Sunday's sightings

Hello

The first venue this morning was Sywell Country Park where the relatively long-staying adult Whooper Swan was just off the dam, well it was until a testosterone-fuelled Mute Swan decided he didn't want it on his patch! The Whooper received the message and the swan swam off in to the middle of the water in still murky conditions. A Cetti's Warbler and a Grey Wagtail were also in the vicinity of the dam.

Next was Ditchford Gravel Pits and specifically the pits west of Ditchford Lane. Birds here in dull conditions included a Great White Egret, eight Egyptian Geese, an adult female Peregrine, a Green Sandpiper, a Kingfisher and a couple of Cetti's Warblers.

A visit to the village of Bozeat at midday was next where some photography in slightly better light was necessary to capture the spangled colours of the humble Starling and a possible Nordic Jackdaw.

An afternoon at Pitsford Reservoir attracted sightings of a Great White Egret and a drake Smew in the Scaldwell Bay (courtesy of Jacob Spinks) and two pairs of Red-crested Pochard and a roost of 155 Cormorants in the Walgrave Bay.

Regards

Neil M

Whooper Swan
Sywell Country Park

Cormorant.
It may only be early winter but
Cormorants aged three years and over
will now begin to acquire their
resplendent breeding plumage ready
for pairing and nest-building in February.

Not the right day to take photos
of Pochard on grey water, but many
of the wildfowl present at Sywell
Country Park are so used to seeing a
constant stream of people and dogs
progressing around the water that they
barely move away from the water's edge...

Egyptian Geese at
Ditchford Gravel Pits

The stunning Starling. It is likely that the Starlings
we see currently in the county are a mixture of local
and foreign birds. The white spotted 'winter' plumage
begins to wear during the early spring to the point that
they are back to being glossy again. And the Starlings are
singing now, another birds that initiates the breeding cycle
a season early! Most adult males are already beginning
 to sport a bluish base to the bill and the females pinkish
(please see above).

A possible 'Nordic Jackdaw' at
Bozeat today. Small numbers from
northern Europe appear to winter
 in the UK.

Birds of fog and mist...

Hello

With thick fog all day yesterday in our neck of the woods there was nothing to report!

Today the fog yielded to mist and then with occasional clearer periods so that observers did stand a chance of seeing something...

Eleanor saw two Waxwings at Staverton today, two birds showing well on conifers and on view from 11.30am to noon when they were flushed by some nearby shooting. These birds were in the exact same place as birds seen on 19th November and were equally vocal. Four noisy Ravens were also present.

A pair of Stonechat were again below Hanging Houghton village and Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon provided views of two active Otters, three Great White Egrets, a small flock of Crossbills (two seen but more heard) around the causeway and two Kingfishers.

Dave Francis was ringing at Pitsford Reservoir this morning and caught 105 birds of nineteen species which is an excellent variety and total. These birds were made up of 19 Yellowhammers, 16 Greenfinches, 11 Blue Tits, 8 Reed Buntings, 7 Dunnocks, 7 Moorhens, 6 Chaffinches, 5 Tree Sparrows, 5 Robins, 5 Great Tits, 4 Blackbirds, 3 Goldfinches, 2 Marsh Tits, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Wren, a Goldcrest, a Starling, a Green Woodpecker and a Pied Wagtail. Hopefully this number of Yellowhammers signals the start of the winter build-up of these birds reliant on the broadcast seed at Pitsford Reservoir; it is estimated that as many as 500 birds were coming to the food in the early months of 2016.

Another ringing session took place today at Glyn Davies Wood over in the west of the county under the leadership of Helen Franklin and this provided some 130 captures. More than two thirds were new birds with tits dominating, and fifty new Blue Tits suggests that this species in the west of the county enjoyed a better breeding season than those further east. Other highlights included three Marsh Tits, a new Willow Tit, three Great Spotted Woodpeckers, six Goldcrests and four Redwings. Other birds noted in this small area of relict woodland included a Woodcock, up to a dozen Siskins and a redpoll sp.

A visit to nearby Boddington Reservoir late afternoon concentrated on checking through the large gull roost there and birds of note were an adult Caspian Gull, a drake Goosander and a Grey Wagtail.

Eric Graham visited Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston this morning and was pleased to note a fly-over Raven, still a scarce bird in this part of the county.

Regards

Neil M

Crossbill

Raven

Yellowhammer

Willow Tit

Thank-you

Hello

No birding opportunities today sadly and no first hand reports of interesting sightings I'm afraid. I guess with Christmas looming ever closer and people being busier than ever, birding tends to take a bit of a back seat at this time of the year...

