Recent ringing recoveries

Hello

The latest batch of ringing recoveries associated with Northants Ringing Group activities includes quite a number of Reed Warblers from Linford Lakes at Milton Keynes as follows:-

1. A pair of Mute Swans with five cygnets on the River Nene at Ditchford Pits on 9th August 2021 were affixed with the large darvic rings which makes them comparatively easy to read. The female or Pen was marked 4CPQ and was ringed at Wellingborough on 21st March 2017 and was seen there in 2019 and 2020. The male or Cob was marked 4CYW and was ringed at Wellingborough on 14th March 2018 and seen again in February 2019. These are of a number of birds regularly caught and ringed at The Embankment next to the River Nene at Wellingborough and these birds have only strayed 4km down river;

2. An adult Black-headed Gull at Pitsford Reservoir on 6th and 14th August 2021 was bearing a yellow darvic ring with the black inscription of THCV. This bird was ringed in Poland as an adult on 11th June 2021 at a place called Swinoujscie, Zachodniopomorskie and seen there again on 26th June. It is a distance of 1023 km between the ringing site and Pitsford Reservoir and this bird is likely to winter in the UK;

3. A juvenile Dunnock was ringed at Astcote, South Northants on 25th July this year but was unfortunately taken by a cat a few miles away in Towcester on 9th August. This young bird didn't really have time to establish it's new territory before being predated by the local moggie - an all too familiar tale and one of the reasons why the Dunnock is now on the amber list as a declining species!

4. A juvenile Reed Warbler ringed as a first year bird at Baden Down Farm, Wiltshire on 27th August 2020 and caught again at Linford Lakes as an adult on 23rd July and on an earlier date this year will be attempting to breed. A similar story with another Reed Warbler caught as an adult at the Marston Vale Millenium Country Park in Bedfordshire on 16th April 2017 has been caught a couple of times at Linford Lakes, the last time being on 23rd July when assessed as a breeding male. This bird is at least five years old with numerous trips to and from Africa under it's belt!

5. A juvenile Reed Warbler ringed at Rutland Water on 27th August 2020 was caught again at Linford Lakes on 1st August this year some 339 days later and another impressive movement is of a first year Reed Warbler first ringed on 14th August 2017 at Terres d'Oiseaux, Braud-et-Saint-Louis, Gironde, France which was caught again at Linford Lakes on 23rd July this year. Gironde is 756km to the south of Linford with 1439 days elapsing between the two records, making this bird (probably also breeding at Linford) four years old;

6. An adult male Reed Warbler ringed at Linford Lakes on 1st May 2021 was caught again on 2nd August this year but this time at Icklesham, East Sussex. Icklesham handles large numbers of migratory passerines and is 166km south east of Linford Lakes so it's a fair assumption that this Reed Warbler had finished breeding and was on it's way south for the winter;

7. A Chiffchaff ringed at Linford Lakes on 9th September 2020 as a first year bird was found dead at Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory, Lincolnshire on 21st June this year when it was thought to have collided with a window. Gib Point is 136km to the north-east of Linford, 285 days elapsing between the two records.

Regards

Neil M

Wasp Spider photographed
recently at Ditchford Pits
courtesy of Jim Dunkley.

Black-headed Gull at
Pitsford Reservoir.

Reed Warbler courtesy
of Lewis Aaron.

Banded Demoiselle courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.

Sparrowhawk courtesy
of John Tilly.

Birds of mid-August.

Hello

With a Spotted Flycatcher, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Willow Warbler all in the garden this morning, there can be no doubt that autumn is upon us!

Kenny and team committed to some more ringing at Linford Lakes today, catching and processing over seventy birds with the bulk of them being warblers. Highlights were five Willow Warblers, nine Chiffchaffs, thirty Reed Warblers, seven Sedge Warblers, four Cetti's Warblers, two Common Whitethroats, three Garden Warblers and three Blackcaps. A Green Sandpiper and an Osprey were on-site and three Great Crested Newts were seen.

