March bounty

Hello

A ringing session at Stortons GP this morning successfully caught many of the usual species including a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Chiffchaff.  The ringers on-site believe there are two pairs of Bearded Tits present in the Phragmites beds.

Nick Wood was checking nest-boxes out at Chase Park Farm (near Yardley Chase) today and came across a roosting Little Owl (please see below).

Eleanor was out and about locally and saw a Grey Wagtail at Beck Dairy, Cottesbrooke and at least c100 Golden Plovers in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.  A visit to Harrington Airfield yielded 2 Bramblings, a Tree Sparrow and 4 Red Kites. Pitsford continues to host the Great Northern Diver and the pair of Oystercatcher.

In the meantime I was over at Ditchford Gravel Pits completing the monthly WeBs count.  The pits west of Ditchford Lane attracted two Great White Egrets, five Little Egrets, two Egyptian Geese, the drake Scaup, three Oystercatchers, three Kingfishers, a Water Rail, two Peregrines, a Grey Wagtail and two Chiffchaffs.  I spent some time watching the wintering Water Pipit, this bird now advancing in to summer plumage.

Birds on the older pits east of Ditchford Lane included three Goosanders, a Little Egret, a Water Rail, three Kingfishers, three Cetti's Warblers and eight Chiffchaffs.

And of course with the warm sunshine today, there were good numbers of butterflies on the wing which were made up of Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma and Brimstone.

Regards

Neil M

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker,
happily drilling a series of small holes
in to the fingers and knuckles
of a Trainee Ringer!
Courtesy of Chris Payne.

Little Owl Chase Park Farm
Courtesy of Nick Wood

Male Brimstone
Ditchford GP

A very worn Peacock
nectaring on Blackthorn
blossom.  Ditchford GP.

Spring flights

Hello

Out of the strong wind and today's sunshine was glorious and warm. In tune with the conditions was a singing Chiffchaff in full voice at Sunderland Wood (Kelmarsh), and nearby Scotland Wood hosted two unidentified Crossbills seen only briefly in flight.

At Hanging Houghton a female Peregrine was over the village, several Siskins flew north and a flock of c300 Golden Plovers inhabited fields below the village in the Brampton Valley (morning only).

Another singing Chiffchaff was along the Brampton Valley Way at the Draughton Crossing and at Harrington Airfield this afternoon a single Golden Plover flew over and two Bramblings were feeding on the seed.

The Great Northern Diver was in the mouth of the Pintail Bay at Pitsford Res this afternoon and an adult Mediterranean Gull was in the dwindling gull roost as watched from the yacht club.

Local ringer Chris Payne caught three Lesser Redpolls in his garden yesterday at Greens Norton, which is one of many gardens in the county at the moment attracting increasing numbers of Reed Buntings.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

Lesser Redpoll
Greens Norton

Male Reed Bunting
Greens Norton

Cock Pheasant Kelmarsh.

At this time of the year you might

expect the male Pheasants to look

at their best.  However they are continually

fighting each other and it isn't

uncommon to see resplendent males

walking with a limp and sporting broken 

tail feathers.

Singing Robin
Kelmarsh Hall

Displaying Common Buzzard
Scotland Wood, Kelmarsh Estate

A foggy Pitsford

Hello

A ringing session at Pitsford Res this morning failed in an effort to catch some more Snipe, but we were fortunate to catch a number of gorgeous Yellowhammers which included 25 new birds.  The Oystercatchers could be heard in the morning fog, a Jack Snipe was flushed and we saw singles of Siskin and Willow Tit.  A small number of Meadow Pipits were moving over the site, the fog bank not preventing their northward projection.

Regards

Neil M

Thursday's notes

Hello

Whilst walking the dogs early this morning I could hear the evocative calls of the Golden Plover penetrating through the fog below Hanging Houghton, but I never saw them!

At lunchtime there were 2 very noisy Ravens flying over Brixworth Country Park.

