The Weekend Approaches

Well that's another week drawing to a close. Plenty of spring passage bringing further Warblers,  Wagtails,  Hirundines,  Wheatears and Waders and there will be more to come.

Today there were 2 singing Nightingales at Old Sulehay Wood in the north of the county.  This is a fabulous area of woodland and well worth a visit,  as is Bucknell Wood in the south of the county where a stunning male Hen Harrier was seen flying over this morning.                                               Other birds around in the county today include Channel Wagtail on a flooded area near Aynho, female Ring Necked Duck at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows, Marsh Harrier at Stanford Reservoir,  Ospreys at Hollowell Reservoir, Whimbrel and Nightingale at Summer Leys,  Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper Pitsford Reservoir, and Whinchat at Borough Hill .

This afternoon I had a wander around Harrington Airfield.  If I'm honest when I arrived and saw the number of vehicles parked I nearly turned around and went home, but the birds needed feeding.  I headed down to the main track as it was the quietest option and came across a male Common Redstart in the bushes near the hay stacks.  I sauntered back via the bunkers and was surprised to hear the characteristic harsh chacking of a Ring Ouzel and found either the same or a new female in the bushes between bunkers 2 and 3.  The Short Eared Owl appeared out of nowhere and started hunting.  There were 2 Northern Wheatears beyond bunker 3.                                     This evening below Hanging Houghton there was both Short Eared and Barn Owl out hunting.   I  had seen the Short Eared Owl yesterday evening at a similar time when I walked the dogs and also had 2 Fieldfares over.

Have a good weekend 

Regards Eleanor 

Cool weather but birds hotting up!!

Another cool day,  infact I had to dig out my scarf and gloves !!. I did hear that the temperatures that we are experiencing at the moment are our "normal " for February and that things are not going to improve yet !!. The poor birds must be wondering what is happening. 

However the migrants are arriving.  There are plenty of Warblers making their presence known.  The Nightingale is still at Stanwick GP and a further one appeared at Crescent Lake Brackmills today. A Grasshopper Warbler was reeling between Hunsbarrow Road and Grand Union Canal Northampton.  Northern Wheatears continue to move through and there have been good numbers of Yellow Wagtails arriving.  A Channel Wagtail (hybrid) was located on a flooded area near Aynho.

But it is the Nene Valley which comes into its own at this time of year. It is always busy with birds and always picks up a good selection of waders. Over the last couple of days there have been Black Tailed Godwits, Little Ringed Plovers and Green Sandpipers at Clifford Hill GP . At nearby Summer Leys,  Whimbrel, Dunlin, Greenshank, Black Tailed Godwits, Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers . A Turnstone was found at Stanwick GP.                                         Other birds reported from the Nene Valley include the long staying Ring Ouzel at Miller's Meadow, Weston Mill, Arctic Terns at Clifford Hill GP and Summer Leys, drake Red Crested Pochard at the new workings Earls Barton, female Ring Necked Duck at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows ,Bar Tailed Godwit and Grasshopper Warbler at Barnwell Lock.

Away from the Nene Valley I had a good walk around the Blueberry area yesterday and bumped into 2 Short-eared Owls,  a  Fieldfare, 2 Redwings and 3 Northern Wheatears.  Today on the same walk and it was quiet with no birds of note.  A visit to Harrington Airfield this afternoon was also quiet with just a Short-eared Owl and 2 Northern Wheatears.  There were 6 Lapwings making themselves very comfortable on one of the fields.  Hopefully they won't make themselves too comfy as the fields will shortly be ploughed and sown.                                                                         Yesterday I managed to check the scapes/pools below Brixworth and found 2 Black Tailed Godwits,  Green Sandpiper,  Little Egret and Cuckoo.  Today there were 2 Ringed Plovers present.  This area is definitely worth keeping an eye on. 

So plenty of birds appearing.  Hopefully if these winds ever change direction there will be lots more to come. 

Regards Eleanor 

Goldfinch.

Kestrel.

Robin.

All images courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Seventy one Redshanks !!!

 A flock of 71 Redshanks were present at Clifford Hill GP today, an absolutely amazing number for the county.   Other birds present included Greenshank, Little Ringed Plovers,  Common Sandpiper and Northern Wheatears.         A bit further along the Nene Valley at Summer Leys there were several Arctic Terns,  24 Common Terns,  Greenshank,  Swift, Cuckoo and both Yellow and White Wagtails.  The Nightingale was again at Stanwick GP near to the visitor centre and the female Ring Necked Duck remains at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows. 

