More flood water!

Hello

Another wintry day and lots of flood water as our water courses breach their banks yet again!

The Glossy Ibis extends it's stay at Summer Leys LNR and the Great Northern Diver was still present at Pitsford Reservoir moving between the Pintail Bay and the Gorses.

A Stanford Reservoir there was a first year Mediterranean Gull in the roost, a Great White Egret, six Goosanders, a Kingfisher and a Chiffchaff. A female Red-crested Pochard, a Yellow-legged Gull and six Goosanders were at Daventry Country Park.

Two Short-eared Owls near Blueberry Farm, Maidwell relocated to some private land today. A Barn Owl was at Harrington Airfield this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Great Crested Grebe.

Great Northern Diver.

Common Buzzard.

Rook.

Birds of the snow.

Hello

Overnight snow and a gradual thaw during the day, accelerating this afternoon when the temperatures rose leaving more sodden ground and a murky night ahead.

Birds noted at Stanford Reservoir today included a Water Rail, a Goosander, two Chiffchaffs and a Kingfisher.

The Great Northern Diver remains at Pitsford Reservoir, this afternoon coasting around on a completely still, flat calm water. Two adult Yellow-legged Gulls were there too.

Two Short-eared Owls were disturbed from hedging near Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning and three Woodcock were still present too. Nearby a male Merlin was seen near shrike hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. A Barn Owl was at Lamport Hall this afternoon.

A male Blackcap was again in our garden at Hanging Houghton today and another was seen in a garden in Abington, Northampton with a female in a garden in Duston, Northampton.

A drake Red-crested Pochard was on Mill Lake at Barnwell Country Park, two drake Smew were at Eyebrook Reservoir and the female Ruddy Shelduck was again seen at Winwick Pools.

Regards

Neil M

Kestrel.

Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Robin.

Images courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Ringing at Pitsford Reservoir.

Hello

Another cold day with temperatures struggling to rise much above freezing all day and with low cloud in anticipation for some potential snow tonight.

Some ringing at Pitsford Reservoir at Christies Copse in the Walgrave Bay provided almost one hundred and fifty birds of fourteen species, amounting to eighty-three new birds and sixty-six birds ringed from an earlier date. Perhaps the most remarkable bird was the same Jay featured on yesterday's post, perhaps two miles away from where caught on Monday (Scaldwell village) - it certainly gets around a bit and clearly knows where there is some bird food on offer! Other birds processed included a Goldcrest, a Treecreeper, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, three Chaffinches, three Blackbirds and two Redwings. Other birds noted on-site included a Peregrine, a Woodcock and two Ravens and south of the causeway the Great Northern Diver was near The Narrows.

Stanford Reservoir today provided a first winter Mediterranean Gull, a first winter Caspian Gull, a Great White Egret, three Water Rails, three Goosanders and two Ravens. Eyebrook Reservoir was good for a Scaup and three drake Smew, the two White-fronted Geese were seen at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and nearby fields and an adult Caspian Gull was at Hollowell Reservoir. A Jack Snipe was seen at Stortons Pits.

The Glossy Ibis remained at Summer Leys LNR and a 'ringtail' Hen Harrier also appeared on the reserve. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was at Clifford Hill Pits, a female Red-crested Pochard was at Daventry Country Park and a couple of Hawfinches were mobile in Cottesbrooke village.

A Pair of Blackcaps were in our garden at Hanging Houghton today attracted to apples and a female was in Geoff's garden at Barton Seagrave.

In the Brampton Valley today there were two Woodcock between Hanging Houghton and Brixworth and this evening two Barn Owls and a Green Sandpiper were below Hanging Houghton. An adult female Peregrine and two Woodcock were at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

A 'ringtail' Hen Harrier appeared at Harrington Airfield at lunchtime with other birds being eight Golden Plovers, two Woodcock and a Barn Owl.

Regards

Neil M

Redwing courtesy
of Jane Neill.

Jay courtesy
of Jane Neill.

Nest camera footage of 
local owl nest-boxes featuring
Tawny and Barn Owl
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Winter birding

Hello

Another cold but pleasant winter's day with some lovely sunshine.

More evidence of cold weather movement today with more finches and extra Woodcock locally.

