Pitsford WeBS count

Hello

Phil Horsnail was pleased to see two Ravens east of Polebrook Airfield today, close to the Cambridgeshire border. These are the first Ravens Phil has managed to find this far east in the county and they remain very scarce in the Oundle area. Quite different to the west of the county where you expect to see several during a day's birding.

Jim Dunkley watched a female Blackcap coming to apples in his Sywell garden today and Chris Payne committed to some ringing at Bradden in South Northants where a short session provided over fifty captures which included a fine female Green Woodpecker, a Nuthatch and a Marsh Tit.

Six of us tried our best at counting the waterbirds at an ice-affected Pitsford Reservoir today but despite the cold conditions we didn't find anything new. The Slavonian Grebe was in the Pintail Bay and other birds included a drake Goosander, one or two Great White Egret(s), six Little Egrets, ten Pintail, two Redshank, a Green Sandpiper, forty Snipe, four Kingfishers, a Grey Wagtail and a Brambling. Checking the gull roost this afternoon provided a view of a first year Caspian Gull.

A return home to Hanging Houghton this afternoon was necessary for a welcome cuppa, and the big surprise was a flock of Waxwings in the trees behind our garden! In all we counted sixteen birds and they came in to our garden, seemingly attracted to Guelder Rose berries. They stayed for a little while but then flew off and were perched in a tree off the A508 south of the village. Fourteen of them returned again later in the afternoon and a Brambling was noted too...

Regards

Neil M

Female Blackcap
courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

Marsh Tit at Bradden
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Female Green Woodpecker
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Male Blackbird courtesy
of Steve Bennison.

Song Thrush courtesy
of Steve Bennison.

Snowdrops at Pitsford Reservoir.

The frozen Walgrave Bay
at Pitsford Reservoir.

Stanwick Lakes

Hello

The bird ringing demonstration at Stanwick Lakes today was successful with plenty of people enjoying the spectacle of birds close at hand even if the initial day temperature was minus five centigrade! About a hundred birds were caught and processed all made up of common birds of eleven species, perhaps the most noteworthy being a Redwing, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers and several Goldcrests. Other birds on-site included up to seven Goosanders, a Snipe, a couple of Water Rails, a Chiffchaff, a Brambling and a Siskin.

The Short-eared Owls were playing hard to get at Neville's Lodge near Finedon and were seen very late afternoon when somebody accidentally flushed up to six birds. Up until then the birds had frustratingly kept hidden on the ground with no apparent hunting or flying around.

Harrington Airfield hosted about fifty Golden Plovers this morning and a Robin couldn't wait for the bird food to be dispensed and landed on the bucket rim whilst Eleanor was walking along! A pair of Grey Partridge were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Long-tailed Tit.

Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Blue Tit.

All images taken recently at Summer Leys
Nature Reserve by Robin Gossage. All these
 species put in an appearance at today's ringing
demonstration at Stanwick Lakes.

Saturday round-up

Hello

Debbie and Eric Graham were at their beloved Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston GP today and notched up a Great White Egret.

Two Ravens were again at Hanging Houghton and this afternoon another one was visible near Harlestone village.

Birds visible at Borough Hill Country Park (Daventry) today included a Short-eared Owl (being mobbed as it sat on a field hedge), an adult female Peregrine and a pair of Stonechat. Nearby Daventry Country Park hosted two Ravens flying towards Borough Hill and eight Goosanders.

Two Otters were showing at dusk at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and the birds were made up of a flock of 46 Goldeneye just off the dam, 2 Great White Egrets and 2 Grey Wagtails.

Jacob spent all day at Pitsford Reservoir and his hard-earned list of birds included a Great White Egret, a female Red-crested Pochard, 10 Pintail, 2 Redshanks, a first winter Mediterranean Gull, 2 Caspian Gulls, a Yellow-legged Gull, 2 Ravens, a Little Owl and a Grey Wagtail.

Some ringing at Sunderland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate provided 97 captures from just one mist net. This total didn't include a Great Tit sporting a grotesque growth and five Chaffinches with the all too familiar leg disease (these birds are immediately released following extraction at the net).

