Barnwell Otter Again.

Another Monday at Barnwell where beautiful sunshine was the welcome order of the day and the wind had thankfully dropped too. While it was cold, particularly in the shade, it was a very pleasant experience wandering around the park.

My first stop was the Kingfisher Hide where I once again hoped to see some otter activity. First mammal on view was one of the many Grey Squirrels the inhabit the park as it joined the Dunnocks and Robins on the logs in front of the hide. Two pairs of Shoveller were a welcome distraction while a Great Spotted Woodpecker was busily drumming in the surrounding trees. Whilst looking at a Robin  I noticed some movement beyond it and also heard a crunching noise. The cause was an Otter fairly close in to the bank but typically it didn't loiter for more than a second or two before it swam off.  Luckily for me it stayed  feeding around on and off for about twenty minutes and I had some good views. Kingfisher was heard at least once though sadly it didn't hang around.

Dunnock, Shoveller and Blue Tit.

Winter chill was making itself felt by now and I decided to have a bit of a stroll with a view to getting some circulation going again. Quite a lot of the commoner birds were seen including both Siskins and Redwings while a Green Woodpecker called somewhere in the distance. Seeing as the feeders in front of Lowlands Hide were back and also filled I popped in for a spell.

Otter.

Nuthatches made frequent visits and their messy habit of feeding which involves lots of seeds flying in all directions proved very popular with the hungry Mallards waiting below. Male and female Reed Bunting popped in for a visit while several Robins chased each other around the area. At least ten Dunnocks were feeding around the bird table's base while a male Blackbird foraged loudly amongst the fallen leaves. With a few bits and bobs to do and more than happy with my haul I made my way back to Oundle and the bus.

Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Ducking and Diving

For a third day in a row I found myself at Hanging Houghton and once again with Alan. Having heard what was probably the Lapland Bunting yesterday we returned hoping to confirm our suspicions. What we hadn't anticipated was the howling gale which kept most of the passerines grounded and meant that any bird calls were extremely difficult to hear.  The shrike did show at a distance though the wind was keeping it close to the ground and it was out of sight for long periods.

A windy Hanging Houghton, Goldfinches and another rubbish shrike shot.

We managed to see plenty of Yellowhammers and also a few Tree Sparrows but could not find any of the other goodies so accepting that things were not going to improve headed back to the car. A single Brambling made several trips down to the seed in front of the barn but never for any length of time. From here we made our way over to Brixworth Country Park where a pit stop was made at the busy café there. Suitably fortified we once more braved the conditions and set out to have a look at Pitsford reservoir.

Pitsford Res, Pochard with Dabchick.

There was a large flock of Tufted Ducks and Pochards in Pintail Bay and these were searched through in case the reported Ring-necked Duck was amongst them. The bird was eventually found sleeping close to the other side of the bay and so we made our way around hoping for better views.  Happily the bird showed well from here and we watched it on and off for over an hour. A scan across the res also produced distant views of one of the Great Northern Divers which turned out to be a nice way to finish the day.

Drake Ring-necked Duck.

Shrike Take Two

Rather a quick return to the latest county hotspot of Hanging Houghton though this time in the company of Alan Shorrock. Once again photographic opportunities were limited as the light was often quite poor and the birds either distant or just too flighty.

Views from Blatherwycke churchyard.

Our main target was the Great Grey Shrike which proved to be rather more elusive than yesterday though we did eventually get some good but always distant views. Unfortunately there were a few people about that seemed to want better views and their habit of chasing the bird around meant that the bird never really got any closer. The pruk pruk of a passing Raven was one of the highlights, although sightings are becoming more regular nowadays they're still one of my favourites.

Distant Mandarins.

We hung around for some time but were unable to see the Corn Buntings though scanning of the hedges did produce more sightings than yesterday of Tree Sparrow. At one point both Al and I heard a strange bird call which after some investigation later in the day turned out likely to be the Lapland Bunting but I would like to hear more before I was totally satisfied. For the second time in as many days the large metal barn held at least one Brambling though they were still very nervous.

Black Swans.

After Hanging Houghton we moved on to Willowbrook Industrial here in Corby where we checked a few spots for Waxwings. Searching produced sightings of Blackbirds and Redwings but not much else. From here we moved on to Blatherwycke Lake where cat C wildfowl was once again dominant. At least ten Mandarins were here and there were also three Black Swans and two Egyptian Geese. There was also plenty of the commoner wildfowl on the lake and some Lapwing too. A quick look at the churchyard did not produce much.

Blackbird.

The final stop on our  little tour was near Kingscliffe where we had an abortive search for further Ravens, sadly these failed to show and so we headed home shortly afterwards.

Red Kite.

A Grand Day Out.

For all lovers of top quality photographs I have to issue an apology, today had some very good birds but no real opportunities for photography so once again I'll be serving up some duff record type shots. Phil Rogers and I for the second day running did a spot of local birding and began our day at Hanging Houghton.

View near Hanging Houghton.

Our main target here was the Great Grey Shrike that's been present for a few days ably supported by a very good cast of other species. A Corn Bunting sharing its hedge with Yellowhammers and at least one Tree Sparrow was the first highlight. Sadly this species is on the brink of disappearing from the county so all sightings are to be celebrated. Another observer had seen the Lapland Bunting that has been in the area for a few days and this bird was also picked out by someone else a little later on. Unfortunately, despite a search which included a wander across the field by several determined sorts there was no further sign. On the plus side the shrike showed well though distantly and was my first in the county since the Deenethorpe bird of several years ago.