I visited Harrington Airfield mid afternoon and found the Short eared Owl already out hunting.  I suspect taking advantage of a break in the weather where there was a dry spell in-between the rain showers.  I only saw one female Ring Ouzel at the second bunker and a male Common Redstart near to the first bunker. There were at least 4 Northern Wheatears on the fields and a very vocal couple of Lapwings.                                                                                      Ring Ouzels were still present at Honey Hill (Cold Ashby) and Miller's Meadow,  Weston Mill.

No birding for me yesterday as out of county competing at my first agility show of the season.  Mixed results,  Rouzel was overcome with excitement but Jaeger was awesome and picked up a first place.                                                          It sounds as if there were a few good birds about including a Spoonbill at Clifford Hill GP,  drake Common Scoter at Stanford Reservoir along with a Swift. More Swifts at Rushden Lakes and Clifford Hill GP and Ospreys at Weston Mill and Welford.

The Nene Valley and Gravel Pits seem to come into their own at this time of year and I'm sure that they will continue to pick up some good and interesting birds. But migrants can turn up absolutely anywhere so definitely a time to keep your ears and eyes open and you never know,  it could be you finding the next "first" for the county!!!

Regards Eleanor 

Jaeger...first out
of 100 dogs!

Stalemate!!

Ring Ouzels continue to dominate with the male still showing well at Miller's Meadow,  Weston Mill, 2 at Honey Hill and at least another 2 at Harrington Airfield.  When I was at Harrington the usual female was at bunker 3 and on my walk back I heard one chacking from a dense hawthorn bush at bunker 2. Eventually it popped out, landed briefly before flicking over the bunker. Whilst I suspected that this was another bird I couldn't be 100% sure as I never saw them both together. However a couple of other birders also bumped into 2 Rouzel's, so it looks as if there are two birds. The male Common Redstart and Short Eared Owl were also present. 

I went for an early morning run and whilst running heard and saw a Curlew below Brixworth.  This motivated me to go and check out the area of scrapes along the Brampton Valley Way below Brixworth. I have been meaning to look at these scrapes but haven't found the time. So after dropping two of the dogs at home I set off with my right hand man Jaeger and my scope . The scrapes look very promising and today there were 2 Little Egrets,  pr Gadwall,  Ringed Plover, Common and Green Sandpiper.    Nearby at Spring Marsh were 2 singing and very showy Sedge Warblers and a Water Rail.                                                Before heading home I walked across the dam at Pitsford Reservoir but apart from a large flock of mixed hirundines it was devoid of birds.

Other birds reported in the county today include a Nightingale at Stanwick GP,  Bar Tailed Godwit and 4 White Wagtails at Lower Barnwell lock flooded fields,  an Osprey south east of Harrington,  Common Redstart on the BVW below Hanging Houghton and at Miller's Meadow.    Northern Wheatears continue to pass through and were seen at Harrington Airfield, Hartwell,  Borough Hill and near Laxton.  A Short-eared Owl was again in the Blueberry area. 

A ringing session by Kenny Cramer near Milton Keynes today produced a total of 111 birds of 18 species,  68 of which were new birds.   Good numbers of finches with 25 Redpolls, 24 Greenfinches and 6 Goldfinches making up almost half the birds processed.  On the Warbler front 12 Blackcaps, 3 Chiffchaffs,  2 Sedge Warblers and a Garden Warbler. Other birds of note 6 Blackbirds,  3 Song Thrushes,  Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Magpie.  There were two Cuckoo's on the reserve which managed to evade the nets.

Regards Eleanor 

Garden Warbler.

Sedge Warbler.

Song Thrush.

All images courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Raining Ring Ouzels !!

 It certainly felt as if it was "raining Ring Ouzels " today in the county with at least 6 individual birds being recorded.   I visited Harrington Airfield early this morning and the long staying female Ring Ouzel was pecking around on the ground at bunker 2. I  believe that she became more elusive during the day but I have found that if you are just patient and give her space then she will show herself quite well. Sadly too many folk do not understand this concept. 

