Pitsford WeBS count

Hello

Today was waterbird count day at Pitsford Reservoir when an effort is made to count all areas of the reservoir. These days often provide a snapshot about what is present on any one day - it is indeed a rare event when the whole reservoir is covered by observers these days except on the WeBS count!

A first year drake American Wigeon was the best bird of the day and the first one for many years. Not surprisingly it was staying with the hundreds of Eurasian Wigeon present north of the causeway, initially being found in the Scaldwell Bay but then flying around into the Walgrave Bay. I'm afraid that distance and poor light prevented any suitable images. Hopefully it will remain and provide better photographic opportunities.

Other birds present included fifteen Pintail, a drake Mandarin Duck, a Jack Snipe, twenty-five Common Snipe, three Common Sandpipers, three Great White Egrets, a first winter Mediterranean Gull, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Hobby, a remarkable nine Stonechats, over forty Siskins, a dozen Redpolls, six Grey Wagtails and three Ravens.

Dave Francis completed some ringing at the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station and processed forty-five birds made up of eight Blackcaps (one a control), eight Blue Tits, six Long-tailed Tits, five Chiffchaffs, five Great Tits, four Meadow Pipits, two Song Thrushes and singles of Reed Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Redwing, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Magpie, Dunnock and Wren.

Stanford Reservoir today hosted a Short-eared Owl, two Egyptian Geese, a Great White Egret, four Red-crested Pochards, 752 Redwings, sixty-six Skylarks, forty-nine Fieldfares, four Redpolls, eleven Siskins and four Swallows.

Another Short-eared Owl was flushed from the ditch at 'shrike hedge' in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton where there were also a pair of Stonechat and two Bramblings and a steady passage of Redwings. A Green Sandpiper was on the brook in the valley there and a Grey Wagtail was in the village.

Two pairs of Stonechat and sixteen Golden Plovers were at Harrington Airfield this afternoon and Summer Leys LNR provided a Cattle Egret, four Great White Egrets and a Ruff.

Regards

Neil M

Reed Warbler.

Ruff.

Common Gull.

Great White Egret.

Images courtesy of
Tony Stanford.

 Video below is another clip
from Chris Payne's Storm
Petrel footage from Skokholm
with a chick receiving it's first
feed after hatching.

Migrants from the north and east

Hello

Plenty of thrushes passing through and lingering in the county today with some high numbers noted.

At Stanford Reservoir an estimated 3,500 Redwings moved through the site today plus two-hundred and fifty Fieldfares, forty Skylarks and three Bramblings. The four Red-crested Pochard were still there and other birds seen were a Marsh Harrier, a Golden Plover and a Pintail. The ringers there trapped and ringed a late Willow Warbler which demonstrated characteristics of the north-eastern 'acredula' race. Five Great White Egrets were there first thing before flying off.

Further ringing took place at Harrington Airfield where seventy-eight birds were processed which included eighteen Redwings, nine Song Thrushes (including continental grey birds), a continental-type Blackbird, a Green Woodpecker, eighteen Blackcaps, three Meadow Pipits, four Reed Buntings and three Yellowhammers. A Ring Ouzel was in bushes by Bunker Two at 8.30am but not encountered subsequently, a Crossbill flew over south, a male Brambling was there briefly and other birds present were several Golden Plovers and a Barn Owl. A few Redpolls and Siskins lingered briefly before moving on and Redwings numbered in their hundreds with perhaps only about fifty Fieldfares and with smaller numbers of Chaffinches and Starlings moving south.

A male Ring Ouzel was located at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell together with two Bramblings and a pair of Stonechat with three Stonechats and three Bramblings and a hundred Linnets at 'shrike hedge' in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. High numbers of Skylarks were on the fields there.

At least sixteen Great White Egrets at Summer Leys LNR must have looked pretty spectacular where there was also a Cattle Egret and a Dunlin. Four to six Common Sandpipers were at Pitsford Reservoir south of the causeway plus a Great White Egret, winter thrushes and small numbers of Redpolls and Siskins.

