The Forest of Dean.

Hello

Eleanor's visit to Staverton this morning provided views of a pair of Raven and a subsequent visit to Ravensthorpe Reservoir yielded sightings of a Great White Egret and the juvenile Whooper Swan.

A merry band of us headed down to the Forest of Dean area in Gloucestershire today, the latter half of the day endorsed by blue skies and sunshine! An initial visit to Parkend was good for a flock of Hawfinches numbering at least twelve birds. With the sun poking through the clouds and a breeze becoming more consistent we headed for New Fancy View watchpoint in the middle of the forest where we saw two displaying Goshawks, a Peregrine, a Merlin plus the usual Common Buzzards, Ravens, and Siskins plus a few Crossbills.

We then drove the 12 or so miles to Symonds Yat Rock and at the watchpoint there another Goshawk was on show on our arrival and  showed well. At least four Peregrines were in dispute with each other and birds on the river below us included several Goosanders. Ravens showed well and were in some numbers...

Our next venue was Crabtree Hill ridge back in the forest where we caught up with the wintering Great Grey Shrike, another Hawfinch and a small flock of Crossbills, a Stonechat and more Goosanders plus three Bramblings and plenty of Siskins. A quick visit to Cannop Ponds and we counted 23 Mandarin Ducks, adding a bit more colour to the day!

Our final venue was a return to Parkend and we found a Dipper on a small stream running through the village; another Merlin overflying the M5 motorway on our way back was our last good bird of the day.

Regards

Neil M

Adult Peregrine carrying
what appears to be a Great Tit!

Displaying Raven.

Drake Mandarin Duck.

Friday's musings!

Hello

This afternoon two Woodcock were seen in Sunderland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate and a walk at Harrington Airfield provided another Woodcock and two Grey Partridges.

Some quick analysis of some of the captures at Pitsford Reservoir yesterday suggests that we caught several quite old birds but perhaps the most spectacular individual was a Great Tit which if it survives through to the summer will be nine years old!

Another observation at Pitsford yesterday on the reserve north of the causeway was the arrival of large flocks of Woodpigeons, in total thought to be in excess of two thousand birds. It is tempting to think that this may be a cold weather movement associated with the cold air affecting the continent currently (and looming towards us).

Despite imminent cold winter weather, this is the time to think about repairing and clearing out old nest boxes and erecting new ones. Chris Payne reports that there is already a Blue Tit sitting tight in one of the tit boxes at Stortons Pits, but this is truly exceptionally early!

Regards

Neil M

A newly-erected Kestrel
box courtesy of Chris Payne.

Great Tit.
Courtesy of John Tilly.

Male Greenfinch
with a telling peck!
Courtesy of John Tilly.

Pitsford ringing today...

Hello

Bird ringing operations took place at Pitsford Reservoir today ahead of a hard weather forecast just around the corner...

Nearly 170 birds of 16 species were captured today made up of a Mute Swan, a Mallard, a Coot, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Blackbirds, 6 Dunnocks, 5 Robins, a Marsh Tit, 6 Long-tailed Tits, 10 Coal Tits, 28 Great Tits, 56 Blue Tits, 4 Tree Sparrows, a Chaffinch, 15 Reed Buntings and 29 Yellowhammers.

The Slavonian Grebe was in the mouth of the Pintail Bay this afternoon, a Redpoll was nearby and 3 Woodcock were flushed in Christies Copse. A Barn Owl was between Holcot village and the A43 this morning.

Eric Graham visited Blatherwycke Lake this afternoon and saw four Hawfinches in the nearby churchyard. The lake attracted a pair of Black Swans and nearby Deene Lake held an impressive 25 Shelduck.

Regards

Neil M

Yellowhammer.

Marsh Tit.

Long-tailed Tit.

Coal Tit.

All taken at Pitsford Reservoir
today courtesy of John Tilly.

Ringing at Kelmarsh Hall.

Hello

With the weather rather grey and cloudy, a small band of us committed to a period of bird ringing at Kelmarsh Hall today resulting in 81 birds being captured and processed (57 new birds and 24 previously-ringed birds) of eleven species.

These birds were typical of the site and were made up of a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Dunnock, a Robin, a Nuthatch, 2 Coal Tits, 24 Blue Tits, 14 Great Tits, 3 Siskins, 24 Goldfinches, 2 Greenfinches and 8 Chaffinches. One of the Goldfinches was a bird originally ringed at Pitsford Reservoir - it's perhaps not surprising that this bird relocated as the niger feeders at the main feed station at Pitsford were stolen recently!

