Evening At Summer Leys

 Reports of up to six Garganeys on the scrape at Summer Leys as well as several Jack Snipe was reason enough to take an after work trip there in the company of my brother David. Plenty of sunshine made for a pleasant experience though viewing was a little challenging at times as the sun dropped closer to the horizon. Still challenging or otherwise I'm going to miss this weather once winter makes a return!

Drake Garganey and Jack Snipe

Beginning in the Pioneer Hide we did get several distant Garganeys and quickly realised that we would get much closer views from Paul Britten Hide. On the way we saw a Comma and half a dozen Peacocks, I suspect it could be a while before I see my next butterflies. From our new location in the Paul Britten hide we did get good views of at least four Garganeys that were actively feeding in the shallow water. Also showing was a Jack Snipe making that characteristic bobbing motion as it moved furtively through the vegetation at the side of the water. As the birds were backlit by a bright sun it was quite difficult to get pictures but I managed a few OK ones. A Great White Egret dropped in while we were there and was the only one of our visit. Other waders feeding on the scrape included a good number of Snipe and a few Redshanks. We dipped on the Bramblings at the feeding station but that didn't spoil our enjoyment and we left for home feeling pretty happy with the results of our brief excursion.

Redshank, Great White Egret and Peacock.

Misty Beginning

 Alan Shorrock and I ventured out into the mist this morning with the intention of heading out to Eyebrook Res. We thought it best to pay a call to one of the sites here in Corby to give the fog a chance to lift. Our plan did work out though in fairness it was not one of our more interesting excursions with little sign of any migration taking place.

Fallow Deer and Red Kite

Our stop at an industrial site in Corby produced a sighting of a Ringed Plover which was the only bird sighting of interest here. A herd of about ten Fallow Deer were lurking in the fog though they didn't hang around for too long before moving on. We followed their example soon after and headed over to Eyebrook where visibility was pretty good.

Record shot dross - Scaup and Slavonian Grebe

From the car park at Stoke Dry we found a female Scaup snoozing out in the middle, I'm not sure what this species does that makes them so tired but most of the ones that I see are having a kip. Also showing from the same spot was the Slavonian Grebe that has been present here for several weeks. Initially it was out in the middle but fishing boat activity drove it close to the Rutland Bank where it was lost to view. It was visible again later from the opposite shore but the views were far from great. While watching the grebe a Raven gave good views as it flew past whilst being pursued by a crow. Not much else to report today, there were seven Pintail on site but bird numbers in general seemed low. Apologies for the poor quality pics but poor light and distance made things somewhat challenging.

Spring Selection.

 Winter is due to make a return in the week ahead so it was nice to get out and enjoy today's spring like conditions. I caught the bus over to Oundle where I took a brief stroll around Barnwell CP before heading off along the river. Nothing rare to report but I did enjoy sightings of a selection of year firsts.

Mandarins and Blackcap

A Grey Wagtail flying over the south bridge was my first decent find as I walked towards Barnwell. In the park itself a first Blackcap of the year was seen near Mill Lake, it was singing a little but was not going through its full repertoire. Plenty of Chiffchaffs were in song and I heard the Cetti's Warbler again. There was a pair of snoozing Mandarins showing fairly well but not much else to report.

Wren and Reed Bunting

Checking the floods near Lower Barnwell Lock did not produce any Garganeys but a couple of drake Pintails added some understated elegance to the usual ducky suspects. It looks as though the leucisitc Wigeon has moved on but plenty of her more conventionally marked relatives remain in common with decent numbers of Teal and some Shovellers too. It's hard to tell how many Snipe might be lurking in the vegetation around the floods but I saw at least ten today as well as four Redshanks.

Pintail and Bee-fly

While walking from the Nene towards the town my first Brimstone of the year flew past. Although this one didn't stop the second a little later on did and I was able to get a pic. Four were seen in total and these included one in Oundle churchyard where my first Holly Blue of the year was also present. After last years truly dreadful showing it was good to find one so early in the year. This one was clearly a Thora Hird connoisseur as it fed on both dog and bird droppings. Mind you whoever lets their dog unload its breakfast in a graveyard and doesn't pick it up has to ask some questions of themselves - disgraceful behaviour! Other butterflies noted on my wander were a single Comma and three Peacocks while I also found my first Bee-fly of the spring. The only other wildlife to report was a Muntjac seen near the sixth form college. 