Late afternoon found me walking the dogs again, this time at Harrington Airfield.  Birds here included at least 8 Bramblings with a few bright males looking rather splendid.  Other birds on my circuit were 2 Grey Partridge, a Green Sandpiper, approx. 25 Golden Plover and a Chiffchaff.

Regards 

Eleanor

Bird v Fish

Hello

Robin Gossage's images below illustrate the fishing and swallowing capability of the Cormorant.  Having latched on to a Pike, which is itself a fearsome predatory fish, the Cormorant achieves the impossible and consumes it's very large prey whole!  I doubt if it needs to eat again for a little while!

Regards

Neil M

Not a lot today

Hello

Little to report today, despite some time at Pitsford Res and Harrington Airfield.  In the morning fog, two Oystercatchers and a Redshank were noted at Pitsford Res and this afternoon there was a modest four Bramblings at Harrington Airfield.  Dave Jackson kindly allowed me access to his Kingsthorpe garden to try and see the Lesser Whitethroat that has returned to his garden, but unfortunately I didn't see it (but it was seen in the morning).

Chris Payne had been ringing down at Greens Norton today and caught a range of species including Lesser Redpoll and Yellowhammer (please see images below).

Regards

Neil M

Lesser Redpoll

Yellowhammer

A cool easterly breeze

Hello

A modest ringing session at Pitsford Res this morning was enhanced with the capture, ringing and release of two Snipe.

Other birds at the reservoir today included an Osprey near to the dam at 2.45pm, the Great Northern Diver, a Green Sandpiper and two Oystercatchers.

A Woodcock was present along the Brampton Valley Way between Brixworth and Hanging Houghton and another was flushed at Scotland Wood (Kelmarsh Estate), which also hosted a couple of Siskins.  A Raven could be heard calling at Kelmarsh Hall and the Brampton Valley fields below Hanging Houghton continued to attract twenty Golden Plovers.

Birds on the seed at Harrington Airfield this afternoon included 35 Yellowhammers, Tree Sparrow and 10+ Bramblings.  This site also attracted a pair of Grey Partridge, a female Peregrine and a white wing-tagged Common Buzzard.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

Snipe

Pitsford Reservoir

Cooler than yesterday!

Hello

Neil Hasdell was on the Summer Leys reserve at Earls Barton this morning, and after a 40 minute wait the male Bearded Tit showed well (first seen yesterday), from the Pioneer Hide.  The long-staying Long-tailed Duck was back on Mary's Lake and two Great White Egrets were still present on the reserve.  A flock of nine Ruff was reported.

At Pitsford Res this afternoon, a pair of Oystercatcher were present in the Scaldwell Bay and quite mobile - it looks like another breeding attempt will be made this year!  The Cormorant colony occupied nest tally has now gone up to at least 19.

Regards

Neil M

That Mediterranean feeling...

Hello

As forecast it was sunshine from dawn to dusk today and must rank as one of the warmest days in March that I can remember.

John Woollett and his team of ringers were in action at Stortons Gravel Pits this morning and their planning and preparation paid off with the capture, ringing and release of good numbers of birds which included singles of Snipe and Jack Snipe. These species are particularly difficult to catch and monitor (as well as see).

At Pitsford Res this afternoon, the Great Northern Diver was in the mouth of the Pintail Bay and the gull roost again attracted two adult Mediterranean Gulls.

Regards

Neil M

More flutterbies

Hello

With the amazing weather today it just has to be a day to go out walking etc.  A very pleasant circular walk along the foot-paths around Harlestone Lake early morning located plenty of common birds but no hoped-for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.  This always used to be a good site for this species and I can't see that the habitat has changed much.  Today there were ridiculously high numbers of Great Spotted Woodpeckers instead.

Pitsford Reservoir was very busy with people but I managed to espy the Great Northern Diver before the yachts hit the water, and a Redshank and a Green Sandpiper were on the flood pools in the fields below the dam.