Two adult Caspian Gulls and a Pintail were at Hollowell Reservoir and a pair of Stonechat were seen at Borough Hill Country Park, Daventry. Five Stonechats and an Otter were at Upton Country Park.

Regards

Neil M

Otter and Stonechats
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Green Woodpecker
courtesy of Jane Neill.

'Continental' style
first year male Blackbird
courtesy of Jane Neill.

The winter thrushes are coming

Hello

A particularly warm day and we were seeing some evidence of mass migration on the east coast as winter thrushes finally filtered through in some numbers. Short-eared Owls, winter finches, thrushes and wildfowl have impacted the east coat in large numbers and traditionally it takes a couple of days to see a few individuals from this immigration to be seen locally.

Redwings were in big numbers today with flocks seen over urban and rural areas during the first half of the morning and again this evening with four hundred logged during the day at Harrington Airfield which included some roosting birds this evening. Two Fieldfares were at Harrington this morning and about ten dropped in this afternoon. Other birds seen there today included three pairs of Stonechats, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, twenty-five Golden Plovers and several Siskins and Redpolls plus two Ravens and Grey Partridges.

Three female Stonechats were at 'shrike hedge' in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton with a pair seen there later. Other birds in the Brampton Valley included a Barn Owl, several Golden Plovers, a couple of calling Grey Partridges, five Tree Sparrows, a flock of forty-five Skylarks, a single Grey Wagtail plus a few Siskins and Redpolls.

At least six Stonechats were at Borough Hill Country Park (Daventry) today and a Peregrine and a Kingfisher were at Summer Leys LNR this morning and Barn Owls noted during the last couple of days including hunting birds at Scaldwell and Maidford plus a brood of four youngsters being ringed in South Northants on Friday.

At Stanford Reservoir today sightings included four Red-crested Pochards, a Marsh Harrier, a Great White Egret, a Green Sandpiper, a Pintail, a Water Rail, forty-five Redwings and at least eleven hundred Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the roost. In addition over two hundred birds were processed by the ringers on-site.

Regards

Neil M

Barn Owl nestlings
courtesy of Chris Payne.

Muntjac.

Hornets taking over
an owl nest box!

Stonechat.

Lapwing.

Above four images taken
at Pitsford Reservoir by
Tony Stanford.

Stonechats!

Hello

Certainly warmer today but perhaps not as much sunshine as forecast, but still very nice for the time of the year.

The Bittern re-appeared at Summer Leys LNR today, extending it's long stay with days of not being seen (a typical Bittern)!

At Stanford Reservoir today there were two Red-crested Pochards, a Marsh Harrier, a Hobby, a Peregrine, a Green Sandpiper, a Siskin and a very late Garden Warbler was ringed.

Stonechats included a pair at Blueberry Farm, a pair at 'shrike hedge' and another pair nearer the brook in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton. Two more pairs of Stonechats were at Harrington Airfield where there were also two Redpolls and six Siskins. Two Grey Wagtails remain at the brook in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton with another one in the village itself.

A ringing session at Linford Lake, Milton Keynes caused over eighty captures which included good numbers of Chiffchaffs (which included a control) and Blackcaps and a mixture of common birds with Song Thrushes, tits, Goldcrests, two Meadow Pipits and a Magpie for variety. A Grey Wagtail, several Siskins and Redpolls, a Great White Egret and six Egyptian Geese were also present.

Some ringing is planned for Harrington Airfield on Monday when access to the bunkers and old airstrip including the scrubby areas will be restricted. The main concrete track is unaffected.

Regards

Neil M

Male Stonechat courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Female Stonechat.

Grey Wagtail.

Redwing courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

Not many Redwings here yet
but with an estimated three
thousand today on Holy Island,
Northumberland they are not
far away!

Warm weather on the way?

Hello

The quiet period in the county continues but it is possible that the unseasonal rise in temperature and swirling weather from Iberia forecast for this week-end may create some avian interest?