Brimstone and Holly Blue

Further Flutterings

 I fancied a quickie after work but instead settled for a walk around the area near the town's STW (sorry couldn't resist having a Carry On moment!). With plenty of warm sunshine on offer and little wind it seemed a perfect opportunity to look for more butterflies. My efforts met with quite a bit of success as I had good views of three species and was able to witness plenty of behaviour too.

Butterfly selection

Peacock was the first species to show and I saw a total of about six around the site, it was good to finally get some photos of them this year. While many were basking on sunlit surfaces others were defending territory and I saw several pairs of sparring insects spiralling upwards as they twisted around each other trying to establish dominance. A similar number of Small Tortoiseshells were also seen during my stroll but these seemed rather more relaxed than their larger cousins with love rather than war seemingly on the agenda. Rounding off my butterfly list for today was a couple of Commas, while these feisty insects are often to be seen taking on all intruders into their territory the ones today seemed quite calm.

Robin and Chiffchaff

Best bird today was a Kingfisher which stayed true to form by speeding off along the stream as soon as it saw me. Several Chiffchaffs were singing and there was also a small flock of Redwings present to remind me that winter could yet play a part before spring fully takes hold of proceedings.

First Family

 I kept things nice and local today with a walk from Weldon to Deene Lake and back via Deenethorpe Airfield. It was a little cloudier than yesterday but the wind was not as cool making for an enjoyable stroll. No migrants to report other than Chiffchaffs but there were some signs of spring to appreciate.

Raven and Pied Wagtail

The early part of my walk was uneventful until I reached the airfield where a Raven was croaking noisily from a communications mast, I saw it in flight a little later on. It was nice to see a pair of Lapwings on territory, their calls are such a welcome sound at this time of year. The inflow at Deene Lake had high water levels and there was no sign of either sandpipers or snipes though Teal numbers remain healthy. Four drake Shovellers were as beautiful as usual and there were at least eight Shelducks present. A pair of Egyptian Geese at the dam had a family of seven goslings with them, this species really does get started early in the year. I watched them for a while before setting off back in the direction of Weldon from where I caught my bus home. 

Shelducks and Egyptian Goose family.

Highlight among the other wildlife today was a group of up to seven Brown Hares chasing each other round and indulging in a spot of boxing, it's so good to see such a large group of this decreasing species. Another mammal featuring on the day list was Fallow Deer when a herd of about ten were seen near Kirby Lane. A few butterflies were on the wing today, my first couple of sightings were frustratingly brief and inconclusive but I managed to see my first Small Tortoiseshells of the year. While the first was off and away before I could get a pic the second in Weldon was more cooperative. Looking at next week's forecast there may well be other sightings to report in the days to come.

Brown Hares and Small Tortoiseshell

Bramblings

 Yesterday (the 19th) Alan Shorrock and I paid a call on Summer Leys after making a short visit to a site in Corby. Although it was clear and sunny for the most part a cool easterly wind insured that our jackets stayed on! Not too much evidence of spring migration today and indeed it was lingering winter visitors that provided the highlight.

Skylark and Ringed Plover

Our first stop at the Corby site provided views of two Ringed Plovers but no Wheatears which I'd hoped might have been brought in on those easterly winds. Plenty of Skylarks were singing though and there were a few Meadow Pipits too. We didn't hang around here too long before moving on to Summer Leys where things were a little on the quiet side.

Shoveller, Goosander, Wigeon and Lapwing.

A female Goosander was seen from Rotary Hide where a selection of commoner duck species were also noted. Alan picked out a distant Great White Egret which was our only one today, most will now be returning to breeding colonies elsewhere. There was not much to see on the scrape other than a couple of Redshanks, other waders on the reserve were Snipe, Lapwings and a Ruff. Walking around to the feeding station turned out to be a good move as we were treated to great views of four Bramblings coming down to food on the ground. I took far more pictures than I would normally but it's not often that I get such great views of these colourful species. We didn't manage to see much else other than a single Peacock butterfly braving the blowy conditions.

