Mid April birding

Hello 

Checking through the re-trap records for our Harrington Airfield ringing captures indicates that one of the Blackbirds was first ringed as a first year bird in November 2016 and hasn't been encountered since 2020 -  which will make it seven years old this year. The three re-trap Willow Warblers were previously ringed as an adult in June 2020, an adult in 2021 and a juvenile in 2022 - these small warblers often only weighing 9-10g winter deep down in Africa and undertake a very long migration for the size of the bird.

Kenny and his team were also ringing yesterday at the Milton Keynes venue of Linford Lakes and birds caught here included a fine Green Woodpecker, eight Blackcaps, two Willow Warblers, two Chiffchaffs, a Cetti's Warbler, a Bullfinch and a Treecreeper. Sedge and Reed Warbler were noted on-site as was a singing Water Rail, a Redshank, two Great White Egrets and a Cuckoo.

Some garden ringing by Dave Francis on the outskirts of Northampton provided a first year female Brambling, eleven Goldfinches, two Greenfinches, three Reed Buntings, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Woodpigeon. Two of the Reed Buntings were re-traps - originally ringed locally at Stortons Pits and Pitsford Reservoir!

A Blue Tit that turned up in a Scaldwell village garden on 18th March 2023 had first been ringed as a nestling in a nest box at Chase Park Farm, Yardley Chase on 22nd May 2022. What possesses a Blue Tit to move a minimum of 18 km from one side of Northampton to the other and seemingly abandon it's natal area is not known. What we do know is that with the relatively high number of Blue Tits that are ringed in the county, such recorded movements are unusual.

Today and nine Yellow Wagtails were resplendent along the dam at Pitsford Reservoir and a Common Whitethroat was north of the causeway in Christies Copse. A Wheatear and a Common Whitethroat were at Honey Hill, Cold Ashby this morning. Eleanor's morning run along the Brampton Valley Way was the means to locate a White Stork on the new wetlands below Brixworth, with this bird flying off at about 8.30am. About an hour later and the bird was thermaling over Cottesbrooke and appeared to head south. It was just visible from Hanging Houghton at 9.40am until lost to view due to the great distance. A Water Rail remains in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth.

A Kittiwake and a Common Scoter were seen at Eyebrook Reservoir today and a drake Garganey made a brief appearance at Daventry Country Park before swimming off into cover. Single Ospreys were noted at Hollowell and Ravensthorpe Reservoirs today, a Wheatear was in a sheep field between Upper Benefield and Deenethorpe, a Marsh Harrier was seen at Polebrook Airfield this afternoon and Barn Owls were at Hanging Houghton in the Brampton Valley and at Lamport Hall. Two Lesser Redpolls visited out garden feeders at midday today.

Regards

Neil M

Green Woodpecker courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Great Tit.

Blue Tit.

Marsh Harrier courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Ringing at Harrington Airfield

Hello

Much of the day ringing at Harrington Airfield provided 131 birds of eleven species with the humble but beautifully-marked Linnet dominating proceedings. Eighty-four of these small finches were processed, all of them being newly-ringed birds apart from one individual ringed a few years ago. The males are just obtaining their scarlet breast and head - next month they'll look pretty stunning! Four Willow Warblers included three birds known from Harrington in previous years and we also managed a single Chiffchaff, six Goldfinches, three Chaffinches, six Reed Buntings and twelve Yellowhammers. This afternoon's sunshine brought out the butterflies locally and at Harrington Airfield it included Orange-tip. Hummingbird Hawk-moths were noted at New Duston and Hanging Houghton gardens today.

Single Barn Owls showed again at Hanging Houghton village and Lamport Hall and two visits from Eleanor to Blueberry Farm, Maidwell yielded two Common Redstarts, over two hundred Fieldfares and a Wheatear this morning and a/the male Ring Ouzel and just three Fieldfares and two Wheatears this afternoon.

A/the male Common Redstart and a Wheatear were at Honey Hill, Cold Ashby again this morning and early afternoon, a Wheatear and several Yellow Wagtails were in the vicinity of the dam at Pitsford Reservoir today, six Wheatears were at the Nene Barrage/Clifford Hill Pits and a drake Common Scoter was located at Daventry Country Park.