Neil H in the meantime took a lengthy walk around Salcey Forest. No birds of note but there were large numbers of butterflies on the wing, particularly Brimstones.  Other butterflies fluttering by include Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Peacock, these latter individuals being insects that have successfully over-wintered.

Neil M

Saturday selection

Hello

Despite the very welcome weather today, I was tempted to stay at home and watch the birds in the garden. A singing male Siskin, a smart male Great Spotted Woodpecker and singles of Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer made it all quite compelling.

Nevertheless there were duties to perform with more wild bird feeding stations to be maintained.  A couple of Siskins were present around the feeders at Kelmarsh Hall where there were also good numbers of common finches too.  The regularity of our visits ensure that some birds now come to greet us!  Some of the Pheasants trail behind us and all the local Robins have tamed-up to the degree that a couple of them sit just a couple of feet away whilst we are filling up the feeders and sing to us!

Harrington Airfield attracted up to about 12 Bramblings today plus a Raven, a pair of Grey Partridge, the usual raptors and the Green Sandpiper still.

This afternoon a female Peregrine was in pursuit of about twenty Golden Plovers in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. Approximately sixty Snipe were still in residence at Pitsford Res this afternoon and a pair of displaying Sparrowhawks in the Scaldwell Bay put on a good performance.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

Goldeneye in flight, the duck

endeavouring to catch her drake!

Pitsford Reservoir

'Tis the Brimstone season

Hello

Another very spring-like day today with plenty of insects on the wing including bumble-bees and a Brimstone butterfly or two.  I always think that a vivid yellow male Brimstone looks particularly stunning this time of the year, probably because normally the back-drop is dull and uninspiring before the buds and leaves emerge in profusion.

Birds on the move today included winter thrushes, Linnets, wagtails and Meadow Pipits.  A Grey Wagtail at Hanging Houghton was part of this northward movement.

A quick wander around at Harrington Airfield failed in an effort to find an early Wheatear, and I had to make do with a Raven, several common raptors and at least one Brambling.

Regards

Neil M

Thursday's Tales !

There is nothing better than starting the day with a run !!!!! This morning I ran around the big side of Pitsford Reservoir with our new boy Tor attached to my waist. This was a new experience as he is a "scent hound type" so I expected to be dragged all over the place, but after the initial excitement he settled down into his stride, and it was actually quite a pleasurable experience !!!.  The big side looked quite devoid of birds, but I managed to notch up 4 Smew, Great Northern Diver, Great White Egret, 2 Little Egret, Grey Wagtail and the Ross' type Goose.
Although I didn't see it myself, NH, saw the Scaup half way down the bigside, near the gorse bushes.
A late morning meander around Blueberry saw double figures of Common Buzzard, circling and meewing overhead. There were at least 4 Red Kites, pair of Grey Partridge and 5 Golden Plover over.
Whilst gardening this afternoon there were several Siskins flying about, more Common Buzzards, 2 Red Kite and a Raven .


Last night it was the AGM of the Northants Bird Club and discussion and decisions needed to take place over some important issues facing the club. Sadly the turnout of members was so poor, a total of 15, of which 8 were committee members, making it impossible to proceed with making any decisions. The club may have to move venue and we wanted imput from the members as to possible suitable halls etc, and to share our thoughts about using the Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir as a possible new meeting place. If you have any thoughts, opposition to using the Lodge or ideas of suitable venue's, please let us know.  Thanks.
The evening was not all "business" as we finished with a light hearted quiz and pictures of Tanzania.......it was worth coming along just for that !!!


On another note, the road at Hardwater Crossing is now open which makes it easier to get to Summer Leys, where I understand the Long Tailed Duck on Mary's lake has been showing well and worth a visit as the plumage is quite striking.