Yesterday (Thursday) and a large flock of about three hundred and fifty Linnets were discovered in the Brampton Valley at Merry Tom Lane. Today and still a hundred Linnets and a hundred Goldfinches, two Bramblings and thirty Skylarks plus the usual two Grey Wagtails were in the valley below Hanging Houghton. Three Woodcock and hundreds of Starlings, Redwings and Fieldfares were busy in the fields in the Blueberry Farm area near Maidwell.

A large adult female Peregrine was perched in a field to the west of the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon where there was also a vocal Raven, and two Tree Sparrows were at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station.

A Barn Owl, a Raven, a Golden Plover and fifty Skylarks were at Harrington Airfield today and birds noted at Lamport Hall this afternoon included a flock of fifteen Pink-footed Geese low and vocal heading off towards Pitsford Reservoir, a Barn Owl and two Woodcock. Single Siskins were at Scotland Wood and Kelmarsh Hall.

Eyebrook Reservoir hung on to three Smew again today, the two White-fronted Geese and two Egyptian Geese were in fields between the reservoir and Ravensthorpe village and the former were also on the reservoir at one point. The long-staying Glossy Ibis was still at Summer Leys LNR and the Black-tailed Godwit also remained.

Three Goosanders were at Daventry Country Park, a Goosander was at Stortons Pits, up to five Hawfinches were counted at Blatherwycke Churchyard and nearby Deene Lake hosted eight Shelducks, over two hundred Teal, two Black Swans and a Green Sandpiper.

A Hawfinch was seen in Cottesbrooke village this afternoon, in yews near to the Old Rectory and two pairs of Stonechat were along the river at Towcester.

Regards

Neil M

This adult Jay was recently
trapped in Scaldwell village
and found to be a ringed bird.
It was originally ringed at Pitsford
Reservoir in September 2014 as an
adult and has been caught there
 twice since. This bird is at least
eleven years old.

Image courtesy of
Charlotte Foote.

Tawny Owl courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Goosander courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Birds from one year into another

Hello

The last few days has seen quite an influx of winter thrushes with small flocks of Redwings and Fieldfares on the move, presumably being pushed around by more adverse weather elsewhere. This week-end sees a wintry spell enveloping the country and the likelihood of further movements with birds seeking food and shelter.

A productive day in Northamptonshire with county birders catching up with birds from 2024 into the New Year brought forth a flurry of reports. 

The Great Northern Diver was still at Pitsford Reservoir, seen by the dam overflow and later between the dam and Pintail Bay. Three Yellow-legged Gulls were in the gull roost this afternoon.

At Hollowell Reservoir there were two Caspian Gulls, two Great White Egrets, a Stonechat and a Common Snipe and at Ravensthorpe Reservoir there were two White-fronted Geese in a field south of the causeway on the west bank.

Stanford Reservoir hosted five Stonechats, two Kingfishers, ten Goosanders, eighty-four Great Black-backed Gulls in the roost, a Great White Egret, a Water Rail and a Redpoll.

A Scaup and four Smew were at Eyebrook Reservoir and Summer Leys LNR continued to host the Glossy Ibis and a Black-tailed Godwit.

A Merlin was again between Tiffield and Gayton where there were also about forty Golden Plovers; Harrington Airfield saw an Egyptian Goose flying over, a Raven and a Lesser Redpoll.

A Grey Wagtail was in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth and birds in the valley below Hanging Houghton saw an influx of passerines which included one or two Corn Bunting(s), four over-flying Bramblings and a hundred each of Linnet and Goldfinch - small wonder that a male Merlin whizzed through them all. Two Grey Wagtails were present too.

Hawfinches were on good form today with three or four at Blatherwycke Churchyard, one at Deene Churchyard and two in Cottesbrooke village. A female Scaup was at Blatherwycke Lake and eight Shelduck and a Green Sandpiper were at Deene Lake.

Regards

Neil M

Female Blackbird courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.

Robin courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Female Chaffinch
courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

Green Woodpecker courtesy
of John Tilly.

New Year's Day

Hello

A wet morning but hopefully something dryer over the next few days as we push further into winter.

The Glossy Ibis at Summer Leys LNR made it into the new year as did two Hawfinches at Cottesbrooke with another at Blatherwycke Churchyard. A Scaup was again at Blatherwycke Lake and there were also three Mandarin Ducks.

