Scottish birding

Hello

The NRG contingent finally arrived on Fair Isle today, the weather preventing this last leg of the journey until this afternoon. Prior to this we utilised our time with some birding in the Edinburgh area on Saturday and mainland Shetland on Sunday and Monday. A couple of pods of Orcas are presently patrolling Shetland waters but we haven't caught up with them yet...!

Regards

Neil M

Goosander

Eider

Guillemot

Fulmar

Puffin

Arctic Tern

Grey Seal

Red-breasted Merganser

Shetland birding

Hello

A planned short trip to Fair Isle hasn't gone quite according to plan with the travel arrangements, and currently four of us from the Northants Ringing Group are in Lerwick on the Shetland mainland. Plenty of northern birds to see this time of year with breeding sea birds and waders in good numbers and an opportunity to see passerines such as Rock Dove, Twite and the Shetland races of Starling and Wren.

Yesterday (Monday) we enjoyed an evening boat excursion to witness the vibrancy of the sea-bird city on Noss; we hope to try and fly to Fair Isle later today...

Regards

Neil M

Gannet

Great Skua or Bonxie

Arctic Tern

Fulmar

Great Black-backed Gull

Razorbill

County bird ringing...

Hello

Yesterday (Saturday) provided views of two Turtle Doves at Harrington Airfield during the early morning and Eric Graham's visit to Titchmarsh Reserve near Thrapston continued to yield views and song of common warblers, two Yellow-legged Gulls and five Little Egrets.

Today (Sunday) and Northants Ringing Group members John Woollett and Chris Payne were active at Stortons Gravel Pits where the catch included good numbers of Chiffchaff and Reed Warbler and a Willow Warbler. Nick Wood tried a new ringing strategy at Chase Park Farm adjacent to Yardley Chase resulting in the capture of three Dunnocks, two juvenile Goldcrests, a Blue Tit, three juvenile Chiffchaffs, three Willow Warblers, three Whitethroats, two Great Tits and a Robin.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Wren (oops not a
juvenile Cetti's Warbler)!
Courtesy of Chris Payne.

Pitsford Reservoir antics

Hello

A ringing session at the main Pitsford Reservoir feeding station spanning a few hours yesterday evening (Thursday) and first thing this morning (Friday) yielded a very good total of 71 captures (64 new birds and 7 re-traps). As you would hope at this time of the year most of the birds were juveniles (hatched this year) and were made up of 14 Dunnocks, 13 Tree Sparrows, 6 Chaffinches, 5 Sedge Warblers, 4 Blue Tits, 4 Robins, 5 Blackbirds, 6 Great Tits, 2 Garden Warblers, 2 Whitethroats, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Wrens, 2 Reed Buntings and singles of Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Reed Warbler and Woodpigeon. 

The RAF Red Arrows display team whizzed over the reservoir heading south yesterday evening, and this afternoon they came back north between Hanging Houghton and Blueberry Farm.

Clouds of biting flies (Cleggs and Deer Flies) surrounded us this morning in warm conditions at Pitsford as efforts were made to tidy up the ringing rides in the Walgrave Bay, and work has started this week in replacing the bridges arching over the brooks at the very ends of the Scaldwell and Walgrave bays. Pedestrian access around the reserve shouldn't be affected by this essential work which is likely to take some weeks. A couple of Marbled White butterflies can be seen in the Scaldwell Meadow currently, between the causeway and the Maytrees Hide.

A flock of 14 Mistle Thrushes at Hanging Houghton this morning is a typical summer record when all the local village birds flock up after all breeding efforts are over. This bird is another of those species which is still present over most of its original range but the numbers have thinned out during the last few years.

Several hours walking and scanning in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this afternoon in sultry and humid conditions paid off for Eleanor with sightings of two Crossbills over Blueberry Farm, at least one Hobby and a juvenile Marsh Harrier again hunting cereal fields and grass headlands. Just a few Marbled Whites were visible at Blueberry Farm.

Birds of interest in the area of the dam and sailing club at Pitsford Reservoir this evening amounted to little more than two adult Yellow-legged Gulls and a Common Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

Some of the Red Arrows
(of a flight of nine aircraft)

Yellow-legged Gull
at Pitsford Reservoir
today courtesy of
Jacob Spinks (Young
Birdwatcher of the
Year finalist!)

French Dragons

Hello

Some initial images of dragonfly fauna and other beasts from the French Camargue region earlier this month. These pictures were taken during an eight day Naturetrek tour I helped out on, specifically looking at dragonflies and birds - but of course we looked at everything that crossed our path!

Regards

Neil M

The spectacular Scarce
Swallowtail butterfly...

Wall Brown butterfly.

Black-tailed Skimmer eating
a Wall Brown butterfly!

Pronged Clubtail

Cicada

Honey Buzzard

Red-veined Darter.

Black-tailed Skimmer
with blow-fly prey.

Mating pair of Blue-tailed Damselflies.

Catching birds of the air

Hello

This morning's walk was at Harrington Airfield and provided views of two Turtle Doves and a Willow Tit, all close to the main concrete track.

This evening a small band of us met at Lamport Hall and managed to catch several birds made up of sixteen House Martins, five Swifts and a House Sparrow.

Big numbers of Marbled Whites were still on the wing at Twywell Hills and Dales Country Park today and about eight were visible at Blueberry Farm.

Regards

Neil M

Small Tortoiseshell

Juvenile Jackdaw with
aberrant bill colour.

Common Swift.

House Martin.

French-ringed Sedge Warbler

Hello

Ian Wrisdale is the principal ringer at Stanwick Gravel Pits and manages a long term Constant Effort Site there. On three occasions this year (15th May, 4th June and 12th June) Ian has caught a French-ringed Sedge Warbler which is presumably breeding at Stanwick. The initial ringing details have come through now and this bird was first caught and ringed on 8th August 2015 when it was aged as a bird hatched in that year. The original ringing location was at Trunvel, Treogat, Finistere in France, some 562km from Stanwick GP.

David Arden was also at the Fermyn Wood complex yesterday and managed some fine images of some of the bigger butterflies on show...

Regards

Neil M

From eggs to nestlings,
the journey of a Swallow nest
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Purple Emperor and
White Admiral butterflies
Fermyn Wood complex by
David Arden.

Butterflies

Hello

This morning was spent wandering the tracks and rides of Fermyn Wood, Lady Wood and Fermyn Wood Country Park in an effort to see some of the butterflies that traditionally show there. Small numbers of Purple Emperor performed well, the White Admirals and Silver-washed Fritillaries were much more flighty and we managed views of both Purple and White-letter Hairstreak.

Other large insects included Hornet, Blue Emperor, Brown Hawker and Southern Hawker dragonflies, with quite a mix of darters and damselflies in the country park. Common woodland birds were more audible than visible but a couple of Ravens flew over Lady Wood and of course there were plenty of Red Kites to admire.

Clive Bowley was at Twywell Hills and Dales Country Park this morning where he thoroughly enjoyed about fifty Marbled White butterflies on the wing and plenty of skippers too.

Yesterday Eleanor saw a small hatch of about six Marbled White butterflies at Blueberry Farm on the south side of The Hill field and near to the brook, and also saw a Hummingbird Hawk-moth at Maidwell village.

Regards

Neil M

Large Skipper

Silver-washed Fritillary

Common Frog

Purple Emperor, in the last
image feeding alongside a
Red Admiral.

White-letter Hairstreak

Hornet