Regards  Eleanor

Pied Wagtail portfolio

Hello

The Pied Wagtail may be a familiar bird to many of us.  It is very much the British race of the nominate species White Wagtail which has a large European distribution.  This species and all races are renown for their variation in plumage.  Adult males tend to be the blackest and the young females tend to be the palest, but there are a significant number of plumage types in between that provide a challenge to those of us that try to ascertain their age and sex.  All the below images taken today relate to Pied Wagtails.  If you fancy having a go at ageing and sexing them, be my guest!

Neil M

Classic spring day

Hello

A beautiful spring day with almost warm temperatures, a gentle breeze and plenty of sunshine.

A couple of Siskins were present at both Kelmarsh Hall and Scotland Wood this morning and c6 Bramblings were feeding at Harrington Airfield.  Two Grey Wagtails remained at Brixworth Sewer Works.

At Pitsford Res this afternoon the Great Northern Diver was still present (in the mouth of the Pintail Bay) and the gull roost included two adult Mediterranean Gulls (one a stunning full summer plumage bird).

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

Harrington

Hello

Eleanor managed a visit to Harrington Airfield this afternoon and noted ten Bramblings on the seed by the concrete track entrance, and the Green Sandpiper was again near to the road on the shallow pool just opposite the entrance.

Regards

Neil M

Bird Club AGM

Hello

Plenty of tasks and meetings ensured that we had little time for birding today.  However there were still 10 Brambings on the feed-stuffs at Harrington Airfield at 1pm this afternoon.

A reminder to Northants Bird Club members that our next meeting is this coming Wednesday evening at our normal venue of Moulton Village Hall.  This month it is the Annual General Meeting which is generally a rather short affair.  As always there will be the election of committee members and other business such as the financial state of the club to be discussed.  This year the membership will be asked to comment and vote on a couple of proposals from the existing committee in order to take us forward through 2014/2015.

Robin Gossage and Bob Gill will host a light-hearted quiz immediately after the AGM.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

Different month, same weather!

Hello

A grey dull day with a strengthening wind then giving way to persistent and heavy rain.  Obviously we are paying for yesterday's decent weather.

Fifteen Bramblings and a Green Sandpiper remained at Harrington Airfield this morning and two Golden Plovers flew over.  Red Kites have become a regular sighting at this site during the last year and the numbers locally are at their most significant, to the point where we will stop routinely reporting their presence. Hopefully this regularity of sightings will be a precursor to breeding.

Pied Wagtails were much in evidence today, there clearly being an increase in numbers as migrants move north through the county. Gulls and Linnets were the other more obvious diurnal migrants on the move today.

Two Woodcock were flushed at Scotland Wood (Kelmarsh Estate) but probably the bird of the day was a Chiffchaff that moved through our garden here at Hanging Houghton this morning.

A walk around Welford Reservoir, a scan over Naseby Reservoir and checking through the gulls at the Pitsford roost all failed to find anything different.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

March is here!

Hello

At last the weather conditions today permitted some wild bird ringing locally at three sites, with about 118 birds being caught. Species included Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Pied Wagtail and Siskin.

At Pitsford Res this afternoon, local birder David Sharp located the Great Northern Diver north of the dam and also saw a juvenile Glaucous Gull which flew a couple laps of the reservoir as seen from near the Holly Tree, and was then associating with some Great Black-backed Gulls.

Andrew Tyrrell in the meantime spent some time at Thrapston GP this afternoon and located the two Firecrests - again in scrub and brambles next to the River Nene by the footbridge that connects Town Lake with the northern section of the Titchmarsh Reserve. He also espied the Long-tailed Duck and the drake Scaup on Town Lake.

Fifteen Bramblings were feeding on the seed in the fog at Harrington Airfield this morning and Kelmarsh Hall attracted two Siskins and two or three Ravens.  Birds in the vicinity of Brixworth Sewer Works included two Snipe, one or two Water Rail (s), two Siskins and two Grey Wagtails.

Local birder Jacob Spinks was lucky to have a Willow Tit visiting feeders in his Scaldwell village garden today.

Regards

Neil M

Cool and wet!

