Still Plugging Away

 Fairly typical April weather this morning with sunshine, showers and a blustery wind to contend with. Not for the first time I took the now very familiar Sunday route from Barnwell along the Nene towards the floods before ending up in the town centre. While it was far from being the most productive of sorties it was still nice to get out into the countryside and blow the cobwebs away. 

Drake Mandarin and Kestrel

Barnwell produced the usual Mandarin ducks with a couple of drakes on view, the females could potentially be sitting on eggs. At least two singing Willow Warblers were also heard adding their voices to that of the now well established Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. I didn't loiter for too long here before moving on towards the Nene where a singing Sedge Warbler may well have been the highlight.

Male and female Swallows

The floods were very quiet with even the regular Oystercatchers appearing to have done a runner. Just nine Teal and a few Mallards made up the wildfowl while a single Lapwing represented the waders. My one success was managing to catch a glimpse of the Cetti's Warbler which has been holding court here for at least a month, another was heard near the lock. Back in the town a pair of Swallows were seen where East Road meets South Road and the pair of Peregrines were back at their favoured spot. My morning came to an end when an unusually prompt X4 arrived to take me home.

Peregrine pair.

Old Meets The New.

 A damp and drizzly start eventually gave way to sunnier and rather blustery conditions today though it always felt rather cool. Alan Shorrock and I took the short hop over the county border to Eyebrook where a decent selection of birds were on offer. April often produces an interesting mix of lingering winter visitors and newly arriving summer migrants and today gave us a taste of both.

Martins and Whooper Swan

We began at Sam's Dyke where a singing warbler had elements of both Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff in its song though its calls more closely resembled the latter. My first Whitethroat of the year, one of at least four on site, was an early highlight while my first House Martins of the year were among the many hirundines feeding low over the reservoir's surface. North of the island a Greenshank was heard and then briefly glimpsed before it flew north while a Lesser Whitethroat was seen and heard singing. The inflow added an Osprey to my year list while a pair of Stonechats showed rather well from the viewing bunker. The long staying Whooper Swan was still present while both a drake and duck Scaup were seen from Hollyoaks.

Stonechat and Spitfire

A brief stop at the bridge did not add much to our list and as neither of us wanted to face the south westerly wind we headed back towards Corby along the Leics bank. We called in at the viewing bunker which looks over the southern side of the island where at least three Yellow Wagtails were the highlight. Two Little Ringed Plovers were also present and we also saw a pair of Oystercatchers. An evening reunion with work mates meant that my time on site was rather limited and we headed back to Corby by way of the 'spoons.

Scaups

Who's The Daddy?

 A blustery and often sunny day with just the occasional shower as once again Northamptonshire appeared to avoid the worst of a named storm which in this case was called Dave. Not for the first and certainly not for the last time I took the short trip to Oundle for a wander around the now very familiar sites.

Mandarins and Mallard x ? hybrid

My stroll around Barnwell CP produced views of three Mandarins from close to the Kingfisher Hide. A hybrid duck  close by had me scratching my head, I could see that a Mallard must have been one of the parents but I couldn't decide what species made up the other half of the pair. A plea to the great and the good on Birdchat Northants did little to clear the water though I did learn that Mallards have been known to hybridise with over a hundred other species - including geese! Plenty of Chiffchaffs and a few Blackcaps were singing around the park but I didn't see much else before I headed off towards the river.

Little Egret and Oystercatchers

At the floods most of the duck had left though about thirty five Teal were still present. The regular pair of Oystercatchers and a Lapwing made up the rather meagre wader list while other birds included a quartet of Little Egrets and two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Passing through the town produced my first Willow Warbler of the year, one was singing in parkland owned by the school close to the town's Co-op store. Neither of the Peregrines were present though they may well have been sheltering from the wind out of view and I caught my bus home before having a family lunch at the George in Weldon.

Migrants

 Alan Shorrock and I paid a call on the Titchmarsh nature reserve this morning hoping to catch up with any incoming summer migrants. The weather stayed dry with the occasional sunny spell and it felt springlike as the country braced itself for the arrival of storm Dave. Our efforts were rewarded with some success but overall the results were a little underwhelming.

Sedge Warbler

Initially we struggled to find much of note, a quartet of Snipe near the north hide providing an isolated early highlight. Blackcaps appeared to have arrived in good numbers and we heard many on our circuit of the site. Near the iron bridge where the town lake joins the reserve we heard one and then another Sedge Warbler. One bird in particular was quite obliging and I managed to get several photographs before we moved on. As we walked back towards the car park Shozzer picked out a Swallow which was my first of the year narrowly beating several Sand Martins, which we saw near their artificial nest site, on to my year list. Nothing else appeared to delay us from taking a trip to the Dukes in Woodford for a welcome pint.

