Back to Oundle

My work were gracious enough to let me take the day off and so with some welcome but unexpected time on my hands I returned to Oundle. As it seemed as if it was going to be fairly sunny, albeit cool in the wind, I decided to try and find some early damselflies. Despite much checking I couldn't find any but it is still over a week earlier than I've seen them in the past.

Oundle.

A pair of Mandarins were seen near the north bridge, it seems as if the Oundle area is becoming one of the best spots in the county to see these birds. a passing Swallow was my first in the county this year though migrants in general were scarce today. In fact very little of note was seen between the town and the A605 but happily things did perk up a little once I'd passed under the road bridge.

Dunnock and Song Thrush.

Perhaps not surprisingly things were almost the same on the floods as they had been on Monday though Redshanks had increased to four and they and the Lapwings had been joined by a Little Ringed Plover. A Green-veined White seen nearby was a first for the year and one of four seen today. Another species, Small Tortoiseshell, was also seen along the river as well as many different bees and hoverflies.

Hover fly and solitary bee.

Although I knew that Barnwell CP was going to be packed with brats I popped in to continue my fruitless search for damsels. The Cetti's Warbler could just be made out above the screeches and screams but was the only bird interest. It looked as if it might be the only thing of any interest at all until a little burst of butterfly activity livened things up. A first for the year male Orange-tip was a very welcome sighting, Spring has officially sprung when these little beauties appear! Nearby a Speckled Wood and a Peacock took today's species count up to five while my county year list has risen to eight.

Butterfly assortment.

I stayed long enough to grab a cold drink from the café (no ice creams!) but then popped back into town to grab the return bus home.

Kite nest.

After Work Quickie

Given that the sun was shining and it was quite pleasant in those spots lucky enough to be sheltered from the wind I decided to pop out after work for a bit of wildlife spotting. I didn't fancy going too far so opted for a short stroll over to the old patch near the sewage works.

Speckled Wood and its Comma foe, and a Peacock.

While there were few birds to report I did manage to catch up with a couple of butterflies. Best of a rather small bunch were a couple of Speckled Woods which were my seventh species for the year and my sixth in the county. The first was altogether too flighty and flitted off before I could manage a snap but the second was happy to pose. This one had the bad fortune to invade a Comma's favoured sun bathing spot and had to endure a spirited assault from which it sensibly chose to flee. Apart from these two species there was also a Peacock which had found a nice sheltered spot in which to catch a few rays.

Green Shield Bug and Tawny Mining Bee.

Several other insects were noted today and these included what I take to be a Tawny Mining Bee and also a Green Shield Bug (nothing to do with the stamps). Plenty of Bee-flies were still buzzing about and there were also a few wasps on the wing. With several errands to run I had to abandon ship after about an hour's watching.

Bee-fly and potential host.

Mainly Mandarins.

Another Monday visit to Oundle and Barnwell CP and a return to more mundane matters after yesterday's excitement. Just the usual stuff on view at Barnwell CP with no new migrants about and neither Kingfishers or Otters to report. The Cetti's Warbler is still here though it was the two pairs of Mandarins that provided most of the interest. As it is now school holiday time I left before the park got too busy.

Mandarins and Mute Swan nest.

The floods held two Redshanks in addition to Lapwings while numbers of both Wigeon and Teal are declining. As the floods still seem quite extensive at the moment they may yet bring more waders in as the Spring progresses For now at least though I was satisfied that I'd seen all that I was going to and I headed off back into town and caught my bus home.

Robin, Blackcap, Blue Tit and Lapwing.

Worth the Effort

A long old walk today starting here in the village and heading out through Brookfield Plantation and on through Gretton, from there it was a matter of taking the Jurassic Way along to Harringworth Lodge Lake. Afterwards I wandered along to the old quarry near Spanhoe Airfield before returning home via Priors Hall and Weldon. While my feet were a tad sore I can say it was worth it with plenty to interest me along the way.

Peregrine and Fallow Deer.