Hello

A planned ringing session at Kelmarsh Hall this morning was partly compromised due to the wet and cool weather, but we managed to catch 67 birds between the showers.  Perhaps surprisingly 43 of these were new birds and there is clearly a good number of new birds on-site.  

Only nine species were represented but number-wise it included two Great Spotted Woodpeckers and ten Goldfinches.  Considering the number of Goldfinches caught and ringed in the county these days, we seem to have a rather poor rate of follow-up reports.  In most winters it is assumed that we support both local and birds from elsewhere, but the data so far is rather limited. 

A couple of Siskins were also noted at Kelmarsh Hall and nearby there were twelve or so Bramblings on the scattered seed at Harrington Airfield.

Regards

Neil M

A quiet day...

Hello

Today was one of those "quiet times" at Harrington, with the fields being devoid of the winter thrushes and Skylarks. It was indeed eerily quiet !!  

The only birds of note were at least 10 Bramblings and 2 Red Kites. But there was lovely blue skies and sunshine.

There was a single Raven over Scotland Wood and at nearby Blueberry my little "helpers" found 2 Woodcock, and a Barn Owl was out hunting, which looked very ghostly in the late afternoon sunshine.

Regards

Eleanor

Fulmar!

Hello

A walk at Harrington Airfield this morning was very pleasant but the birds were restricted to a Raven, several Red Kites, a Green Sandpiper and just four Bramblings. One or two Grey Wagtail(s) were present at Brixworth Sewer Works.

A Fulmar was found at Ravensthorpe Res today by local birder Mark Piper.  I popped over there this afternoon and saw it by the island near to the dam at 4.20pm.  Eleanor went over later and walked around the reservoir.  The Fulmar was still by the island at 5.45pm and looks in good health.  Other birds noted included six Smew (three drakes) and 42 Goldeneye, both species displaying well.

I examined a long-dead Goshawk today which had been found on the Kelmarsh Estate.  This bird was an escaped captive bird and unfortunately it looks as if died after the devices on its legs becoming entangled in a bush.

Regards

Neil M

Grey Wagtail

Pied Wagtail

Pitsford Glaucous Gull

Hello

Eleanor's midday excursion to Harrington Airfield today provided further views of the female Merlin, the Green Sandpiper still, at least two Red Kites and twenty Bramblings (the latter at SP 755799) as well as a Roe Deer at the north-west end of the concrete track.

The gull roost at Pitsford Res this afternoon gave the impression of new birds passing through and the large gulls included a pale juvenile Glaucous Gull, the first one to be seen in the gull roost there for a good few years.

Regards

Neil M

Tor and his disabled

companions Bobsey

and Theo enjoying

Harrington Airfield!

Tor, seemingly a Harrier Hound

and the latest addition to the family!

Pitsford WeBs

Hello

Today was spent at Pitsford Reservoir, completing the monthly WeBs count.  Birds noted included the Great Northern Diver (near the Holly Tree), a Great White Egret (Moulton Grange Bay), a Little Egret, an adult male Peregrine, an Oystercatcher, 67 Snipe, a Jack Snipe, a Green Sandpiper, the immature drake Scaup (Holly Tree area), a Ross's Goose, a Bar-headed Goose, 9 Goosanders, 1-2 Raven(s), 2 Nuthatches, 2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Grey Wagtails, 6 Bramblings, 2 redpoll sp and 20 Siskins.

Four Bramblings were present at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and a Green Sandpiper was present yesterday.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

Black-headed Gull

Pitsford Res

Drake Goldeneye

Pitsford Res

A day trip to Norfolk

Hello

Eleanor visited Harrington Airfield this morning and again saw a female Merlin, two Red Kites and at least 12 Bramblings.

In the meantime I visited Norfolk with a small crew.  It seemed that no matter where you were today the wind was very strong and sometimes made birding difficult.  A probing Woodcock on a roadside verge near Wolferton was a little unexpected.