The total was made up of a Blackbird, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Dunnock, 25 Great Tits, a Treecreeper, 48 Blue Tits, 7 Coal Tits, 4 new Marsh Tits, a Robin, 6 healthy Chaffinches, a Bullfinch and a Nuthatch.

Regards

Neil M

A Great Tit with a head growth at
Sunderland Wood today. This first year
female was perky but is clearly seriously
challenged and can have no forward
vision in its right eye due to the extent
of the growth.

Raven and Common Buzzard
over Summer Leys yesterday
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Marsh Tit at Summer Leys
yesterday courtesy of Robin Gossage.
 The habitat here is far from ideal for the Marsh Tit
 but the plentiful supply of food makes it irresistible!

Thrushes on parade

Hello

A small team of ringers led by John Woollett undertook a ringing session at Nether Heyford yesterday catching over thirty birds which included a Woodpigeon, two Redwings and two Fieldfares.

Cathy Ryden was at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon and managed views of three Otters, just a single Great White Egret and a Green Sandpiper.

Robin Gossage was a Summer Leys Reserve near Earls Barton today and saw Raven, a drake Scaup and two Great White Egrets.

A quick walk at Harrington Airfield in frosty conditions this morning provided views of about 150 cold-looking Golden Plovers but little else of note.

Regards

Neil M

Redwing.

Fieldfare and Rosehip berries.

Female Blackbird.

Male Blackbird.

All above images taken at
Summer Leys today, courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Drake Red-crested Pochard in
the Moulton Grange Bay at Pitsford
Reservoir today, courtesy of Clive Bowley.

Robin at Pitsford Reservoir
today courtesy of Dave Jackson.

Clearly the winter sunshine has lured
our local photographers out with their
big lenses!

Robin on the move!

Hello

A single Barn Owl was noted at Hanging Houghton on Tuesday evening, making plenty of noise as it flew around the houses after nightfall, and another one was similarly noisy at Brixworth early yesterday morning. This slurred and soft eerie screechy noise appears to be emitted by individuals endeavouring to confirm their territory for the forthcoming breeding year.

Eleanor watched an industrious Otter working flooded ditches in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning.

Details have come through of a Robin recovery which was first ringed at Pitsford Reservoir by Colin Graham on 5th September 2016. This first year bird was caught by the Wicken Fen Ringing Group at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire on 20th December 2016, travelling 79km in an easterly direction. The Robin has enjoyed good breeding success in the UK during the last two years and we ring them in good numbers locally but rarely hear of a recovery.

Regards

Neil M

Robin

More recent images from
Pitsford Reservoir courtesy
of Robin Gossage. The new
Bird Club hide in the Scaldwell
Bay is proving popular with
photographers!

Ringing at Brixworth

Hello

Brixworth Water Treatment Works was the venue for a period of ringing today which yielded a modest 47 captures. Birds caught and quickly processed included 24 Pied Wagtails, 2 Grey Wagtails, 2 Meadow Pipits, a Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Siskins (from a flock of 30) and a Magpie.

Other birds noted on-site included a Water Rail, at least one more Chiffchaff and a Snipe.

Regards

Neil M

First year male Siskin
courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Pitsford update

Hello

Some ringing at Pitsford Reservoir today provided 44 captures of 11 species made up of 5 Tree Sparrows, 4 Chaffinches, 5 Reed Buntings, 6 Blue Tits, 2 Robins, a Coal Tit, 5 Great Tits, 6 Yellowhammers, 4 Dunnocks, 2 Greenfinches and 4 Blackbirds.

Robin Gossage was also at Pitsford today armed with his camera and some of the results are below...

Regards

Neil M

Drake Goosander.

Cormorant in breeding plumage.

All images taken at Pitsford
Reservoir today as taken and
shared by Robin Gossage.

Another day of rain and drizzle...

Hello

Eleanor visited Sywell Country Park this morning and saw the long-staying Whooper Swan in an adjacent field. Other birds noted were a Cetti's Warbler, two Water Rails and a Stonechat.

Neil H went looking for the reported Waxwings around Moulton from two days ago but was unable to locate any in very poor weather.

A reminder that the local RSPB group are teaming up with the rangers at Stanwick Lakes and members of the Northants Ringing Group to hold an event this Sunday in preparedness for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch the following week-end. There will be events for children, displays, guided birdwatching and a bird ringing demonstration at Stanwick Lakes all designed to assist in the identification of garden birds ready for the big day.