Four Great White Egrets were to the north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this morning, which included three perched together in the Walgrave Bay. The eclipse drake Red-crested Pochard was again in the Scaldwell Bay and three Yellow-legged Gulls were off the Old Scaldwell Road (one juvenile). This evening there were four Yellow-legged Gulls off the dam plus a Common Sandpiper.

Over at Stanwick Pits this morning the Wood Sandpiper was again on the Main Lake.

Regards

Neil M

Lesser Whitethroat.

Hairy Shieldbug courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Carder Bee courtesy 
of Robin Gossage.

Sand Martin nestlings
courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

The dreaded Twin-lobed Deerfly,
a common biting insect at Pitsford
Reservoir! Image courtesy of
Dave Jackson.

Harvest time

Hello

The main lake at Stanwick Pits hosted a Wood Sandpiper for much of the day today and this afternoon there were eight Yellow-legged Gulls there too.

Two visits to Honey Hill near Cold Ashby was sufficient for Jon to find a Common Redstart this morning (a juvenile or female) with a male bird there this afternoon - in hedging on the RHS as you follow the Jurassic Way footpath by the large commemorative stone.

At Pitsford Reservoir the drake Red-crested Pochard was seen in the Scaldwell Bay again today and at least one Great White Egret remains on-site. A Wheatear was at Bunker Three at Harrington Airfield and at Scotland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate there were two Spotted Flycatchers and a Silver-washed Fritillary.

Regards

Neil M

Silver-washed Fritillary
at Scotland Wood today.

Peacock butterfly courtesy
of John Tilly.

Wood Sandpiper.

Pitsford Day Tour

Hello

The reserve of Pitsford Reservoir today was the venue for a Naturetrek Day Tour plus a volunteer work party and several birders working the site. A successfully fishing Osprey was probably the highlight but two moulting adult Black Terns were much appreciated too. The drake Red-crested Pochard was still to be located in the Scaldwell Bay and there were at least two Great White Egrets north of the causeway. The results from three successful Sparrowhawk nests were vocal as the juveniles tumbled around the plantations but most of the passerines kept a low profile in the heavily vegetated margins. At least one adult Yellow-legged Gull was present.

At least fifteen species of moth were on show from the moth traps with perhaps the Poplar Hawk-moth  being the most spectacular. Plenty of butterflies included Painted Lady and Purple Hairstreak. A couple of species of longhorn beetle and plenty of the large Roesel's Bush-crickets were about. We watched several Hornets inspecting a large nest box either to make a nest of their own inside or perhaps were simply masticating the wood.

Odonata were out in force with plenty of Brown Hawkers, Blue Emperors and Migrant Hawkers and several Southern Hawkers. A couple of end-of-the-season Four Spotted Chasers were on the wing and Black-tailed Skimmer, Ruddy Darter and Common Darter were whizzing about.

Elsewhere and two Ospreys were seen high up over Hollowell Reservoir and birds at Stanford Reservoir included a female Red-crested Pochard, a female Common Redstart, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Common Sandpiper and a Hobby.

At least three Common Redstarts and two Spotted Flycatchers were at Blueberry Farm today and a juvenile Marsh Harrier was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this morning heading towards Brixworth. This afternoon and what may have been the same harrier flew from Lamport Hall towards Pitsford Reservoir and the concentration of Spotted Flycatchers at the southern side of Lamport Hall has now reached twenty-five birds (plus two Ravens over).

A Wheatear and a Little Ringed Plover were at Welford Reservoir this afternoon and a Whinchat and a Wheatear were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton late this afternoon.

Early this morning there was a Wood Sandpiper and a Garganey on the Main Lake at Stanwick Pits.

Regards

Neil M

Southern Hawker.

Roesel's Bush-cricket.

Poplar Hawk-moth.

Brown Hawker.

Ruddy Darter.