Our first venue was mature conifer plantations near to Holt Country Park, a site that is currently attracting a flock of Parrot Crossbills. Initially we saw a splendid adult male, and then up to five, which then grew to nine, then eleven and finally fifteen or sixteen birds. At least two Common Crossbills were present in the trees too. Unfortunately the windy conditions prevented a close approach and no decent images are available.  A couple of Woodlarks were a pleasant surprise.

By noon we had finally arrived at the sea and saw the first of several large flocks of Brent Geese.  A flighty Richard's Pipit showed in flight at Granborough Hill, Salthouse.  A walk around Stiffkey Fen and scanning in to Blakeney Harbour produced some extra birds in the shape of many common waders which included both species of godwit and a decent flock of Avocet.  Plenty of wildfowl included Pintail, Red-breasted Merganser, Goldeneye and Long-tailed Duck and a calling Mediterranean Gull graced the freshwater pools there.  Six Great Northern Divers were fishing the shallows in the harbour mouth and a slow-flying Sparrowhawk attempted to catch waders in the creeks of the saltmarsh.

Our last venue was Holkham Freshmarsh which normally at this time of the year hosts vasts numbers of geese, particularly Pinkfeet. However, the huge skeins of Pink-footed were absent, presumably due to the very mild conditions.  Small numbers of Pinkfeet associated with good numbers of White-fronted Geese and Egyptian, Canada, Brent and Greylag were dotted about in twos or small flocks.  We failed to connect with the rather elusive Rough-legged Buzzard which is currently in residence, the three Common Buzzards, six or so Marsh Harriers and a Peregrine were the best we could do!

Regards

Neil M

Turnstone

Dark-bellied Brent Geese

Quality passerines

Hello

After morning chores (more feed stations), I picked up Neil H and we went off to complete some birding in the county.  A dozen Bramblings were on the seed at Harrington Airfield and 13 Grey Herons flew up from the heronry at Pitsford Res when a couple of Common Buzzards strayed too close.  Hopefully this means that there are at least half a dozen pairs breeding in the dense conifers.

A rare visit to Stanwick Gravel Pits was made in an effort to see the Marbled Duck, but despite scanning from a variety of angles the bird couldn't be located on the main pit.  Waders included c130 Golden Plovers, 9 Redshank and 2 Oystercatchers.   A couple of Cetti's Warblers included one showing rather well and singles of Siskin and redpoll sp flew over.

We decided to have a look for the normally rather elusive Great Grey Shrike near Lowick.  This bird hadn't been reported for a couple of weeks, but it soon showed itself in trees and hedges along the footpath that runs between the village and the Greenside Wood complex.  In the strong wind this bird was prone to Kestrel-like hovering and at one stage seemed to have a bumble-bee in it's bill. In the strong sunlight it was possible to determine a weak pinkish flush to the underside, presumably indicating it is a male bird.

Next was a wander around Fermyn Wood Country Park where there were plenty of people but not much in the way of birds, apart from a Siskin or two. A single Great Crested Newt showed itself a couple of times in one of the ponds and the cafe paninis were very good!

Our final destination was Thrapston GP and we noted a Little Egret, three Goosanders, two Oystercatchers, the Long-tailed Duck on Town Lake and a Chiffchaff.  However the best birds were two Firecrests which were reasonably vocal but quite secretive in the bushes and brambles alongside the River Nene and Willowbrook Lake, close to the footbridge that leads from Town lake on to the Titchmarsh Reserve.

Regards

Neil M

Kestrel
Lowick

Flying-away shot of the
Great Grey Shrike!

Firecrest
Thrapston GP

Ditchford WeBs

Hello

This morning the Nordic-type Jackdaw was noticed again at Hanging Houghton, there were a couple of Siskins at Scotland Wood and at least four Bramblings were on the seed at Harrington Airfield.

Then it was time to drive over to Ditchford Gravel Pits and complete the monthly Wetlands Birds Count.

