Close...But Not Quite Close Enough!

 In a desperate attempt to see damselflies before the end of the month I took an after work stroll along the stream at Weldon. My efforts came frustratingly close to success as I had sightings of two shiny winged tenerals but my views were so brief I couldn't identify them. Given that no amount of swearing could make them either stop or reappear my first records of any species will have to wait until May - hopefully this Sunday!

Little Gull and Stonechat.

Hardly any butterflies were noted at either Weldon or on a stop near the STW and all of the wildlife highlights were birds. Weldon hosted two Lesser Whitethroats and a singing Sedge Warbler while the area near the STW provided views of a Garden Warbler. No photos today so I've included a couple from recent days out.

Thank Heavens For Little Gulls

 Alan Shorrock and I braved the cool wind to venture out to Summer Leys where we enjoyed some good birding and (eventually!) some good weather too. While a couple of uncommon waders were much appreciated it was a small flock of Little Gulls that pleased me the most.

Lapwing and Spotted Redshank record dross

We began at Rotary Hide where Alan picked out a distant Wood Sandpiper on the opposite shoreline. A Yellow Wagtail also favoured the same area and these were the only birds of note seen from here. Pioneer Hide did not provide much of interest and we left fairly quickly, a tip off from another birder had us heading off towards the Screen Hide. Four adult Little Gulls were viewed from here as they fed actively alternating these feeding flights with periods of rest. I'm not a huge gull fan but these delicate beauties are another matter entirely. Scoping the many terns fishing over the main lake produced at least four Arctic Terns of which three were seen by another birder departing over Mary's Lake. Also on view from this hide was the reported Spotted Redshank on one of the islands in front of the hide. Unfortunately that lethal combo of heat haze and distance once again dogged my record shot endeavours as the accompanying dross will testify!

Little Gull gallery with Arctic tern in lower pic.

Alan was lucky enough to spot a Hobby flying over the scrape and had also seen a Raven which I contrived to miss - perhaps some new binoculars might be in order? Garden Warbler was heard singing in scrub near Mary's Lake and was one of many warblers on site. Having left Summer Leys we made a brief stop at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows where we had a nice stroll but didn't add anything new to our tally. Some butterflies responded to the warm afternoon sun and these included several Speckled Woods but no new additions to my year list.

Another Little Gull/Arctic Tern record and
Alan's pick of Black-heads making little gulls!

Aye Aye Skipper

 A cool wind continues to blow and did so throughout my walk today. I wanted to see if any Large Red Damselflies had emerged yet and so spent most of my time at Priors Hall. Sadly no damsel sightings to report though I did a little better on the butterfly front noting two new species for the year.

Ringed Plover record shot and Rabbit.

My day began with a check of local industrial sites and I was able to confirm that the Ringed Plovers are still about. Today they had chosen to forsake their normal spot for a neighbouring field where they showed distantly. Leaving the plovers behind I moved on to Priors Hall where an initial look at the quarry produced Sand Martins and little else. With the early blue skies now giving way to clouds my prospects of seeing much looked unlikely but persistence paid off eventually. During a brief sunny spell a Grizzled Skipper stopped for a short time but didn't hang around. Soon after my first Speckled Wood of the year settled briefly on a path before flitting away. It turned out to be the first of about ten suggesting that there had been a good emergence recently. There were not too many other butterflies to be seen apart from a few Peacocks and a Green-veined White. Best bird around the ponds was a Grasshopper Warbler which gave a few short bursts of song but stayed quiet for most of the time. Other wildlife highlights were a Common Lizard and a Brown Hare. While walking back towards Weldon another quick peek at the quarry produced distant views of a Common Sandpiper.

Grizzled Skipper, Speckled Wood and Green-veined White

By now the sunnier spells were becoming a bit longer in duration so I called into Weldon which turned out to be equally free of damsels and most other things too for that matter. A Comma was seen in the pocket park and an Orange-tip was noted near the A43 pond while the pond itself held the usual birds though Tufted Duck numbers had increased and there was a partially leucistic drake Gadwall.

Tufted Duck and Gadwalls

Norfolk Bound

 A first visit to Norfolk this year in the company of my brother David and former resident of this parish John Barn. The weather for the most part stayed fine even if the wind got a little cooler in the afternoon. We enjoyed a decent day's birding which delivered a steady supply of interesting stuff to look at.

Stonechat and Reed Bunting

Our first highlight was a roadside Barn Owl seen in the fens between Peterborough and Guyhirn. We made our first stop of the day at Dersingham Bog where we spent an interesting forty minutes or so strolling around. Best bit was seeing four Woodlarks but they were ably supported by my first Cuckoo and Grasshopper Warbler of the year as well as Stonechat and Crossbills while a Siskin flew over the car park. From here we moved on to Holme where David had arranged to meet Mr Barn.

Ring Ouzel and Cuckoo.

