Surprise Encounter

 This is the last day of my Christmas mini break and the spectre of work tomorrow loomed large in my thoughts this morning. I chose to banish this unpleasant sensation by boarding my familiar if not always faithful steed the X4. My travels took me to Oundle where I had a stroll around Barnwell CP before heading along the river to the A605 floods. The weather guessers at the BBC had suggested that the sun might make a rare appearance but initial impressions suggested that such fanciful claims might be wide of the mark as a familiar vista of mist and cloud greeted me when I got up. Happily the forecasters were vindicated when the sun did eventually shine and by the time that I'd left Oundle the sky was blue.

Cattle Egret

My birding began on a very good note as I saw a Cattle Egret feeding in the field between the south bridge and Barnwell. This bird was first reported on Boxing Day and it was good for me that the bird had chosen to remain in the area. It seemed to be finding plenty to eat as it foraged suggesting that it might linger here for some time. Barnwell was quite productive, a pair of Mandarins showed well from the hide where I also saw Kingfisher. A photographer had put some food down and this in turn encouraged some Nuthatches and a Marsh Tit to come down and feed. By now the park was getting a little too busy for my taste and I decided to head along the river.

Mandarins, Marsh Tit and Nuthatch

My egret count for the day was doubled by a sighting of a Great White on the floods though it was disturbed soon after my arrival by a loud vehicle passing by on the A605. Although the egret disappeared the large flock of Wigeon remained with some Shovellers and Teal for company. I couldn't find anything else in the area and walked back into town enjoying the welcome return of the sun. Clearly this reappearance worked its magic on more than me as I was surprised to see a Peacock butterfly fluttering around the top of a Yew tree close to the town centre. I don't know if I've ever seen a December butterfly before so it was quite a nice late Christmas present to encounter this one. More than happy with my morning's saunter I caught my bus home ready to face the trials ahead.

GWE and Wigeon

Weather Still Yucky, Birding Better

 Another grey and foggy day though cooler than yesterday and with visibility that was if anything slightly worse. Alan Shorrock and I started off at Wakerley Wood where the mist did at least add add some atmosphere to our walk round in search of Crossbills. We failed to get any confirmed sightings though Shozzer had a glimpse of five bulky finches flying past which were probably this species though they remained frustratingly silent. More obliging was a Redpoll which called loudly as it passed overhead and a couple of Ravens were similarly noisy. Having spent some time wandering around the wood we decided to move on to nearby Blatherwycke Lake.

Scaup

Visibility at the lake was poor which made viewing something of a challenge. It took quite a lot of time but eventually we found the long staying immature female Scaup, there was no sign of the other bird today. Reasonable views were obtained though she was quite distant and often obscured by the billowing mist. Alan picked out three Mandarins on the opposite shore and also had a tantalising glimpse of yet more bulky looking finches flying past. This last sighting persuaded us to try the churchyard in the hope of seeing some Hawfinches. Al saw a Hawfinch very soon after we got there though it had flown before I could see it. A nervous wait ensued until I saw one in a tall tree thus relieving any dip related depression that I may otherwise have suffered. Better was to come however as a look through the scope revealed more in the same tree, an eventual total of eight were noted, my highest total ever in Northamptonshire. When the finches departed we did likewise and headed towards the always welcoming Cross Keys in King's Cliffe, A Great White Egret was seen from the car as we passed over the bridge in Blatherwycke village.

Never mind Gorillas - here's some Hawfinches in the mist!

Mild And Mizzly

 After the excesses of yesterday I thought it might be best to have a little walk and so got a lift to Deene with a view to walking home. My plan might actually have helped me get rid of a few calories too if I hadn't been tempted to stop in the George for a couple of pints - oh well there's always tomorrow! It's unseasonably mild at the moment but today was also rather dank and grey with plenty of mist to limit visibility.

Teal, Snipe and Egyptian Goose

I began in the churchyard where I failed to see any Hawfinches despite hanging around for plenty of time. There was a lot of bird activity but nothing too interesting though I could hear Black Swans calling from the lake. On the main lake there was plenty of wildfowl with seven Shelducks being the best. At the inflow the large expanse of exposed mud had attracted two Green Sandpipers and a similar number of Snipes while other birds included a pair of Egyptian Geese and a few Lapwings. The nearby Deenethorpe Airfield was very misty and I didn't manage to see any Stonechats, the best bird was a Golden Plover that called six or seven times as it circled somewhere in the murk above. After that refreshment stop in Weldon I set off for home, a stop at the A43 pond on the way did not produce anything.