A Cattle Egret was again at Barnwell Country Park in a field north of north lake this afternoon and also this afternoon an adult Mediterranean Gull was with other gulls in a sheep field on the outskirts of Old village off Bridle Road.

An adult Caspian Gull was in the roost at Stanford Reservoir this afternoon and at least one White-fronted Goose was in a field south-west of the causeway at Ravensthorpe Reservoir. Three drake Smew remain at Eyebrook Reservoir.

At Pitsford Reservoir there was a Great White Egret in the Walgrave Bay and two Woodcock and a Siskin in Christies Copse. Two Grey Wagtails were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and at least one Raven was at New Covert, Kelmarsh.

Regards

Neil M

Reed Bunting courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Glossy Ibis courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

The very successful Jackdaw
can be an issue when trying
to feed small birds in gardens
or at established wild bird
feeding stations as demonstrated
by these images from Jim Dunkley
from his garden! Working in groups
or corvid 'gangs' these clever and
resourceful birds work together to 
out-maneuver and out-compete
 larger birds.

New Year's Eve

Hello

I have been lucky enough to be away for eight days and over the Christmas period working as tour leader in the Algarve, Portugal. I have created a page or tab entitled Algarve at Christmas 2024 where images from the trip will be posted.

Today and the last day of the year sees the Glossy Ibis remain at Summer Leys LNR and a single Hawfinch was seen at Blatherwycke Churchyard at lunchtime.

At Stanford Reservoir today there was a Caspian Gull, two Great White Egrets, a Goosander and a Stonechat.

Ravens were at Scotland Wood and Hanging Houghton today, a Redpoll was at Scotland Wood and a single Tree Sparrow was at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station at Pitsford Reservoir with an adult Yellow-legged Gull between there and the causeway.

Two Green Sandpipers and a Grey Wagtail were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and the Blueberry area near Maidwell provided sightings of two Woodcock, a female Peregrine and four Ravens.

A huge thank-you to all the readers and contributors to this blog during 2024.

Happy New Year!

Neil M

Great White Egret.

Chaffinch.

Blue Tit.

Otter.

Images taken locally by Tony
Stanford over the festive period.

More Sunshine !!

 It has been an absolutely glorious winter day with hours of sunshine and blue skies.  It was just so nice to have so much light rather than the gloom of the recent foggy days. As usual I was up and out early and as I took Rouzel for her walk we were treated to a wonderful sunrise with an amazing mixture of colours. Just a short walk for her as she is recovering from surgery.  Then it was time to take the boys out for their walk. It is amazing what just a bit of brightness and sunshine does as the birds were definitely more vocal and up and about early too.  A good start to the day with Barn Owl,  Green Sandpiper and 2 Grey Wagtails.  The hedgerows and weedy area near shrike hedge were alive with passerines including at least 60 Linnets and a similar number of Goldfinches.  The noise was deafening but so nice to hear.  There was also 15 Skylarks and several Meadow Pipits.   As expected the Red Kites and Common Buzzards were enjoying this weather too as were 4 Ravens who were tumbling around and being very vocal.  Just a joy to watch.                                                                                             Not surprisingly there were plenty of people out and about today.  I only walked across the dam at Pitsford Reservoir and it felt as if I was on the M25 as the whole world seemed to be out . The water was also pretty busy with fishing boats. The only bird of note was the long staying Great Northern Diver just beyond Pintail Bay.                                     I was out at sunset which too was pretty spectacular and a  Barn Owl was my final bird of the day.                                        Birds reported today include 2 Egyptian Geese and 2 White Fronted Geese at Ravensthorpe Reservoir whilst at nearby Hollowell Reservoir Caspian Gull,  Jack Snipe and 2 Stonechats. Over at Daventry CP a Goosander and in the roost at Stanford Reservoir a Mediterranean and Caspian Gull.  There were at least 2 Hawfinches again in  Cottesbrooke Village and the Glossy Ibis and Black Tailed Godwit at Summer Leys. 