Other birds noted at Kelmarsh Hall today included Raven and at least one Grey Wagtail. Some more ringing is planned for Pitsford Reservoir tomorrow...

Birds noted at Thrapston GP today by Eric Graham included seven Siskins, four Redpolls, several Cetti's Warblers, a Chiffchaff, a pair of Oystercatcher and the Great White Egret still

Regards

Neil M

Adult male Siskin.

Still the birds of winter...

Hello

Yesterday John Hunt saw a couple of Hawfinches in Oundle, in tall hornbeam trees at the junction of South Road and Riverside Close. This was a traditional site from the eighties but no birds have been recorded there in recent years. As food sources dry up it is likely that the Hawfinches locally will be visiting fresh sites in pursuit of hard tree seeds.

A ringing session today at Glyn Davies Wood in the far west of the county was productive with 97 captures made up of 45 Blue Tits, 28 Great Tits, 5 Long-tailed Tits, a Marsh Tit, 3 Coal Tits, 2 Nuthatches, a Treecreeper, 2 Goldcrests, a Wren, 2 Dunnocks, 4 Robins and 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Two or three Woodcock were found sheltering in the wood.

The usual Barn Owl was seen at Hanging Houghton and two Ravens overflew the village. Two more Ravens were between Buckby Wharf and Daventry and the juvenile Whooper Swan was present at Ravensthorpe Reservoir. A Grey Wagtail was noted at Kelmarsh Hall and birds seen at Sywell Country Park included the female Scaup still, 2 Little Egrets, a Water Rail, a Cetti's Warbler and a pair of Stonechat.

Sightings at Pitsford Reservoir today included the Slavonian Grebe still, a Water Rail and the gull roost attracted a second winter Caspian Gull and two Mediterranean Gulls (adult and first winter). Ten Siskins were in the adjacent Brixworth Country Park.

On 21st December 2017 a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull was noted at Pitsford Reservoir by Jacob Spinks - it transpires this bird was ringed at Hamburg, Germany on 4th February 2012 - so it seems it has decided to winter 739km further west this time!

Regards

Neil M

Male Goldcrest.

Female Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Spring in the air?

Hello

Definitely a spring-like feel to today even if the temperatures were cold first thing. A couple of Frogs were in our tiny garden pond and a fly-over Grey Wagtail suggested some passage going on. And the Song Thrushes are in good song now!

Nick Wood committed to some impromptu ringing today at Chase Park Farm which is close to the fabulous woodland of Yardley Chase. Just one forty foot net caught 72 birds made up of 44 Blue Tits, 22 Great Tits, 3 Coal Tits, a Marsh Tit, a Nuthatch and a Robin. Among the re-traps two of the Great Tits were birds initially ringed as nestlings in nearby nest boxes in May 2017 and two of the Blue Tits were first ringed in July and October 2015.

Kenny Cramer and gang were busy today too, ringing at Linford Lakes (near Milton Keynes) and capturing 115 birds of ten species. This total was made up of 40 Blue Tits, 30 Great Tits, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Wrens, 6 Robins, 11 Dunnocks, 3 Blackbirds, 5 Greenfinches, 8 Chaffinches and 8 Goldfinches. An impressive trio of herons were on-site made up of a Great White Egret, a Cattle Egret and a Bittern!

I spent most of today at Ditchford Gravel Pits completing the monthly WeBS count. A female Scaup was on the Watersport Pit just west of Ditchford Lane, a Great White Egret was also west of Ditchford Lane and other birds included three Little Egrets, a Shelduck and four Goosanders. Waders were in short supply but an Oystercatcher, 15 Snipe and two Jack Snipe were present and other birds included 5 Water Rails, 3 Kingfishers, 2 Grey Wagtails, 5 Cetti's Warblers, a Chiffchaff and a Siskin. The Grey Herons and Cormorants were busy on their nests and mammals included Fox, Muntjac, Mink and an Otter!

Eleanor and Tor competed in a canine cross event near Castle Ashby this morning and somewhere along the 12km course Eleanor saw four Grey Partridges! A visit to Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon confirmed the continuing presence of the Slavonian Grebe in the Pintail Bay and a Stonechat in the Scaldwell Bay.

