Shelducks and Oystercatchers back in the valley

Hello

Little opportunity for birding today but I noticed two Siskins and a couple of Ravens in the village at Hanging Houghton today and there was a small party of Golden Plovers and about twenty Bramblings at Harrington Airfield this morning.

At Thrapston Pits there was a Shelduck, two Oystercatchers, five Great White Egrets and eight Little Egrets and at Stanwick Pits there were four Cattle Egrets this afternoon. A dozen Siskins were on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadow reserve at Ditchford Pits and Earls Barton Pits hosted a Water Rail, a Shelduck, two Oystercatchers, a Great White Egret and a drake Red-crested Pochard on a small fenced-off lake behind and to the right of Mary's Lake. Two Oystercatchers were also at Clifford Hill Pits so it seems they are back at all their normal Nene Valley haunts!

The drake Red-crested Pochard was still at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today, south of the causeway and two Woodcock were at Blueberry Farm. Maidwell this afternoon.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir today included a Yellow-legged Gull in the roost and about one hundred and thirty Golden Plovers.

Regards

Neil M

Cormorant and Oystercatcher
courtesy of John Tilly.

Oystercatcher.

Golden Plovers.

Mute Swan.

Mallard.
Over two hundred Mallard
have been caught and ringed
at Pitsford Reservoir over the 
last couple of decades with one 
recovery the other side of Moscow.

Ditchford WeBs count

Hello

Following some feed station maintenance, today seemed an appropriate day to complete the Ditchford Pits WeBs count. Apart from a couple of showers the day was generally pleasant with mild temperatures, some nice sunshine but also still gusty for some of it.

Birds west of Ditchford Lane included three Great White Egrets, two Egyptian Geese, a Woodcock, three Oystercatchers, a pair of Stonechats and a Grey Wagtail. The pits east of Ditchford Lane held another two Great White Egrets, seventeen Common Snipe, eight Goosanders, a Water Rail, two Grey Wagtails and two Chiffchaffs. There was a sprinkling of calling Cetti's Warblers on pits both sides of Ditchford Lane. Grey Herons and Cormorants were busy on their nests.

Two more Egyptian Geese were seen at Summer Leys LNR this morning and the three White-fronted Geese remained at Stanford Hall.

Ravensthorpe Reservoir's almost-resident Pink-footed Goose was still there today plus two Great White Egrets and a drake Red-crested Pochard, and birds noted at next door Hollowell Reservoir included an adult Caspian Gull, a Great White Egret and three Stonechats.

The Great Northern Diver was again near the Pintail Bay at Pitsford Reservoir today plus the Common Sandpiper was seen again on the dam.

Regards

Neil M

They may be particularly
adept flyers but Red Kites
are still pushed around in
these strong winds thus enabling
us to appreciate their acrobatic
skills (including vertical flying)!

First the wind now the floods

Hello

The amount of rain recently after such a dry January has caused significant flooding in the river valleys with the Welland and Nene particularly adversely affected.

There have been some great sightings of Otter along the River Welland this week-end gone, apparently somewhere just outside Market Harborough. One of the Peregrines was sheltering from the rain on the town centre church this morning.

Two first year Caspian Gulls were in a field next to Rushton Landfill by the entrance to Storefield Lodge Farm at lunchtime and two Great White Egrets were on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve at Ditchford Pits on East Pit.

A second winter Caspian Gull was in the gull roost at Stanford Reservoir this afternoon and an Oystercatcher was on the dam.

Five Bramblings and two Siskins were at Lilford this afternoon and a Barn Owl was between Hemington and Barnwell.

Regards

Neil M

Red Kite.

Marsh Harrier courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

The stormy season continues

Hello

From one storm to another there is no let up for our feathery and furry friends out there with the current high winds and rain destined to stay with us for much of the forthcoming week.

Brave souls nevertheless ventured out to see what was on offer and the birds at Pitsford Reservoir again included the Great Northern Diver, a Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, a Barnacle Goose and two Yellow-legged Gulls (adult and a fourth year together), all visible from the dam or other areas at the southern end of the reservoir.