The second Ring Ouzel, a male,  was found in Miller's Meadow at Weston Mill and showed on and off during the afternoon and evening.                                                                 A further 3 Ring Ouzels were located at Honey Hill just south of the Jurassic Way bridleway. Two of this group were males.                                                                                     Ring Ouzel number 6 , another male was found by myself below Hanging Houghton this evening just before a heavy shower of rain which I'm sure was instrumental in the bird being grounded. The bird was certainly not there when I started my walk but was an hour later when I was hurrying back to miss the rain!!.                                                                    I always feel that the Ring Ouzel is a very underated bird, easily dismissed and overlooked by many.  But it rates as one of my favourite birds with a beautiful song. So much so that I named my young collie Rouzel. 

Plenty of other birds around today.  The Short Eared Owl was again at Harrington,  when I saw it this morning it was sitting in a bush enjoying the sunshine.   A male Common Redstart was again at Harrington Airfield, although this bird can be elusive and simply melts away into the bushes.  There was a noticeable increase in the number of Whitethroats at Harrington,  every bush seemed to have one.  There were up to 4 Northern Wheatears there this afternoon and a further 2 below Hanging Houghton.              A Common Redstart was at Borough Hill,  Whimbrel and Common Sandpipers at Stanford Reservoir. A White Stork was reported flying over Summer Leys at 12.10hrs but I don't think that it was seen again. Other birds at Summer Leys included Black Tailed Godwits,  Dunlin and Curlew.

Regards Eleanor 

Male Common Redstart
at Harrington Airfield 
courtesy of David Arden.

Still the cool northerly winds

Hello

Static birds at Harrington Airfield today included the female Ring Ouzel, the Short-eared Owl and a male Common Redstart but apparently the Ferruginous Duck wasn't seen at Stanford Reservoir.

Summer Leys LNR hangs on to a Cattle Egret today and a Dunlin and eight to ten Common Terns were seen but little else new was reported. A Shelduck, an Oystercatcher, two Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper were at Earls Barton New Workings.

Two Grey Wagtails, two Yellow Wagtails and twenty House Martins were at Ashton sewer works and at Pitsford Reservoir there were three Common Sandpipers on the dam this morning.

A Siskin and two Redpolls were around in the garden here at Hanging Houghton today and two Short-eared Owls re-appeared at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this morning with two Wheatears at the Blueberry Hill summit. A Whinchat and a Wheatear were in the Brampton Valley near shrike hedge below Hanging Houghton this morning but were not seen this afternoon but a Wheatear was on a muck heap in the valley closer to the Brampton Valley Way.

Yesterday afternoon there was a Green Sandpiper in the Welland Valley below Cottingham.

Regards

Neil M

Collared Dove courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Common Sandpiper courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Grey Heron courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Great Crested Grebes 
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Dagger Fly courtesy
of John Tilly.

Speckled Wood butterfly
courtesy of John Tilly.

Naturetrek Day Tour

Hello

Not such dramatic weather today but still with cool winds and periods locally of sunshine and rain.

I spent the day at Rectory Farm, Great Easton and Eyebrook Reservoir as part of a Naturetrek Day Tour which included a walk around the award winning regenerative farmland and then a later spell watching over the reservoir. Many landmarks available to see from the high ground on the farm includes Rockingham Castle, the Welland Valley, Harringworth Viaduct and many others spanning the counties of Northamptonshire, Rutland and Leicestershire. We enjoyed a good number of Brown Hares galivanting about and of course the Common Buzzards and Red Kites thoroughly enjoy cruising around in the gusty conditions. There is a profusion of Skylarks on this farm and other birds today included a couple of Ravens, Yellow Wagtails, Common Whitethroat and others. The reservoir was relatively quiet but we enjoyed a smart male Whinchat and singles of Lesser Whitethroat and Common Sandpiper.

At Stanford Reservoir today the drake Ferruginous Duck was still present and at Harrington Airfield both the female Ring Ouzel and the Short-eared Owl were reported as being present and correct.

At Pitsford Reservoir birds around the dam area included an adult Yellow-legged Gull, two Common Sandpipers, Yellow Wagtails and plenty of hirundines. Ravensthorpe Reservoir again attracted two Ospreys and one of them fished successfully.

