Birds of the icy wind

Hi

A walk around Harrington Airfield this morning was something of an icy blast, but the birds only consisted of about three Bramblings and a Red Kite.

Another cold walk at Sywell CP produced 5 Goosanders, 2 Kingfishers, a Water Rail and c30 Siskins.

A visit to Ravensthorpe Res causeway provided obscured views of the Bittern on the small side between 12 noon and 12.30pm.  It was near to a broken-down Crack Willow and walked out of view to the right behind a large willow bush and didn't show again by 1.15pm.  Other birds included a 'redhead' Smew, a third calendar year Yellow-legged Gull, a Red Kite and a Chiffchaff.

A Red Kite was present at Hanging Houghton and 2 Reed Buntings and 2 Lesser Redpolls fed in the garden.

A wind-blasted gull roost at Pitsford Res didn't provide any gulls of note.  The icy wind was pushing a hunting Barn Owl all over the place near to the dam.

Some of the below images are of gulls (one of my favourite families), but for those of you that find them incredibly boring, look away now!

Regards

Neil M

First year Common Gull
and Black-headed Gull

Near-adult Herring Gull

Mixed gull flock Pitsford Res

Third-calendar year
Yellow-legged Gull

Third-calendar year
Yellow-legged Gull

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Probably the worst photo
of a Bittern ever taken!

Winter's back!

Hi

With snow and a cold north-easterly wind, it felt like winter all over again today!  You have to feel sorry for the Swallows, Sand Martins, Wheatears etc that have already made early landfall in the UK.

Despite spending time in some of the Kelmarsh Estate woodlands today, nothing out of the ordinary was discovered.

I had suspected that some of the finches visiting the well-spread local feed stations had been moving around them almost as much as me!  At least one photographer at Harrington Airfield has mentioned to me that they had seen and photographed ringed Bramblings coming down to the food, albeit that ringers do not operate at this site.  However we have been catching small numbers at Kelmarsh Hall, suggesting that birds were moving between these two sites.

To add to my suspicions, yesterday we caught a Siskin at Pitsford Res which we had originally caught and ringed at Kelmarsh Hall a couple of weeks earlier.  Today I caught a Siskin at Kelmarsh Hall which had originally been ringed at Hanging Houghton on 29th January.  Not long-distance movements but clearly demonstrating that these birds had stayed local but are presumably responsive to food availability and wherever their flocking colleagues take them!

Regards

Neil M

Early spring birding

Hi

A visit to Harrington Airfield early this morning provided another view of the adult female Peregrine which this time attempted to take Golden Plovers (but they were too quick)!  The Golden Plover flock numbered about 15.  About a dozen Bramblings included some drop-dead gorgeous summer plumage males and the pair of Grey Partridge showed again.

A couple of brief visits to Ravensthorpe Res failed to locate the Bittern (again!) but a pair of smart Smew was showing well on the small side.  Whilst at an event in Great Brington early this afternoon, a single Curlew flew over, followed shortly by an Oystercatcher.

At Pitsford Res today, the now summer plumage Great White Egret was in both the Walgrave and Scaldwell Bays and other birds north of the causeway included about 20 Siskins, a Woodcock and a Red Kite (all in the Walgrave Bay) with a pair of Smew and a pair of Goosander reported.  Birds south of the causeway included 2 Oystercatchers, a Shelduck and 4 Bramblings.

There was a heavy movement of gulls moving north through Pitsford Res all day but the gull roost by the yacht club didn't produce anything out of the ordinary.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

Adult Male Siskin at Pitsford
Res today - part of the large
influx currently in the county
(courtesy of Neil Hasdell).

Reed Bunting mystery

Hi

A horrible claggy, foggy and wet day meant that nothing particularly different was found today.

News came through today of a Reed Bunting ringing recovery.  A male bird was trapped and ringed at Hanging Houghton on 20th March 2010 and re-trapped again at Hanging Houghton on 22nd March 2011.  On 2nd February this year, this bird was caught again but this time at Stortons GP on the south side of Northampton.

During the last two winters a feeding station has been maintained at Stortons GP and the feeders etc attract good numbers of Reed Buntings. The difficulty is to ascertain what these records actually demonstrate!  Is this bird simply an individual which spends much of the year wandering around the county and takes advantage of easy food sources?  Or is it a bird which winters to the south and drops in to the county on its way north, now finding the feed station at Stortons GP to its liking?  It will be interesting if this bird is caught again - all the records are currently biased towards late winter/early spring.  Where does this bird breed I wonder?