Yesterday my heart sank when I got up and saw that it was still foggy, but thankfully it had lifted by lunchtime.  I had to visit someone in Flore so called in at Ravensthorpe Reservoir on my way home. 2 Whooper Swans had been found there a few hours earlier and I didn't hold out much hope of seeing them, but eventually they gave themselves up. The 2 White Fronted Geese were feeding with the goose flock in a field between the reservoir and village.  I'd forgotten just how striking the markings are on the adult bird and this bird looked very smart in the sunlight.               A Slavonian Grebe was reported from Perio Mill Stream at Fotheringhay,  a lovely part of the county but not somewhere that I'm very familiar with.   The Glossy Ibis was showing at Summer Leys,  Cattle Egret near Barnwell CP and 3 Hawfinches at Blatherwycke Churchyard.           

In Milton Keynes Kenny Cramer and his team held their final ringing session of the year. 94 birds were processed of 13 species and 34 were newly ringed birds. The bulk of the numbers were tits, notably 43 Blue Tits,  15 Great Tits and 9 Long Tailed Tits.  Other birds included 2 Goldcrests, 6 Greenfinches, 2 Chiffchaffs and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. The accolade of star bird was awarded to another new Water Rail which fitted all the criteria for a young male. 

Regards Eleanor 

A Ray of sunshine at Summer Leys

Finally, a little bit of sunshine to relieve the gloom of the last few days. To celebrate I had an outing to Summer Leys to look for the Glossy Ibis.  As is frequently the case I failed in that ambition but was rewarded with fine views of Water Rail, more of which in a minute.

I was pleasently surprised at how empty the car park was at Summer Leys as I wasn't early arriving after having walked the dog first.. I had Rotary Hide to myself and enjoyed the peace and quiet whilst scanning a distant Teal that I was suspicious of, groundlessly as it turned out. the only bird of note was a beautiful drake Pintail.

Rotary Hide was next and also tranquil. The hoped for Water Rail failed to appear so I moved on to the area next to the Paul Britten hide. A good number of birds were loafing off Gull Island including a Yellow-legged Gull amongst the Great Black-backed, Herring, Common and Black-headed Gulls. A large flock of Lapwing with approximately 11 Golden Plover intermingled were in the same area.

The Stand-up/screen Hide was next to look for the Glossy Ibis, unsuccessfully as it turns out. The first of 4 Great-white Egrets was feeding to the left of the hide.

A stop at the Paul Britten hide on the return journey produced 5 Snipe, one feeding happily along the shore and 4 flying over. The remaining 3 GWEs were seen from here too.A lady called Sharon joined me in the hide and told me she had just had her best ever views of Water Rail from the Rotary Hide so I decided to have another crack at it on my way back. This turned out to be a good plan as I was also treated to lovely views of the bird as it scampered about and squealed away in the vegetation. 

    Regards,

                Neil H.

 

 

                                                          

                                                                                    Water Rail

                                                                                         Teal

 

                                                                       Great-white Egret

Dank and Dismal

Dank and dismal certainly describes the last three days of thick fog and drizzle where it has struggled to get daylight. At least Christmas Day was a nice day then it all went downhill after that. Birding has certainly been very challenging with very few birds reported. 

Birds reported on Christmas Day were Glossy Ibis,  Whooper Swan and 3 Black Tailed Godwits at Summer Leys. I went for an early morning run and heard and saw a Hawfinch in Cottesbrooke Village.  The only new bird for Boxing Day was a Cattle Egret at Barnwell CP.                           Obviously a few more folk managed to get out yesterday (Friday). The Glossy Ibis was still at Summer Leys along with 30+ Golden Plovers, 3 Great White Egrets and Peregrine.  Nearby a Black Tailed Godwit at Clifford Hill GP and Jack Snipe at Barnes Meadow LNR.   Over at Daventry Reservoir there was a 2 Red Crested Pochards and a Goosander.  In the north of the county there were an amazing 8 Hawfinches in the churchyard at Blatherwycke and a 1st winter female Greater Scaup on the lake.    A short ringing session (Dave Francis) at the feeding station at Pitsford Reservoir produced 33 birds processed with Blue Tits,  Great Tits and Goldfinches predominating.  Interestingly a Yellowhammer and Blue Tit processed had both hatched in 2020.    Today I had at least 2 Hawfinches again in Cottesbrooke Village as I ran through.    The Glossy Ibis and a Black Tailed Godwit were at Summer Leys and at Ravensthorpe Reservoir there were 10 Pintail which is a good record for that site.