A Cattle Egret, three Black-tailed Godwits, about ten Common Terns and two Peregrines were about the best on offer at Summer Leys LNR and the female Ring-necked Duck again showed on Cotton Reel Lake at Ditchford Pits with a Common Sandpiper nearby on Dragonfly Lake. A Common Sandpiper was at Clifford Hill Pits and an Osprey was seen near Corby Golf Club flying north this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Brown Hare - hoping it
hadn't been seen!

Male Orange-tip butterfly.

Great Crested Grebe courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Grey Heron courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Maelstrom Monday

Hello

Yet more dynamic weather today as the turbulent year continues!

An early morning meander at Harrington Airfield confirmed the continuing presence of the female Ring Ouzel at Bunker Three and Short-eared Owl at Bunker One.

Over at Stanford Reservoir a drake Ferruginous Duck was a good find and remained all day off the dam and two Shelduck and five Common Sandpipers were present too.

An Osprey was at Hollowell Reservoir early this morning where there were about one hundred and eighty Sand Martins and a Common Sandpiper. This afternoon there were two fishing Ospreys at Ravensthorpe Reservoir, one of them successfully catching something. There was a single Shelduck present and a Kingfisher carrying a fish in flight over the causeway will be breeding nearby.

This afternoon Boddington Reservoir attracted four Common Sandpipers and another Common Sandpiper and seven Yellow Wagtails were at the dam at Pitsford Reservoir.

In the Nene Valley there was a Cattle Egret and three Ringed Plovers at Summer Leys LNR and a Common Sandpiper, two Redshanks, an Oystercatcher, a Little Ringed Plover and Yellow Wagtail all at the New Workings at Earls Barton. A Marsh Harrier and a Curlew were found at Stanwick Pits today and six Oystercatchers were at Upton Country Park.

Regards

Neil M

Rook courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Kestrel courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Redshank courtesy
of John Tilly.

Greenbottle courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Dark-edged Bee Fly
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Ringing at Linford Lakes

Hello

The weather yesterday (Saturday) was good enough to unfurl the mist nets and Kenny and his team enjoyed another super session down at Linford Lakes, Milton Keynes amassing a total of one hundred and thirteen birds caught and processed of seventeen species, the majority of which were fresh birds in. A male Grey Wagtail was perhaps star of the show but the high numbers of Lesser Redpolls amounted to twenty-six birds the majority of which were new birds. Twenty-three Blackcaps were a fresh arrival and there were six Chiffchaffs, three Willow Warblers and a Reed Warbler. Eleven Greenfinches was another good total and other birds processed included five Goldfinches and two Reed Buntings. A Cuckoo was seen and heard.

Dave did some ringing in his Northampton garden and birds processed included two Siskins, a Greenfinch, six Goldfinches, two Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff.

Today (Sunday) and an early visit to Harrington Airfield turned up the female Ring Ouzel plus a Short-eared Owl, a male Common Redstart, two Wheatears and four Grey Partridges.

In the Nene Valley three Cattle Egrets flew west at Summer Leys LNR this afternoon and other birds included a Peregrine, a Curlew and common warblers with Cuckoos at Mary's Lake and Quarry Walk and a Grasshopper Warbler at the latter site too. A drake Garganey was on the Main Lake at Stanwick Pits early this morning and the long-staying female Ring-necked Duck remained on Cotton Reel Lake, Ditchford Pits

An Osprey was briefly at Hollowell Reservoir late this morning and a Wheatear was at Borough Hill Country Park, Daventry.

Three Redshanks were at Stanford Reservoir and other birds included a Wheatear, a Common Sandpiper, two Cetti's Warblers, two Reed Warblers, a Fieldfare and a Lesser Whitethroat. A Black-tailed Godwit was in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir briefly this morning and a Common Sandpiper was on the dam.

A Ring Ouzel was on private farmland between Cottesbrooke and Naseby late this morning and other birds included a Raven, a Fieldfare and a Siskin. A female Common Redstart was in a hedgerow at Stoke Albany this morning.

Regards

Neil M

Male Grey Wagtail.

Willow Warbler.

Reed Warbler.

Long-tailed Tit.

All images courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.

Butterflies, snakes and passerine migrants

Hello

Migrant passerines set the scene in the county today with large numbers of warblers, some chats and more waves of hirundines arriving even if the waders and terns are in short supply.

At Pitsford Reservoir David enjoyed his early morning birding with a smart male Whinchat below the dam and also two Common Sandpipers on the dam. At the other end he saw a female Common Redstart and a Lesser Whitethroat in the Scaldwell Bay hedge between Maytrees and the Bird Club hides and a couple of Common Snipe.

