Saturday's bits and bobs

Hello

Visits to the usual local sites today failed to turn up anything new. It was good to see plenty of common butterflies trying to exploit the broken but strong sunshine today, with new hatches of Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Common Blue and Large Skipper on the wing.

Up to six Ravens were at Staverton today, a Grasshopper Warbler was singing weakly at Blueberry Farm, Jacob Spinks recorded two Crossbills at Fineshade Wood and Eric Graham located two Yellow-legged Gulls a female Red-crested Pochard and a Cuckoo on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston (Aldwincle Pit)...

Regards

Neil M.

Adult Raven.

Birds and the weather

Hello

No birds of note to report today and at one stage I thought it would be the first day for ages without rain. However it loomed very dark here this evening and we experienced a series of very heavy showers. It might be just an inconvenience to us, but to just fledged young passerines a drenching late in the evening followed by a cool night can be enough to chill and kill. 

Preliminary observations suggest that some birds have enjoyed this very wet spring and early summer. Birds that need to probe for invertebrates require at least moist conditions in order to reach their food. Starlings are much reduced in numbers these days but my impression is that they have enjoyed a productive year with plenty of juveniles on the wing. Leatherjackets, the grub stage of the Cranefly family, are a critical food item for the Starling and it seems that the adults found plenty of them to provide for their nestlings. It is probably a similar story with the Rook, another bird that probes the surface for grubs and similar, and the flocks now out in the fields seem to include plenty of juveniles.

Other members of the corvid family also breed well in damp springs when invertebrate prey is important for the breeding success of Magpies, Carrion Crows and Jackdaws. Although all these species can be predatory towards smaller birds, it is invertebrate prey which ensures success and makes up the majority of the food.

Generally Blackbirds and thrushes breed well in moderately wet conditions, but such is the extent of the rain it is likely many of the fledged young have chilled and not survived. The first couple of broods are also staple food for birds of prey, larger birds and mammalian predators and few survive. Later broods stand more chance when predators have less pressure to feed young of their own. Robins are a smaller prey item and less readily sought out by predators such as Sparrowhawks, and they seem to be having a good 2016 (2015 was good for them too). Wrens enjoyed a great season last year and this year indicates there are record numbers of breeding pairs but productivity is very low. Building moss nests which soak up rain like a sponge will not have helped. However there have been plenty of calling just-fledged juveniles about, but the rain and cool nights compromises their limited feathering and small size and many seem not to be surviving for very long.

For those species that attempt a couple of broods, there is still plenty of time for breeding success. The tits in general do not normally double brood (occasionally Great Tits do), so we know already that yet again it has been a poor breeding year for them.

The pretty constant high water level at Pitsford Reservoir appears to have benefited those species that nest on the water or in the margins with good numbers of Coot families and even several Mute Swan families too. Time will tell if species that tend to breed later (such as the Great Crested Grebe and Tufted Duck) will do as well.

Every year there are winners and losers and no two years are the same, and despite adverse conditions, it is always amazing how many young birds survive and join the ranks to ultimately breed themselves.

Regards

Neil M

A nestful of Swallow chicks!
When it's wet outside there is a
significant advantage when your
parents have created a nest for you
inside a building! These birds will
probably fledge this coming week-end.

Image courtesy of Chris Payne.

Adult male Starling. The blue
base of the bill in the breeding
season identifies it as a male. And
you guessed it, the female has a pink
base to the bill!

Juvenile Starlings.

Adult and juvenile Rook.

Thursday's birds

Hello

Single Barn Owls were noted near Brixworth and again below Hanging Houghton today.

A visit to the floating rafts at Pitsford Reservoir provided evidence of more hatched Common Tern chicks and with two of the Oystercatcher chicks still present too. A small 'black goose' with the Canada Goose flock is seemingly one of the races of Cackling Goose or one of the small types of Canada Goose and presumed of captive origin.

An experimental ringing session at Lamport Hall this evening provided the capture and ringing of eleven Swifts and two House Martins, with a pair of Hobby in close attendance!

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Robin!

A Swift in the process of being ringed.

Images courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Images from Pitsford Reservoir.

Hello

Some recent images from Pitsford Reservoir with my thanks to Robin and David for their valued contributions...

Regards

Neil M

Tufted Duck

The acrobatic Common Tern

Cormorant.

All above images
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Common Spotted Orchid
as found in the Walgrave Bay.

Juvenile Common Buzzard.
 This bird is exhibiting some kind of
 deformity or disease affecting the softer tissue
 to the right hand side of the head.

Above two images courtesy of
David Arden.

Grey Heron.

Courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Pitsford CES

Hello

Dave Francis worked Session 6 of the Constant Effort ringing effort in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir today, catching 47 birds. This is much less than would be expected and appears to confirm a poor breeding season at Pitsford for many species.

Nineteen species were captured today including two Coots and a Mallard in the duck trap and other birds of interest included two Kingfishers, six Blackcaps, two Garden Warblers, a Reed Warbler, five Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, a Treecreeper, a Song Thrush and a Bullfinch. The only bird in good numbers was the fabulous Robin with eleven individuals logged.