Weekend Wanderings

 A double post this time around as a very good gig by Bootleg Blondie prevented me from posting yesterday though the numerous pints of Staropramen probably helped too! On Saturday Shozzer and I took a trip to Deene where the early morning drizzle had stopped just before we arrived allowing us to look for Hawfinches in the churchyard without getting too wet. I picked one out as it flew overhead before settling briefly in the top of a tree, sadly it had flown before I could grab a record shot. We hung around for some time hoping for another glimpse but were disappointed and so headed down to the lake for a peek. While I was busy counting Shelducks (eight if you're interested) Alan picked out a Hawfinch feeding on Sycamore seeds in the churchyard. It was a pleasure to watch it going about its business for five or ten minutes and while the light was poor and the bird distant it still counts as some of my finest Hawfinch observations ever.

Rubbishy record shot of the Deene Hawfinch

Our next port of call was nearby Blatherwycke where we spent some time checking out the lake. Highlight here were a couple of first winter female Scaup. I originally posted on the Northants WhatsApp that one was a drake but subsequent checking of the poor record shots suggested that both were ducks. Not much else to report from here really, the large flock flock of Greylags did not shelter any more exotic geese amongst them while the churchyard remained Hawfinch free. After that it was time to call it a day though not before we had a pint in the reliably good Cross Keys in King's Cliffe.

The Blatherwycke Scaups

Today found me braving sleet showers and gusty winds on my walk to Brookfield Plantation. On the way I was rewarded with views of the male and female Peregrines at their usual spot, both birds were unusually close together as they sheltered from the inclement weather. Brookfield was very quiet and good birds were hard to find. A Woodcock flushed from next to the path caused a ripple of alarm as it flew away, they often seem to startle passerines when they fly off. Siskin and Marsh Tit were also noted on my walk through the wood but I didn't see a great deal else and eventually I could delay my trip to the shops no more. I'll end by saying that a quiet day in Brookfield is so much better than a busy afternoon in ASDA!

Peregrines

Nothing Special

 A mostly grey but mild sort of morning with little of the sunshine that made such a welcome appearance yesterday. I stayed local today splitting my time between Weldon and Priors Hall, my expectations were modest and that perhaps was just as well!

Siskins

My walk down to Weldon was quiet with just a few Redwings being noted. The pond near the A43 roundabout was also quiet with just a few Gadwalls and an immature drake Tufted Duck joining the regular Mallards. There was a Siskin at the Woodland Park while a walk around the churchyard failed to produce any Hawfinches. Next my walk took me to Priors Hall where I began by checking out the quarry lake. I couldn't find much to look at, a search through the Greylag flock failed to reveal anything more exotic and two Ravens passing overhead were the only thing of real interest here. There were good numbers of Siskins around the ponds and also a couple of Redpolls but that was about as good as it got and I headed back to Weldon in order to catch my bus home.

Red-necked At Rutland

 Alan Shorrock and I took a drive over to the dam at Rutland Water today in search of the juvenile Red-necked Grebe that has made this spot its home over the last couple of weeks. We had considered popping over last weekend but storm Darragh put a stop to that. No such weather worries today, there was a bit of a breeze but other than that nothing to worry about and the sun shone throughout our time there.

Red-necked Grebe

On arrival I had a quick chat with another birder and his news was good, the grebe was showing fairly close by and three Great Northern Divers were also present in the neighbourhood. A short walk  along the shore took us to the spot where the grebe was favouring and true to form it showed well, we watched it for some time and had some good views of it in decent light. The divers were nowhere near as obliging however, I had a few brief glimpses of at least two and probably all three birds but they were spending very little time on the surface and were difficult to see. One did eventually show for a little longer near the dam but it was too distant to photograph. Other birds in the general area included Goldeneyes and at least one Raven but there wasn't that much else to support the headliners.

Goldeneyes and Smew

Rather than visit the North Arm in search of the long staying Slavonian Grebe we chose instead to visit Eyebrook where the first Smew of the winter is currently residing. Saturdays here can be dodgy as there is often plenty of shooting on the neighbouring estate which causes lots of disturbance. The gun toting moron squad were doing a bit of recreational killing but it stopped fairly soon after we arrived. Alan found the drake Smew from the gate near Hollyoaks which while distant showed well enough in the sunlight. We drove around to the car park at Stoke Dry and managed to get better views of him though the light was not quite as good. Other decent birds on or around the reservoir included twenty plus Pintails, a few Dunlin and a large flock of Golden Plovers as well as a Kingfisher and Raven. We left feeling pretty satisfied with our day and a pint of festive ale in a local 'spoons added to that sense of enjoyment.

Raven, Kingfisher and Pintail

A Double Dose Of Darragh

 Not content with being blown about and rained on once this weekend I decided to venture out this morning and try my luck at Blatherwycke. Today's weather was supposed to be a little better than it was yesterday but I couldn't see or feel much difference, let's just say my waterproofs got a proper testing!