Hollowell Reservoir attracted a Wheatear and a singing Garden Warbler, a drake Mandarin Duck was seen at Ravensthorpe Reservoir, thirty Common Terns and plenty of singing Willow Warblers were at Stanwick Pits this morning and an Egyptian Goose was at the Embankment, Wellingborough. Two Otters showed well along the River Welland at Market Harborough today.

Regards

Neil M

Black-headed Gull.

Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Drake Mallard.

A rather wet affair

Hello

Dodging the showers became impossible from late afternoon when constant rain set in but hopefully the weekend will be much dryer.

The Kentish Plover was on show again at Summer Leys LNR but seemingly absented itself from about 2pm. Other birds present included two Great White Egrets, a Dunlin and a Wheatear.

A/the White Stork was seen flying south over the Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston at about 10.55am but there were no further reports. Clifford Hill Pits hosted eight Yellow Wagtails and a Little Ringed Plover.

The Blueberry Farm complex provided some good morning birding with a male Ring Ouzel, a male and a female Common Redstart and over a hundred Fieldfares with a Wheatear there in the afternoon. A/the male Common Redstart showed itself at Honey Hill, Cold Ashby this afternoon and five Wheatears were present in bean fields there in the morning.

Two Caspian Gulls were seen on pools between the Royal Mail distribution centre on the DIRFT complex and the M1 motorway near Lilbourne early this morning and this afternoon a male Common Redstart was found in bushes near to Bunker One at Harrington Airfield. This latter site will be subject of a ringing session there tomorrow when the bunker areas will have restricted access but the main footpath and concrete track are unaffected.

Otters today were along the River Nene between Earls Barton Pits and Wellingborough and at St Mary's Place on the River Welland at Market Harborough.

Regards

Neil M

Black-headed Gull.

Grey Heron.

Yellow Wagtails.

All images courtesy of
John Tilly.

Kentish Plover, Ring Ouzels and Redstarts

Hello

A quieter day today in the county but the Kentish Plover remained at Summer Leys LNR and still attracted plenty of attention. Other birds seen included a Great White Egret, two Little Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin.

At Pitsford Reservoir today a male Common Redstart and later a female was in field hedging parallel to the Scaldwell Bay perimeter fence between Maytrees and Bird Club hides (a traditional stop-over site) and on the dam there were at least three Yellow Wagtails with a Wheatear on the grass below the dam.

A Ring Ouzel was seen again at Honey Hill, Cold Ashby, showing at lunchtime on a slope to the left along the Jurassic Way footpath from the Cold Ashby road. At Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon a male Ring Ouzel dropped in just ahead of a vigorous hail storm which also caused two or three Yellow Wagtails and about seventy Fieldfares to similarly descend and take cover - fantastic visible migration! A male Common Redstart was also seen there briefly just before this.

An Osprey was seen in flight over Thornby village at just after 9am and a White Wagtail was noted on the dam at Ravensthorpe Reservoir. Yesterday saw a Reed Warbler at Thrapston Pits and today others were noted near Barton Seagrave and at Stanwick Pits. A Common Sandpiper and an Oystercatcher were on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve.

A Barn Owl, a pair of Grey Partridge and three or four on-territory singing Willow Warblers were at Harrington Airfield this morning. Two Grey Wagtails and two Yellow Wagtails and a Fieldfare were along the Brampton Valley near Draughton. A Barn Owl was at Lamport Hall this evening.

Regards

Neil M

Sand Martins at Summer Leys
courtesy of John Tilly.

Little Egret courtesy of
John Tilly.

Great Crested Newt handled with the 
appropriate authority courtesy of
Lewis Aaron.

Spring bonanza!

Hello

Summer Leys LNR remained very much in the local spotlight today when it became clear that the male Kentish Plover and the White Stork from yesterday had remained overnight and were on the reserve first thing this morning (thanks to Jonathan Cook for putting the early news out). The heavy rain and wind overnight had conspired to keep these birds localised but as the sun shone and the rain stayed away this morning both birds became fidgety with the stork leaving the scrape just after 9.30am and seemingly flying off. The Kentish Plover remained flighty but was still present this evening, still spending much of it's time on Gull Island. That in itself was impressive enough but early this afternoon two Common Cranes circled Summer Leys LNR and after some deliberation descended to rest and forage on the scrape - to see Common Cranes on the ground in Northants is still a rare sight! These birds hung around and delighted many observers before flying off west but low at about 5.10pm.