Despite the dreary weather I have been out and about,  mainly because the dogs need walking and they couldn't care less about the fog and drizzle.  I have struggled to find anything apart from the Hawfinches at Cottesbrooke.  I always find this period between Christmas and New Year a bit of a strange time. Half the world seems to have gone back to work and the other half are still on holiday, and no one seems to know what day of the week it is !! I  had to smile to myself as I ran through Cottesbrooke this morning as quite a few people didn't know which colour refuse bin to put out so had put them all out !!.      My run route took me back via Blueberry which I knew was going to be very muddy so left it until last.  As I approached Blueberry I could hear  a chainsaw being used but due to the fog I couldn't see exactly where it was until I was a few feet away. As I neared the sound I was dismayed to see large gaps in one of the old hedgerows where the hedge had been cut.  I came across a guy working so asked him what he was up to. He looked at me as if I'd got two heads when I challenged him but it may just have been shock of seeing a very muddy runner and equally muddy dogs appear out of the fog !! Anyway he explained that the hedge was being managed to provide a better habit and although it looked brutal and stark there would be new growth in the spring.  Let's hope so as I will be keeping a close eyes on things. I did breathe a sigh of relief when he assured me that the "Redstart" hedges were not being touched.   It will certainly be a case of watch this space. 

Don't get too excited but it is rumoured that the sun will be making an appearance tomorrow  and maybe Monday too. Fingers crossed as it will make such a huge difference to us all as well as encouraging the birds to show themselves.        Have a good day.

Regards Eleanor 

Season's Greetings

We are almost at the end of another year, where does the time go to ?? I think that its fair to say that it has been a bit of a mixed year for many with happy and sad times and I know that many will be finding this a difficult time.   I am sure that our passion for birding and enjoyment of the wildlife around us keeps us going gets us through the challenges life throws at us.                   One of my other passions is running.  I just love the freedom of running with my 4 legged companions . It is "my" time and I'm always using my senses to birdwatch as I run.  This morning I ran around Pitsford Reservoir just as it was getting light. Needless to say I had the whole of the big side to myself.  The first bird I saw was the ghostly figure of a Barn Owl hunting the fields below the dam and this was followed by 3 Little Egrets heading in the same direction.  The Great Northern Diver was close to the bank in Pintail Bay and nearby a pair of Stonechat.  My ears picked up a Grey Wagtail and small numbers of Siskins on my run round.                                                                                                  My afternoon was spent topping up feeding stations at Harrington Airfield,  Kelmarsh and Scotland Wood. Just plenty of common birds waiting to be fed. I was met at each feeding stations by Robins and Blue tits, common birds but full of character.                                                                               Very little bird news today,  just the two White Fronted Geese at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and Goosander and Glossy Ibis at Summer Leys. 

Yesterday I took a detour on my way home and walked through Cottesbrooke Village where 2 Hawfinches are still present around the playing field/ T junction area.  That was about all I saw yesterday due to running last minute errands.                                                                                            However there were a few other birds reported by others. 7 Black Tailed Godwits and Glossy Ibis at Summer Leys,  2 Adult Caspian Gulls and 2 Stonechats at Hollowell,  Merlin between Tiffield and Gayton,  4 Cattle Egrets at Stanwick GP,  and a Jack Snipe at Barnes Meadow LNR. But Stanford Reservoir had the most interesting bird, an Azores Gull in the roost.

Sending Seasons Greetings to you all 

Regards Eleanor X

Robin courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Another winter storm

Hello

Powerful weather affecting other parts of the country seemed to find it's way to us this afternoon with some particularly impactive gusts. A cold but clear day with intermittent showers meant you had to wrap up to be out.

A Peregrine and a Kingfisher were at Stanford Reservoir today and yesterday there were six Goosanders, a Great White Egret, a Chiffchaff and forty Golden Plovers.

Two Ravens and a Grey Wagtail were at Hanging Houghton this morning and there were two Woodcock and two Green Sandpipers in the Blueberry Farm area near Maidwell. A Short-eared Owl and a Woodcock were at Harrington Airfield this morning. Although Short-eared Owls crop up quite regularly at Harrington they rarely hunt or quarter during the day as at some sites and tend to be flushed or are fly-over birds.

The Glossy Ibis was at Summer Leys LNR this morning, back again by the feeding station. A 'ringtail' Hen Harrier, a Merlin and a flock of Golden Plovers were seen between Gayton and Tiffield this morning. An immature male Merlin flew west at Pitsford Reservoir this morning, just north of the causeway.