Regards

Neil M

Stroppy Avocets!

Images from Titchwell
taken on Sunday.

More images from Norfolk...

Hello

Yesterday (Sunday) and the ringing session at Stortons Gravel Pits was somewhat curtailed due to this unpredictable June weather. However 22 birds were captured before rain and wind stopped play and included juvenile Whitethroats and a juvenile Sedge Warbler. A Reed Bunting bearing ring number Z310185 was netted - this bird was first caught and ringed at Harrington Airfield in September 2014.

Today (Monday) and a single Turtle Dove was the only bird of note located at Harrington Airfield with Blueberry Farm hosting now three 'reeling' Grasshopper Warblers and a Barn Owl this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Common Tern

Sandwich Tern

Bearded Tits

Mallard duckling

Avocet

Avocet chick

All images from the
RSPB reserve at Titchwell.

A day to Norfolk

Hello

Northants Ringing Group members assisted at a bioblitz project at Linford Lakes near Milton Keynes yesterday (Saturday), catching 49 birds, 40 of which were new. A juvenile Cetti's Warbler was confirmation that this species now breeds on-site but something of a surprise was the capture of a first year female Redstart. Presumably this is a failed breeder already on it's way back south. Other birds included 5 Reed Warblers, 5 Blackcaps, 3 Garden Warblers, a Whitethroat, a Treecreeper, 2 Reed Buntings and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

Today (Sunday) and Debbie and Eric Graham were out and about on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston and located four singing Cetti's Warblers and saw a Peregrine too.

Also today a car-load of us headed to the North Norfolk coast, stopping first at Sandringham where we were treated to at least one Firecrest.

On next to Holme in an effort to see the Great Knot, only to see the complete flock of summering Knot  (which it spends it's time with) lift off and fly rapidly east! A Marsh Harrier and a Turtle Dove were some compensation.

We drove to the RSPB reserve at Titchwell but there was no sign of the GK. Three Ruff included a couple of moulting males, one of which was displaying between bouts of feeding. Up to four Spotted Redshanks were still in summer plumage, three or four first summer Little Gulls were mobile as were three summer plumage Mediterranean Gulls. Some fledged juvenile Marsh Harriers clearly required further practice at food-passing, losing the hard-earned prey on two occasions!

On next to Brancaster where we walked down to view the Knot flock on Scolt Head. Little, Common and Sandwich Terns fished the shallow waters as we scanned the mostly soft greys of the Knot, interspersed with summer plumage 'Red Knot'. And there it was, the super Great Knot, keeping to the edge of the flock and then coming down to feed on the receding tide! After putting the news out we helped other birders on to the bird as they ambled amongst ordinary holiday makers enjoying the classic sandy Norfolk beach.

We finished the birding day back at Titchwell where Bearded Tits showed well, five Spoonbills were in flight, a Bittern boomed and we watched the antics of the volatile breeding Avocets as they tried to force out any other bird from 'their' stretch of mud and shallow water.

Please also see the Tab 'Robin's Wildlife Antics' which includes a recently posted series of shots depicting aggressive interaction between a trio of Great Crested Grebes...

Regards

Neil M

Firecrest

Ruff

Little Tern

Sandwich Tern

Ringing at Brixworth

Hello

A ringing session at Brixworth water treatment works this afternoon was a little slow but we eventually caught 37 birds which included 14 Pied Wagtails, a female Yellow Wagtail, a juvenile Grey Wagtail, a House Martin (which was a returning bird from 2014), 12 Swallows (including a bird first ringed in Hertfordshire in August 2015) and 4 Magpies...

A Hobby was one of five species of raptor noted during our time there.

Regards

Neil M

Pied Wagtails.

Quite a number of the
Pied Wagtails we are catching
are juveniles and there seems
 to be plenty of them!

Middle England in June

Hello

Today an early morning walk at Harrington Airfield didn't provide any particular birds of interest apart from a couple of Willow Tits which remained mostly well hidden in the vegetation.

Three Grey Partridges were found close to Hanging Houghton again and the Ruddy Shelduck remains within the grounds of the Sailing Club at Pitsford Reservoir.

Welford Reservoir this evening looked spectacular in strong sunshine against a backdrop of dark rain-laden clouds and the only birds of note was a fish-carrying Kingfisher and Great Crested Grebes with stripey young. A Spotted Flycatcher was present between Naseby and Welford.

Regards

Neil M

Common Spotted Orchids
Harrington Airfield.

Poppies at Harrington Airfield.

Juvenile Blue Tit.

Joseph our long-staying
rescue dog on foster care.
Is there a home out there
for him?

Singing Yellowhammer
on hawthorn.

'Middle England' complete with
spiraling Common Buzzard!

There they go!

The Red Arrows
heading north over
the Brampton Valley
near Hanging
Houghton this evening...

More images from Robin

Hello

Nothing much to report locally today, so some more wildlife images from Robin Gossage to cast your eyes over....

Regards

Neil M

Stock Dove

Grass Snake

Greenfinch

Marsh Tit