A strong cool wind created an edge to what would have been a bright and pleasant day, some of the gusts making birding west of Ditchford Lane quite difficult.  Birds of note in this section of the complex included the drake Scaup still, a pair of Smew, an adult female Peregrine and an Oystercatcher.  The older pits were quieter but did attract three Goosanders and a Water Rail.

The planned bird ringing demonstration for Stanwick GP this Sunday (23rd) has been cancelled due to the weather forecast indicating strong winds and powerful gusts.

Regards

Neil M

More stirrings of Spring?

Hello

Garden birds here at Hanging Houghton this morning included three Reed Buntings and a Brambling.

This afternoon and a foray around the Harrington Airfield complex provided views of a female Merlin, a couple of Red Kites and 20 Bramblings.  Skylarks had either increased in number or were simply more obvious both visually and vocally today, there perhaps being no coincidence that a Merlin was there too!

The Great Northern Diver was again visible from the dam at Pitsford Reservoir late this afternoon.

Regards

Eleanor and Neil

Ancient Great Tit

Hello

Yesterday (Tuesday), and Eleanor saw two Otters again at Market Harborough on the River Welland next to Sainsbury's.

A mid-week ringing session at Pitsford Res at two sites (Old Scaldwell Road and Christies Copse) provided an opportunity of catching and assessing 124 birds.  The weather conditions have meant it has been impossible for sustained ringing operations but the relatively still and dull conditions today provided an opportunity to utilise mist nets.  There were no surprising species, but the catch included five Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 11 Tree Sparrows, 5 Reed Buntings and common tits and finches.

For me, the most interesting bird was a re-trap Great Tit.  This bird was first ringed at the reservoir by The Lodge in December 2007 when it was aged as a bird hatched that year.  Today it was located at Christies Copse - this bird now being six and a half years old.

A couple of Siskins were around Christies Copse and a rabbit-sized Muntjac confirmed that they breed all-year-round on site.

The Great Northern Diver was visible off the dam at Pitsford this afternoon, as was a Kingfisher and an adult Yellow-legged Gull.  A Grey Wagtail was again at Brixworth Sewer Works and Harrington Airfield hosted 20 Bramblings, 2 Ravens and a pair of Grey Partridge this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Not long 'til Spring now!

Hello


A day of consolidation was required with plenty of odd-jobs around the house this morning.  A furtive Goldcrest inspected the now three still-live potted Christmas trees that adorn the garden and three Common Buzzards in the field behind us were very noisy and seemed to be involved in a bit of a 'domestic dispute'.


A brief visit to feed the birds at Harrington Airfield was sufficient to witness a big hike in the Brambling numbers, with 25 birds counted just after 2pm.


A single Red Kite sauntered over Maidwell village, half a dozen flighty redpoll sp were in Brixworth Country Park and a Barn Owl and two Ravens were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.


Finally the Great Northern Diver at Pitsford Res was viewed off the Holly Bush late this afternoon but my efforts at finding a storm-driven pelagic gull in the roost drew a blank!


Regards


Neil M

Gloucestershire attractions!

Hello

Today was another day out in Gloucestershire, the initial venue for our small crew being a small valley in the south of the county which is currently hosting a wintering Red-flanked Bluetail.  This little star was on show as soon as we arrived and although he didn't come as close as we would have liked, his Redstart-like behaviour, tail flicking, sharp call and apricot-coloured flanks with a blue fore-wing and tail ensured it was a pleasure to behold.  In the strong sunshine he was sub-songing, albeit that the rush of the nearby water meant we couldn't hear what it sounded like. 

A couple of Ravens and a singing Grey Wagtail were the best of the rest and after some brunch we decided to spend the rest of the day at the Wildfowl and Wetlands reserve at Slimbridge.