Never mind, a couple of images have been kindly sent to me and this is a good opportunity for me to say a very big thank-you to everyone who has supported the blog site during 2016, whether by way of regular visits or by providing us with information, sightings, accounts and of course excellent images.

Regards

Neil M

Blue Tit.
 The Robin is our national bird but I
think the humble and widespread
Blue Tit must surely be it's deputy?

Image courtesy of Robin Gossage.

An excellent shot of a Water Rail
out in the open yesterday at Summer Leys
Nature Reserve at Earls Barton Gravel Pits.

Image courtesy of Steve Rappitt.

Ringing news

Hello

An early start this morning with a ringing venture again at Harrington Airfield provided a small mixture of birds but again the thrush family dominated with 18 new Redwings, 2 new Song Thrushes and 3 new Blackbirds. The Fieldfares avoided us and with the berries dwindling so are the thrushes! Birds noted on-site included several Golden Plovers and a single Woodcock.

The Short-eared Owl again showed itself briefly in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning as did one of the pair of Stonechat, and three Woodcock were located at Blueberry Farm.

A walk at Pitsford Reservoir south of the causeway in sunny and warm conditions this afternoon located two pairs of Little Owls, a pair of Raven, a Grey Wagtail and an adult Caspian Gull.

News has reached us of a ringing recovery relating to a Lesser Redpoll which was caught and ringed at Glyn Davies Wood (far west of Northamptonshire) on 29th October 2016. This male bird was re-captured at Castlemorton Common in Worcestershire on 18th November, travelling 69 km in a westerly direction. I wonder where he is now?

Regards

Neil M

Male Reed Bunting
Harrington Airfield.
Courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Cormorant.

Kestrel in December sunshine.

Grey Wagtail.

Above images from
Pitsford Reservoir this
afternoon courtesy of
Cathy Ryden.

Grey and grimey!

Hello

The weather forecast for the next week or so shows little variation with grey, mild conditions and low wind speeds. Not ideal for birding but potentially okay for ringing even if the mist nets do become a bit drippy!

A little ringing at Harrington Airfield today only produced small numbers of birds with the Fieldfares staying high in the bushes or feeding out on the wet fields. We will try for them again tomorrow...

A few Golden Plovers were audible in the murk but no big flocks on the fields today.

A pair of Ravens were over Brixworth Country Park and the afternoon gull roost at Pitsford Reservoir contained a first year Caspian Gull.

Regards

Neil M

Fieldfare

Great Black-backed Gull

Goldeneye

Great Tit

Recent images from
Pitsford Reservoir courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Murky and damp Harrington

Hello 

Little opportunity for birding today in damp, gloomy, but mild conditions.

A couple of hours at Harrington Airfield this afternoon confirmed the continuing presence of Fieldfares but the thrushes are fewer in number now it seems... Nevertheless there will be some planned ringing there tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday when certain sections will be restricted and notices will be erected. This doesn't affect passage along the footpaths and main concrete track. 

The flock of Golden Plover there today and whizzing around the top fields numbered at least fifty birds...

Regards

Neil M

Golden Plovers

Male Chaffinch.

This species takes advantage of three
areas at Harrington Airfield which are
regularly provided with broadcast mixed
  seed during the winter.

Sunday's birds

Hello

A much better day weather-wise today and Debbie and Eric's venture out to Thrapston Gravel Pits this morning provided an opportunity of recording a Slavonian Grebe visible from the South Hide on the Titchmarsh Reserve, four Little Egrets, three Goosanders and two Cetti's Warblers.

John Woollett and team completed some bird ringing at Stortons Gravel Pits this morning and the captures included some interesting re-traps with a Reed Bunting and two Great Tits which were first ringed in 2011. Twenty-five more re-traps including two Cetti's Warblers kept the ringers busy and thirteen new birds were ringed which included four Blackbirds, at least two of which showed characteristics suggesting they were of continental origin.

Jacob Spinks spent much of the day at Pitsford Reservoir today and collated a very good list of birds which included a Siberian Chiffchaff near to the Northants Bird Club hide, two Great White Egrets, two drake Smew (Scaldwell Bay), a drake Goosander, five Pintail, a first year Caspian Gull, a Redshank, a Green Sandpiper, a Kingfisher, a Grey Wagtail, a redpoll sp and a Willow Tit.

Regards

Neil M

Pintail.
Courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Great White Egret.
Courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Fieldfare.

Long-tailed Tit

Grey Heron.

