The wandering Caspian Tern.

Hello

The return of the Caspian Tern to the county caused equal amounts of excitement and dismay as it was first seen at Stanford Reservoir just before 8am but quickly flew on in an easterly direction. It was subsequently seen at Summer Leys LNR where it was seen by a couple of the regular birders before it was off on its travels again!

Other birds noted at Summer Leys included a Marsh Harrier, a Great White Egret, twelve Black-tailed Godwits, two Dunlin, a Common Sandpiper and two Green Sandpipers.

Stanwick Pits recorded a Cattle Egret, a Curlew, three Dunlin, four Common Sandpipers, two Green Sandpipers, a Caspian Gull and eleven Yellow-legged Gulls.

Hollowell Reservoir hosted two Ospreys, the Ruddy Shelduck, two Common Sandpipers and a Little Ringed Plover and at Pitsford Reservoir an Osprey showed up plus five Dunlin and two Red-crested Pochards. A Common Sandpiper was at Naseby Reservoir.

A female/juvenile Common Redstart was along the Brampton Valley Way at the Draughton Crossing as were at least two Spotted Flycatchers. Further Spotted Flycatchers were seen in Scaldwell village and Mantles Heath. Bucknell Wood was today home to about twenty Crossbills and about five Siskins.

Regards

Neil M

Meadow Pipit.

Juvenile Wheatear.

Red Kite courtesy of
John Tilly.

Seven-spot Ladybird
courtesy of John Tilly.

Chrysotoxum sp hoverfly
courtesy of John Tilly.

Eupeodes sp hoverfly
courtesy of John Tilly.

Breeze, sunshine then showers... and some birds too!

Hello

A morning wander at Harrington Airfield produced no birds of note but Fiona manged to lure in a Six-belted Clearwing moth, believed to be the first record from this site of any clearwing moth.

The Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir was the place to be this morning with a juvenile Marsh Harrier that showed well a couple of times plus three Red-crested Pochards, two Yellow-legged Gulls, a drake Goldeneye and a Green Sandpiper.

Summer Leys LNR proved attractive to two Great White Egrets, a Black-tailed Godwit, two Green Sandpipers, a Peregrine and a Marsh Harrier too. A couple of Clouded Yellows were seen at Earls Barton Pits yesterday and one was seen at Mary's Lake today.

Thrapston Pits was quiet for birds today but there was a Hobby and a Mandarin Duck at Kinewell Lake, Ringstead Pits.

The female Ruddy Shelduck was still present at Hollowell Reservoir today and there were three Common sandpipers present too.

Regards

Neil M

Male Blackbird. Most adults
by this time of the year look
exhausted and have seriously
abraded feathers. However this
male photographed by John Tilly
looks in fine fettle!

Common Tern courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

A Cootlet by Dave Jackson.

Dusky Sallow moth
by Dave Jackson.

The Drinker moth by
Dave Jackson.

Six-belted Clearwing moth
courtesy of Fiona Barclay.

Butterflies, late broods and here come the gulls!

Hello

Yesterday (Thursday) and Fiona's visit to Souther Wood in the north of the county provided a bounty of butterflies which included female Purple Emperors still, a White Admiral and plenty of Purple Hairstreaks. Second hatch Holly Blues are on the wing now and today (Friday) second hatch Wood Whites were active at Salcey Forest with the Silver-washed Fritillaries including the 'valezina' version.

During the last week I've seen second/late brood Coal Tits just out with their parents and today I saw a just-fledged Great Tit with it's parent, both these species are known for sometimes producing second broods but it is rare in the case of the Blue Tit.

Three Cattle Egrets were at Stanwick Lakes this morning as was a Mandarin Duck and a Green Sandpiper and later there were three juvenile Mediterranean Gulls on the main lake and this evening a Caspian Gull too.

The adult male Common Redstart was still at Harrington Airfield this morning about 300m beyond the chippings compound and a Grasshopper Warbler was singing weakly by Bunker One. 

Two Red-crested Pochards and two Common Sandpipers were in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this morning and an Osprey was present at 2pm and it fished both sides of the causeway. There was no gull roost as such at Pitsford this evening but there were three adult Yellow-legged Gulls, a Kingfisher and a flock of about a hundred Swallows dropped in, fed fervently for several minutes and then moved off south.

Earls Barton Pits produced a Great White Egret and a Marsh Harrier on the Summer Leys reserve and five Egyptian Geese on Hardwater Lake (including three fully grown youngsters).

Regards

Neil M

Silver-washed Fritillary
courtesy of Eleanor.

Platystoma seminotionis
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Bufftip moth caterpillars.

Miris striatus plant bug
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Foxgloves.

Ruddy Darter.

