Common Tern Trail Camera

Hello

During the breeding year of 2014, the tern rafts at Pitsford Reservoir were well populated by Common Terns but they seemed to suffer egg and chick predation to the degree that few youngsters successfully fledged. It was thought that they lost eggs to the pair of Oystercatcher that were also on the same rafts and possibly from big gulls. It is possible that chicks were being lost to a female Sparrowhawk that was seen inspecting the rafts on one occasion.

During this year there was again a good take-up from the terns and the pair of Oystercatcher were present again. Although there was some egg predation it was less than last year and there was little if any chick predation.

Dave Francis deployed a trail camera on the rafts this year to try and prove what might be responsible. No images of predation were recorded but the following images depict life on the rafts and the progress of the chicks...

Regards

Neil M

Hot Saturday!

A small Pike only about two feet long
at Ditchford GP today, but just the right
size and shape for a passing Osprey!

Hello

Very warm for much of today, with some resultant showers as I type this!

Eleanor paid Hollowell Reservoir a visit this morning and saw an adult Osprey, 4 Little Egrets, 12 Common Sandpipers, 2 Green Sandpipers, a Greenshank, a Ruff and a Dunlin. There were 2 Green Sandpipers at nearby Ravensthorpe Reservoir. Two adult Hobby were over Maidwell village this afternoon.

I visited Ditchford Gravel Pits to complete the August WeBS count which took me over six hours in pretty sticky and humid conditions. Brilliant for insects though with the large hawker dragonflies in particular whizzing around in big numbers. Brown and Migrant Hawkers dominated but there were plenty of Emperors and a few Southern Hawkers too.

The viaduct pit west of Ditchford Lane attracted wader singletons of Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper and Dunlin. The wildfowl were unremarkable but there were six Egyptian Geese present. The whole complex is excellent for Kingfisher, with a mixture of streams, pits and the River Nene providing plenty of choice; there were at least 8 birds present today. Other birds of note included an adult Peregrine over the main pit between Higham Ferrers and Irthlingborough, 3 Little Egrets, a Grey Wagtail and 4 Whinchats on the east side of the Viaduct Pit.

At Pitsford Reservoir this morning, the ringing team in the Scaldwell Bay caught 63 birds of 21species, perhaps the more interesting being a Garden Warbler, 6 Blackcaps, 2 Reed Warblers, 2 Whitethroats, 3 Willow Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Treecreepers, 2 Marsh Tits and 2 Willow Tits.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Osprey at
Pitsford Reservoir yesterday,
sadly keeping its distance!

Lapwing. The road causeway at Pitsford
Reservoir is a traditional site for post-
breeding Lapwings to gather. They are a
mixture of moulting adults (the majority)
and a few juveniles.

Pitsford WeBS Count

Hello

It was time for the coordinated wetland bird count at Pitsford Reservoir today. The water level is quite low and the bird numbers were unremarkable but typical of August.

At least one Osprey was present early morning north of the causeway and two drake Red-crested Pochard were in the Walgrave Bay. Four Little Egrets were present as was an adult Yellow-legged Gull and a Kingfisher. Waders comprised of 3 Ruff, 5 Common Sandpipers, 2 Green Sandpipers and 2 Greenshank.

Regards

Neil M

Common Sandpiper

Yellow Wagtail

Great Black-backed Gull

Coot

All images taken at Pitsford
Reservoir courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Pitsford Events

Hello

Little opportunity for birding today and nothing seen of particular note.

The Pitsford Wildlife Trust team will be holding a moth catching and identification event at the Fishing Lodge on the evening of 12th September 2015, which coincides with the National Moth Night. Mischa Furfaro and team will be hoping to attract a variety of species for perusal and logging. If you would like to attend or require more information please contact Mischa - 

Mischa.Furfaro@wildlifebcn.org

In addition to the usual monitoring of the different disciplines of wildlife on-site, efforts at tracking and identifying bats on aligned transects have been completed and further efforts are planned for 29th August and 12th September (the latter the same as the moth night). Six species were confirmed on the last coordinated effort using bat detectors, with a possible seventh awaiting confirmation. Eleven species of bat are known to occur on the reserve.

