Just Time for a Quickie

As I was popping over to the shop after work anyway a small diversion to the pond at Eurohub seemed to be in order. While it was reasonably warm and sunny the pond was mostly in the shade so insect activity was low. One exception to this was a male Common Darter that had chosen a lifebuoy on which to perch and he seemed very obliging.

Common Darter showing well.

Not a great deal else to report though several Redwings were around and also at least one Redpoll. I've managed to blag the day off tomorrow so hopefully will find a few other things of interest.

Welcome Back

After three days with not even a glimpse the sun made a very welcome return to the picture today. I celebrated by taking an after work walk down to Weldon where I wanted to see if there was any dragonfly activity.

Weldon scene.

Happily for me there was at least half a dozen Common Darters around the pond though they were outnumbered by a good number of Migrant Hawkers and joined by what is probably the same camera shy male Southern Hawker from last week. The Common Darters were basking on any heat reflective surface and at one point a male decided that my trainer looked inviting. Of the Migrants at least two females were ovipositing and while doing so were abducted by males. On both occasions the females did not complete the malting wheel and managed to escape.

Common Darter and Migrant Hawker.

Several Redwings were seen, there have been a few nocturnal migrants passing over on the less cloudy nights and small parties of Siskins were passing through. A Chiffchaff was calling in the village and both kites and buzzards showed well.

Buzzard and Siskin.

With the weather forecast for the coming weekend looking decidedly more promising I'm hoping for a decent couple of days spotting.

Kinging in the Rain

A second day of rain that promised yet  another total wash out but as I didn't want to be stuck indoors again I chose a place to visit that could provide some shelter. That place turned out to be Barnwell CP where I spent the time moving between the hides.

Kingfisher.

Barnwell is a nice area to walk around but seldom provides many birds of note and today was no different. The usual selection was on view and that included several prolonged if rather distant views of Kingfisher. Nuthatch showed well too as indeed did the normal passerines.

Drake Mandarin and Robin.

Several Mandarins were in their usual spot and at least one drake showed very well from the Kingfisher Hide. A small number of Siskins were present but there was little other sign of migration though a Grey Wagtail may possibly have origins elsewhere.

Dunnock and one legged Chaffinch.

Very little else of note with just a few Grey Squirrels and a Rabbit to report.

Nuthatch.

Dragons

A beautiful Indian summer day saw me take an after work stroll down to Weldon where I hoped that the glorious weather might bring some dragonflies out. My continuing search for Willow Emeralds and the outside chance of seeing a late Banded Demoiselle were another factor in prompting my choice of site.

Common Darter coming in to land.

Sadly no lingering dem's and no em's either but there was quite a lot of dragonfly activity with four species flitting about. Following the normal pattern for this time of the year Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers made up most of the numbers and I had double figure counts of both species. As the afternoon wore on the Migrant Hawkers began to perch up and were perhaps beginning to roost. A male Southern Hawker showed reasonably well but did not hang around for pictures but a late female Brown Hawker did. I believe that she constitutes the latest sighting that I've had of this species.

Migrant Hawker.

Only one confirmed butterfly today though it was in fairness a bit of a good 'un. While I was stalking Ms Hawker a Clouded Yellow flew by and although I couldn't nab a photo it was still nice to see. There has been a lot of Clouded activity including breeding in the county this year but I've managed to avoid them - well until now that is.

Brown Hawker.

Few birds of note though several Siskins were heard, it could be a good winter for them.

Another Common Darter.

Summer Days Drifting Away

Another Monday sortie to the Oundle area where I walked along the Nene from the north to south bridges taken a detour into Barnwell CP on the way. Some decent spells of sunshine made for a pleasant walk even if there was not always something interesting to watch.

River view and Egyptian Goose.