Rambling around Pitsford

Hello

David Arden enjoyed a busy birding session in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this morning with four Red-crested Pochards on show from the Bird Club hide, a Green Sandpiper, a Yellow-legged Gull, a 9am Osprey but the best was a Spoonbill circling over the reserve at 9.30am before heading off west!

I spent much of the day leading a small Naturetrek group around the reserve but our bird sightings were much more humble! Showy Marsh Tits were just the job at a couple of places and in addition to David's birds we encountered a Common Sandpiper and a couple of Little Egrets but nothing out of the ordinary.

The insects were better and Mischa was kind enough to provide a selection of moths from the overnight moth trap catch for us to look at prior to release, totaling twenty-four species and including classics such as Bufftip, Drinker, Poplar Hawk-moth and Yellowtail.

Fifteen species of butterfly showed generally very well and included singles of Marbled White and Purple Hairstreak and the big dragonflies were out in force with good numbers of Brown Hawker, Southern Hawker, Blue Emperor and a single Migrant Hawker whizzing around. A couple of Four-spotted Chasers and rather more Black-tailed Skimmers and lots of Ruddy Darters all added to the show and damselflies included singles of Large Red and Emerald. Roesel's Bush-crickets were numerous and noisy!

Steve's gull watching at Stanwick Pits this afternoon provided a third summer Caspian Gull and at least twenty-two Yellow-legged Gulls. A Great White Egret was seen at Summer Leys LNR this morning and an Osprey was seen near Hollowell village.

A map of Salcey Forest has been added to the Birdwatching Sites tab as kindly compiled by Neil Hasdell.

Regards

Neil M

Ringlet butterfly
courtesy of John Tilly.

Great Crested Grebe
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Common Sandpipers.

Common Tern.

Southern Hawker.

The lure of the Lammergeier!

Hello

Today I took a drive up to the moorland west of Sheffield to try and see the Lammergeier (or Bearded Vulture if you prefer). This young individual has been tracked in mainland Europe including Belgium and was seen flying north over the West Midlands and then over Derbyshire air space subsequently. Local naturalists then discovered the bird in the Peak District National Park and it appears to be lingering around a large section of moorland and tors between Sheffield and Manchester.

I walked for about two hours and was fortunate to encounter the bird flying in a gully below where I was standing and it slowly flew away, arched around over moorland and eventually away to the far distance, some of the time being accompanied by escorting Ravens. The rain and the distance made photographic opportunities virtually nil. Seeing this dramatic and majestic bird in the UK was still quite a thrill! There is a strong likelihood that this bird originates from a European breeding and release scheme (similar to the White-tailed Eagles on the Isle of Wight) but it doesn't carry a transmitter and I don't know if anyone has seen a ring on its leg or not - a large proportion of the Pyrenees breeding Lammergeiers are ringed as chicks in the wild by intrepid French and Spanish ornithologists.

The bird is flying around managed moors for Red Grouse and other birds were very limited in number but included small numbers of Meadow Pipits, Wheatears, several Kestrels, a couple of Common Buzzards, Red Grouse and calling Golden Plover and Curlew.

Back in the county and birds at Sywell Country Park today included a juvenile Cuckoo, a family party of Spotted Flycatchers (in trees below the dam) and several Grey Wagtails.

At Harrington Airfield a single Common Redstart was seen and an Osprey flew over there this afternoon. Hollowell Reservoir boasted three different Ospreys passing over this afternoon and the Earls Barton complex hosted three Great White Egrets, a Green Sandpiper and three 'reeling' Grasshopper Warblers. A post-breeding gathering of sixteen Yellow-legged Gulls was noted at Stanwick Pits and Adrian had a fly-over Crossbill at Eastfield Park, Wellingborough early this morning.

Chris Payne committed to some more ringing near Greens Norton today catching and processing twenty-two birds which included seven Goldcrests, four Chiffchaffs and two Blackcaps.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Moorhen in the rain!

Peacock butterfly.

Pochard.

Southern Hawker.

All above images from
recent forays to Pitsford
Reservoir.

Goldcrest.

A selection of Goldcrest
crown colours.

Juvenile Wren.

Above three images all
provided by Chris Payne.

Out of season birds

Hello

Yesterday provided a couple of interesting 'out of season' records including a Merlin near to Hanging Houghton Sewer Works (Fiona Barclay) and several birds seen at Earls Barton whilst searching for the 'small heron' which included the Spoonbill again on Hardwater Lake, a Peregrine, a Hobby, two Water Rails and a 'reeling' Grasshopper Warbler. Birds at Harrington Airfield in the evening included two Common Redstarts (adult male and a female/imm), bizarrely a calling Woodcock that flew over and disappeared towards the B576 and a 'reeling' Grasshopper Warbler.

