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

Pitsford CBC

Hello

John Woollett and team were busy ringing at Stortons Gravel Pits this morning and were rewarded with a good catch of 60 birds. Reed Warblers dominated with 27 individuals being caught, one of which was a 'control' from elsewhere. Other birds included 4 Sedge Warblers, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 3 Chiffchaffs, 4 Blackcaps, a Whitethroat and a Garden Warbler.

Details have come through of a Goldfinch first ringed locally at Greens Norton by Chris Payne back in October 2014. It was aged as a young male and was found freshly dead at Little Fenton in North Yorkshire on 7th July this year. That is a distance of 186km to the north and a duration of 624 days between the two dates. This basic data suggests it was a breeding bird in Yorkshire but wintered further south in the autumn and winter.

Today the last Common Bird Census of the season was completed on the reserve at Pitsford Reservoir. Singing birds are now beginning to falter but a late season visit is always worthwhile to confirm breeding birds which are less visible in the spring and early summer. A brood each of Gadwall and Tufted Duck confirmed successful breeding, a family party of Spotted Flycatchers probably nested just off the reserve and still begging Tawny Owl and Sparrowhawk juveniles were audible early morning. A Willow Tit was in the Scaldwell Bay, a Grey Wagtail flew over and other birds in the Scaldwell Bay included a Green Sandpiper, a Ruddy Shelduck and three Red-crested Pochard.

The female of the pair of Oystercatchers is a ringed bird and digital cameras provide us with an opportunity of reading the ring number in the field. She was originally caught and ringed as an adult at Pitsford Reservoir on 12th June 2012 and the likelihood is that she has returned to breed every year since.

Insects on the wing included many common butterflies and large numbers of Common Blue Damselflies. Dragonflies included Blue Emperor, Brown Hawker and Black-tailed Skimmer.

Regards

Neil M

Sedge Warbler and juvenile
Robin Stortons Gravel Pits.

Courtesy of  Chris Payne.

Small Skipper butterfly.

Blue Emperor dragonfly

Adult and juvenile
Little Grebes Pitsford Reservoir.

Pitsford CES

Hello

A Constant Effort ringing session took place at Pitsford Reservoir today which caused the capture of 89 birds which included plenty of juveniles. This included good numbers of Robins, Garden Warblers and Blackcaps, a single Reed Warbler and small numbers of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. A Kingfisher added a little glamour and other birds included five Treecreepers, a Goldcrest, a Bullfinch, a Yellowhammer and a couple of Reed Buntings.

Other birds noted on-site included the Ruddy Shelduck, three Red-crested Pochard (one drake), a Raven, a Willow Tit and two adult Yellow-legged Gulls.

There were good numbers of insects in and around the meadows with plenty of Black-tailed Skimmers and several Brown Hawkers among the numerous damsels and darters.

Regards

Neil M

Kingfisher

Adult and juvenile Oystercatchers.

All images from Pitsford Reservoir today...