The secret life of the Water Rail

Hello

The Northants Ringing Group project in the Nene Valley to better understand the breeding habits of Water Rails, one of our more secretive and poorly-known birds, has faced many challenges which have been mostly overcome by the project leader. Today the dedicated team were successful in catching five Water Rails, four of which were new to the project. They and a Moorhen that was also caught were ringed and colour-ringed so that their habits and behaviour as monitored by cameras can be assessed without the need to catch them again. These birds will soon contemplate breeding and every effort has been made to successfully gender and age the ringed birds with a view to witnessing the pairings and subsequent outcomes. Images of some of these birds from today are depicted below.

New birds sighted in the county today were rather restricted but a Bittern perched up in trees at Daventry Country Park was not anticipated and an excellent local record away from the Nene Valley. A female Red-crested Pochard was also present.

Combining bird feeding and birding is a daily thing for us and a visit to Harrington Airfield this afternoon to feed the birds also provided sightings of the Short-eared Owl with the distinctive patch on the wing, a Barn Owl, two Woodcock, seven Grey Partridges, two Ravens and twenty-five Golden Plovers. Earlier a 'ringtail' Hen Harrier flew from the Blueberry Farm area near Maidwell towards Cottesbrooke.

At Summer Leys LNR today the Glossy Ibis again put in an appearance as did a Snipe, a Great White Egret, a fly-over Curlew, three Oystercatchers and a Grey Wagtail.

Further west and the valley below Cogenhoe provided for seven White-fronted Geese, a Pink-footed Goose and a Siberian Chiffchaff (by overflow bridge K121).

Hollowell Reservoir today yielded three Jack Snipe, six Common Snipe and three Stonechats.

A Raven was at Hanging Houghton, the Marsh Harrier was still at the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Pits and a Grey Wagtail, three Lesser Redpolls and a couple of Siskins were in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth.

Neil Hasdell has kindly updated the map for Pitsford Reservoir reflecting the recent changes on-site and the new map has been added to the Birdwatching Sites tab/page.

Regards

Neil M

Water Rails.

Moorhen.

 Above images
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Kestrel with an aerial
view courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

A second calendar year
male Sparrowhawk caught
and ringed today.

Ditchford WeBS count

Hello

A cold start but again sunshine and blue skies made it a great day to be out providing you added the layers!

Today a WeBS count was completed at Ditchford Pits and breeding Cormorants and Grey Herons were already on nests. Birds east of Ditchford Lane included a Jack Snipe, twenty-eight Common Snipe, four Great White Egrets, two Water Rails, two Grey Wagtails, two Chiffchaffs, three Cetti's Warblers, four Redpolls, twelve Siskins and two Bramblings.

The best birds west of Ditchford Lane were four more Great White Egrets, another Jack Snipe, eight Common Snipe, an Oystercatcher, a couple of Cetti's Warblers and a pair of Stonechats. Kingfishers and Goosanders were conspicuously missing again.

The remains of a Barn Owl was in the carriageway of the A508 just north of Maidwell village.

A Richard's Pipit not far from Newport Pagnell in Bucks was a surprise but just goes to show what can be wintering locally! Two Peregrines were on town centre buildings in Market Harborough today and just one Smew was reported from Eyebrook Reservoir.

In the Nene Valley the Glossy Ibis was seen again this morning at Summer Leys LNR where there were also four Great White Egrets, a Shelduck, two Oystercatchers and nine Common Snipe and a Siberian Chiffchaff and six White-fronted Geese were in the Cogenhoe Mill area with the Chiffchaff not far from Bridge K121 at the stream outflow. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was at nearby Whiston Wetlands.

The two wintering White-fronted Geese were still present at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today and birds at Lilbourne Water Meadows included a Common Snipe, a Shelduck and two Oystercatchers. Two Redpolls were still visiting Steve's garden at Brixworth.

A Grey Wagtail was in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth, a Raven was at Scotland Wood, a Siskin was at Kelmarsh Hall and two Ravens were at Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Oystercatcher.

Shelduck.

Glossy Ibis.

All images taken at
Summer Leys LNR
today courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

February birds of the sunshine

Hello

A cold day but plenty of weak sunshine and dry!

At Pitsford Reservoir the Great Northern Diver was in The Narrows this afternoon and at least one Tree Sparrow was at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station with Ravens at the Fishing Lodge and west of the causeway.

Four drake Smew and the first year male Scaup were still at Eyebrook Reservoir today.