Today was the last Common Bird Census at Pitsford Reservoir and the July visit is all about picking up on late breeders and plotting a surprising number of resident birds that sing at the start of the season and at the end but with little evidence inbetween (the modest Dunnock is the classic example).

I took a clockwise circuit around the reserve beginning at 5am and there were six Little Egrets visible from the causeway and some super misty conditions with the rising sun that I was unable to properly capture with my camera. At least four Crossbills were mobile in the trees in the Scaldwell Bay behind the New James Fisher hide and the two eclipse drake Red-crested Pochards were visible from it. Over two hundred Gadwall and four hundred Tufted Ducks were mingled with Pochard, Wigeon and other waterfowl and there were fifty Great Crested Grebes in the Scaldwell Bay alone.

Numerous family parties of Blackcaps suggested a good year for them and as it warmed up out came the butterflies and dragonflies. A Silver-washed Fritillary was a Pitsford tick for me but individuals have been seen by other observers during the last few years. Dragonflies included Ruddy Darter, Brown Hawker, Four Spotted Chaser, Blue Emperor, Southern Hawker and a freshly emerged Migrant Hawker (my first one of the year).

I didn't see much different in the bird camp apart from a Yellow-legged Gull  and three Kingfishers until reaching the area around the Fishing Lodge where there was at least one Crossbill in the trees and a delightful family party of Spotted Flycatchers.

Elsewhere and an Osprey was seen fishing on the Elinor trout lake at Thrapston Pits this morning and Summer Leys hosted three Great White Egrets, two Green Sandpipers and a Common Sandpiper. Four Crossbills and several Siskins were at Bucknell Wood today courtesy of Andrew Cook and the butterflies included several Silver-washed Fritillaries including one of the 'valezina' form, a White Admiral, Purple Hairstreak and Wood White.

A ringing session at Stortons Pits this morning provided fifty-seven new birds and six re-traps which included fifteen Reed Warblers, eleven Blackcaps, five Whitethroats and a Cetti's Warbler. One of the Reed Warblers was bearing a Portuguese ring and was the same bird caught at Stortons on 6th July last year.

Regards

Neil M

Just-emerged Migrant Hawker.

Comma.

Juvenile Cetti's Warbler
courtesy of Chris Payne.

The Reed Warbler bearing
a Portuguese ring.
Image courtesy of
Chris Payne.

Treecreeper courtesy
of Chris Payne.

Summer's wildlife

Hello

A late morning visit to Pitsford Reservoir provided an opportunity to walk down to the Bird Club Hide in the Scaldwell Bay. The two drake Red-crested Pochard swam out of the waterside vegetation at one point and the concentration of moulting ducks there included four Wigeon. Newly-hatched Great Crested Grebe chicks ensure that quite a number of pairs have bred on-site and the Oystercatcher pair are feeding a chick or chicks. Two Yellow-legged Gulls sat atop their buoys, a Green Sandpiper was in the margins and other birds included a Hobby and a Grey Wagtail. Four Black-tailed Godwits were seen in flight over the Scaldwell Bay this afternoon. Odonata included Blue Emperor and Ruddy Darter.

Earls Barton Pits as usual provided some interesting sightings with the Summer Leys reserve attracting a flock of thirteen Black-tailed Godwits late morning, two Great White Egrets and a Common Sandpiper. However Alan Coles saw what can only be an interesting if unidentified small heron/bittern species in flight at Quarry Walk which flew east towards Summer Leys...time will tell if this bird is tracked down to confirm the identity.

At least one Crossbill was at Bucknell Wood today and butterflies included a Wood White, Purple Hairstreaks and Silver-washed Fritillaries. Clouded Yellow butterflies were reported at Roade, Mary's Lake at Earls Barton and Little Harrowden churchyard today.

Regards

Neil M

Common Toadflax.

Brimstone moth.

Dusky Sallow.

Phasia hemiptera courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Nearly ready to go!
Two juvenile Swifts in
the nest courtesy of
 John Hunt.

A day of rescues!

Hello

Our customary outing to Harrington Airfield this morning was made a little more interesting when I found a rather bedraggled Common Buzzard on the ground in a field and seemingly unable to fly. After bringing it back home and giving it the run of the utility room it dried off and looked a little better. I whizzed out in my car to find some road kill for it but the usual spots with rabbit casualties were free of corpses so prime beef and combed dog hair (for roughage) was offered up and ignored. The buzzard demonstrated that it might be able to fly a little and smashed one of Eleanor's new Pyrex dishes with it's flapping! After allowing it more space in the lounge and seeing that it could definitely commit to several wing flaps our raptor friend was driven back to Harrington and successfully released! In the meantime a Starling managed to fall down the chimney at home and had to be extracted by removing the gas fire and successfully released so for some reason Sunday 19th July was very much a day of rescues! The dogs will eat well tonight with the snubbed beef steak!