Migrant Hawker.

All images from Pitsford
Reservoir today.

Autumn momentum

Hello

At Pitsford Reservoir this morning there was a modest ringing session in the Walgrave Bay which provided captures of seven Goldcrests, a Nuthatch and a handful of resident birds and warblers which included a confirmed six year old female Garden Warbler, first encountered in 2016. Other birds noted on-site included three or four Great White Egrets, a drake Red-crested Pochard (in the Scaldwell Bay) and an eclipse drake Mandarin Duck. At 5.30pm this afternoon a Marsh Harrier was again hunting the reserve north of the causeway and this evening there were two Common Sandpipers in Yacht Bay.

Yesterday (Tuesday) birds at Thrapston Pits included an Osprey and a Yellow-legged Gull, a Kingfisher and a Lesser Whitethroat.

Both yesterday evening and this morning a Marsh Harrier was seen at Summer Leys LNR and other birds on the Earls Barton Pits complex today included two Common Sandpipers and two Green Sandpipers. A Garganey was still at Stanwick Pits this evening.

Stanford Reservoir moved up a couple of gears today with a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker being seen and the ringers there handled over three hundred birds which included a Willow Tit and 67 Willow Warblers. Other birds on-site included the female Red-crested Pochard, a Kingfisher, a Peregrine, two Common Sandpipers and a Green Sandpiper.

Regards

Neil M

A first year male
Nuthatch in post-
juvenile moult.

A Red Kite also moulting, 
however this is an adult
bird with the majority of 
the moult process concentrating
on the tail and flight feathers.

A juvenile female
Green Woodpecker
which visited our
garden this afternoon.

Blueberry Farm and 
Blueberry Hill.

Pitsford WeBs count

Hello

The WeBs count was completed at Pitsford Reservoir today - most of the waterbirds were north of the causeway with the biggest concentration in the Scaldwell Bay. The hundreds of geese present include up to eight Greylag x Canada hybrids, a Bar-headed x Canada hybrid, a hybrid individual I have difficulty in ascertaining it's parentage and small numbers of white and off-white feral Greylags.

Seven species of raptor were noted (I'm sure there must have been a Hobby there somewhere to make it eight) which included two Ospreys successfully fishing south of the causeway, a juvenile Marsh Harrier hunting north of the causeway (including attempted mid-water foraging) and a juvenile female Peregrine which was bravely escorted from the premises by two irate Common Terns.

Waders were represented by Lapwings and three Common Sandpipers and a Turnstone was seen a couple of times, at one stage landing on the causeway. Little Egrets seem to have thinned out somewhat, there were two Great White Egrets north of the causeway and the only ducks of note were two Wigeon, a Mandarin Duck and a Goldeneye. A new brood of Tufted Ducks are probably only the second brood there this year and a female Gadwall was with three half-grown youngsters. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was present but what has happened to the juvenile Mediterranean Gulls this year? Two Kingfishers, a Wheatear, a Common Redstart (hedge near Moulton Grange) and two Whinchats were the best of the smaller birds.

Butterflies included a Clouded Yellow seen by the dam, lots of Peacocks and Red Admirals on the buddleias by the Fishing Lodge plus Comma and Small Copper.

Elsewhere and the Lilbourne/DIRFT3 area provided views of a Wood Sandpiper, five Green Sandpipers, two Common Sandpipers, a Curlew, a Ringed Plover, a Little Ringed Plover, three Snipe, a Caspian Gull, four Yellow-legged Gulls and two Common Redstarts. An Osprey was seen in flight at Stanford Reservoir this morning and other birds included a Great White Egret and a female Red-crested Pochard.

Two Dunlin, two Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper were at Clifford Hill Pits early morning and three Common Redstarts at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell included two males.