Grey Partridges visiting and feeding in a garden at Old were a treat and birds noted at Summer Leys LNR this morning included a Great White Egret, at least three Lesser Redpolls and several Siskins.

The two Hawfinches showed again at Cottesbrooke, again in the poplars looking north from the bus shelter in Station Road. Six to eight Redpolls were at Wicksteed Park, Kettering as were about twenty Siskins.

The three White-fronted Geese were again seen at Stanford Hall today and birds seen at Stanford Reservoir included six Goosanders, fifty-five Golden Plovers, a Water Rail, a Kingfisher and a Chiffchaff.

Regards

Neil M

Adult male Chaffinch
demonstrating the all-too-familiar
affliction with diseased feet.

Image courtesy of
John Tilly.

Great Tit also burdened,
this time with at least one
tick embedded just below
the left eye. Ticks were
never seen on birds during
the winter but these days
they are a common sight
with Great Tits regularly
being targeted.

Image again courtesy
of John Tilly.

Shelduck courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Song Thrush courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Birds after the storm

Hello

Still pretty wild and wet again today but some nice early morning calm if rather cool.

At Pitsford Reservoir the Great Northern Diver was present again in The Narrows, the adult Yellow-legged Gull was again off the dam and birds in the Scaldwell Bay included a drake Goosander, a Great White Egret and an Oystercatcher.

The two Hawfinches showed again at Cottesbrooke village this morning, again in trees viewable from the bus shelter in Station Road. There was at least one Raven present too.

At Earls Barton Pits there was a Ruff, a Dunlin, an Oystercatcher, about fifty Golden Plovers, a Curlew and a Great White Egret on the Summer Leys reserve and Hardwater Lake.

Stanford Reservoir attracted a Yellow-legged Gull, an Oystercatcher, a Great White Egret, a Goosander. a Water Rail, three Lesser Redpolls and a Siskin. Good numbers of Siskins remain in Harlestone Heath.

Regards

Neil M

Barnacle Goose.

Great Crested Grebes.

Scarlet Cup fungi.

All images courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Storm Eunice

Hello

Gale force winds courtesy of Storm Eunice has dominated the weather today and the week's outlook also looks a stormy affair.

In some respects it seems that locally we have been lucky with devastating damage being caused elsewhere in the UK.

Spare a thought for the wildlife out there that has to somehow cope with such extreme weather.

During the last few days we have been noticing a few each of Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer visiting our garden seeking seed and this is very much in line with previous years when the buntings visit the garden during the back end of the winter into spring and even early summer.

About ten Bramblings were at Harrington Airfield this morning and the Great Northern Diver was fishing in tumultuous waters at Pitsford Reservoir near the mouth of the Pintail Bay. Some birds clearly find the strong winds quite exhilarating and the big gulls at Pitsford were dipping and weaving over the water's surface which included the usual adult Yellow-legged Gull (which at one stage was carrying a dead bird). Two Ravens at Kelmarsh were also enjoying the challenge of flying in gusty, volatile winds.

The wet fields following the rain of this month provides foraging opportunities for many birds and there were flocks of up to three hundred Fieldfares doing just that in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

The curious-looking
 Chinese Water Deer.

Muntjac.

Common Snipe.

Great White Egret.

Images courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

More Hawfinches

Hello

I spent the day at Pitsford Reservoir today completing the monthly WeBs count, albeit that the waterbird numbers were very low. The first year Great Northern Diver was again in The Narrows this morning, the Common Sandpiper was on the shoreline of the Sailing Club near to the dam, a Green Sandpiper was on the settling pool below the dam and the adult Yellow-legged Gull was mostly off the Sailing Club. A Brambling was in Brixworth Country Park and there were approximately thirty mobile Siskins around the reservoir.

Other birds included a Grey Wagtail, four Ravens (two pairs), a Great White Egret, a Little Egret, about forty Common Snipe and there was a light southerly passage of Common Buzzards.