The winter sunshine continued as we panned through very large numbers of Lapwing, Golden Plover and other waders on the wet meadows and dumbles, and checked the grazing geese to locate Eurasian White-fronted and a single Tundra Bean.  Raptors included Sparrowhawk, several Common Buzzards and a marauding Peregrine.  A couple of Common Cranes strode the dumbles between the hides and the River Severn and scarcer waders included Little Stint and Avocet.

The pens or paddocks holding the pinioned and captive waterfowl are always interesting and our experience included hand-feeding captive Smew, photographing potential vagrants to the UK and studying exotic water-birds from all over the world.  Some North American River Otters were on show in one pen (a close relative to our Otters).

More wild bird birding was good for a variety of common birds, particularly with plenty of feeders bringing them in nice and close.  A couple of Cetti's Warblers were both showy and vocal.

We finished the day by watching plenty of waterfowl coming in to the afternoon feeding session, although not as many Bewick's Swans arrived as we had hoped.

Nevertheless a super end to another great day's birding!

Regards

Neil M

 

Raven

 

Bewick's Swan

 

Captive female Lesser Scaup.

A bird yet to be recorded in

Northamptonshire, and surely

a hot contender as the next

addition to the county list?

 

Rook

 

Drake Pintail

Sunny Sunday !!

Hello

A day of wall to wall sunshine made a pleasant change from the recent rain. Consequently I spent most of my day outside. I started at Harrington Airfield where the birds were waiting to be fed. At the moment the numbers of birds visiting mean that we feed every day. 

At one point this morning there was a myriad of colours as Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, Chaffinches, Robins, Blackbirds, Redwings, Woodpigeons, and at least 10 Brambling fed side by side.

There were a pair of Grey Partridge at the end of the track and several Common Buzzards loafing around the bunkers.

I didn't see anything else until I spent a hour loitering along the track waiting for Tor, our new boy, to come back from his foray following his nose.  This enforced wait produced 2 Ravens, 2 Red Kites, a Grey Wagtail and at least 4 Lesser Redpolls.

Whilst in the garden the air was filled by the mew of the Common Buzzards, evocative calls of the Red Kites and the baritone calls of the Ravens. These birds may have been the ones seen earlier at Harrington.

Late this afternoon I took a good walk around the Blueberry area and saw more of the same, 2 Ravens, 3 Red Kites, 10+ Common Buzzards, plus a female Peregrine whom I often bump into.

There were also 2 Barn Owl, but no sign of the Stonechats which may have moved on.  But it was really just nice to be out and about !

Regards

Eleanor

Winter storm birding

Hello

This morning was taken up squelching through a variety of sites topping up the feeders at our wild bird feed stations.  The lengthy and very powerful storms of last night have caused a great deal of tree damage locally, many of the toppled trees hanging against others.

Late morning saw seven Bramblings feeding on the seed at Harrington Airfield and a Red Kite sauntering over nearby fields.

This afternoon a large flock of c100 Yellowhammers were feeding in a field near Pitsford Res, and it was great to see them feeding with good numbers of Skylarks, Linnets and other birds - just as we used to see it thirty years ago!

At Pitsford Res the resilience of the breeding Cormorants continues to be tested, the south-west gales blowing straight in to their tree colony.  However fifteen nests were still occupied this afternoon - they are obviously as tough as they look.  They certainly coped better than one of the observation hides which lost it's roof wholesale!

Despite spending the rest of the day at Pitsford Res I struggled to find much of note.  Five Goosanders flew in to the Scaldwell Bay but scanning in the vicinity of the dam and subsequent gull roost provided nothing new.

Eleanor witnessed a Great White Egret and a Little Egret flying over the main causeway in a southerly direction at about 4.30pm and Neil H notched up two Little Egrets and the Bar-headed Goose south of the causeway this morning.

Regards

Neil M

 

Little Grebe

Pitsford Res

 

Mute Swan

Pitsford Res

 

Not taken today, but a deserved

splash of colour and contrast courtesy

 of Jan Devito with her image of a

Marbled White butterfly at

High Wood from a couple of

years ago.