The four Red-crested Pochard remained at Stanford Reservoir today where there was also a Garganey and a count of one hundred and fifty Meadow Pipits. The single Cattle Egret remains at Eyebrook Reservoir and a family party of Otters have been recorded in recent days on the River Welland at Market Harborough.

At Summer Leys LNR today there was a Cattle Egret and an adult Yellow-legged Gull and a Ruff at the New Workings section of Earls Barton Pits.

An adult Caspian Gull was off the dam at Ravensthorpe Reservoir today with a Pink-footed Goose, a Dunlin and two Stonechats at nearby Hollowell Reservoir.

Two Grey Partridges were noted at Clifford Hill Pits this morning and two pairs of Stonechats were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton near to 'shrike hedge'. At least one Raven was in Hanging Houghton village and at Pitsford Reservoir there was a Grey Wagtail and a few Siskins in the Walgrave Bay this morning and three adult Yellow-legged Gulls off the dam this evening plus a Grey Wagtail and a female Stonechat on the fence line below the dam.

Regards

Neil M

Linnet courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Kingfisher courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Lesser Redpoll courtesy
of Chris Payne.

Caspian Gull.

Thursday ringing

Hello

Yesterday (Wednesday) was a quiet day in the county but there were four Stonechats in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton and today (Thursday) there were just two!

Also yesterday birds at Pitsford Reservoir north of the causeway included a Great White Egret, a Raven, two White Wagtails and at least one Yellow-legged Gull and a pair of Stonechat between Maytrees Hide and the causeway.

Today and birds noted at Hollowell Reservoir were a Dunlin, a Redpoll and four Stonechats.

Birds at Stanford Reservoir today included a Merlin, a Marsh Harrier, four Red-crested Pochards, a Great White Egret and a Caspian Gull with a Goosander, ten Lesser Redpolls and a Redwing yesterday.

Stortons Pits hosted some ringing today which provided sixty captures of which only nine were re-traps from previous sessions. Twenty Blackcaps indicates a slow-down of this species moving through the county and interestingly no Chiffchaffs after very large numbers locally in recent weeks. Other birds processed included sixteen Long-tailed Tits, six Blue Tits, two Wrens, three Robins, five Dunnocks, four Blackbirds, two Cetti's Warblers and two Goldfinches.

Another ringing session took place at Christies Copse in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir with seventy-five birds being processed. Again no Chiffchaffs were caught and only eight Blackcaps and no other warblers were encountered. Other birds were made up of two Blackbirds, fourteen Goldcrests, twenty-eight Blue Tits, fourteen Great Tits, a Marsh Tit, two Long-tailed Tits, a Wren, three Robins and two Chaffinches.

Up to four Grey Wagtails were attracted to the new ponds in Christies Copse, a Barn Owl was seen pre-dawn and other birds noted included a Raven and several Siskins and Redpolls.

Regards

Neil M

Female and male
Stonechats.

The humble Rook!

The finely-marked and 
handsome drake Gadwall.

Blustery Tuesday

Hello

A blustery and cooler day today but it didn't affect the small birds moving over which included Swallows, Meadow Pipits, wagtails and Skylarks and still more Siskins.

A ringing session on the Courteenhall Estate yielded well over a hundred birds with finches dominating with seventy-seven Goldfinches, seven Linnets and three Chaffinches being caught and ringed. Other birds included a Marsh Tit, two Chiffchaffs and four Blackcaps and a Sparrowhawk and a Grey Wagtail and a couple of Barn Owls were in close attendance.

At Stanford Reservoir today the best birds were four Red-crested Pochards, a Garganey, a Great White Egret, a Pintail, a Water Rail, two Kingfishers and two Cetti's Warblers. The Cattle Egret was still at Eyebrook Reservoir.

A Jack Snipe was at Hollowell Reservoir today and other birds included the female Ruddy Shelduck, a Common Snipe, a Dunlin, an adult Caspian Gull plus a Stonechat.