A Stanford Reservoir there were three Oystercatchers, two Shelducks, two Lesser Whitethroats and two Cetti's Wartblers. Harrington Airfield now has at least eight singing Willow Warblers back on territory plus a Wheatear, two Redpolls and a Raven but with no apparent sign of the female Ring Ouzel today.

A male Common Redstart was on view briefly at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell this afternoon plus three Redwings and two Fieldfares, and two Short-eared Owls remain on private land west of Lamport.

Four Waxwings were still at Warth Park, Raunds this morning but weren't seen later, a male Common Redstart was at Stanwick Pits near to the A45 causeway and birds at Summer Leys LNR included a Greenshank, a Whimbrel, a Cuckoo, a Great White Egret, a Common Sandpiper, two Little Ringed Plovers, two Redpolls and a reported Sandwich Tern. A Cuckoo and Grasshopper Warbler were at the back of Mary's Lake and one or two Common Sandpiper(s) and two Green Sandpipers were on the Earls Barton New Workings.

Another male Common Redstart was found at Honey Hill, Cold Ashby this morning and a Grasshopper Warbler was at Oundle in a field between Prince William school and the River Nene. A Lesser Whitethroat was at Clifford Hill Pits this morning.

Regards

Neil M

One of two Grass Snakes
in the Brampton Valley
 below Lamport. Image
courtesy of Eleanor.

Lots of butterflies
on the wing today
including plenty of
Orange-tips.

Black-headed Gull courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Black-tailed Godwit (and Avocet)
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Birds of a warm spring day

Hello

Another day of pleasant temperatures and weather and the female Ring Ouzel at Harrington Airfield performed rather well to all-comers as she gleaned the areas around Bunkers Two and Three. A gentle, quiet approach and keeping still provides the best views.

A male Ring Ouzel was again in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton near to Shrike Hedge at lunchtime with three Yellow Wagtails there too and later a Short-eared Owl flew through. Two Short-eared Owls and a Jack Snipe and six Common Snipe were west of Lamport but no Short-eared Owls were seen at Blueberry Farm today. A Curlew moved north along the Brampton Valley below Brixworth this morning.

An Avocet was a good find at Stanwick Pits where it remained on Layby Pit for much of the day. Other birds included a Shelduck, a Common Sandpiper and two Redshanks.

At Titchmarsh Reserve at Thrapston Pits birds included a pair of Egyptian Geese, two pairs of Oystercatchers, a Common Sandpiper, a Kingfisher and a Great White Egret. The female Ring-necked Duck remained on Cotton Reel Lake at Ditchford Pits and other birds on the complex were a Cuckoo and a Cattle Egret.

A drake Red-crested Pochard again showed up at Earls Barton New Workings where there were also singles of Common Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper.

Yet again an Osprey was seen over the dam at Pitsford Reservoir, with almost consecutive day sightings usually in the afternoons. A male Wheatear was on unused land next to Morrisons Warehouse on the Willlowbrook Estate at Corby early this afternoon and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was heard drumming at Yardley Chase early this morning. 

Two Cetti's Warblers were at Sywell Country Park this afternoon, a Siskin, four Ravens and a Grey Wagtail were at Cottesbrooke and Stanford Reservoir hosted a Great White Egret, two Common Sandpipers, two Shelduck, two Cetti's Warblers and four Ravens.

Regards

Neil M

Chiffchaff courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Female Sparrowhawk
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

More Tree Sparrow boxes
went up today as we fight
to keep this species in the
county!

A trotting Fox or a Foxtrot?
Either way he kept a watchful
eye on me as he trotted past!

A warm April day

Hello

As forecast a much warmer day and with some nice sunshine too brought forth a number of insects and the birds were in full voice.

There were no reported positive sightings of the Purple Heron at Stanford Reservoir today and in some  respects it was Harrington Airfield that stole the show with the remaining female Ring Ouzel around Bunker Three, a low profile male Common Redstart near Bunker One and a Short-eared Owl again this evening.