This evening there was a splended treat with about twenty Spotted Flycatchers feeding in hedging and trees on the south side of Lamport Hall and visible from the bordering footpath reached off the A508. A big hatch of insects in the lee of the trees also attracted good numbers of Migrant Hawkers and many common birds were copying the flycatchers with tits, Nuthatch and a variety of warblers fly-catching from the hedges and bushes. Two or three Purple Hairstreaks were noted in an ash tree there too.

Regards

Neil M

Little Egret.

Female Gadwall with three ducklings.

Small Copper.

Red Admiral.

Peacock butterfly.

All images from Pitsford
Reservoir today.

Ditchford WeBs count

Hello

I completed an early WeBs count at Ditchford Pits today with Jaeger the collie for company. I split the count up into three sections, the first was grey and pretty quiet, the second was very wet and the third was sunny and breezy but pleasant! The birds were generally very quiet but reasonable numbers of warblers were moving through the bushes and taking advantage of the very first of the elderberries. The Cetti's Warblers were generally very quiet and unobtrusive. The first section provided a couple of Kingfishers, a Common Sandpiper, ten Egyptian Geese and a brood of Sparrowhawks. Two more Kingfishers were in the second section and of five Little Egrets four were juveniles.

The odonata revealed themselves in the third section and the River Nene is an excellent place for large numbers of Banded Demoiselles. Two broods of Tufted Duck and two broods of Gadwall and many broods of Great Crested Grebes indicated some good breeding success. A couple more Kingfishers, common warblers, another vocal brood of Sparrowhawks and a juvenile Cuckoo plus a reasonable showing of common butterflies was all rather pleasing.

Two Common Redstarts were at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning and a list of birds for Harrington Airfield by three different observers included a Wheatear, four Common Redstarts, three Ravens and the best was an early autumn Merlin racing past Bunker Three.

At Stanwick Pits this morning a near adult Caspian Gull was present early this morning as were two Garganey on the Main Lake. A Greenshank was found at Summer Leys LNR late this afternoon and Deene Lake attracted seven Green Sandpipers and two Black Swans.

Pitsford Reservoir this evening yielded a second summer Caspian Gull, three Yellow-legged Gulls (one a begging juvenile) and two/three Common Sandpipers all from the Sailing Club.

Regards

Neil M

Adult Sedge Warbler (with
diseased legs).

Himalayan Balsam is a beautiful
plant and the flowers attract plenty
of insects, particularly bees. However
it is classed as an invasive species as 
it chokes waterways.

Common Darter.

Female Banded Demoiselle.

All images from Ditchford Pits today.

Gulls, Marsh Harriers and Redstarts still

Hello

A morning wander around Welford Reservoir caused me to bump into the adult Caspian Gull again. A Hobby flew over and released ducks on adjacent Sulby Reservoir included a leucistic Fulvous Whistling Duck and a southern hemisphere pintail species or hybrid.

A Marsh Harrier was seen at Pitsford Reservoir today and this evening a Redshank and a Common Sandpiper were on the causeway. Another Marsh Harrier was seen at Summer Leys LNR and other birds there included a Black-tailed Godwit and a Common Sandpiper.

Stanwick Pits hosted a Czec Rep ringed juvenile Caspian Gull plus a near-adult bird and with a Garganey still there too.

The Lilbourne Meadows reserve and the DIRFT site provided a female Common Redstart, four Snipe, four Green Sandpipers, a Common Sandpiper, a Ringed Plover and a Little Ringed Plover. Two Common Redstarts were still at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell today.

They seem scarce this year but a single Clouded Yellow butterfly was active in a brief show of sunshine near Blueberry Farm early this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Red Kite.

Oystercatcher courtesy
of John Tilly.

Kestrel courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Great Tachinid fly
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Hornet courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Traits of autumn

Hello

Very much an autumnal feel to the day with cooler temperatures, a lively breeze and sunshine, cloud and the odd shower.

A juvenile Peregrine and a Common Sandpiper were the only birds of note I saw at Pitsford Reservoir whilst filling up the bird feeders; a couple of Ravens were noisy at Hanging Houghton.