If you are unfamiliar with Stanwick Lakes site, there is a map on the Birdwatching Sites Maps page on this blog; the event will be easy to find from the car park in the middle of the complex. This Nene Valley site is off the A45 between Higham Ferrers and Thrapston.

Regards

Neil M

Whooper Swan at
Sywell CP.

Rare passerine anyone?

Hello

I forgot to mention yesterday that Phil Horsnail espied a hunting 'ringtail' Hen Harrier in the east of the county at Polebrook Airfield at about 12 noon and on Saturday Amanda Fraser watched a male Blackcap feeding on cotoneaster berries in her Kingsthorpe (Northampton) garden.

Although winter in the county has always been interesting, it seems almost that this is the best season for finding scarce and rare birds in the county. Although still exciting, the classic migration periods of spring and autumn often frustrate the inland birder with the coasts experiencing heavy migration and plenty of rare birds but with only a negligible influence in the middle of the country.

With warmer temperatures, middle England enjoys more varied passerines wintering than ever before and I would predict that some of our rarer small birds will actually be found during the short days of winter. Thrushes of course seem to be the current family to watch for, but it is worth checking through any finch or bunting flocks and looking for wintering warblers too! The very best of luck in your valiant searches!

Regards

Neil M

Bathing Blackcaps
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

And if anyone out there can
find a Dusky Thrush or similar
we would love to know!

Rainy day

Hello

A walk in the rain at Harrington Airfield this morning provided views of fifty Golden Plovers and a couple of Snipe.

Birds at Pitsford Reservoir included a Great White Egret, a Goosander, two Redshank, a Green Sandpiper, several Pintail, a couple of Grey Wagtails, a female Brambling on the main feeding station and an adult Peregrine. The gull roost hosted a first year Yellow-legged Gull and an adult and first year Caspian Gull.

A brief visit to Kettering town centre today failed to find any lingering Waxwings.

Regards

Neil M

Where is my apple?

All that is mine?

More images from Cathy Ryden -
Fieldfare (top) and Starling (bottom).

Kettering Waxwings (again)!

Hello

Birds at Pitsford Reservoir north of the causeway today included two Great White Egrets, eleven Pintail (eight drakes), two Redshank, two Green Sandpipers, a Grey Wagtail and a Chiffchaff. The gull roost off the Sailing Club in the afternoon contained an adult Caspian Gull and a first year Yellow-legged Gull with a Little Owl nearby.

Two Great White Egrets were still present at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this afternoon and birds viewable at Daventry Country Park included a Shelduck, four Goosanders and an adult female Peregrine. Four Ravens were very vocal and interactive at Staverton.

The Waxwings were mobile in Kettering town centre today, numbering at least thirty, and then they appeared to absence themselves during the early afternoon. The three known venues were School Lane car park, the area in front of Pets at Home and Sainsbury's and a lone Rowan tree in front of the Alexandra Arms. It is likely that they have found somewhere else in Kettering to feed but are likely to return periodically to the same trees at the above locations as there are still some favoured berries left.

Two pairs of Stonechats remain in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Waxwings courtesy of
Pete Gilbert.

Waxwings courtesy of
Jacob Spinks.

The amazing Waxwings in Kettering today
(a shame that I failed to catch up with them)!

Winter weather at last...

Hello

The snow swept in to Northamptonshire this morning providing a very wintery scene, albeit that by nightfall most of it had disappeared.

Jacob Spinks noted two Bramblings in Scaldwell village this morning and I spent part of the day visiting feeding stations. At Brixworth Water Treatment Works the filter beds were alive with Pied Wagtails - I estimated between eighty and ninety birds together with at least one Grey Wagtail.

Eleanor encountered a flock of at least 16 Waxwings in Kettering this afternoon, these birds feeding on berries in trees next to Tanners Lane car park which itself is next to Sainsbury's and Pets at Home. It is presumed that these are some of the School Lane birds that have just moved a short distance to find a fresh supply of food.

Regards

Neil M

The big, beautiful and sometimes bold
Fieldfare cannot resist apples once the berries
and worms are in short supply.

These images were taken by Cathy Ryden today.