Bramblings

First Flutter

 There are always signs that Spring is taking a hold on the land, some are eagerly anticipated and others less so. Whatever they are, be it those first lambs bounding about the fields, singing Chiffchaffs, the local chavs baring their pallid pink xylophone chests or the first butterflies of the year each one marks a step in the right direction. It was a search for the latter that prompted an after work saunter over to the area near the STW.

Comma

A singing Chiffchaff was moving around the area as it hunted for food while a pair of high flying Buzzards were not so high that they didn't trigger some alarm among the local passerines. My search for butterflies was not easy going, there are few sources of nectar available at the moment but I did eventually find a Comma. Happily it posed quite nicely and this or another was seen a little later on. Despite spending a fair amount of time looking for more my efforts met with no further success. Hopefully more will come in the near future as the weather looks set fair for the next few days.

Another Spring Arrival

 Alan Shorrock and I took the short trip over the border to Eyebrook reservoir where we braved the blustery but mostly dry conditions for much of the day. While numbers of ducks are beginning to fall there were still a reasonable number to be seen though waders were few and far between. Although a newly arrived raptor provided the highlight there were other enjoyable moments before we finished on a high note back in Corby.

Snoozing Scaup and slightly more alert Pintails

From the car park at Stoke Dry we managed to find the eight Scaup which had been reported earlier and this is easily the highest number that I've seen inland together. The birds themselves, five drakes and three ducks, were clearly pretty tired as they spent most of our visit fast asleep and only occasionally did one raise a weary head up to either preen or look around. Slightly more alert though seemingly only just were a flock of about twelve Pintail at the sharp end though even these seemed to spend much of their time taking forty winks. Another ducky highlight were a drake and two redhead Smew that Alan picked out close to the eastern shore, it won't be too long before all of these ducks begin to head north so it's good to enjoy them while you can.

Spot the Snipe and distant Osprey

Waders were represented by a single Dunlin and eight Snipe which were seen from the bridge. The bridge or rather the trees near it also had at least two singing Chiffchaffs which are a further sign that there has been something of a broad arrival of this species in the last few days. The Chiffies had to take second place when it came to best migrant today however as an Osprey took the top spot. Alan and I were looking out across the sharp end when nearly all of the birds there took flight. We both looked for the cause but it was Shozzer who spotted the Osprey as it flew south towards the reddish willows on the eastern side. We were able to watch it at distance for some time before it eventually moved out of sight, several very poor record shots were taken to record the event. Less pleased to see the Osprey were some of the hundreds of Common Gulls which had congregated on and around the res as their March migration gathers pace.

Reed Bunting and Great Tit

Having decided to move on from the reservoir we paused for some food at a pub before finishing at our local Peregrine site. One bird showed rather well though it clearly was not enjoying the wind as it moved several times in search of shelter. I managed a few better than average pictures of it before we called it quits and headed for home.

Peregrine

Chiffchaffs Arrive

 A morning spent in the Oundle area included a walk around Barnwell CP where Spring sunshine made for a pleasant experience. Although I had hoped to see a butterfly or two I had to settle for what seems like a good arrival of Chiffchaffs with at least half a dozen birds singing.

Chiffchaff and Great Crested Grebe

At Barnwell CP a Great Crested Grebe was my first here for several years, they have bred here in the past so hopefully this individual will attract a mate. I saw a pair of Mandarins near Kingfisher Hide and once again heard a Cetti's Warbler singing. As I hinted at earlier Chiffchaffs appear to have arrived in numbers and I was treated to some excellent views as a confiding bird that posed for some time before moving on. Soon to be heading in the opposite direction were a flock of Redwings looking for worms on the grass near the visitor centre. By now the park was getting quite busy as the good weather drew the people out and I decided to head out along the Nene.

Mandarin and Red Kite.

There is still plenty of floodwater which is attracting a similar selection of birds as on my previous visits. Plenty of Wigeon remain and they still include the leucistic bird within their ranks. Today it was fairly close and I actually managed to get a reasonable pic or two. Healthy quantities of Teal are still here and so too are twenty or so Shovellers. Lapwings were the commonest waders and they were joined by two Redshanks and a quartet of Snipe. No sign of anything else yet but there's plenty of time for things to change.

Redshank record shot and leucistic Wigeon.