There seemed to be good numbers of Chiffchaffs around while migration is still on going with Skylarks and Siskins once again passing trough. Ashton Mill had several Marsh Tits amongst a large flock of other tits. Exotic wildfowl were represented by a drake Mandarin at the Princess fishing lake and an Egyptian Goose at the marina. Barnwell CP had several Kingfishers flying around though they were not today's top bird. That honour belonged to a juvenile Hobby that treated me to several flypasts before settling down to perch in a tree. Although the light at this point was poor I did manage a few photographs, hopefully it will have a safe trip down to Africa. The Hobby was one of five raptors seen today with Red Kites making up most of the numbers.

Juvenile Hobby.

While no butterflies were found today there were several dragons and more importantly one damsel on view. The damsel was the much hoped for Willow Emerald as I finally managed to find a male. It was seen from the open hide close to the very popular Kingfisher Hide in an area that I've been checking regularly, persistence pays off! Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers were the other species seen and will no doubt continue to provide most sightings until the end of the season.

Red October

Quite a long walk today with not a whole lot to look at but some very nice weather made for a good trek nonetheless. It was a typical autumn day in that some of the summer species were meeting up with arriving winter visitors. A classic example of this was a first Redwing of the winter soon followed by a sighting of a Red Admiral, it's this mix that makes autumn (and spring) nature watching so interesting.

Yellowhammer and Greenfinch.

My walk took me through Weldon and on through Deenethorpe and Deene before arriving back at Weldon via Priors Hall. Not much to begin with though there were a pleasingly high number of Yellowhammers seen particularly along Bears Lane.  Chaffinches seemed to be around in good numbers too and it could be that at least some were migrants. Other migrants included Skylarks, Siskins and Meadow Pipits. A few summer visitors in the shape of Chiffchaff and Blackcap continue to liner though both could perhaps stay on throughout the winter.

Red Admiral and Small Heath.

Deenethorpe airfield has had most of its scrub removed and it was a little on the dull side though a Snipe was flushed from a small pool and I also found a pristine looking Red Admiral. Deene Lake inflow had very high water levels and held many Teals but little else of interest while the main lake was equally quiet.

Migrant Hawkers and Common Darter.

Once I'd got to Priors Hall things picked up a little and my only dragonflies of the day were seen here with many Common Darters and a few Migrant Hawkers on the wing. Sadly I could not find any Willow Emeralds and it's beginning to look as last month's individual may have been a wanderer rather than part of a new colony. Butterflies were present in small numbers and individuals of Small Copper, Small Heath and Speckled Wood were seen. The quarry pool provided my best sighting of the day when I picked out a female Pintail which was my first Corby record. Other ducks seen here included Mallard, two Gadwall, twenty or so Teal, three Wigeon and Tufted Ducks.

A couple of views of the Priors Hall Pintail.

Having reached the Shoulder of Mutton a call from another birder alerted me to the presence of a female or young Ring Ouzel at Fermyn CP. We had a quick look to see if it could be relocated but were unable to find it. Given that it was pretty late by this stage it may well merit another try as Ring Ouzels do tend to linger in favoured areas.

Yet More Damsel Dipping

Yet another failed attempt to catch up with Willow Emeralds in the county beginning at Barnwell CP and then taking in Weldon. Sadly both locations failed to deliver the goods and indeed Weldon failed to produce much of anything at all.

Barnwell CP looking lovely in the sunshine.

Plenty of Common Darters were active around Barnwell with many now searching out heat reflective surfaces as temperatures begin to fall. Still a few Migrant Hawkers about, I think it's fair to say that this pair of species will provide most of the sightings from now on. Very few butterflies were noted with just a Comma and a Speckled Wood on show.

Migrant Hawker and Comma.

While autumn is slowly beginning to take hold there are still plenty of traces of summer left to enjoy. House Martins are still present in the Old Village here in Corby while Barnwell had Sedge Warbler and Chiffchaff. Some migration is clearly taking place too with a few Siskins passing overhead while a Grey Wagtail may have been a migrant too. Plenty of Mandarins were hiding out in their favoured spot near the Kingfisher hide though the scarcest bird here was a Dabchick. Hard to believe but this is the first one that have seen here since I started visiting regularly a few years ago. Not much else to report, it could be that we may need a change of wind to bring more winter visitors in.

Dabchick and Great Tit.