Two White-fronted Geese and a showy Otter were the highlights at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this morning followed up with a Caspian Gull, two Jack Snipes, eleven Common Snipes and a Stonechat all at Hollowell Reservoir courtesy of Mark.

Summer Leys LNR recorded a Bittern and fourteen Common Snipe and a Marsh Harrier was again at Titchmarsh LNR at Thrapston Pits.

The Whiston Wetlands/Cogenhoe area in the Nene Valley provided six White-fronted Geese, twenty-seven Golden Plovers, two Barn Owls, two Green Sandpipers, a Common Snipe, three Shelducks, two Stonechats and at least one Siberian Chiffchaff was amongst fifty Chiffchaffs.

Evening Starling murmurations prior to roost are currently centred around the villages of Pattishall and Spratton.

Regards

Neil M

Blue Tit courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Little Egret courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Stonechat courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Kestrel courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Nene Valley birding

Hello

A grey but dryer day of late but still cool.

At Pitsford Reservoir the Great Northern Diver was still present in the vicinity of Catwalk Bay this afternoon and two Great White Egrets were at Stanford Reservoir where there were also five Goosanders, two Pintail, an Oystercatcher, a Stonechat and a Cetti's Warbler.

Eyebrook Reservoir hosted four drake Smew and a Scaup and Blatherwycke Lake still attracted a Cattle Egret and a Scaup.

The Nene Valley continues to dominate local birding and Summer Leys LNR provided the Glossy Ibis, seven Great White Egrets, three Oystercatchers and a pair of Goosanders and Clifford Hill Pits was still the only place in the county to see a drake Smew. 

In the general area below Cogenhoe and Whiston the meadows were the feeding areas for geese including five White-fronted Geese seen in flight, a Pink-footed Goose, a Barn Owl, a Peregrine, a Great White Egret and a pair of Stonechats. Twenty or so Chiffchaffs feeding along the edges of the sewer outflow by bridge K121 contained two Siberian Chiffchaffs.

In a winter with few Bramblings locally, three were in a large, mixed finch flock in a field between Wakerley Wood and the A43.

Fifty Yellowhammers, three Grey Wagtails and two Ravens were in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth, two Ravens were at Lamport Hall, a Barn Owl was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and a single Short-eared Owl remains on private land near Maidwell.

Regards

Neil M

Kestrel courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Mute Swan courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

North American Mink
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Robin courtesy
of John Tilly.

Long-tailed Tits courtesy
of John Gamble.

A wet Saturday

Hello

Well that was definitely a day of rain, but the forecast suggests next week should be better weather!

A flock of White-fronted Geese, at least seven, with the Greylag flock in the Nene Valley in the Cogenhoe Lock/Whiston Wetlands was interesting. The Glossy Ibis popped up again at Summer Leys LNR and other birds noted were a first year Yellow-legged Gull, in excess of thirty Common Snipe, about eighty Golden Plovers and an Oystercatcher.

Also in the Nene Valley the drake Smew was located again at Clifford Hill Pits but despite more efforts the Ring-necked Duck wasn't located at Ringstead or Thrapston Pits, but the Marsh Harrier was still on the Titchmarsh Reserve.

Away from the Nene Valley and Stanford Reservoir attracted a Great White Egret, an Oystercatcher and two Goosanders and Pitsford Reservoir managed two Great White Egrets, about fifty Common Snipe, a Golden Plover and a couple of Tree Sparrows all north of the causeway.

Three Redpolls were at the attenuation pond at New Sandy Lane, Duston with Nigel putting some food down regularly to attract them. Steve enjoyed two Redpolls and a Blackcap in his Brixworth garden today and two Grey Wagtails and a Raven were in the Brampton Valley below the village.

Birds to the west included a drake Pintail at Lilbourne Meadows and five Stonechats at Borough Hill Country Park, Daventry. Twenty Golden Plovers and a pair of Stonechats were at Harrington Airfield this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Mute Swan courtesy
of Jonathan Pitt.

Cormorant.

Pied Wagtail.

Red Fox.

Sunshine!

Hello

Yes there was some sunshine this afternoon, yahoo!

Efforts at finding the Ring-necked Duck in the gravel pit complexes of the eastern Nene Valley failed to locate him today.

However the drake Red-breasted Merganser was seen at Blatherwycke Lake today and it's likely that the Glossy Ibis is still probably at Summer Leys LNR somewhere.