Great White Egret.

Above images courtesy
of  Robin Gossage.

Birds of a dull, wet day...

Hello

A day in rather dreary conditions at Ditchford Gravel Pits didn't produce many birds of interest, perhaps the best being a single Jack Snipe, eight Snipe, a drake Goosander, two or three Grey Wagtails, two Chiffchaffs, eight Cetti's Warblers and three Water Rails.

A pair of Stonechat remain near Hanging Houghton, two Ravens were at Staverton this morning and three Great White Egrets were present at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon.

Jacob Spinks and Andrew Tyrrell found themselves at Beeley in Derbyshire today and they saw the local star of the show, the Dusky Thrush. Other birds around the small village included 20+ Siskins, two Dippers, a Crossbill and a Peregrine.

Regards

Neil M

Dusky Thrush
courtesy of Jacob Spinks.

Images from Ditchford Gravel Pits
today, courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Dusky Thrush

Hello

A trip up to Beeley in Derbyshire not far from Matlock was required today to see the recently-found asiatic Dusky Thrush. The bird showed well although in very dull conditions, often alongside other thrushes. A small stream nearby hosted an accommodating Dipper and other birds included a couple of Ravens, a Grey Wagtail and small numbers of Siskins.

The last time I saw Dusky Thrush was in Eastern Russia when I was lucky to see adults on their breeding grounds on the edge of northern tundra. There they were vocal with a far-carrying calls which often gave away their presence in low bushes hugging streams and rocky outcrops. The silent bird at Beeley had seemingly adapted to it's Western Palearctic home and was eating apples in an orchard and foraging for invertebrates in rough pasture fields.

Back in cloudy Northants a pair of Stonechat were still in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and Harrington Airfield hosted up to five hundred Fieldfares this afternoon plus a Snipe and just over forty Golden Plovers.

Regards

Neil M

There it is!
Dusky Thrush pandemonium...
and the village of Beeley will
see even more visitors tomorrow.

Dusky Thrush
courtesy of Dave Jackson.

Dusky Thrush enjoying
windfall apple,

Dipper.
Courtesy of Dave Jackson

No birding today

Hello

No opportunity for any birding today, but some images for your perusal...

Regards

Neil M

Wow!

Image courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Robin.

Courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Dusky Thrush in Derbyshire today.
Image courtesy of  Jim Dunkley. With lots of
thrushes in the UK from much further east, it makes
 sense that among the thousands of Redwings etc
there should be the odd rare thrush too.

Ringing at Kelmarsh

Hello

With a change in the weather with much milder conditions and a fresh breeze, we decided on a change of venue for bird ringing today. So it was that we found ourselves at Kelmarsh Hall this morning which is a more sheltered environment than Harrington Airfield.

Here a single sixty foot mist net was sufficient to successfully catch eighty-five individuals made up of both migrant and resident birds. Nineteen Blackbirds included only one re-trapped individual and other thrushes included three new Fieldfares and six Redwings. Blue Tits were numerous with thirty-three caught, supported by fifteen Great Tits, a Coal Tit, two Robins, a Dunnock, a Bullfinch, a Greenfinch and three Goldfinches. One of the first year Blue Tits originated from Pitsford Reservoir.

Other birds noted on-site included a Raven, a small flock of Siskins, a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail.

Regards

Neil M

Female Blackbird.
Image courtesy of
Cathy Ryden.

First year male Blackbird.
Image courtesy of Eleanor.

Redwings are reportedly in the UK
in large numbers, but there are plenty
of other thrushes too including plenty
of migrant Blackbirds joining the
 resident birds.

Foggy Tuesday

Hello

The forecast for foggy conditions proved accurate today, albeit that the temperatures rose as the day progressed.

A small team of us visited Harrington Airfield and attempted to catch and ring some of the migrant thrushes utilising the plentiful hawthorn bushes. The conditions ensured that the bushes and nets attracted the swirling moisture to the point that most things became rather wet.

However we managed to catch and process 82 birds, all but three of the birds were thrushes made up of 30 Blackbirds (24 new and 6 re-traps), 4 Song Thrushes which included a re-trap and a very grey continental bird, 7 Fieldfares and 38 Redwings.

We also saw 120+ Golden Plovers, 1-2 Woodcock and heard a Brambling.

Eleanor located three Woodcock at Blueberry Farm and a pair of Stonechat near Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Dripping hawthorn berries.

The stunning Redwing, again
making up a large proportion
of today's ringing catch.

All images courtesy of
Cathy Ryden.