Other birds noted included a Great White Egret, an Arctic Tern, three Common Terns, a Ringed Plover, four Little Ringed Plovers, eight Redshanks, two Oystercatchers, a Dunlin, a Common Sandpiper and a Raven.

Elsewhere an Arctic Tern was with twenty-three Common Terns at Thrapston Pits, a Wheatear, several Yellow Wagtails and a White Wagtail were around the dam at Pitsford Reservoir and a Common Whitethroat was at Grange Lane, Pitsford.

A male Common Redstart was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning and Carrion Crows were chasing a Short-eared Owl over in a northerly direction. A Barn Owl flew over the A361 near Newnham this morning and a female Brambling has spent the last couple of days in a garden near Overstone Park, Northampton. A Caspian Gull was reported from Hollowell Reservoir today.

Regards

Neil M

Common Cranes courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.

Common Cranes courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Quality migrants!

Hello

Plenty of excitement in the county today as quality migrants arrived at a variety of locations and with Summer Leys LNR buzzing with birding activity!

Matt Hazleton found the bird of the day after picking out a male Kentish Plover on Gull Island at Summer Leys LNR. This species is now regarded as a British Rarity as the numbers in the UK have dropped away during the last two decades, and it is a particularly rare bird inland. A White Stork was spotted flying west along the Nene Valley at Ditchford Pits and it lingered over Summer Leys LNR and finally landed in a field between the old railway line and Great Doddington village showing nicely this afternoon.

Other birds on the reserve included four Common Terns, a Sedge Warbler and a Grasshopper Warbler with a Green Sandpiper at the nearby Quarry North workings.

Five Oystercatchers, seven Sedge Warblers and twelve Common Terns were at Thrapston Pits today and Clifford Hill Pits yielded a Greenshank and three Wheatears.

Out to the west two Ring Ouzels were found in horse paddocks on the north side of Borough Hill Country Park and two adult Kittiwakes were at Daventry Country Park. Stanford Reservoir attracted all three hirundines and an increasing number of early season warblers plus seven Yellow Wagtails.

A male Common Redstart was subsinging in hedgerows leading down to the flooded fields from Hillmorton Lane at Lilbourne Meadows reserve and other birds on the reserve included two Oystercatchers, two Little Ringed Plovers and song-flighting Meadow Pipits with up to two more pairs of Little Ringed Plover and a pair of Shelduck on the adjacent DIRFT/A5 pools.

A male Common Redstart was showing nicely at Honey Hill, Cold Ashby this morning in hedging on the sloping sheep fields on the right hand side when entering along the Jurassic Way footpath from the Cold Ashby road. Later in the day a Ring Ouzel was located a little further off the footpath on the left hand side rummaging around the edges of a bean field, hedging and sloping grass area. A Raven was heard here too.

Two Common Redstarts (a male and a female) were in the traditional field hedge paralleling the Scaldwell Bay boundary fence at Pitsford Reservoir between the Maytrees and Bird Club hides at 7.15am this morning, with a number of Yellow Wagtails off the dam. The Black-necked Grebe and Red-breasted Mergansers of yesterday could not be found. A calling Cuckoo and over a hundred Fieldfares were at Lamport Hall this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Kentish Plover courtesy
of Matt Hazleton.

White Stork courtesy
of Jim Dunkley.

Some of the grazing stock
at Lilbourne Meadows reserve!

Birds of Easter Monday

Hello

Some really rather aggressive weather out there today with rain for much of the morning and some very strong gusts and hefty showers in the afternoon, but also some fabulous sunshine too.

Pitsford Reservoir finally woke up this spring with some interesting passage birds, some of which probably only stayed for short periods before moving on. Passerines around the dam area included a Wheatear, twenty-five Yellow Wagtails, three hundred Sand Martins, twenty Swallows and up to four House Martins. This evening two male Red-breasted Mergansers put in a brief appearance between Pintail Bay and The Pines and a little later there was an excellent find of a summer plumage Black-necked Grebe south of the causeway near the Gorse Bushes.