A visit to Harlestone Lake during periods of sunshine brought out the odonata with several Blue Emperors, Common Darters, a Beautiful Demoiselle (they seem to be everywhere this year) and plenty of damselflies which included Common Blue and Large Red-eyed. However also on the mat of floating vegetation were a couple of Small Red-eyed Damselflies which are a more localised species. Birds here were unremarkable but included Kingfisher and Little Egret.

Lilbourne Meadows/the dwindling DIRFT3 site is still proving attractive to birds with two Common Redstarts, five Green Sandpipers and three Snipe present today. A Black-tailed Godwit was on the south side of Clifford Hill Pits this morning.

Stanwick is also still pulling in the birds with two Caspian Gulls plus twenty Yellow-legged Gulls and a Garganey late afternoon. At Harrington Airfield this evening there was a Common Redstart by the Shooting Wall next to the concrete track and six Yellow-legged Gulls with two hundred Lesser Black-backs on fields there.

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Common Buzzard.

Large Red-eyed Damselfly.

Small Red-eyed Damselfly.

Blue Emperor.

Pike.

A quiet Friday

Hello

Not a great deal of wildlife reported of note today as the weather has been quite blustery with sunshine and a few showers.

A morning stint at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning located two Common Redstarts and a Spotted Flycatcher and birds at Harrington Airfield today included a vocal Common Redstart and still the Wheatear at Bunker One. Two Yellow-legged Gulls at Pitsford Reservoir again included a begging juvenile and a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull is likely to be a foreign-ringed individual (details submitted).

As the butterfly season begins to subside the local specialities ebb away but two Silver-washed Fritillaries were on the wing at Salcey Forest this afternoon.

Regards

Neil M

Flecked General Soldierfly
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Rubytail hedychrum niemelai
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Comma butterfly.

An eclipse drake Mallard.

Red Kite.

A wonderful image of
Pitsford Reservoir courtesy
of Magda Toruj.

More ringing at Harrington Airfield.

Hello

Some more ringing at Harrington Airfield took place this morning which provided a modest catch before the change in the weather. A Sparrowhawk is always an exciting catch and a second year male hit one of the mist nets and was duly ringed and released. There was a small influx of Willow Warblers which included freshly-moulted adults as well as the bright juveniles and other birds processed included a Garden Warbler, two Reed Warblers and a couple of Common Whitethroats. Two adult Long-tailed Tits were first ringed there in November 2017 and July 2015 and they were caught with ten juveniles which I would assume was their impressive brood for this year! The first brood Yellowhammers didn't seem to come to anything on-site this year but we are now seeing second brood youngsters appearing and even this late in the season the territorial adult males are still singing strongly.

Other birds noted on-site included a first year Wheatear and two Ravens.

Not too far away and two Redstarts were noted in hedging at Lamport Hall, visible from the footpath that runs along the southern boundary of the park and Blueberry Farm near Maidwell boasted three Common Redstarts in hedging between Maidwell Lodge and Blueberry Hill and a Wheatear and a Whinchat on the summit of Blueberry Hill.

Eric's visit to Blatherwycke Lake today provided views of a Great White Egret, five Little Egrets, a Kingfisher, a pair of Raven and a summer flock collection of twenty-seven Mistle Thrushes. At Deene Lake sightings included an Osprey, a Raven, two Green Sandpipers, a pair of Black Swans and a large flock of Lapwings.

An Osprey was noted at Hollowell Reservoir this morning and birds at Stanwick Pits this afternoon included two Caspian Gulls, thirty-two Yellow-legged Gulls and a Garganey.

A Clouded Yellow butterfly was again on a nectar strip in fields between Cottesbrooke and Blueberry Farm today.

Regards

Neil M

Sunrise at Harrington Airfield
this morning.

Male Sparrowhawk.

A Hummingbird Hawk-moth
was at Hanging Houghton today.