From this month onwards until and including March next year, waterbirds using the whole reservoir are counted once a month and the count details are forwarded to the Wetland Bird Survey scheme (WeBS), as well as retained and analysed by the wardens on-site. If you want to play a part in this count, please let me know.

One confirmed recent sighting and the find now of several Otter spraints confirms the presence of at least one animal currently using the reserve, possibly spending much of its time in the Walgrave Bay. Something to look out for whilst scanning those rafts of moulting ducks!

Regards

Neil M

Common Tern

Lapwing

Grey Heron

Osprey


All images taken at Pitsford
Reservoir during the last few
days courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Pitsford update

Hello

This morning south-bound migrants over Hanging Houghton prior to 7.30am included a Tree Pipit and a Grey Wagtail. 

A little birding in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir in warm sunshine preceded a day of ringing ride maintenance in the Walgrave Bay. Birds noted included 2 Ruff, a Green Sandpiper, 3 Common Sandpipers, an adult Yellow-legged Gull and the pair of Ruddy Shelduck.

This evening a check of the gull roost from the Sailing Club provided a view of a juvenile Caspian Gull and two Yellow-legged Gulls.

Regards

Neil M

Southern Hawker dragonfly
courtesy of Jacob Spinks

Distant and fuzzy image of a
juvenile Caspian Gull in the
gull roost at Pitsford. It's rather
large size is accentuated due to
the particularly small
'intermedius' type Lesser
Black-backed Gull to it's left

Pitsford images...

Hello

A few images from excursions at Pitsford Reservoir during the last day or two...

Regards

Neil M

Osprey
Courtesy of Robin Gossage

Common Sandpiper
and Ruff courtesy
of Cathy Ryden

Evening shift

Hello

Some ringing operations conducted at Pitsford Reservoir on Sunday evening and this morning was sufficient to catch 68 birds, the majority at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station. Birds included 25 Tree Sparrows, 7 Pied Wagtails, 6 Dunnocks, 4 Mallard, 4 Blackcaps, 4 Robins, 3 Willow Warblers, 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Sedge Warblers including a very young bird clearly hatched on-site, 2 Chaffinches, 2 Blackbirds, 2 Wrens and singles of Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting, Garden Warbler and Collared Dove. Moths visible in the same vicinity included Red Underwing and Copper Underwing.

The gull roost at Pitsford Res this evening was unremarkable but did contain 4 Yellow-legged Gulls. Waders flying around the Sailing Club included a Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper and 2 Dunlin and Cathy Ryden noted a Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpipers, a Ruff and a Kingfisher in the Scaldwell Bay and all visible from the Bird Club Hide.

A Redstart remained at Blueberry Farm this evening and a family of Spotted Flycatchers was present in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Seemingly the only pair of
Mute Swans at Pitsford
Reservoir to have hatched more
than a single cygnet this year!
Productivity on site has been
poor for several years now.

Adult Yellow-legged Gull
Pitsford Reservoir

Red Admiral

Painted Lady butterfly

Early morning birding

Hello

An early morning start around the dam area of Pitsford Reservoir provided views of two Ospreys, a Kingfisher, a Redshank, a Greenshank, a Dunlin, two Ringed Plovers, a Common Sandpiper and a Swift.

Harrington Airfield this morning yielded a male Redstart and a Wheatear by the first bunker, a Golden Plover, four Crossbills heading south and a covey of Grey Partridge...

Regards

Neil M

Sunday migration

Hello

An enjoyable period of ringing at Harrington Airfield today provided 71 captures made up of 25 Linnets, 9 Whitethroats, 8 Yellowhammers, 7 Willow Warblers, 6 Dunnocks, 4 Reed Buntings, 2 Chaffinches, 2 Goldfinches, 2 Blue Tits, 2 Chiffchaffs and singles of Blackbird, Robin, Wren and Lesser Whitethroat. Birds of note seen included 2 Ravens and a Hobby.