Mistle Thrush and Robin

My birding began at the lake where the immature female Scaup was still present and associating with Tufted Ducks. Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture as my camera is not rainproof though I did at least get good views of her through my scope. I couldn't find anything else amongst the wildfowl but there was a Great White Egret, they're still quite scarce here and always nice to see. My next and final stop was at the churchyard where I spent some time looking for Hawfinches. None appeared when I was there but it seemed as if few passerines were inclined to move about in the high winds and I didn't see much at all. The church itself was open and I took the opportunity to escape the weather for a while and have a look around. I'm hoping next weekend is storm free, churches are all very well but I'd rather look at wildlife.

Two of the stunning windows in the church

Storm Darragh Blows In

 Yet another storm has blown in this weekend bringing with it a combination of strong wind and squally rain. Though it was tempting to stay indoors and devote my day to telly and a few beers I decided instead to venture out in the company of regular birding pal Alan. Initially we had planned to visit Rutland Water but a last minute change of heart took us instead to Summer Leys. The weather was unsurprisingly pretty challenging but it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be and we even saw the occasional patch of blue sky during our wander around.

Distant Pintails and closer GWE

From Pioneer Hide Alan picked out a distant pair of Pintails on the main lake though they didn't seem to hang around for too long. Plenty of Wigeon and Teal were present on the margins and there was the odd Pochard and Goldeneye on view too. A rather miserable looking Great White Egret was the highlight from Rotary Hide, it was one of at least two present on site today. After a brisk stroll we arrived at Paul Britten Hide from where we had distant views of the Glossy Ibis which has become regular here of late. It was seen briefly as it fed in front of the feeding station before disappearing from view. Other birds showing from here included Snipe and Shovellers. Braving the wind once again we wandered round to the Screen Hide where Shozzer picked out the Ibis again. It was fairly distant but views through the scope were tolerable. The final stop of the day was at the Coach and Horses where a well earned pint washed down some very tasty pork scratchings.

Snipe, Glossy Ibis and Teals

Drizzling And Dipping At Eyebrook

 Alan Shorrock and I made a short visit this morning to Eyebrook where we hoped to catch up with the Smew and two Black-necked Grebes that were here yesterday. In grey and often drizzly conditions we failed to find either and had to settle for a selection of less exotic fare.

Golden Plovers and Lapwings

Our first port of call was Sam's Dyke from where the Smew was last reported but we could only see a mixed flock of the commoner dabblers. We had a similar result from the island bunker and also from near Hollyoaks. The inflow was more productive and there was a surprising amount of mud on show given how much rain we've had recently. A large number of Lapwings were joined by a small group of at least thirteen Dunlin. The flock of a hundred plus Golden Plovers which had been circling overhead eventually settled down and mingled with the Lappies. One Great White Egret was feeding in the shallows where a group of about forty Pintails were feeding. Male and female Stonechat were also noted before the call of other commitments brought about a halt to proceedings.

GWE and Pintails

The Pits

 I spent a dank and dreary couple of hours wandering around Wicksteed Park this morning and although the weather improved slightly my birding did not. Large numbers of squawking Black-headed Gulls were around the main lake but there was little else while a Chiffchaff and a Kingfisher at the fishing lake were the highlight. A thorough search of the Greylag Goose flock failed to produce any sightings of the Pink-footed Goose that was here earlier in the week and at this point I decided to cut my losses and quit. Now it's probably not the first time that a desperate man has turned to the church for redemption and presumably also not the first time that said institution has failed to deliver either but my attempt to see the local Peregrines in the town centre ended in failure too. Before I caught my bus home I grabbed a sausage butty and this was the only part of the morning that I enjoyed!

Magpie and Coot

Pits Bits

 I was lucky enough to have a day off today so I joined up with Shozzer and took a trip over to Pitsford Reservoir. With plenty of sunshine on offer we spent a pleasant couple of hours looking for the juvenile Great Northern Diver which had arrived earlier this week. In truth the diver proved to be quite easy to find and most of the time was spent walking from Brixworth Country Park around to the Cliffs where we'd viewed it catching crayfish.

Great Northern Diver

Once we had finally trudged around to where we had last seen the diver it did not take too long to pick it up again. At first it was taking a post prandial snooze but soon woke up to offer us some half decent photo opportunities. Having had what were probably my best ever views of GND in the county we opted to head back towards the car noting at least one Siskin on the way. 

Pink-footed Goose

Our next stop was the causeway where a Pink-footed Goose had been reported hanging around with the Greylags. No wild goose chasing was required today however as the bird showed very easily at the small picnic area near to the car park. We watched it snoozing and preening for quite some time before we left it to its leisure and walked back to the car. A pint in the Royal Oak at Walgrave was a good way to end my day off.

Starling