Regards

Neil M

Blue Tit.
Courtesy of John Tilly.

Male Chaffinch.
Courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

Grey Herons in the
winter sunshine.
Courtesy of John Tilly.

Greenfinch.

Goldfinches.
Adopting the 'ringer's
grip' in this way permits
an opportunity to examine
the finer points of the
plumage and is comfortable
for the birds too! In fact on
cold days we transfer body heat
to these small birds and warm
them up a bit!
Images courtesy of
Kenny Cramer.

Some of the birds of Saturday!

Hello

Eleanor's early morning recce of the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton produced the usual Barn Owl but nothing else of note.

Birds located at Thrapston GP today included a Great White Egret on Aldwincle Lake, five Goosanders and 48 Goldeneye (the latter mostly on Town Lake) - combined observations from Nick Parker and Debbie and Eric Graham.

Andrew Tyrrell flushed a Jack Snipe at Harrington Airfield today and Eleanor saw her regular pair of Raven at Staverton.

Ravensthorpe Reservoir hosted at least three Otters showing on the small side at about 2.45pm plus a Great White Egret and three drake Mandarin Ducks and there were two Hawfinches on show at Cottesbrooke this afternoon, again near to the church.

Regards

Neil M

Drake Goldeneye.

Great White Egret.
Courtesy of John Tilly

Drake Mandarin Duck.

Recent ringing records

Hello

Ring FP30251 was affixed to the leg of an adult Woodpigeon which was caught in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir on 6th May 2013. We have now received some belated information that this bird was shot near the village of Old 'sometime in 2016'.

On 12th February this year John Woollett caught an adult male Blackbird in his garden at Astcote near Towcester bearing ring number LH61808. This bird was first caught and ringed at Holme Bird Observatory on the Norfolk coast on 1st March 2016, 139 Km away and 703 days earlier. This information suggests this bird is a continental bird that visits the UK to winter...

Regards

Neil M

Woodpigeon.

Male Blackbird.

Grey and cold Wednesday!

Hello

Jacob and Bethan visited Rushton Landfill Site this morning and espied two Yellow-legged Gulls there (adult and first year).

Harrington Airfield continued to host a flock of 120 Golden Plovers in a field opposite the concrete track entrance this morning and a male Brambling was with the feeding flock on the seed.

A visit to Cottesbrooke village this afternoon provided views of a Raven and a female Hawfinch showing rather well near to the church. This latter bird perched up in deciduous trees between bouts of feeding under a yew in a private garden.

A couple of ringing recoveries include just a ring being found in Towcester on 23rd December 2017 by someone using a metal detector! It transpires that ring S983807 was placed on a juvenile Blue Tit's leg on 15th September 2017 just a few miles down the road at Greens Norton. It would be fair to suggest that this little mite is probably no longer!

Ring Z668066 was placed on a Cetti's Warbler's leg on the Marsh Lane reserve in the West Midlands on 4th November 2015. This bird was caught in a mist net at Stortons Pits on the outskirts of Northampton on 4th February 2018 where it was confirmed as an adult female. This is a movement of 55km in a ESE direction.

Regards

Neil M

Adult and first winter
Yellow-legged Gulls.

Birds of Uganda

Hello

I was most fortunate to be provided the opportunity of visiting Uganda for two weeks last month as part of a Naturetrek tour. The focus was the wildlife of this land-locked country, the main target being some of the primates and other animals but of course the birds too!

The following images depict a few examples of some of the birds on offer...

Regards

Neil M

African Fish-eagles.

Snowy-headed Robin Chat.

Long-crested Eagle.

Ross's Turaco.

Squacco Heron.

White-winged Tern.

Bateleur.

Birds for Tues 13th Feb

Hello

Birds located on Tuesday 13th Feb included four Hawfinches during the morning again in Cottesbrooke village, this time by the church.

Pitsford Reservoir provided views of the Slavonian Grebe again, this time seen in The Narrows as well as the more usual spots in the Pintail Bay and by the Sailing Club. A female-type Common Scoter was in the Pintail Bay during the early afternoon but couldn't be found later. Two Stonechats and a couple of Golden Plover were north of the causeway and there were two Bramblings in Brixworth Country Park.

Regards

Neil M

Brambling.

Slavonian Grebe.

