Tringa Trio

 I haven't been to Oundle for a while and news of a drake Garganey on floodwater near the Lower Barnwell Lock was enough to tempt me into popping over. With the weather set fair and single fares still costing just two quid on the X4 my day's schedule was fixed and I found myself at the Nene just after half nine. A Cuckoo was calling as I began to scan the still rather extensively flooded area near the A605. Initial efforts did not reveal the target although there were still a few other dabblers around including Teal and Shovellers. Further scans revealed a Redshank and a few Lapwings as well as a grazing Muntjac but of the duck there was not a sign. Being of a rather dogged nature I continued my search and found a Wood Sandpiper emerging from some waterside sedges. I have to say this more than compensated for my ducky dipping as I've seen far fewer Wood Sands in Northants than I have Garganeys. I watched it for over an hour taking a few dreadful record shots as I did so. After twenty minutes or so a loud call announced the arrival of a Greenshank. More rubbishy record shots followed until it departed at about 11:20, I followed its example soon after.

Dodgy record shot time! - Wood sandpiper and Greenshank.

Having left the flood behind I walked along the river towards Barnwell CP. A male Banded Demoiselle was flushed up from waterside nettles and posed for a few seconds before heading off into cover. Those nettles proved attractive to Small Tortoiseshells too as over ten were noted, I suspect they were probably egg laying females. Other butterflies on show were a Brimstone, several Orange-tips and a couple of Small Whites. Near the marina a singing Garden Warbler showed well but very briefly while Whitethroats now seem to be well established. Across the road near Oundle Mill a female Holly Blue was noted, another was seen in the park a little later on. During my walk I was able to photograph a probable Silver-Y moth, whether it was a migrant or not is hard to say.

Banded Demoiselle and Silver-Y

Barnwell was predictably busy and I didn't hang around for too long. Bird highlight was a quartet of drake Mandarins near Kingfisher Hide. I couldn't find any dragon or damselflies on my walk but my butterfly list grew slightly as the result of a sighting of Green-veined White. With the time for my return bus drawing closer I left the park and headed towards the town where I enjoyed a couple of pints before catching my bus home.

Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell and Swallow.

Not Crappy At Thrappy!

 Alan Shorrock and I took a walk around the Thrapston GP complex today taking advantage of the mostly warm and sunny conditions. We didn't manage to find any of the hoped for Black Terns or Little Gulls but did manage to see enough to justify our efforts. Our mood was brought down to some extent as at least sixteen dead Black-headed Gulls were seen on the edges of the colony, presumably victims of the bird flu epidemic. Alan has informed DEFRA who may have to take measures to protect any domestic birds in the area.

Whitethroat and Large Red Damselfly

Returning to happier matters there were some incoming migrants to note which included one or more Cuckoos calling at both Aldwinckle and the town lake. Also showing at both sites were Garden Warblers with a total of three on view. There seemed to be plenty of warblers around the site, a reeling Grasshopper Warbler was the highlight though several Whitethroats were also appreciated. Other migrants in the area included a female Wheatear at Aldwinckle and a Swift at the town lake.

Large White, Holly Blue, Green-veined White and Brimstone

With so much sunshine on offer it was no surprise that insects featured quite strongly today, butterflies in particular showed well. Two firsts for the year made it on to the list with four Holly Blues and a single Large White on the wing. Other species flitting around were a single Green-veined White, good numbers of both Brimstones and Orange-tips, half a dozen Peacocks and a Small Tortoiseshell. My second and Alan's first Large Red Damselfly of the year showed well, Shozzer also saw a chaser dragonfly which was almost certainly a Four-spotted. Sadly I was too busy gawping at a replica SE5a flying past and managed to miss it but I'm sure there will be others soon. One other wildlife sighting to report was of a Muntjac at Aldwinckle.

Muntjac and SE5a 

Damsel Debut

 Today's weather was much better than the forecast suggested though it was still a typically April type blend of showers and sunshine with quite a few cloudy spells thrown in for good measure. I kept it local today dividing my time between Weldon, Priors Hall and some of Corby's industrial estates. Overall it was a decent day with more than a couple of firsts for the year to keep things interesting.

Wheatears

I began my day at Weldon where a walk around the pond at the Woodland Park failed to produce much of interest. Not too far away near the A43 pond a singing Whitethroat was a year first, there wasn't much on the pond itself. From here I ambled along to  the Ringed Plover site where I was able to confirm that they're still present. Not too far away at Willowbrook Industrial Estate at least seven Wheatears were found, this site really is doing well for them this Spring. Completing my whitethroat double was a Lesser Whitethroat rattling away from a hedgerow near the CBA. A singing Reed Warbler was heard at the pond while the song flighting Meadow Pipit remains on site.

Green-veined and Small Whites

The North Gullet at Priors Hall was quiet with just a Sedge Warbler and another song flighting Meadow Pipit to report. Close by a Yellow Wagtail flew over the South Gullet and was a year first. Walking along the A43 towards the ponds produced a season first Green-veined White nectaring on roadside dandelions, these yellow flowers really are a good source of food for early butterflies. Around the ponds I managed to find a female Large Red Damselfly which obligingly posed for a few pictures. I've been looking for them for a few weeks so it was good to catch up with her. No birds to report from here but some lengthening sunny spells tempted more butterflies out with three Speckled Woods, a Small White, a Peacock and five Orange-tips on the wing. I returned to Weldon with time to spare so took the opportunity to have a pint in the George before catching my bus home.

Large Red Damselfly.