This afternoon there was a Redpoll in Cottesbrooke village and Ravensthorpe Reservoir was still the venue for the two White-fronted Geese in a field just to the south-west of the causeway. A Great White Egret and a Siskin were there also. Two Smew remain at Eyebrook Reservoir.

Regards

Neil M

Common Buzzard.

Goldfinch.

Redpoll.

Brown Hare.

Reed Bunting.

Above three images
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Muddy Northamptonshire

Hello

It seems as usual that it's a case of living in a pair of wellingtons each winter from September to May if you want to take a wander in the Northamptonshire countryside! With wet, mild and breezy winters being the norm now, gone on the days when you could wander around in a pair of walking boots.

Today was one of those typical days with fast moving weather, mild temperatures, some rain and wintry sunshine and plenty of mud!

A couple of Hawfinches were still on show today with one at Deene Churchyard this morning and one by the church at Cottesbrooke village also this morning where there were also a couple of Redpolls and several Siskins. Singles of Siskin and Redpoll were at Kelmarsh this afternoon.

At Summer Leys LNR a Black-tailed Godwit was rather unseasonable but then many of this species go no further than the the UK these days to winter. The Glossy Ibis was sighted again, this time in a field visible from the old railway track.

Wintering Blackcaps included two coming to fat balls in a Kettering garden and one likewise in a garden at Brixworth.

At least two Green Sandpipers were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton where there was a Grey Wagtail and a Barn Owl.

Two Scaup were at Blatherwycke Lake this morning, five Cattle Egrets were at Kinewell Lake, Ringstead Pits before flying east towards Woodford and at Hollowell Reservoir a Jack Snipe and at least five Common Snipe were located.

Two Smew were still at Eyebrook Reservoir today.

Regards

Neil M

Mute Swan.

Cormorant.

Goldeneye.

Pre-Christmas birding

Hello

A mixture of weather today didn't provide any new birds for the county.

The Summer Leys LNR Glossy Ibis seems to be spending much of it's time in the meadow between the Screen Hide and the Feeding Station and present again today.

Two White-fronted Geese were still in fields south west of Ravensthorpe Reservoir late this morning and birds at Stanford Reservoir included a Great White Egret, two Stonechats, a Water Rail, a Kingfisher and a Chiffchaff. Two Jack Snipe were located at Hollowell Reservoir.

Two Stonechats and seven Common Snipe were at Upton Country Park and two Goosanders were at Stortons Pits. Two Ravens were at the dam end of Pitsford Reservoir and a Grey Wagtail was in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth with two Green Sandpipers and a Barn Owl in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Common Buzzard.

Stonechat.

Above courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

Raven.

Brown Hare.

Ditchford WeBS count

Hello

A quiet day yesterday (Wednesday) with very little local bird news but the Glossy Ibis was again at Summer Leys LNR and an adult Caspian Gull roosted at Stanford Reservoir where there was also a Great White Egret, four Goosanders, a Chiffchaff and two Stonechats. In addition there were about fifty Golden Plovers between Gayton and Tiffield, two pairs of Stonechats at Towcester and a Raven at Little Billing, Northampton.

Today (Thursday) and Birdguides reports indicate that the juvenile Great Northern Diver was still present at Pitsford Reservoir, the two White-fronted Geese were just south-west of Ravensthorpe Reservoir early this afternoon, the Glossy Ibis was still by the Feeding Station at Summer Leys and the Ruddy Shelduck was still at Winwick Pools.

A Bittern was again at Hollowell Reservoir this afternoon after being flushed from near the Sailing Club and at Hanging Houghton there was a Barn Owl in the Brampton Valley this afternoon and two more just north of the village. A Stonechat was at Upton Country Park.

December's WeBS count was completed at Ditchford Pits today but proved to be a quiet and cool affair. At least five Great White Egrets were present with at least four of those west of Ditchford Lane. Other birds included two Kingfishers, thirty-two Common Snipe, two Water Rails, a couple of Cetti's Warblers, a Grey Wagtail and a Chiffchaff.

Regards

Neil M

Cracking Otter photos from Sixfields,
 Northampton courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Yellowhammer.

Mute Swan.