Regards

Neil M

Drama in the garden

Hi

The early Sparrowhawk catches the early Blackbird.  Well that's what happened in our garden this morning.  At 6.20am there was that awful 'distressed Blackbird' call that I have heard all too frequently over the years.  An adult male Blackbird had been captured by a/the male Sparrowhawk.  Male Sparrowhawks are very good at catching Blackbirds but they are just not strong enough to quickly dispatch large prey which are destined to be plucked and eaten alive.  Quite horrific and a terrible quirk of nature.  The regular piles of feathers in the garden suggests we lose a Blackbird out of the garden to a/the Sparrowhawk about once every two weeks.

Talking of Blackbirds, it seems to me that they have been slow to sing this spring.  I have been listening to Song and Mistle Thrushes  giving it everything for a number of weeks now, but the only consistent Blackbird song has been the last few mornings.

Birding opportunities were limited today but the usual 'winter finches' were still in situe at Kelmarsh Hall and Harrington Airfield.  Two Woodcock were flushed at Scotland Wood (Kelmarsh Estate) this morning.

The garden supported less birds in the dank wet conditions today, but with cold north-easterlies forecast in a couple of days time I guess they will be back!

Regards

Neil M

Siskin bonanza

Hi

Dull and cool today but still plenty of birds about.

An early morning visit to Harrington Airfield this morning provided a further view of the immature male Merlin which again took a bird, this time from the top fields (the victim appeared to be a Chaffinch).  The adult female Peregrine was also present and she took a Fieldfare from the field by the shooting wall.  About 10 Bramblings were attracted to the food-stuff by the entrance and a pair of Grey Partridge were present.  No Wheatears though!

In Brixworth Country Park this afternoon about 80 Siskins were showing well with many singing birds, with quite a movement between the park and the Pintail Bay of Pitsford Res.  Five Waxwings were also present at about 2.30pm, perched in a tree by the main on-site pond.

Two Ravens appeared overhead here at Hanging Houghton again today and at least 2 Bramblings and 2 Lesser Redpolls fed in the garden.  A Barn Owl was hunting at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell later this afternoon.

Regards

Eleanor

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 2 - Birders 0

Hi

A fabulous sunny day today which warmed the bones despite the still cool air.

First stop this morning was Harrington Airfield and after feeding the birds a bit of scanning is always worthwhile.  The usual birds came down and included a super summer plumage male Brambling that initially sang well from one of the nearby willow bushes.  Then pandemonium as an immature male Merlin came in from nowhere and snatched a male Yellowhammer from among the panicking throng.  The falcon bent to dislocate the bunting's neck as it made it's get away, pursued by a Magpie across the top fields (which gave up when it realised it couldn't keep pace).  It was over and done so quick that I think many of the birds didn't even realise what had happened and quickly returned to feed.

We decided to pay Lings Wood a visit as Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have been showing on and off near Lings House.  However after 2 hours wandering in stunning sunshine and seeing plenty of other woodland birds we had to concede defeat.  Not a sight or sound!

A couple of visits to Pitsford Res during the day provided views of the Great White Egret in both the Walgrave and Scaldwell Bays.  A pair of Great Black-backed Gulls and a single Oystercatcher seemed to making homes of the tern rafts in the Scaldwell Bay, the same bay also hosting a pair of Smew.  There was a single Brambling at the Old Scaldwell Road feeding station, at least 8 Siskins on the feeders in Christies Copse and a Redshank still around the yacht club.  A male Brimstone butterfly in Christies Copse was a sight for sore winter eyes!

The garden here at Hanging Houghton has been pretty good with 4 Reed Buntings, a couple of Yellowhammers, a Tree Sparrow and 2 Bramblings coming in for food with 2 Red Kites and 2 Ravens overhead.  A couple more Brimstone butterflies took advantage of the warm sunshine just east of the village.  The adult female Peregrine showed again in the Brampton Valley below the village, thought to be the same bird seen on and off in the immediate area all winter.

Finally at Kelmarsh Hall this afternoon the feeders attracted a Brambling, about 6 Lesser Redpolls and c20 Siskins.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

Bittern 1 - Birders 0

Hi

Two Bramblings in the garden here at Hanging Houghton today looked like fresh migrants, and Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting added some more variety.

A run with the dogs around Harlestone Heath and adjacent areas failed to find much more than several singing Siskins.

Despite plenty of scanning, there was no sign of the Bittern at Ravensthorpe Res while we were there today.  A 'redhead' Smew remained on the small side.

This afternoon a hike around Blueberry Farm, Maidwell in silky spring sunshine was very pleasant.  An immature male Merlin showed briefly and 3 Red Kites meandered around overhead (a Barn Owl was seen by other observers).

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

Drake Goldeneye

Sparrowhawk

A quiet day 'up north'

Hi

Locally birds at Hanging Houghton today included 2 Red Kites and 2 Ravens, with 4 Ravens at nearby Faxton.  The birds on the food at Harrington Airfield early this morning included 3-4 Bramblings.