Eleanor found four Hawfinches in trees at Lilford Bridge this afternoon, a historic but now poorly visited site and the two Hawfinches were still at Cottesbrooke again today together with a Raven and a mixed flock of Chaffinches and Bramblings along the gated road between Cottesbrooke village and Calendar Farm.

A Raven was seen in flight over Kingsthorpe Cemetry this afternoon, a Stonechat was near Bucknell Wood and a Red-crested Pochard was found at Earls Barton Pits on a fishing pit east of Mary's/Pete Wilde's Lake.

A Great White Egret and eleven Goosanders were at Clifford Hill Pits this afternoon and the Dartford Warbler popped back in to view today at Duston Mill with the two Stonechats. A Yellow-legged Gull was in the roost at Stanford Reservoir and other birds there included two Goosanders, a Great White Egret and a Chiffchaff.

Birds at the Titchmarsh Reserve, Thrapston Pits this afternoon included two/three Great White Egrets, four Goosanders, two Egyptian Geese, an adult Peregrine, three Oystercatchers, a Chiffchaff, three Cetti's Warblers, about twenty Siskins and a Water Rail.

Yesterday there were seven Little Egrets near Wicksteed Park, Kettering plus a few Redpolls and about forty Siskins.

Regards

Neil M

Little Grebes.

Great Crested Grebe.

Common Buzzard.

Cormorant.

Muntjac.

All images from Pitsford
Reservoir today.

Gales galore

Hello

Stormy weather is upon us, something we have to put up with when the temperatures are so mild.

Milky sunshine and relative warmth stimulated several Yellowhammers into singing at Harrington Airfield this morning where there were still a few Bramblings.

Efforts at finding the Dartford Warbler drew a blank at Duston Mill this morning but the pair of Stonechats were still present.

The Common Sandpiper and an adult Yellow-legged Gull were around the dam area of Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and the drake Smew was again visible from the causeway at Ravensthorpe Reservoir this morning as were two Great White Egrets. Over at Hollowell Reservoir Mark saw two Caspian Gulls, a Great White Egret, two Stonechats and nineteen Siskins. Another twenty Siskins were in trees along the stream at Harlestone at about lunchtime and a Redpoll was in a Scaldwell garden.

Yesterday the Siberian Chiffchaff was seen for a short time in Nick's Kettering garden and a Raven was at Yardley Gobion.

Regards

Neil M

Carolina Wood Ducks
courtesy of Robin Gossage.
A potential vagrant from the USA,
there is a small population
in the UK which are mostly captive
but a few escapees exist in a wild
feral state.

Aconites and Snowdrops
are in profusion this year.

Few sightings of note

Hello

Heavy rain for much of the morning probably affected the sightings in the county today.

Single Barn Owls were seen at Harrington Airfield, Lamport Crossing and in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today, presumably the high winds and recent rains has probably affected their usual hunting practices.

An Oystercatcher was in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this afternoon and a Kingfisher was by the Sailing Club.

The three White-fronted Geese were again reported from Stanford Hall today and Stanford Reservoir hosted five Goosanders, a Kingfisher and two Chiffchaffs.

Regards

Neil M

Black-headed Gull.

Drake Goldeneye.

Bathing Blackbird.

Lambs!

Finches and gulls on show

Hello

Although elusive, the two Hawfinches were seen in Cottesbrooke village again this morning, showing at about 10am in the tall poplars opposite the bus shelter in Station Road, close to the Creaton Road junction. The Nuthatches were vocal there and a pair of Ravens patrolled the village.

At Pitsford Reservoir this morning the Great Northern Diver was in The Narrows and towards the Pintail Bay and the regular adult Yellow-legged Gull was just off the Sailing Club.

About twenty Bramblings remained at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and the drake Smew turned back up at Ravensthorpe Reservoir just north of the causeway; the Pink-footed Goose was with other geese in fields between there and Ravensthorpe village. A Caspian Gull was spotted at Hollowell Reservoir again today as was a Jack Snipe.