Three Cattle Egrets were at North Lake, Stanwick Pits early this afternoon and a Marsh Harrier was at Titchmarsh reserve, Thrapston Pits this afternoon.

The Great Northern Diver was still at Pitsford Reservoir today, still in the vicinity of the Pintail Bay and birds north of the causeway included two Great White Egrets, about fifty Common Snipe, a Jack Snipe, a Water Rail and a couple of Tree Sparrows.

The drake Smew was still on the Nene Barrage at Clifford Hill Pits this afternoon and five more drakes were still at Eyebrook Reservoir together with the long-staying Scaup.

Stanford Reservoir hosted two Great White Egrets, ten Goosanders and a Cetti's Warbler and a Grey Wagtail was in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth.

A Raven was at Hanging Houghton this morning and there was a Barn Owl in the Brampton Valley below the village. A single Short-eared Owl was again on private land near Maidwell this afternoon and two Barn Owls were at Althorp.

Chris Payne completed some ringing in his garden at Greens Norton today and processed thirty-eight Goldfinches, twenty Greenfinches and five other species including a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Regards

Neil M

Drake Ring-necked Duck
at Ringstead Pits yesterday
courtesy of Nick Parker.

Great Northern Diver
at Pitsford Reservoir
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Drake Teal courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Cloudy, grey Thursday

Hello

The grey, cool weather continues with a seemingly never-ending amount of cloud overhead, but a dry day.

A meander at Harrington Airfield this morning provided views of a male Peregrine, two Ravens and a hunting Barn Owl. Later a Raven and a Grey Wagtail were in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth and a Redpoll was on garden feeders in Brixworth village.

Today the drake Ring-necked Duck fooled everyone and turned up at Kinewell Lake at Ringstead Pits, found again by that man Nick Parker! A drake Smew remained on the Nene Barrage at Clifford Hill Pits and four Great White Egrets and an Oystercatcher remain at Summer Leys LNR.

Two Great White Egrets were at Stanford Reservoir today and Eyebrook Reservoir hosted four drake Smew and a Scaup still.

Regards

Neil M

Robin courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Coot.

Barn Owl.

Oystercatcher and Wigeon
Summer Leys LNR courtesy
of Jonathan Pitt.

Pitsford WeBS Count.

Hello

A grey day with some rain and even an attempt at some milky sunshine this afternoon! Out of the cold easterly breeze it was actually not too bad (honest)!

Perhaps not surprisingly the drake Ring-necked Duck turned back up on the Heronry Lake on the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Pits as found by the original finder Nick Parker. Wildfowl look at their best at this time of the year just ahead of the breeding season.

The drake Smew clearly finds Clifford Hill Pits to it's liking and was still present on the main barrage lake today. At least two other Smew and the drake Scaup were also still at Eyebrook Reservoir and the handsome drake Red-breasted Merganser was seen again at Blatherwycke Lake.

At least seven Great White Egrets and over two hundred Golden Plovers were noted at Summer Leys LNR today, three Woodcock were at Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh estate, a Short-eared Owl was again on private land near Maidwell and a Barn Owl and two Green Sandpipers were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. Four Ravens were seen yesterday in Scaldwell village.

The Pitsford Reservoir WeBS count was completed today with the Great Northern Diver, a Redshank and four Egyptian Geese between the causeway and the dam. North of the causeway there were seven active Grey Heron nests on the reserve section, ahead of the Cormorants it seems this year. Four Great White Egrets were also present, the pair of breeding Ravens were noisy and other birds were an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Peregrine, two or three Jack Snipe and a minimum of seventy Common Snipe. Three Tree Sparrows were at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station and a pair of Sparrowhawks were displaying over the reserve.

Back in November 2024 a colour-ringed adult Black-headed Gull was found dead at Pitsford Reservoir and it transpires that this bird was first ringed in Poland in June 2015 with 3439 days having passed between the two records with the sites being 1213km apart. This is part of an established pattern of breeding Black-headed Gulls from Poland wintering in the UK and locally to us.

Regards

Neil M

Drake Ring-necked Duck
today at Titchmarsh Reserve
courtesy of Nick Parker.

Cormorant in breeding plumage
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Goosander courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Another cool February day

Hello

This morning the Great Northern Diver and a Great White Egret were again at Pitsford Reservoir, between the causeway and the dam, the diver close to the Brixworth bank near Pintail Bay and towards The Narrows.

