Familiar Territory

 I was catching up with an old school friend yesterday so didn't manage to get out for any nature spotting. Today was a different matter however and I made the now familiar journey over to Oundle on the X4. The morning was mostly sunny though a cold wind did its best to keep temperatures down. My route was pretty much like last weekend though receding flood waters meant that I could walk along the riverbank rather than heading back into town.

Mandarins

Barnwell Country Park was once again very busy and I  only did a quick circuit before moving on. Highlights were three pairs of Mandarin Ducks, they looked stunning in the spring sunshine. Plenty of Chiffchaffs are now singing and I also heard a small number of Siskins before my travels took me towards the marina. A male Kingfisher was seen from the bridge close to Barnwell Mill but he was flushed by a passer by. In the flooded field at the back of Barnwell Lock a pair of Oystercatchers were feeding and I had some good views of them as I walked past.

Kingfisher and Oystercatcher

At the A605 floods another Oystercatcher arrived when I was there  though all of the Pintails appear to have departed. A drake Shelduck dropped in for a brief visit but the only waders that were present other than the Oyc were a couple of Lapwings. My search for Peregrines resulted in failure and I headed back to Corby in time for a Mother's Day meal.

Shelduck

Oundle Oiks

 Today's weather was not unlike yesterday's though it was a little less cold and the grey skies were a couple of shades lighter. On my bus ride over to Oundle there was plenty of mist but I was delighted to encounter pretty clear conditions when I arrived. My walk mirrored the one that I did last Sunday in that I began at Barnwell CP before checking out the floods and finishing with the Peregrines.

Grey Heron and Great White Egret

There was an increase in the human traffic at the country park with plenty of joggers doing circuits of the perimeter as well as the usual mix of strollers and dog walkers. Singing Chiffchaffs hinted at the spring to come while large numbers of Redwings were a nod to the waning winter. I had several brief views of a Water Rail on the edges of one of the ponds, the park's becoming a fairly reliable site to see them. During an unsuccessful stint in Kingfisher Hide I heard Oystercatchers calling but didn't manage to see them. As the park got busier my urge to stay diminished and I headed off towards the marina. Three Oystercatchers were present on the grass close to the clubhouse before they departed noisily, a Kingfisher was seen close by near Barnwell Mill.

Oystercatchers and dabblers

My travels then took me to the area that overlooks the A605 floods where numbers of Pintail remain high. Growing numbers of Shovellers were also present while both Wigeons and Teal are maintaining their presence. Two Great White Egrets were again noted while at least four Littles were also seen. Presumably the same three Oystercatchers then dropped in and remained for the duration of my stay, the only other waders were a dozen or so Lapwings. A singing Cetti's Warbler was the only other bird of note but I'm sure as the spring develops more interesting stuff will appear. My efforts to see the local Peregrines initially came to nothing but were eventually rewarded when the female appeared and posed for some pics. I then left to catch my bus home, I'm sure more visits will follow soon.

Pintail and Peregrine

Ravensthorpe Return

 On Thursday afternoon in the mild and sunny conditions I saw my first butterfly of the year, a Peacock, from the window at work. No chance of that on Saturday when the weather took on a far more wintery feel with grey skies and much cooler conditions prevailing. Alan and I made a second visit to Ravensthorpe reservoir where a Slavonian Grebe has been present for several weeks and then popped into nearby Hollowell for a second look at the Red-throated Diver.

Slavonian Grebe

It took a while to catch up with the grebe but eventually Shozzer found it off the reedbed on the eastern side of the res. We watched it on and off for some time though it remained distant and my record shots were correspondingly poor. Other birds noted on our visit included a Tawny Owl, several Ravens, Siskin and a Grey Wagtail. If the grebe turned out to be a little tricky to find the diver was anything but as it slept off Guilsborough Point. Once again it was rather distant but we had reasonable views through the scope and at least it was a dryer experience than last time! Eventually we decided that we had seen enough and opted to return to Corby for a pint in the 'spoons. Not a great day for photography but two very decent county birds and well worth the effort.

Red-throated Diver

Pintails And Peregrines

After yesterday's excellent day it was always going to be something of a struggle to match it and I decided not to bother. Today's travels took me only as far as Oundle where I took in Barnwell CP as well as a walk along the Nene. The first day of meteorological spring delivered a pleasantly mild and sometimes sunny morning, I managed to avoid the rain.