Not one of my best! Distant Great Grey Shrike.

Returning to the car we found at least two Bramblings amongst the many Chaffinches feeding on seed next to the barn. Attempts to get a decent photo were thwarted by the seemingly nervous nature of the flock which kept flying up at the least sign of disturbance. Once we'd finished at Hanging Houghton we moved on to Saddington Reservoir near Market Harborough.

Chaffinch flock with two Bramblings.

Goosanders were the main draw as a large flock had been reported here and given that they've been scarce elsewhere it seemed a good idea to pay them a call. Thankfully the birds were still on site and we found a total of thirty birds which showed rather distantly but well enough through the scopes. Time was beginning to ebb away by this point and we began the homeward journey by way of Eyebrook where Phil took the chance to replenish the bird feeders.

Saddington Reservoir and some of its Goosanders.

Views of Smews and Owl Ogling

An after work sortie with Phil Rogers to have a look at some local Short-eared Owls. The location for these is being withheld as it's considered that the site would be unable to cater for lots of birders/photographers showing up. Having now visited I have to say it seems a pretty sensible decision.

Eyebrook Reservoir and drake Goldeneye.

As the owls usually start to perform towards sunset we thought it best to pop into Eyebrook and find some Smews. It seems as if they were only too happy to oblige as we found a total of sixteen with six adult drakes on show. As I mentioned in a previous post Eyebrook is a very reliable spot for this species and at the moment it's the best in the UK. Whilst looking at these attractive ducks Phil found another classy species when he picked out an adult Mediterranean Gull. If you're a fan of awful record shots then you will not be disappointed!

Wigeon and Lapwing.

Plenty of Lapwings were present, perhaps over a thousand and they shared the muddy margins with a good sized flock of Golden Plovers. The afternoon sunshine was rather bright and it certainly brought out the colours on the many ducks with the drake Goldeneyes in particular looking stunning. As the sun was just beginning to sink and with a distance to travel we had to leave the res behind and head over to the owls.

Dodgy record shot time, adult Med and eight of the Smews.

Another observer had one of the owls in view as we arrived and from then on we were treated to some decent views of up to three birds for the next twenty minutes or so. My attempts to photograph them were less than fantastic but once again I'll share some of the results here. With darkness beginning to fall the owls disappeared off to roost and we took the decision to head for home.

More dross pics, Shortie on post and one tussling with a crow.

Otter Dodging...Again!

Back to Barnwell this morning where I once again managed to avoid seeing any sign of the otters and didn't so much as hear a Kingfisher. Part of the reason for this may be that much of the pond in front of the Kingfisher Hide was frozen over and that both species were fishing in the nearby Nene.

Early morning around Oundle and Barnwell CP.

Despite the lack of action it was another nice morning once the blood moon obscuring clouds had moved away. There was little new to report, a Coot on the large lake was a Barnwell scarcity and Gadwall numbers had grown while there were five Mandarins (4m) in their usual spot. It looks as if the two feeders in front of Lowlands Hide have either been removed or nicked and as a result there was nothing to see from there.

Siskin, Pied Wagtail and Bullfinch.

Elsewhere in the park there were a lot of the commoner species with both Green and Great-spotted Woodpeckers being heard. Both Siskins and several Redpolls were moving between the alders and I enjoyed watching several Bullfinches stripping buds from bushes near the visitor centre. With rather a lot to do at home today I left after a couple of enjoyable though largely unproductive hours.

Rook and Jackdaw.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning.

I was up in time to catch the sunrise around the Old Village this morning having a check around to see if any Waxwings might have found their way here. Sadly this early bird did not catch it's pointy headed worm though there are at least some berries remaining. One such crop of Rowan berries had been claimed by a Mistle Thrush which itself is a village rarity but it's unlikely to welcome any Waxwings into its tree. Quite a lot of birds around included a flock of Redwings though these looked to be more interested in looking for worms on the charter field.

Village Views

After my failed Waxwing search I boarded the bus and went over to Upper Benefield from where I walked back to Weldon. Much of the early part of the walk was somewhat lacking in birds though I did find a couple of Tree Sparrows at the barn near Burn Coppice. From here I walked along public footpaths until joining the road near Bulwick. Once again there was little to report with just the usual array of farmland birds to see.

Around Upper Benefield.

Deene Lake played host to at least nine Shelducks as well as good numbers of the regular ducks. Tufted Ducks seem to have increased since my last visit and both Wigeon and Shoveller were still present. A Snipe had flown across the road near the bridge while the inflow held a further four. Plenty of Teal were also seen here though I couldn't find any Green Sandpipers.

Deene Lake, a Coal Tit and a Snipe on the telly!

Not many birds at Deenethorpe Airfield though there was a lot of flying going on and this included some large radio controlled jets. An exotic aeroplane in the shape of a Royal Hong Kong Auxillary Air Force Bae Bulldog was far from home while there was also microlights and an autogyro flitting and buzzing about.

Deenethorpe aviation.

Another fairly fruitless walk followed until I reached the end of Bears Lane where a large number of Golden Plovers (ca 150 or so) flew up from a field on the opposite side of the road. Another lovely day to be out and about and another day when the whole was better than the sum of its parts.

Wide open skies near Bulwick.