Stanford Reservoir attracted a Caspian Gull, a Yellow-legged Gull, two Great White Egrets, three Pintail, eleven Goosanders, a Kingfisher and a Cetti's Warbler. Hollowell Reservoir provided two Caspian Gulls, four Jack Snipe, thirteen Common Snipe and a pair of Stonechats.

A Grey Wagtail was in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth, a Peregrine was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and a single Short-eared Owl was on private land nearby this afternoon.

The Glossy Ibis was again at Summer Leys LNR and the supporting cast was three Great White Egrets, an Oystercatcher and two hundred and fifty Golden Plovers. A Smew was again at Clifford Hill Pits this morning on the Nene Barrage Lake.

Regards

Neil M

Two new Tawny Owl
boxes were erected at
Pitsford Reservoir
 yesterday.

Goosanders courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Second calendar year Herring Gull.

Cormorant courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Cold, grey and wet!

Hello

Another raw and wet day out there but with a few birds on offer.

The Glossy Ibis was again at Summer Leys LNR and Blatherwycke Lake was still a hotspot today with the drake Red-breasted Merganser present plus the Cattle Egret and wintering Scaup.

Not too far away at Eyebrook Reservoir there was still another wintering Scaup and five drake Smew.

Another Cattle Egret was at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadow LNR this morning and a Kingfisher was at Market Harborough.

An adult Yellow-legged Gull was in the gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir where there was also a colour-ringed Common Gull from the Norwegian scheme (exact details awaited).

Details of the original ringing details of a Blue Tit caught at Woodford Halse on Wednesday 5th February have now come through and this bird was originally ringed at Rainsbrook Valley, Rugby on 13th January 2024, some twenty kilometres away from where encountered 389 days later.

Regards

Neil M

Common Gull.

Black-headed Gull.

Little Egret courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Meadow Pipit courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Red-breasted Merganser

Hello

Despite the less than salubrious weather conditions today some new birds were found in the county with the most enjoyed bird probably being a handsome drake Red-breasted Merganser that showed very well at Blatherwycke Lake. Other birds there included a Goosander, a Cattle Egret and a Scaup.

The Glossy Ibis again topped the bill at Summer Leys LNR plus five Great White Egrets and about a hundred Golden Plovers. A Great White Egret was at Kinewell Lake, Ringstead Pits.

Three Common Scoters on the Nene Barrage at Clifford Hill Pits were the other new birds and a Yellow-legged Gull and four Goosanders were also present.

Just outside the county a drake Green-winged Teal was south of Ardley, in flooded fields just inside Oxfordshire.

A little more sedentary, the Ruddy Shelduck was at Winwick Pools today and Stanford Reservoir was the site for a Jack Snipe, two Great White Egrets, six Goosanders and a Kingfisher.

Eyebrook Reservoir continued to host a Scaup and five drake Smew and Hollowell Reservoir managed a Jack Snipe, three Common Snipe and a Pintail. Two Great White Egrets were north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir and there were three Tree Sparrows in the bushes at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station.

One of the Short-eared Owls re-appeared on private land near Maidwell today and a Raven was near Kelmarsh.

Regards

Neil M

Drake Red-breasted Merganser
courtesy of Neil Hasdell.

Drake Red-breasted Merganser
courtesy of Nick Parker.

Grimy Saturday

Hello

Looks like the grimy and dull weather might be with us for a while yet looking at the forecast ahead!

The weather failed to inspire much in the way of new sightings locally today and we were to rely on long-stayers once again.

Five drake Smew were at Eyebrook Reservoir today, the adult White-fronted Goose was with Greylags east of Cogenhoe Mill in the Nene Valley late this morning and this afternoon a Hawfinch was again reported at Cottesbrooke village in a cedar just west of the churchyard.

The drake Ring-necked Duck was not reported at the Titchmarsh reserve today but the Marsh Harrier was still there early afternoon. The Glossy Ibis was photographed at Summer Leys LNR again today.

A Siskin and a Grey Wagtail were again at Kelmarsh Hall, three Woodcock were at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell, a Chiffchaff was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton, a Redpoll was again on feeders at Brixworth and twenty-five Golden Plovers were over Harrington Airfield.

Regards

Neil M

Great White Egret
courtesy of Neil Hasdell.

Reed Bunting courtesy
of Chris Payne.

Common Buzzard courtesy
of Beth Clyne.

Yellowhammer courtesy
of Tony Stanford.