Two more Caspian Gulls were seen today at the regular venue off the A5 on pools near Lilbourne and the very popular Dartford Warbler was still at Duston Mill. A Cattle Egret was with Little Egrets close to the River Nene adjacent to the Summer Leys LNR and a Peregrine was nearby.

At Stanford Reservoir the adult Mediterranean Gull again turned up in the afternoon and three Goosanders were seen too.

A Blue Tit was ringed as a nestling at Rabbit Hill Spinney, Kelmarsh on 24th May last year and on or about 9th February this bird died after hitting a window at Desborough, 261 days later and at least 7km away from where it was hatched.

A first year male Brambling that was ringed near RAF Marham in Norfolk on 19th January 2020 was caught again at Harrington Airfield on Saturday just gone, 754 days later. Of course this bird has summered the last two years well to the north, perhaps in Scandinavia, so who knows how many kilometres this bird has clocked up during it's time. These details indicate of course that this migrant has wintered in the UK during 2019/2020 and again during 2021/2022. Most Bramblings winter on the continent, sometimes in vast flocks but clearly small numbers favour the relative mildness and food availability of the UK.

Regards

Neil M

Carrion Crow.

Grey Wagtail.

Map indicating ringing and control
locations of the Brambling first ringed
in Norfolk and then controlled
at Harrington Airfield courtesy of
Nick Wood.

Windy and wet Sunday

Hello

A rather blustery and wet day didn't make it perfect conditions for finding wildlife and my efforts today came to very little that was different!

Forty Bramblings were noted at Harrington Airfield this morning and Ravens were seen at Hanging Houghton and Cottesbrooke. Grey Wagtails were at Kelmarsh and Brixworth and at Pitsford Reservoir the Common Sandpiper remained on the dam and the adult Yellow-legged Gull was just off the Sailing Club.

Four Goosanders were on the River Nene at Clifford Hill Pits this afternoon and a Ruff was still at the Summer Leys LNR this morning. The three White-fronted Geese were again reported from Stanford Hall today and birds noted at nearby Stanford Reservoir included a Great White Egret, five Goosanders, two Kingfishers and a Chiffchaff.

An Otter was well-photographed at Becketts Park, Northampton yesterday morning.

An adult male Bullfinch was ringed at Greens Norton on 2nd September 2021 but unfortunately some 156 days later, on or about the 5th of this month, this bird was taken by a cat in the same village.

John Woollett's garden ringing has provided 170 Goldfinches in recent weeks which provides some indication of how important winter feed stations are to some species. Like many finches, Goldfinches remain very mobile outside the breeding season and will liberally travel to find the necessary food. Over the years our local ringing recoveries indicate that many Scottish and North England breeding Goldfinches pass through and winter in Northamptonshire. It also seems that some of our breeding birds move east into France.

Regards

Neil M

Goldfinch.

Bullfinch courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Raven.

Kelmarsh Hall ringing

Hello 

A blustery south west wind dominated the weather today but this change did little to alter the local birding scene.

The Dartford Warbler remained at Duston Mill with it's Stonechat partners, the Siberian Chiffchaff again visited Nick in his Kettering garden and the White-fronted Goose was again at Sywell Country Park.

A Great White Egret was at Clifford Hill Pits as were two Stonechats and twenty-seven Golden Plovers. A Peregrine was seen at Higham Ferrers and the three White-fronted Geese remained at Stanford Hall. An array of birds at Stanford Reservoir today included a Mediterranean Gull again, two Caspian Gulls, a Great White Egret, five Goosanders and a Chiffchaff. The long-staying Pink-footed Goose remained at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today.

A census of birds at Kelmarsh Hall using bird ringing techniques provided 172 individual birds which included 107 Blue Tts, 24 Great Tits, 3 Coal Tits, a Marsh Tit, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Goldcrests, 5 Robins, 14 Dunnocks, a Redwing, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Greenfinches and 9 Goldfinches. Other birds present but not caught were thirty-five Siskins, two Bramblings and a pair of Ravens.

Regards

Neil M

Blue Tit.

Dunnock.

Common Frog courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

                                   Tawny Owl assessing a nest box courtesy of Chris Payne.