At Pitsford Reservoir there was a juvenile female Peregrine hurtling around the reserve this morning plus a Raven, a Great White Egret and a few Siskins in the Walgrave Bay. From the dam this evening there was a juvenile Caspian Gull and seven Yellow-legged Gulls (at least one juvenile). A large gull at range with the mantle a little darker than the Yellow-legged Gulls and with moderate head and upper neck streaking plus the structure and bill colouration and strong, bright plumage tones suggested the rarer Azorean or 'Atlantis' Yellow-legged Gull. However it wasn't possible to see the colour of the legs or feet and I didn't see enough to rule out a hybrid.

Twelve Cattle Egrets was a great count at Stanwick Pits today and other birds included two Ruff, two Pintail, a Yellow-legged Gull and a Common Sandpiper.

A Golden Plover, six Grey Partridges and four Stonechats were at Clifford Hill Pits this morning and at Harrington Airfield there were two pairs of Stonechats, a Wheatear, a late Common Whitethroat plus twenty-five Golden Plovers, thirty Siskins and six Redpolls.

The Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton also hosted a pair of Stonechats at shrike hedge and another pair near to the Brampton Brook plus five Golden Plovers and a Curlew over.

Regards

Neil M

Siskin courtesy of
Dave Jackson.

House Sparrow courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Goldfinch courtesy of
Lewis Aaron.

Cattle Egrets.

Ringing at Harrington Airfield.

Hello

Some more ringing at Harrington Airfield today ahead of the downpours of this evening yielded one hundred and thirty-five captures, the majority being new migrants. The mild conditions seem to be making a difference to the species encountered with a late Grasshopper Warbler and a late Garden Warbler amongst the more seasonal forty-three Blackcaps and twenty-nine Chiffchaffs. Other birds included three Goldcrests, sixteen Meadow Pipits, five Lesser Redpolls, a Bullfinch, four Reed Buntings and three Yellowhammers.

Other birds there included a female Stonechat, about eighty Golden Plovers moving over north and a few on the ground, several more Redpolls and Siskins and a Grey Wagtail moving through plus a couple of Ravens and lots of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks flying around the site. Amongst the more common butterflies present was a Painted Lady.

At Stanford Reservoir today there were four Red-crested Pochards again plus a Great White Egret, a Pintail, a Spotted Flycatcher, three Redwings, a Stonechat and twenty-seven Redpolls. One hundred and forty-six new birds were ringed which also included a late Garden Warbler. The Cattle Egret was at Eyebrook Reservoir again today.

At Stanwick Pits today there was a Hobby, two Pintail and four Yellow-legged Gulls and at Summer Leys LNR there were three Hobbies and a Great White Egret.

Sadly the Wryneck at Dallington Cemetry, Northampton wasn't seen today.

A Kingfisher and two Grey Wagtails were at the brook in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today and four Hobbies were near Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

Regards

Neil M

Spotted Flycatcher courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

The difference in crown colours
between male and female Goldcrests
courtesy of Jane Neill (the male
the lower bird).

Grasshopper Warbler at
Harrington Airfield today
courtesy of Jane Neill.

October Wryneck

Hello

A rather quiet day in the county again today with plenty of common bird migration still on-going but little in the way of scarcer birds until that man Stuart found a Wryneck in Dallington Cemetry, Northampton this afternoon! Well done Stuart!

Very mild, almost humid conditions if cloudy with little sunshine didn't feel very seasonal and visible migration included Swallows, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and finches.

A Merlin over Irthlingborough early this morning is seasonal though and a quiet day at Summer Leys LNR provided an adult Yellow-legged Gull and two Common Snipe. Another adult Yellow-legged Gull was on the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Pits this afternoon.

At Hollowell Reservoir today the female Ruddy Shelduck was on show plus two Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin. Four Ravens (two feeding on a road kill Pheasant) and a couple of calling Grey Partridges were at Harrington Airfield today with another Raven at Hanging Houghton.

Two Great White Egrets were in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Wryneck - but not the
Dallington bird!

Skylark courtesy
of John Tilly.

