fifty each of Chaffinch and Yellowhammer, a few Reed Buntings and other common finches and at least one Brambling. There were at least twenty Bramblings at Harrington Airfield this morning.

There were two Ravens at Hanging Houghton village this morning with another at Holcot village and there were six Bramblings and two Woodcock at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell. A smart Brambling graced a garden in South Northants today. 

Quality birds remain at Stanwick Pits with the three White-fronted Geese still there plus five Cattle Egrets and fourteen Great White Egrets and birds visible from the dam at Pitsford Reservoir this morning included a Barnacle Goose and an adult Yellow-legged Gull.

The three White-fronted Geese were again at Stanford Hall this afternoon and a Hawfinch at Hartwell briefly by Gordon's Lodge at 9.15am before flying south was a good winter record.

Regards

Neil M

Male Brambling courtesy
of John Tilly.

Linnets at Sywell
courtesy of Jim Dunkley.