Further afield, a wander around East Carlton Country Park included about 10 Siskins and a Lesser Redpoll but was otherwise pretty quiet.  The Welland Valley didn't provide much in the way of different birds but was one of many places today hosting migrant flocks of Lapwings.  The Wakerley Wood complex was also quiet in much of the wood, but a splendid flock of about 30 Crossbills showed well on the main track about 250m from the car park walking in a clockwise direction on the short walk route.  Other birds included several Siskins and up to 10 Lesser Redpolls and 2 Bramblings.

Fineshade Wood was busy with people but the well-stocked suspended feeders in front of the wildlife hide provided close views of tits and other woodland birds.  Nearby birds at Blatherwycke Lake included 7 Shelduck and an Oystercatcher but nothing else of note.  A late afternoon walk at Fermyn Wood and the adjacent Country Park failed to yield anything different.

Regards

Eleanor & Neil

 Coal Tit

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Marsh Tit

Red Kite

Siskins and friends

Hi

At least one Brambling was still present at Harrington Airfield this morning and Kelmarsh Hall hosted 2 Bramblings, at least 30 Siskins and a couple of Lesser Redpolls.  Birds in Christies Copse at Pitsford Res this afternoon included several Siskins with a Red Kite over.  Also this afternoon a single vocal Raven flew over Sunderland Wood (Kelmarsh Estate).

Regards

Neil M

A little early spring transition

Hi

A little repetitive but a Red Kite and 2 Ravens again put in appearances at Hanging Houghton today.

A revisit to Mike Alibone's garden at East Hunsbury was productive again today with plenty of Siskins and Lesser Redpolls attracted to niger and sunflower heart feeders.  At this time of the year the plumage of Lesser Redpolls seems more variable than in the autumn, and of course many of the males are now sporting gorgeous pink breasts, rumps and flanks as they make ready for the breeding season. In early February the influx of Siskins to the county were dominated by adult males, all looking stunning in their stunning yellows and greens.  Now many of the males are the young birds from last year, still good-looking but not as pristine as the adults.

Early this afternoon eight adult White-fronted Geese were in fields with Greylags and Canada Geese off the A428 to the south of Northampton (on the left hand side travelling from Northampton).  The best place to view them was from the large lay-by between the respective turnings for Great and Little Houghton.  They were still present at 2.45pm.

On next to Ecton SF below the village of Cogenhoe and accessed via Cogenhoe Mill.  The wintering flock of Chiffchaffs still numbered about 10 birds, and I saw 1 maybe 2 Siberian-type birds which again remained silent (all the 'collybita' birds seemed to be calling well).  Up to three Bearded Tits were heard calling in the phragmites beds but didn't show themselves.  Other birds included a pair of Grey Partridge, 2 Grey Wagtails and a Cetti's Warbler.

The gull roost at Pitsford Res was scrutinised but I couldn't pick anything out that was different.  A Barn Owl was hunting to the east of the dam.

Regards

Neil M

Spring tomorrow!

Hi

At Harrington Airfield this morning there were 8 Bramblings on the spread seed and 2 Grey Partridge on the top fields.

At Hanging Houghton today a Red Kite and 2 Ravens re-appeared after an apparent absence during the last few days.

At about 2pm the Great White Egret was visible in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Res (visible from the Old Scaldwell Road feed station).

A Swallow was espied in Merseyside today and an Osprey in Cornwall yesterday.  So that's it then, Spring has arrived!

Regards

Eleanor

Owl boxes

Hi

No birds of significance to report today I'm afraid.  Yesterday Neil H and I spent the day stalking around Pitsford Res with a ladder over our shoulder and a couple of tubs of assorted equipment.  Our task was to visit all the owl boxes on the reserve and make them serviceable for suitable occupants this year.  Not so appropriate current occupants were the Pitsford Reservoir Grey Squirrel population that find these boxes exactly to their liking!  Due to the still heavily water-logged conditions on the reserve, it was a case of striding out to locate all the boxes rather than driving around, climbing up and clearing them out.  In some years Tawny Owls begin nesting in February but they can't compete with squirrels so hopefully we have given them a helping hand for 2013.

We didn't see much in the way of bird life on our travels around the reserve.  An egret was seen in flight but provided an obscure view to the degree that we didn't identify it.  A good twenty Siskins were with other birds around the feeders in Christies Copse and a Brambling was heard calling at the Old Scaldwell Road feeding station.

Regards

Neil M

Wetland Breeding Bird Survey

Hi

Colin Wilkinson from the local RSPB office is keen to identify volunteers to assist in an urgent breeding bird survey in the Upper Nene Valley in Northamptonshire.  Would-be surveyors are asked to visit selected flooded pits just once a month between April - July and record details of potential breeding evidence of about 30 specific species.  This is a re-run of a survey completed 10 years ago and there is an urgent requirement for a further assessment so that the status of the valley remains intact.