Slumber Leys

 Alan Shorrock and I took a trip to Summer Leys this morning where we enjoyed a less than exciting walk around the reserve. The weather was fine with light winds and quite long periods of sunshine but there were few signs of migration on view.

Sedge Warbler, Sand Martins and Greenshank

A brief stop at Hardwater Lake produced my first Common Terns of the year, the two here were joined by many more on the reserve a little later on. Highlight at the Leys was a Greenshank which spent much of its time on Fisherman's Point on the main lake. We didn't manage to see the Marsh Harrier which apparently made several appearances at the scrape and had to settle instead for a selection of the commoner species instead. I'd hoped we might encounter a Large Red Damselfly on our walk but that sadly wasn't the case and our best insects were a trio of Speckled Woods, a Comma and five Orange-tips. Overall it was far from being my best day out of the year but I'd always rather be out than at work or somewhere even worse.

Butterflies.

Back To Normal

 After the excitement of Spain it was time to return to the bread and butter business of local wildlife watching. I took the bus along to Weldon from where I strolled to Priors Hall where I enjoyed a warm though often grey morning's walk.

Small White, Speckled Wood and Brimstone

Things at Priors were somewhat quiet, a few Sand Martins were hawking insects over the ponds and at least two Water Rails called from the reeds around the largest pond. Bird highlight had to be my first Reed Warbler of the year (well in the UK at least), a bird sang briefly at the Downy Emerald pond. There were a few sunny spells and these drew out a few butterflies though no damsels yet sadly. Four Speckled Woods were my first of the year and were joined on the wing by Peacocks, Brimstones and a Small White. Other wildlife seen during my visit included a Brown Hare and a Tawny Mining Bee. As I was about to leave I bumped into birthday boy Alan Shorrock and so stopped to have a blether. Once the world had been put to rights we set off for Willowbrook Industrial Estate by the less than direct way of Deene Lake.

Peacock, Tawny Mining Bee and Grey Wagtail

At Deene a fly through Osprey, my first of the year, flew through quick enough to avoid being photographed. Other birds here were a pair of Grey Wagtails and a pair of Shelducks while four Black Swans also showed. We moved to Willowbrook where three of the hoped for Wheatears were discovered, two males and a female. When we'd seen enough of the birds it was time to move on to the Samuel Lloyd for a birthday pint and a bite to eat.

Wheatears

A Short Spanish Break

 My brother David and I spent a few days on the fringes of the Coto Donana flying out on the 12th and returning on the 15th. We stayed in the town of El Rocio in Huelva province which lies on the shore of a large freshwater lake. Sadly after years of negligence on the part of both the national and provincial governments the once great wetland of Donana has effectively dried out, illegal water extraction and drought being the primary causes. Despite this depressing development the lake and the nearby reserve at La Rocina still held decent amounts of both water and birds. With the added bonus of blue skies and sunshine throughout our stay it's fair to say we enjoyed our trip.

Spoonbill, Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis and White Stork.

A good selection of herons and other long legged wading birds were on view at both wetlands with Glossy Ibis and Spoonbills in particular showing well. White Storks, as impressive as always, were nesting on many structures along the river and gave some good views, a trio of Purple Herons were less obliging. Commonest Heron was Cattle Egret with over a hundred roosting around the area. Most obvious were perhaps the Flamingos feeding in the lagoon, they positively gleamed in the strong sunshine.

Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincoles and Ringed Plovers

Migration is still in full swing and it brought in a lot of waders pausing on their long journey north. A large flock of over a hundred Ringed Plovers dropped in for an afternoon bringing with them good numbers of both Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers. Shunning the company of others a Temminck's Stint was one of the trip's highlights, other waders on show included Wood Sandpipers, Ruffs, Dunlins and Black-tailed Godwits. Among the waders were a few resident or breeding species of which the most obvious were the many Black-winged Stilts. A few Avocets were a welcome addition to the trip list but were overshadowed by a flock of over seventy Collared Pratincoles, I've never seen them in anything like these numbers before. Also moving through were a few terns with a Gull-billed and at least eight Whiskered being seen.

Purple Swamphen, Crested Coot and Flamingo

Raptor numbers and variety were a little disappointing, there were plenty of Black Kites around but not much of anything else. I did though welcome the chance to see Griffon Vultures for the first time in years even if they were distant. If raptors disappointed then rails did not as first Purple Swamphens and then a Crested Coot were found. The coot which was seen at La Rocina was my first ever and took a little while to confirm, it's ID was clinched by a record shot. Although it frequently disappeared into cover we did get decent scope views eventually though it took some patience! Another new bird was Iberian Chiffchaff, despite frequent visits to Spain I hadn't managed to catch up with them before. My brother David did not miss out on new birds either as a party of Common Waxbills were a welcome addition to his WP list.

LSW, Waxbills, Black Kite and Iberian Magpie

Other bird highlights to mention included Iberian Magpies as a good number were seen at La Rocina. These ever active crows are a pain to photograph but entertaining to watch, these were my first for over ten years. Rivalling the magpies for interest if not numbers was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker which was my first Spanish sighting. I don't want to keep listing birds so will close by saying that this area is well worth a visit if you want to catch up with some scarce or rare species. Not too much of other wildlife interest was on view though an influx of Vagrant Emperors meant that I was able to add to my single sighting from 2019. Butterflies were few in number but a very fresh looking Two-tailed Pasha taking a rest from the sun provided some great views. All in all a very good trip, two lifers and eighty plus species in a two day spell will be hard to beat.

Woodchat Shrike, Vagrant Emperors and Two-tailed Pasha