Common Buzzard.

A Hen Harrier, a Tawny Owl and Redpolls.

Hello

A ringing session at Pitsford Reservoir around the Old Scaldwell Road Feeding Station completed by Dave Francis this morning provided seventy-two captures of fourteen species. A Wheatear was a definite surprise - not only is it now a scarce migrant at Pitsford it is also not a species regularly caught in mist nets. Other birds included nineteen Chiffchaffs, twelve Blackcaps, four Reed Warblers, seven Blue Tits, a Great Tit, five Long-tailed Tits, four Dunnocks, three Robins, two Wrens, three Greenfinches, three Tree Sparrows, five Goldcrests and two Meadow Pipits. Small Copper butterflies were present in the morning sunshine.

At the same time there was some more ringing being conducted at Harrington Airfield which provided seventy-five captures also of fourteen species. The first bird caught was a male Tawny Owl and he was bird of the session. Thirty-eight Blackcaps provided the numbers and thirteen Chiffchaffs was a good number for this open plan site. A single Lesser Redpoll was a smart little bird, there was surprisingly only one Meadow Pipit caught and other birds processed included Song Thrush, Blackbird, three species of tits and other common birds. A Queen Hornet came to inspect us in the rather grey conditions and other birds on the move included a few more Redpolls, several parties of Siskins, a Grey Wagtail, four Golden Plovers and lots of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks plus calling Grey Partridges.

A Hen Harrier hunting over some wild bird crops between Dale Farm and Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning was a great sighting and there were two Wheatears and a Grey Wagtail in the horse paddocks at Dale Farm. Good numbers of Linnets, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were in the same area. Blueberry Farm hosted a Common Redstart, a Whinchat and at least ten Siskins with a pair of Stonechats at Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton (but not seen there this evening). Two Grey Wagtails remain on the brook there.

This afternoon there was a Common Redstart in a field hedge along the footpath between Hanging Houghton and Scaldwell villages and a male Stonechat was in a field hedge off the track leading from Old village to Pitsford Reservoir. Three Redpolls were at Hanging Houghton.

About forty Golden Plovers were seen in flight over Kettering and the Bittern was again showing well on the Summer Leys LNR scrape.

At Stanford Reservoir today two hundred and sixty-three birds were newly-ringed and other birds there included four Red-crested Pochard, a Pintail, two Common Snipe, several Siskins, about twenty Lesser Redpolls, a Barn Owl, a Lesser Whitethroat (ringed) and a hundred Meadow Pipits. The Cattle Egret was again at Eyebrook Reservoir.

Regards

Neil M

Tawny Owl courtesy of
Jane Neill.

Lesser Redpoll courtesy
of Jane Neill.

Queen Hornet courtesy
of Michelle Spinks.

Late September birding

Hello

Birds at Stanford Reservoir today included four Red-crested Pochards, a female Mandarin Duck, a wing-tagged Marsh Harrier and a Common Sandpiper. The Cattle Egret was still at Eyebrook Reservoir today.

At Summer Leys LNR today a Bittern was showing well early this morning and a Marsh Harrier and a Ruff were seen later.

Birds in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir today were a bit sameish with twelve Pintail, two Great White Egrets and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. Birds at Harrington Airfield were nine Golden Plovers and a couple of calling Grey Partridges this evening.

Two Grey Wagtails were at Duston Mill weir and the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton attracted two Kingfishers, two Grey Wagtails, a pair of Stonechats and a Wheatear. A Common Redstart and a Whinchat were at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell. A Grey Wagtail was in Hanging Houghton village.

Hollowell Reservoir today hosted seven Ringed Plovers, two Common Sandpipers, a Dunlin, two Stonechats, a Common Tern and a Kingfisher. A Wheatear was noted on the Brington to Brockhall track.

Perhaps the most visible migrant over the county today was Skylark with flocks of up to a dozen seen at a variety of places. Meadow Pipits, Siskins and wagtails were also on the move, it will be the thrushes soon! The sunshine brought forth plenty more Red Admirals and Comma butterflies.