If you are in a position to assist in this local survey, please make contact with Colin (please see contact details below).  I have details of the survey forms should you wish to peruse before signing up.  Colin is running a short day training event on Sunday 10th March at the Summer Leys Reserve to ensure understanding.  This will run from 10am until 12.30pm, the meeting point being at the reserve car park at post code NN29 7TD.

Please contact:-

Colin Wilkinson MSc MRTPI Senior Conservation Planner The RSPB, Midlands Regional Office 46 The Green, South Bar, Banbury, OX16 9AB

Direct line: 01295 676463 Fax: 01767 685442 
E-mail: colin.wilkinson@rspb.org.uk

Cold finch watching!

Hi

A damp, drizzerley and still very cold day here in Northants, I think without sunshine at any stage of the day.

I could hear a Brambling or two at Harrington Airfield in the half-light of dawn this morning as I was spreading out their daily breakfast!  A similar story at Kelmarsh Hall with singing Siskins adding their vocalisation to a background of calling redpolls and Bramblings.

I was fortunate to visit a East Hunsbury garden today at the invitation of our county recorder Mike Alibone.  The garden feeders are attracting good numbers of Siskins and Lesser Redpolls at the moment but also one or two redpolls of debatable identity (not seen today).  An estimated 40 Siskins and 15 Lesser Redpolls were visiting the garden during the three hour period.

Regards

Neil M

Another cold day out there!

Hi

At Hanging Houghton today there were 3-4 Red Kites and 2 Ravens and 4 Lesser Redpolls.  At least 3 Bramblings were at Harrington Airfield first thing.

A couple of hours of ringing were conducted in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Res today, the captures included a Green Woodpecker and 3 Siskins.  Other birds present included another 3 Siskins, a Lesser Redpoll, a Red Kite and 2 Woodcock.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

Cold day birding

Hi

A ringing session at Kelmarsh Hall today confirmed the presence of at least 1 Brambling, 4 Lesser Redpolls and 19 Siskins.  Big gulls were seen regularly moving north over this site from lunch-time well in to the afternoon.

At Hanging Houghton today the Red Kites had increased to 3 and the 2 Ravens were seen again, with at least 4 Lesser Redpolls in the garden.

A visit to Ravensthorpe Res this afternoon paid off with a Bittern visible from the causeway on the small side at about 3.30pm.  Other birds included 6 Smew (4 'redheads' on the small side and 2 drakes by the dam), a Water Rail, 4 Siskins and a Kingfisher.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

Niger feeder alert

Hi

A quick foray to Harrington Airfield this afternoon confirmed the presence of 10 Bramblings and a pair of Grey Partridge.  Six Lesser Redpolls fed on the feeders in the garden here at Hanging Houghton.

It seems that most gardens with niger feeders have Lesser Redpolls and Siskins in them currently, and it seems worth checking the redpolls in particular as Mealy and unidentified pale birds are appearing in county gardens at the moment.

Regards

Eleanor

Mobile Ravens

Hi

I've no idea if it was the same pair all the time, but today there were 2 Ravens at Harrington Airfield, Hanging Houghton village, the Brampton Valley east of Cottesbrooke and Pitsford Res!

Harrington Airfield also attracted at least 12 Bramblings and a day-hunting Barn Owl.

Two laps running around Sywell CP with a dog in tow was sufficient to record c50 Siskins, c10 redpoll sp, a Grey Wagtail, a Water Rail and 2 Kingfishers.

The two Red Kites remained at Hanging Houghton.

Eleanor

Changing priorities

Hi

Gosh that easterly wind is cold!

Today was about visiting and restocking all the local wild bird feed stations.  Harrington Airfield still had at least 2 Bramblings among the birds this morning, but a walk around the bunkers and top fields failed to connect with much more than a few singing Skylarks.

Several each of Siskin, Lesser Redpoll and Brambling remained at the Kelmarsh Hall feeders and a couple of Lesser Redpolls popped in to our garden at Hanging Houghton to feed on the niger feeders.  The feeders at Christies Copse in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Res attracted 3 Siskins this afternoon plus both Marsh and Willow Tit.  A third calendar year Yellow-legged Gull was the only bird of note seen in the gull roost by the dam at Pitsford.

Two malingering Red Kites at Hanging Houghton this afternoon reminded me of the days before the re-introduction of this species.  It was always from about this time through to the first few days of April that wandering Red Kites showed up in the county, presumed migrants from the continent. 

Even though the winter isn't over yet, many species begin to think about setting up territories and begin wandering in order to find and stake a claim to suitable habitat and a partner.  This may be just Great and Blue Tits moving out of gardens and back in to the woodlands, but many of the winter thrushes are contemplating moving back to the continent and tension between local rival pairs of Carrion Crow, Robin, Coot and other territorial species now begins to grow.

Regards

Neil M