In the meantime John Woollett was at Stortons Gravel Pits and caught 37 birds which included a re-trap Grasshopper Warbler, 15 Whitethroats, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 7 Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, a Cetti's Warbler, 3 Reed Warblers and a Chiffchaff.

This evening a mini-fall of migrants at Blueberry Farm included 3 Redstarts (one stunning male), at least 2 Whinchats, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Turtle Dove and lots of Whitethroats and Lesser Whitethroats. In addition 8 Crossbills flew over towards Maidwell and a Barn Owl was out hunting.

Regards

Neil M

Brown Argus butterfly

Common Blue butterfly

Both the above images
were taken yesterday at
Harrington Airfield courtesy
of Cathy Ryden.

Vulcan photographed yesterday
by Eleanor over Blueberry Hill.
 Apparently it was en-route to
the Eastbourne Air Show.

A slower day today!

Hello

A period of bird ringing at Harrington Airfield this morning provided a modest catch of just 31 birds. Not many migrants were present and the numbers were made up of a good total of 12 Linnets, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 6 Whitethroats, 2 Chaffinches, a Reed Bunting, a Yellowhammer, a Wren, a Dunnock, a Green Woodpecker and 4 Willow Warblers. Other birds noted on-site included a Hobby or two successfully hunting Swallows, Turtle Dove and Grey Partridge. We hope for some better ringing returns tomorrow when the ringing site will again be closed to the public.

Jacob Spinks spent some time at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and north of the causeway he notched up the two Ruddy Shelduck, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls, a Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpipers and a Ruff. He also located a migrant Redstart close to the village of Scaldwell.

Regards

Neil M

Lesser Whitethroat
Harrington Airfield

Migration underway!

Hello

An experimental ringing session at Brixworth Sewer Treatment Works took place today, often in drizzly but mostly still and even humid conditions. Some eighty-five birds were caught involving very few re-traps. Highlights included 20 Pied Wagtails, 5 Yellow Wagtails, 4 Grey Wagtails, 12 Starlings, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 3 Chiffchaffs, 5 Swallows and singles of Whitethroat, Blackcap and Sedge Warbler. However without doubt the most exciting bird to enter a mist net was a fine adult Hobby! Please see images below.

On both Saturday and Sunday this week-end there will be some further bird ringing at Harrington Airfield and access is restricted. The concrete track and footpaths remain unaffected, but the scrubbed-up airstrip and bunker areas will not be available for general access. My apologies if this affects your plans this week-end.

Eleanor visited Harrington Airfield this morning and witnessed three 'trilling' Whimbrel flying over south at 9.10am and saw singles of Grey Wagtail, Wheatear and Redstart. Whitethroats and Willow Warblers were present in good numbers and other migrants included 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Whinchats and 2+ Crossbills flying over.

A Barn Owl was present at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Hobby

Courtesy of Neil Hasdell

Pitsford weather watch

Hello

This evening I spent an hour or so scanning from the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir as the weather deteriorated. At about 6.20pm a flock of 13 Black Terns accompanied by 2 juvenile Arctic Terns arrived north of the causeway and then disappeared southwards. Some ten minutes later, 12 Black Terns reappeared and spent time flying around the reserve.

At about 7pm an Osprey arrived from the south and was still present north of the causeway at 7.30pm on a look-out for a fish...

Regards

Neil M

Pitsford waders

Hello

Eleanor came across another juvenile Marsh Harrier this morning in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. It flew towards Blueberry Farm at 8.15am...

In the meantime a small collection of waders were located near the dam at Pitsford Reservoir consisting of a Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, eight Dunlin and eight Ringed Plovers. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was present too...

Regards

Neil M

Dunlin and Ringed Plover
Pitsford Reservoir