Regards

Neil M

Grey Wagtails at Duston Mill
weir today courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull.

Comma.

Migration on a cloudy day

Hello

A day for the most part spent out and about in mostly cloudy and dull conditions which didn't stop the trickle of Meadow Pipits, wagtails, hirundines, Skylarks and Siskins moving through the county.

The Black-necked Grebe remained on Town Lake at Thrapston Pits today and a pair of Stonechat were on the Titchmarsh reserve. Four Great White Egrets were noted at Summer Leys LNR this morning. Several Siskins and a Water Rail were at Fawsley Park and the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir at lunchtime continued to attract two Great White Egrets, a Hobby and a Raven.

The dam area at Pitsford Reservoir this evening provided four Yellow-legged Gulls, two Common Sandpipers, a Raven and a Grey Wagtail.

A flock of ten Ring-necked Parakeets were over Little Billing, Northampton this evening flying towards Bellinge. A Raven was over Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadow reserve this morning and Raven and Grey Wagtail were again in the village at Hanging Houghton.

The hedgerows, copses and gardens continue to attract plenty of shrill-calling Chiffchaffs in the county currently and in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton today there were two Whinchats and two Wheatears near 'shrike hedge' and two Stonechats at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning which later made their way down to the 'shrike hedge' area this afternoon.

A ringing session is planned for Harrington Airfield this coming Saturday when access to the bunkers and old airstrip will be restricted. Should anyone wish to come along and observe proceedings please let me know beforehand. The footpaths along the concrete track and further west are unaffected.

An additional page has been created on the blog depicting some of the wildlife highlights of a recent ten day tour in Romania exploring the Carpathian Mountains and Danube Delta...

Regards

Neil M

Juvenile Red Kite.

Buck Muntjac.

Gis us a kiss!
Cormorants jostling
at Ravensthorpe Reservoir.

Pink-barred Sallow moth.

Ringing recoveries and Hobbies still

Hello

The stormy weather influencing the west coast of the UK took it's time reaching us with some influence from the winds and showers this evening. A steady passage of Meadow Pipits, wagtails and Siskins have been filtering over the county all day.

The Cattle Egret remained at Eyebrook Reservoir and the moulting adult Black-necked Grebe was again at Town Lake, Thrapston Pits with two juvenile Hobbies showing well on the Titchmarsh reserve.

At Pitsford Reservoir today there were two Great White Egrets in the Walgrave Bay plus a Hobby, several Siskins and a Raven. Four Hobbies were at Blueberry Hill today and in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton there were two Wheatears by 'shrike hedge' this morning plus a male Stonechat near the Brampton Valley Way car park.

Singles of Grey Wagtail and Raven were in Hanging Houghton village today and both Otter and Mink were recorded in Market Harborough alongside the River Welland earlier this week.

Recent ringing recoveries include:-

1. A male Blackcap was ringed in West Berkshire on 19th September 2022 and re-trapped at Pitsford Reservoir on 8th September 2023, 354 days later and 105km NNE from where first ringed;

2. A male Blackcap ringed at Pitsford Reservoir on 8th September 2023 was caught again eight days later at Stanford Reservoir which is 21km WNW from where first ringed;

3. A nestling Blue Tit was ringed at Wigsthorpe on 2nd June 2023 and caught and processed as a juvenile at Barnwell on 10th September 2023, 100 days later and just 4km NNE from where initially ringed;

4. A juvenile Reed Warbler was ringed at Woolston Eyes, Warrington on 28th July 2023 and captured again at Pitsford Reservoir on 16th August 2023. This bird had travelled 162km in a south-easterly direction and was part of a large fall of acrocephalus warblers at Pitsford on that day.

Regards

Neil M

Hobby courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Adult Hobby.

Male Blackcap courtesy
of Lewis Aaron.

Juvenile Shag courtesy
of John Tilly. Perhaps a bird
to look out for locally following
another blast of westerlies!