John had already seen what he thought was a probable Ring Ouzel before we arrived and it didn't take long for a sighting of a female to confirm his suspicion. We walked along the coastal path towards the reserve seeing some good birds as we went. Two more singing Grasshopper Warblers and my first Lesser Whitethroat of the year were heard and Cuckoo was heard and then seen. The Cuckoo was later joined by a second bird and they had a bit of an aerial spat before going their separate ways. Two Grey Partridges were my first for several years while singles of Ruff and Greenshanks were the only ones that we saw today. Having arrived at the observatory and paid for our permits we set off back towards the car park. Along the way we picked up two fine male Ring Ouzels, a male Wheatear and a Whimbrel.

Greenshank and Marsh Harrier

Before going on to Titchwell there was a detour to a spot near Brancaster where we sadly failed to find the reported Wryneck but did get an overflying Mediterranean Gull. There were quite a few more Meds at Titchwell which also hosted four Sandwich Terns. While the reserve did not really scale the heights that it has in the past it wasn't too bad. John saw and I heard Bearded Tit and there was a decent sized flock of mixed waders that included Sanderlings and Knots amongst their number. There was not much on the sea other than an immature drake Eider though we didn't linger too long at the beach as the wind was pretty cold. We didn't add too much more to our day list though all three of us were content with our haul. Not much other wildlife was seen other than Brown Hares, Muntjacs and a few Peacocks. Apologies for the rather poor nature of some of the record shots but with the hides closed at both reserves it was difficult to get close to the subjects!

Blackcap and Muntjac

Slim Pickings

 An after work stroll around Weldon failed to produce any new butterflies or damselflies while a walk around the scrubby area near the STW was similarly unproductive. While there were a few of the established butterflies flitting around insect numbers in general seemed low. Presumably the frosty mornings are still have a negative effect on the emergence of many species. Highlights were several male Orange-tips but other than that there was very little to report. I'm hoping that the weekend will bring about a change of fortunes!

Orange-tip.

Paint It Black

Today was the last day of my long weekend and I finished with a trip over to Aldwincle in the company of Alan Shorrock. It turned out to be pretty hot too and I had to reach for the sun cream for the first time so far this year. Happily for us there were a few good birds to see both on the reserve and also at the nearby Thrapston Town Lake.

Sedge Warbler and Greenshank

Plenty of Sedge Warblers were singing and one posed very nicely indeed, it looks as if this might be a decent year for them. Unfortunately we couldn't find any Garden Warblers despite searching though I'm sure that we'll catch up with one soon enough. A Greenshank feeding on a small pool near the North Hide was my first of the year. Alan picked out a Raven as it passed over and there was also at least one Great White Egret to enjoy. Butterflies seen here included Peacock, Small White and Small Tortoiseshell.

Great White Egret and Green-veined White

Moving round to the Town Lake where a search of the vegetation did not produce any sightings of damselflies, it wasn't entirely without reward however as I did see only my second Green-veined White of the year. While scanning through the many Common Terns and Black-headed Gulls feeding around the lake I picked out a couple of Black Terns. While both were present for at least three hours they were always at a distance and while views through the scope were good the pics were dire! Heat haze and distance are never a happy combination for the would be record shot snapper. Having had our fill of these dusky beauties we called it quits bringing to a close a very successful long weekend's birding.

More dodgy record shots - Black Terns

Busy

 This morning dawned bright and clear in Corby but by the time I'd reached Oundle it had turned somewhat foggy. Viewing conditions varied from challenging to almost impossible at times and much of my birding was by ear. Happily it did clear up eventually and it developed into another beautifully sunny day.

A morning of contrasts.

A Sedge Warbler near the north bridge was one of three present along the Nene, there was a Reed Warbler near Ashton Mill. Close by a Cetti's was again near the weir and I even managed to get a glimpse of it at one point though not for long. Several Mandarins were seen on my walk, all were males suggesting that the females might be busy elsewhere. Thick fog meant initially that I wasn''t be able to check the floods near Barnwell lock but I hung around for a bit gambling that it might lift and happily for me it did. The pair of Redshanks were still present and they had been joined by a Green Sandpiper. Other waders were three Snipe and rather more Lapwings. Commonest duck was Teal with about thirty around though the most attractive was a Shelduck which was feeding actively for the half hour or so that I was there. Final bird of note along the river was a Common Tern feeding on the stretch close to the marina.

Swallow and Grey Heron

With the sun out and getting warm I popped into Barnwell CP to see if any damselflies were on the wing. If any were then I'm sad to say that I missed them because I didn't see any, mind you it is still a little early for them. Birds were mainly of the common or garden variety though once again Blackcaps seemed fairly common and I saw another three Mandarins though little else. Having left the park I found my first Green-veined White while heading back into town.

Green-veined White and Willow Warbler

Still thinking about those damsels I broke my journey with a stop at Weldon where a look around the pond at the Woodland Park was as successful as the Barnwell one. More butterflies were now active though I couldn't add any more species to my year list. There seemed to be plenty of Willow Warblers about and I spent several minutes trying with some success to photograph one. At this point an offer of a trip over to Daventry CP brought about a change of plan and I and my brother headed off for what was only my second ever visit to this site.