A 'reeling' Grasshopper Warbler was again near Bunker One at Harrington, a Meadow Pipit may be a wanderer from the the small Brampton Valley breeding population as opposed to an early autumnal migrant and at least two young Ravens were about. A first summer Common Gull over Hanging Houghton was the first one I've seen in the county since the spring. Fiona's moth trap at Hanging Houghton caught plenty of specimens overnight and it took her the morning to properly identify and catalogue them all.

Steve's daily early morning visit to Stanwick Pits coincided with eleven Black-tailed Godwits sharing the main lake with a Redshank, a Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper and then two more Black-tailed Godwits flying through.

Adrian's list of birds at Hollowell Reservoir included the Ruddy Shelduck, a Great White Egret, an Osprey, three Dunlin, two Common Sandpipers, a Redshank, a Little Ringed Plover, a Yellow-legged Gull and a Raven.

Birds to the north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon included two drake Red-crested Pochards and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. A Birdguides report of a Honey Buzzard was of an individual passing north over Islip at 5.10pm.

The singing male Willow Tit photographed poorly in the Brampton Valley yesterday evening appears to be bearing a ring and is suspected to be the same individual ringed at Brixworth earlier this year (and still the only individual I have encountered anywhere in the county during 2020). Is anybody else out there seeing them?

A pair of Spotted Flycatchers at Lamport Hall were accompanying at least three fledged juveniles this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Gatekeepers or Hedge Browns.

Marsh Tit.

Elephant Hawk-moth.

Ruby Tiger.

Poplar Hawk-moth.

Bufftip.

Common Buzzard.

Saturday's sightings

Hello

The return of the Spoonbill to Earls Barton Pits this morning provided joy and sorrow as it permitted close views on the wader scrape on the Summer Leys reserve before moving to Hardwater Lake and then flying off before all would-be observers had arrived.

Other birds at Summer Leys included one of the juvenile Black-necked Grebes and a Spotted Flycatcher and there was a Great White Egret and a Green Sandpiper at Hardwater Lake early this morning.

Stanwick Pits attracted four Cattle Egrets on the north lake this morning and this afternoon there were three different Mediterranean Gulls and eleven Yellow-legged Gulls.

Birds at Pitsford Reservoir today included three Yellow-legged Gulls and a drake Goldeneye (probably the same bird has been turning up in July for nearly ten years), a Green Sandpiper and the large flock of moulting Gadwall. Nearby Hollowell Reservoir continues to host the female Ruddy Shelduck plus a Green Sandpiper and two Common Sandpipers.

A flock of twenty-one Crossbills were at Bucknell Wood today and a Dark Green Fritillary was found in a meadow next to Salcey Forest.

The pair of Spotted Flycatchers at New Covert, Kelmarsh were feeding fledged young today.

A walk along the Brampton Valley between Hanging Houghton and Brixworth this evening produced a rare beast in the shape of at least one Willow Tit which was in the company of at least two Marsh Tits.

Regards

Neil M

Spoonbill.

Spotted Flycatcher.

Crossbill.

Brixworth ringing.

Hello

A warm and sunny summer's day and much of it was taken up with a ringing session at Brixworth Water Treatment Works where a small team managed to catch and process 111 birds of 20 species. 

Warblers completely dominated the session with 24 Chiffchaffs, 3 Willow Warblers, 11 Reed Warblers, 7 Sedge Warblers, 13 Blackcaps, 10 Common Whitethroats and singles of Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat. Other birds included a Pied Wagtail, 3 Song Thrushes, 3 Magpies and singles of Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer. Five Grey Wagtails evaded the nets and a Kingfisher flew through.

Eleanor completed an early morning walk at Harrington Airfield this morning seeing the long-staying male Common Redstart, hearing a 'reeling' Grasshopper Warbler near Bunker One, and seeing a silent adult Cuckoo and 2 Crossbills and 4 Siskins flying over.

A Crossbill was heard flying over Brackley this morning and the Earls Barton Pits complex hosted a single Black-necked Grebe and a Dunlin on Summer Leys LNR and this evening a Spoonbill initially at Summer Leys and latterly at Hardwater Lake.

The Peregrine was again on it's church spire in Market Harborough town centre this fine evening.

Regards

Neil M

The diminutive Chiffchaff, one
of the most common birds
ringed in the UK.
Image courtesy of John Tilly.

Sedge Warbler courtesy of
Lynne Barnett.

Common Whitethroat
courtesy of Lynne Barnett.