Dip At Lings, Squelchy Feet At Cogenhoe But It Wasn't All Bad!

The snow which fell during the week had for the most part thawed by the time this afternoon came around. Before that however Alan Shorrock and I popped into Lings Wood in Northampton in the hope of catching up with Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. With some pleasant sunshine on offer I was hopeful of seeing or at least hearing one but sadly there was no trace of any today. In fairness there was not a great deal else to report other than a few Siskins and a couple of Sparrowhawks and so conceding defeat we threw the Lings towel in and set off for Ecton SF.

Grey Wagtail and Mink

Parking at Mill Lane in Cogenhoe we set off towards bridge 121 where the Siberian Chiffchaffs were noted earlier in the year. At the lock Shozzer spotted a Mink wandering among the caravans parked next to the Nene, it didn't pose for any decent pics but it did provide some half decent views. Several Grey Wagtails were also seen while the flooded fields hosted plenty of Greylags and Black-headed Gulls. We set off across the waterlogged field towards the bridge that crosses the Nene. The normally muddy path was submerged and to such a depth that it seeped into my wellies leading to some uncomfortably damp and cold feet. Ignoring the discomfort Alan and I headed off to bridge 121 where we hoped the Siberian Chiffies would be more obliging than the Lings 'peckers.

Siberian Chiffchaffs

Luck was with us at Ecton as at least two Sibes were still present and feeding with some of their commoner cousins. One was a dishevelled looking character that vaguely resembled a Bonelli's Warbler while the other was the traditional milky coffee colour type more typical of tristis Chiffies. Both showed well at times which is more than can be said for the Cetti's Warbler which only popped out a couple of times. We spent quite a lot of time watching the Chiffchaffs feeding before heading back through the flood towards the car. Returning to the lock I paused to empty the water out of my wellies and while doing so heard some Ring-necked Parakeets calling. Alan scanned a nearby wood and managed to see one in flight, I saw a couple more a little later on. A group of four treated us to good views as they flew across the river to visit some feeders in the caravan gardens. We enjoyed some good views before they flew back to the woods, these were my first for several years. Our birding day was brought to a conclusion and it was time to head off for a couple of pints in Earls Barton's Saxon Tavern.

Furtive Cetti's and Ring-necked Parakeet