Pintails

Barnwell was a bit quiet with just a singing Chiffchaff and a Siskin to report. Close by at the South Bridge a female Mandarin was present on the floods which covered an adjacent field while a Redpoll flew over. I tried to walk along the river but floodwater halted my progress and I was unable to reach the A605 floods. Plan B took me back into town and I did eventually manage to get to a spot which overlooked the flooded area. About forty Pintail were mixed in with the more usual dabblers and this is by some margin the largest number of this elegant duck that I've seen in the county so far. Aside from the numerous Wigeon and Shovellers there were lesser numbers of Teal and Mallards as well as two Great White Egrets.

Wigeon and Shovellers

A little later on I paid a visit to the local Peregrines where the female was present and showing reasonably well. I watched her for a while before she was joined by the male who made the briefest of visits before heading off again. The female departed soon after and I followed her example by heading to the bus stop where a tardy X4 eventually arrived to take me home.

Peregrine

That Will Take Some Beating!

 Although today's weather was far from ideal at times it's fair to say that the birding more than made up for any unpleasantness. Alan and I decided to begin our day at Kinewell Lake, Ringstead where several good birds have appeared over the last week or so. Pick of the bunch was a Red-necked Grebe which was first found last weekend but had the decency to stay until today at least.

Red-necked Grebe

We arrived in rather moist conditions but our waterproofs proved up to the task as we made our way towards the boardwalk from where the grebe has been seen most often. True to form the bird showed well and we watched it for some time while waiting for the rain to ease and when it did I managed to get off a few record shots of my first in the county for several years. A check of the rest of the lake produced distant views of the reported Ring-necked Duck, we had better views later on from the bank closest to the car park. Other birds seen in the general area included a drake Goosander while I heard my first singing Chiffchaff of the year too.

Ring-necked Duck, Bean and White-fronted Geese

Next stop on our Nene Valley tour was at Denford or rather a lay by just out of the village on the Thrapston road. A flock of White-fronted Geese in company with a Tundra Bean have been showing here for some days now and we were keen to catch up with them. Fortune favoured us and the birds showed fairly well as they fed in a flooded field close to the river. From here we moved on to Summer Leys where the Glossy Ibis showed very well from the screen hide and provided the perfect end to what had been a very good day. A celebratory pint followed in the Coach and Horses in Wellingborough before we set off for Corby and home.

Glossy Ibis

Spring's On The Way

 A pleasantly mild and sunny morning which had a distinctly springlike feel to it that tempted me into risking the vagaries of the Stagecoach timetable and popping along to Wellingborough. My riverside stroll took me along the Nene as far as Chester House Lake and if the birding didn't deliver much of note at least I enjoyed the exercise.

Reed Bunting.

I knew the Glossy Ibis was favouring Summer Leys but hoped that the Cattle Egret might put in one of its occasional appearances to the area - it didn't! Reed Buntings were in good voice as I walked along the Embankment and were joined by at least one Cetti's Warbler. A male Stonechat showed briefly before disappearing from view, I didn't see anymore on my travels. In fact very little else of note was recorded apart from the regular Great White Egret and I made my way back into town where I caught the bus back to Corby.

American Wigeon...Eventually!

 Alan Shorrock and I were planning to pop over to Ravensthorpe Res to see the Slav Grebe and Red-throated Diver but the former didn't seem to hang around and the latter was seen flying off early this morning. We were then left to decide between the Clifford Hill Lesser Scaup and the Eyebrook American Wigeon, after some deliberation we chose to try for the wigeon. Unusually for recent excursions it stayed dry for the most part and the sun even put in an appearance or two making for a much pleasanter experience.

Scaup and Smew

An early report confirmed that the wigeon was still present but it managed to defy the combined efforts of both Shozzer, I and other hopefuls to find it. At least six Smew and eleven Scaup did show and while they were distant at first we did get closer views of both a little later on. The inflow provided sightings of the now long staying immature Whooper Swan and also the trio of Pink-footed Geese as well as a pair of Pintail.  We then had another look for the wigeon but eventually decided that it was going to elude us and headed for the 'spoons instead.

Whooper Swan and Pink-footed Geese

We were sitting in the pub and enjoying a beer when news came through that the American Wigeon had been found north of the island. Pints were duly sunk and a hasty return took us back to the res where we managed to catch up with the exotic American visitor. By now the light was failing but the wigeon showed well enough, several duff record shots were taken before the arrival of the rain. Having had more than enough of the wet stuff recently we waved the white flag at this point and headed back to Corby content with our day's haul.

American Wigeon record shots.