Glaucous Gull

Hello

Dave Francis completed a little bird ringing today in his garden on the outskirts of Northampton catching twenty-two birds made up of two Blackbirds, two Bullfinches, five Goldfinches and thirteen Siskins, all of which were new birds.

Jacob and Bethan were out and about today and paid Rushton Landfill Site a visit and found a juvenile Glaucous Gull and three Yellow-legged Gulls there.

Later birds at Pitsford Reservoir included an adult Yellow-legged Gull and the Slavonian Grebe again between Yacht and Pintail Bays. One or two Barn Owl(s) were seen between the villages of Scaldwell and Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Eurasian Wigeon.

Red Kite.

Juvenile Glaucous Gull.

All images courtesy of
Bethan Clyne.

Four counties birding

Hello

Kenny and friends conducted a ringing operation at Linford Lakes today, successfully catching and processing 99 birds of 10 species. This total was made up of 32 Blue Tits, 36 Great Tits, 4 Long-tailed Tits, 6 Dunnocks, 5 Robins, a Blackbird, 2 Bullfinches, 8 Goldfinches, 3 Chaffinches and 2 Siskins. Other birds noted on-site included a Cattle Egret and a Great White Egret.

Eric Graham's efforts on the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston provided observations of a Great White Egret and an early returning Oystercatcher. Eleanor spent some time at Cottesbrooke today and saw two Hawfinches, initially in Station Road and later in trees around the playing field. A pair of Raven were there too and the Hanging Houghton Barn Owl put in another appearance.

A small team of us travelled down to Dorset and Hampshire and after a bit of a wait successfully saw the wintering Stilt Sandpiper at Stanpit Marsh. Other birds there included Firecrest, Spoonbill, Spotted Redshanks and a couple of Water Pipits. Off then to inland Hampshire and some pig fields attracted large numbers of birds with lots of Ravens, other corvids, Starlings and gulls. A Thayer's Gull showed briefly and promptly disappeared and we enjoyed views of Yellow-legged, Caspian and Mediterranean Gulls. A Hawfinch showed briefly in nearby woodlands.

Our last main venue was Blashford Lakes where the two youngest of our party expertly picked out an adult Ring-billed Gull amongst Common Gulls from the main hide. And then shortly afterwards the Thayer's Gull caught up with us and landed on the water not too far and provided excellent views both settled and in flight. Despite the cold wind and wintry showers with some lovely sunshine in between we saw 91 species during our day out ''down south'!

Regards

Neil M

Great White Egret.

Robin.
Courtesy of John Tilly.

Great Tit.
Courtesy of John Tilly.

Wet and windy Saturday!

Hello

Birds visible at Pitsford Reservoir today included two drake Goosanders, two Redshanks, three Snipe, two Stonechats and a second winter Caspian Gull. Eight Mallard and four Coots were caught and processed as part of the ringing scheme at Pitsford Reservoir. 

Harrington Airfield was again quiet today but provided observations of one hundred and twenty Golden Plovers and three Grey Partridges. At home today I noticed a ringed Tree x House Sparrow hybrid in the garden which was presumably the same bird caught and ringed last year. A Raven was watched displaying near Brixworth...

Eleanor saw her usual two Ravens at Staverton this morning and her afternoon visit to Ravensthorpe Reservoir provided views of a Great White Egret, the juvenile Whooper Swan and the two Otters again - splashing around at the back of the small side.

Regards

Neil M

Otter.

Raven.

A grey February day...

Hello

A walk at Harrington Airfield this morning saw plenty of birds waiting to be fed. By way of example twenty Blackbirds immediately came down on the concrete track even before I had finished putting the food down! The only birds of note appeared to be a flock of sixteen Golden Plovers and a calling Grey Partridge plus singing Skylarks. The Hanging Houghton Barn Owl was hunting in daylight conditions again in the Brampton Valley this afternoon.

Jacob's efforts at Pitsford Reservoir today yielded sightings of the Slavonian Grebe in the usual spot, two Ravens, two Pintail, fifteen Golden Plovers, two Stonechats and a Siskin. The gull roost off the Sailing Club was productive with views of two Mediterranean Gulls (first and second winters) and a Yellow-legged Gull and a Caspian Gull. Three Redpolls were in the grounds of the Sailing Club and Jacob enjoyed watching eight in his garden at Scaldwell.

Regards

Neil M

First year Mediterranean Gull.

Adult male Blackbird.
The county is awash with
hungry Blackbirds at the
moment, many of them
from the continent...