Shag (with Cormorants)

Best bird was a first winter Shag, only my second in the county, which spent most of its time snoozing on one of the tern rafts. It was hard to get a decent pic unfortunately as the bird was obscured by the chicken wire sides and also the wooden structure of the raft itself. At times it looked almost as if the bird was in jail with a posse of Cormorants serving as the guards! A Common Sandpiper on the dam was my first of the year and showed quite well and there were also a couple of Common Terns. By now after a full day out I was getting fairly hungry so we packed up the gear and headed home.

Common Sandpiper and Common Terns

Reality Check

 After yesterday's excitements today was always going to be something of an anticlimax, I'm not sure how you could go about topping a Northants Bee-eater even if it was a heard only job. In all fairness today was by my usual standards pretty good as I walked from Upper Benefield to Corby Old Village. This morning dawned frost free for a change and I enjoyed some pleasant spring conditions on my stroll.

Yellowhammer and skulking Tree Sparrow

The Tree Sparrow colony on the edge of Upper Benefield seems to be in good health and I saw quite a few in the large trees on the Glapthorn road. Several more were seen between here and Deenethorpe and I managed to get a record shot of one. Checking the sheep field a little way along the Deenethorpe road produced a distant Yellow Wagtail and not long afterwards I saw my first Whitethroat of the year.  With the sunshine by now becoming warm I expected to encounter a few butterflies and an Orange-tip near Deene Lake inflow was my first of the day. Few birds at the inflow other than a good number of Teal though there were four Shelducks on the main lake.

Orange-tip and Brimstone

My walk along the A43 was far from pleasant though it was made slightly less so by the sighting of a Common Lizard near the entrance to Priors Hall golf course. At Priors Hall itself a Reed warbler was singing from the reedbed at the largest pond. Snipe were flushed from three of the ponds though they could all perhaps have been the same unlucky bird. Redpoll was heard and there was a good sized population of Willow Warblers on site. An attempt to find a Large Red Damselfly sadly failed though I did manage to see four species of butterfly. Checking the quarry on my way past yielded some Sand Martins and a Little Ringed Plover.

Small White and Comma

While walking alongside the A43 towards Weldon I saw a Small White as well as Brimstones and Orange-tips. In the village itself I added Small Tortoiseshell to my day list though a search for Holly Blues drew a blank. There were greatly reduced numbers of both Gadwalls and Tufted Ducks at the A43 pond though a pair of Shovellers were a very welcome addition. Shovellers remain pretty rare in the Corby area and this was only my fourth sighting at this pond. On my way home I paused briefly near the STW where my search for Green Hairstreaks was as successful as my one for Holly Blues.

Shovellers

Summer Returns

 My brother and I ventured out to Summer Leys today hoping to catch up with a few decent birds - it's safe to say that our mission succeeded! After a rather frosty though bright start the morning gradually warmed up becoming pleasant and springlike and by the end of our walk our coats had been discarded.

Great White Egret and Blackcap.

On our initial circuit of the reserve we were treated to good views of a Great White Egret on the scrape and David picked out my first Common Terns of the year over the main lake. Walking on produced a small flock of four Yellow Wagtails feeding in a ploughed field though no sign of the reported Blue-headed. A singing Sedge Warbler was my first of this year near the Sand Martin colony though I was annoyed to miss out on an Otter that everyone else managed to see. Several Cetti's Warblers were heard taking our warbler total up to five. Having completed the circular walk a quick check of the Northants Birds site showed that interesting birds had been found in our absence so we had to head back to the scrape for another peek.

Oystercatcher, Redshank and Snipe.

The pair of Garganey which have spent a fair bit of time here over the past week or more had flown in and it seems as if the effort tired them out because they spent most of their time sleeping! Also here was a nice sum plum Black-tailed Godwit as well as some very obliging Snipe. I heard and my brother saw a Little Ringed Plover while someone else heard Mediterranean Gulls passing by. Wandering back round to the Rotary Hide produced good though distant views of a pair of adult Med Gulls, surely these are one of the most attractive of the larids? News that a reported Ring Ouzel at the Earls Barton GP over the road was showing made our next choice of destination an easy one.

Garganeys and Black-tailed Godwit.

The male Ring Ouzel, like the Meds, showed well if distantly and I managed a few dodgy record shots. My brother heard Med Gull again though it was not the best bird to be heard today as our good day became an very good one. We heard a Bee-eater call three times as it it passed over in a westerly direction. Attempts to find it in the blue vault failed though there was no doubt about its ID. We're both familiar with this species having had extensive experience of them around the Med and also on a couple of occasions in the UK. No Avocets or Starlings were present in the vicinity so any remote chance of confusion with possible soundalikes could be ruled out. This was our final find of the day though it's safe to say that we ended on a high! Apart from that Otter the only other wildlife of note was a male Brimstone on the reserve.

It's record shot time - Med Gulls and Ring Ouzel.