Two Cattle Egrets and a Great White Egret were at Summer Leys LNR, three Little Ringed Plovers were on Earls Barton New Workings and two Common Sandpipers and two Wheatears were at Clifford Hill Pits. A Nightingale was at Stanwick Pits this morning, along the old railway line between the A6 road bridge and the main car park and a Grasshopper Warbler was 'reeling' on the other side of the A6 near to the Greenway Bridge over the River Nene on the Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve at Ditchford Pits.

An Arctic Tern remained at Eyebrook Reservoir, there was a pair of Mandarin Ducks in the Welland Valley below Middleton and at Hollowell Reservoir an Osprey flew south this afternoon and two Common Sandpipers were on the dam.

A Brambling was at Braunston and two Ravens and a Kingfisher were near Cottesbrooke village. Blueberry Farm near Maidwell continued to host a Short-eared Owl today where there were also two Wheatears, and two Short-eared Owls re-appeared west of Lamport after a day's absence. At least two Siskins were feeding in a garden on the eastern outskirts of Northampton.

Regards

Neil M

Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Brown Hare.

Muntjac.

All images courtesy
of Tony Stanford and
from Pitsford Reservoir
today.

April migrants

Hello

For those that were patient enough to wait the Purple Heron showed itself at Stanford Reservoir a couple of times today. Other birds on-site included two Shelduck and eleven Yellow Wagtails.

Pitsford Reservoir didn't really compare but there was an Osprey again around the dam today plus two Yellow-legged Gulls (adult and second calendar year) and an un-ringed but fairly tame female Wood Duck and a Grey Wagtail.

Another Grey Wagtail was at Kelmarsh Hall where there were two Siskins and a Raven. A single Short-eared Owl at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell appears to be the only bird left in the immediate area with none at Lamport today and none seen at Harrington Airfield either. A Grey Wagtail was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton with a Jack Snipe and four Common Snipe further along the valley below Lamport. A Siskin was mobile in Hanging Houghton village.

Harrington Airfield provided a male Common Redstart between the Chippings Compound and Bunker One and a Ring Ouzel moving around between Bunkers Two and Three. A Wheatear, a Yellow Wagtail and about six Fieldfares were there too.

In the Nene Valley the Cattle Egret and two Little Ringed Plovers were at Summer Leys LNR and a Black-tailed Godwit was on the Titchmarsh LNR at Thrapston Pits with two Common Terns on the complex too. Three Common Sandpipers and two Wheatears were at Clifford Hill Pits and four Oystercatchers were at Upton Country Park.

Regards

Neil M

Kestrel.

Robin.

Chiffchaff.

Grey Heron.

All images courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Purple Heron

Hello

Another day of strong weather with powerful south-west gusts, squally showers and periods of sunshine.

The best find of the day was undoubtedly a Purple Heron found at Stanford Reservoir, spending time in both counties, but it wasn't seen during the latter part of the day but could still be present in the reservoir reed beds. Other birds there included a Lesser Whitethroat, yet another early migrant in a spring with plenty of premature arrivals.

In the Nene Valley a small influx of terns at Thrapston Pits increased to a dozen birds and appeared to include both Common and Arctic Terns and like most waters there was a good concentration of hirundines of all three common species.

Clifford Hill Pits attracted an Arctic Tern, two Common Terns, two Little Ringed Plovers, two Ringed Plovers, three Common Sandpipers, three White Wagtails and two Yellow Wagtails. It seems the terns had departed by this evening.

Earls Barton Pits attracted an early Hobby, a Peregrine, a Little Gull, a Cattle Egret and common hirundines and warblers and the female Ring-necked Duck was again on Cotton Reel Lake at Ditchford Pits.

Pitsford Reservoir seemed to suffer a quiet day with plenty of Swallows and martins to enjoy but not much else! The adult Yellow-legged Gull was still present and was seen mating with a Lesser Black-backed Gull - creating another identification headache for the future perhaps! A Raven and a Little Egret was all I could find and no sign of any terns! A single Common Tern was at Hollowell Reservoir this evening and an Arctic Tern was seen at Eyebrook Reservoir.

A sheltered area along the concrete track at Harrington Airfield was the venue for a female Ring Ouzel this morning with four singing Willow Warblers hopefully being returning breeders and also two male Wheatears in the field beyond Bunker Three.

Regards

Neil M

Red-legged Partridges
courtesy of Tony Stanford.

Mistle Thrush courtesy
of Tony Stanford.

Incoming drake Mallard
courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Bathing Robin courtesy
of Robin Gossage.