Following In My Own Footsteps

 I am still plugging away at the Oundle area on Sundays although at the moment it's a bit of a slog, I'm still hoping that things will pick up as spring progresses - fingers crossed!. It was certainly greyer than yesterday but mercifully the wind had eased making things a little more comfortable. While the forecast rain did eventually arrive  it was long after I'd got home and caused me no trouble at all.

Tufted Duck and Mandarin

On the north lake at Barnwell CP the Mandarins were for once not the centre of attention, a visit from four park scarcity Tufted Ducks stole their thunder. Also of interest was the arrival of a third Great Crested Grebe which did not go down well at all with the regular pair. I rather enjoyed the sight and the sound of them attempting to drive the interloper away. There was just the one pair of Mandarins on the lake today though I saw two singleton drakes in the area around Kingfisher Hide which could mean that the ducks might be sitting on eggs. As the park got busier I decided to cut my losses and head towards the river.

Chaffinch and Kingfisher

A male Kingfisher was noted from the bridge near Oundle Mill and I got a couple of pics before he sped off down the river, I had a glimpse of it or another near the marina. There was little between the marina and the floods where numbers of wildfowl have dropped considerably since last week. Most of the Wigeon and Shovellers have gone leaving Teal as the commonest species. Waders were few and far between with just the now regular pair of Oystercatchers on view. The only newcomers were a pristine looking pair of adult Herring Gulls which dropped in for two minutes before moving on. My  wildlife spotting day ended in the town where I enjoyed watching the resident Peregrines for half an hour before my bus took me back to Corby.

Oystercatcher and Peregrine porn!

Into The Valley

 Mr Shorrock and I took a trip along to the Nene Valley today and if our day didn't quite hit the skids it was not one of our most successful either. We started at Earls Barton gravel pits and chose the new workings near Whiston Lock to kick things off. Although it was mostly sunny a very cool wind meant that temperatures belonged more to winter rather than spring.

RCP with partner and kids?

A cream-crowned Marsh Harrier was our first bird of note as it moved through the site heading towards Northampton. Waders were represented by Redshank, Lapwing, Oystercatcher and Little Ringed Plover while the most memorable ducks were initially the seventy or more Shovellers dotted around the site. I didn't spend too long looking at the north workings as the wind was too uncomfortable but did at least hear my first Blackcap of the year singing. A walk along the river towards Cogenhoe produced a brief sighting of my first Small Tortoiseshell of the year and also a male and two female Goosanders on the western end of the workings. On the river a drake Red crested Pochard was keeping close company with a duck Mallard and some ducklings, these might cause some head scratching later if they reach adulthood! One final first of the year was of a Bee-fly basking on a sheltered spot next to the Nene.

Bee-fly and Snipe trio

Our travels then took us to a very quiet Summer Leys where we failed to see the Ruff that had been reported earlier in the day. Highlights were few and far between and a sextet of Snipe seen from Paul Britten Hide were the only things of note. Not for the first time a pit stop at the Coach and Horses in Wellingborough ensured that the day came to a most agreeable conclusion!

Motacilla Killer

 It was my one day weekend today and somewhat predictably the mild and sunny conditions of the last few days had evaporated and turned into something rather more seasonal. In the week I saw Peacock and Brimstone on my walk into work while a Tawny Mining Bee paid my garden a visit, today there were no insects of note to report. After a cool and misty start the sun did eventually emerge though it was often rather hazy and it never really felt that warm. I repeated my Sunday routine of the last few weeks and took the X4 to Oundle.

Mandarin and Great Crested Grebe

Barnwell CP hosted the now familiar Mandarins with at least two pairs present on the North Lake but there was little else to report. My walk along the river did not add much to my list while the Oundle floods near the A605 held on to reasonable numbers of wildfowl with the highlight being a snoozing drake Pintail. Waders were limited to a pair of Oystercatchers and half a dozen Lapwings, I hope that other species may drop in as Spring progresses. Satisfied that I'd seen all that I could I opted to head into town for a look at the Peregrines.

Barnwell selection

Initially I managed to see the male Peregrine, I only saw the female when he flew up to strengthen the pair bond with his mate. She remained while the male disappeared and I watched her for a while though she wasn't doing that much. Some calls announced the return of the male who appeared to be carrying prey. He began to pluck the unfortunate victim and paused only to call up to his mate, I wonder if it was some kind of gift for her? To begin with I couldn't work out which species was on the breakfast menu, it was a small passerine but which one? My photos helped me to solve the mystery - it was a Pied Wagtail. I evenyually left the Peregrines and headed towards the bus stop where a punctual X4 arrived to take me home.

Pintail, Peregrine and Pied Wagtail (R.I.P)