Clifford Hill Pits also attracted the birds today with a Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, two Dunlin, a Little Ringed Plover, two Common Terns, a Goosander, a Common Whitethroat, seventy Swallows and fifty Sand Martins. Two Wheatears were located in the Nene Valley 500m downriver from Wollaston Lock.

An early morning adult Kittiwake at Stanford Reservoir was found at 7.30am and disappeared just after 8am. Other birds noted included two Common Terns, four House Martins, five Yellow Wagtails, a Sedge Warbler, a hundred Sand Martins, forty Swallows, four Blackcaps, four Willow Warblers, two Cetti's Warblers and two Shelducks.

Two Shelducks, a Water Rail and a Sedge Warbler were in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth this morning, a Barn Owl was at Lamport Hall this evening and Harrington Airfield hosted a Wheatear, a pair of Grey Partridge, a Swallow and two or three Willow Warblers. Over at Barnwell Country Park there were three Mandarin Ducks, a Grey Wagtail and singing Blackcaps and a Willow Warbler.

Regards

Neil M

Female Mallard on a nest, and this excellent mother-to-be
refused to move despite a fisherman being just feet from her
and a dog sniffing her out!

Drake Mandarin Duck.

Another example of a Pied Wagtail without a
foot. This family of birds suffers from hair
 tangling around their toes and feet and
cutting off the circulation and thus losing
 toes and in extreme cases the whole foot.

Female Blackbird in today's
lovely periods of sunshine.

Easter Sunday

Hello

Birds at Stanford Reservoir on Easter Sunday included a Brambling, a Sedge Warbler, a Cetti's Warbler, eleven Common Snipe and an Oystercatcher. At Pitsford Reservoir birds north of the causeway included a Common Tern, an Oystercatcher, approximately fifteen Common Snipe and one or two Jack Snipe (one caught and ringed). A good number of Common Toads were calling in the shallows this morning. An Osprey was fishing unsuccessfully at Hollowell Reservoir this evening and a Brambling was seen in the morning.

A male Bearded Tit was again seen at Stanwick Pits today and is presumably the long-staying bird from the winter remaining unobtrusive for the main part. Grass Snakes were sun bathing at Summer Leys LNR providing good photographic opportunities and a Great White Egret was seen. At Clifford Hill Pits a Greenshank was probably the first in the county this spring and other birds included a Ruff and nine Yellow Wagtails. An Avocet was a good find at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows on Dragonfly Lake and a Cattle Egret flew over.

A Marsh Harrier was seen in flight high over Sixfields Lake, Northampton late this morning, a Common Tern was seen at Titchmarsh Reserve, Thrapston and a Raven and two Grey Wagtails were in the Brampton Valley at Brixworth with two more Ravens at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell. Two Redpolls were in Scotland Wood, Kelmarsh and yesterday saw a record count of eighteen Yellowhammers in our small rural garden coming in for seed.

Regards

Neil M

Red Devils Parachute Team
in action today at Kelmarsh.

Ladysmock.

Jack Snipe.

Another Black Redstart and Common Scoter

Hello

A ringing session took place at Kelmarsh Hall today which yielded some eighty-three captures of fourteen species, about half of which were birds trapped on previous occasions. A handsome Tawny Owl was undoubtedly the best and first bird of the morning which found a mist net! Other birds included singles of Chiffchaff and Blackcap, two Nuthatches, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, plenty of common tits and small numbers of Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Chaffinches.

The local Ravens were noisy as they challenged any raptors that took to the air and an Osprey was present again early afternoon.

A female Common Scoter was found at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today and the female Ring-necked Duck was also present. A stunning adult male Black Redstart was at Bunker Two at Harrington Airfield this morning but was displaced by dog walkers and seemed to fly towards the B576 (Rothwell to Lamport Road). There were also two Willow Warblers, a Yellow Wagtail and a Wheatear plus good numbers of soaring Common Buzzards and Red Kites.

An Osprey flew north over Hollowell village today and three Yellow Wagtails and a Little Ringed Plover were at Clifford Hill Pits. A Jack Snipe and approximately forty Common Snipe were north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir this evening and three or four Barn Owls were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton.

Regards

Neil M

Goldfinch today at
Kelmarsh Hall courtesy
of Lewis Aaron.

The Tawny Owl at
Kelmarsh Hall today, 
images courtesy of
Michelle Spinks and Steve
Wilson.