Starting just after dawn I found two Willow Warblers singing along the edge of the waste ground at Cockerell Road, another was nearby at the Willowbrook Industrial Estate. These were my first confirmed ones of the year as I thought that I'd heard a brief snatch of song yesterday at Rutland Water. A Peregrine was seen at its usual spot before it flew off to presumably ruin a pigeon's day. Brookfield had a small flock of Redpolls and a few Fallow Deer but little else.

Goldfinch and Yellowhammer.

While the walk to Gretton was a little uneventful it was nice to see and hear several Yellowhammers as well as Skylarks. Leaving Gretton on the Jurassic Way provided the day's highlight when I found a male Ring Ouzel feeding in the large sheep field about half way to Harringworth Lodge. I'd heard the Fieldfare like call, always promising when it's coming from a Blackbird, and was delighted when it landed to reveal its identity. Happily I was able to watch it for about ten minutes on and off and even managed a few shots. Ring Ouzels are rare but regular passage migrants and used to be annual through Priors Hall before development put paid to that. As if that were not enough while phoning the news out an Osprey passed overhead and was my first Northants one this year.

Two views of the Ring Ouzel.

Not much of note at the lake with just the usual selection of common waterfowl on view though the walk up towards Spanhoe Airfield did provide views of a song flighting Meadow Pipit. There was a large herd of formidable looking cows near the airfield which had attracted several wagtails including my first Yellow of the year. The old quarry did not have much to look at but seems as if it may be suitable habitat for Dark Green Fritillary, I'll be back in the Summer! A large field across from the airfield had a flock of about two hundred and fifty Fieldfares while a Raven was noted passing overhead.

Spiky looking cows and Yellow Wagtail.

There was a bit of a lull as I walked towards Priors Hall with only another Raven to liven things up. Priors had a decent selection of birds with four species of duck on the ponds and these included a pair of Mandarins. Other highlights were several Siskins, another Willow Warbler and there was a pair of Little Ringed Plovers in the quarry while also of interest were my first county Sand Martins. By now it had begun to rain and I made my way to Weldon where I caught the X4 home.

Spanhoe Airfield.

Incoming.

My brother and I took a short hop over the border today and headed over to Rutland Water where we hoped to see a few Spring migrants. While conditions were for the most part overcast it was still a decent day's wildlife watching.

Shovellers and Gadwalls.

A brief stop at the north arm produced sightings of both House and Sand Martins, rather a large flock of the former being noted. A singing Blackcap was the first of many noted, it really seems as if there's been quite an arrival of this species. Tufted Ducks were the commonest wildfowl here though numbers of duck were low.

Record shot time, Common Tern and Whimbrel.

From here we went along to the reserve centre seeing a Curlew from the upper storey of the building, I later got good views of this bird from Mallard Hide. It didn't take us long to see the first of several Ospreys as we made our way towards the first hide, at least one other was seen during the morning. Two Goldeneyes, a male and a female, were seen and it will perhaps not be too long before they head northwards. On the opposite side of the coin incoming migrants included a Common Tern on Lagoon 2 and a Little Ringed Plover on Lagoon 4.

Curlew and Pintails.

Having popped into the centre for a pit stop we moved on to cover the other half of the reserve where at least half a dozen Pintails were a highlight. We also managed to catch up with several Swallows, it's always nice to see them even if a first sighting doesn't always mean that Summer is here. A Whimbrel seen from Snipe Hide was a pleasant surprise as I don't normally see them this early in the Spring. Other waders noted today included Oystercatchers and Redshanks.

Great Crested and Little Grebes and Lapwing.

Not a large amount of other wildlife on view today though we saw both a Muntjac and a Brown Hare while I also saw my sixth butterfly species of the year with two Small Whites being the only butt's seen today. Most of the photos were of the record shot category so apologies for any poor quality pics, though apparently they're worth a thousand words!

Small White and Brown Hare.

No Fooling

Another Monday and another trip over to Barnwell where I managed to beat the sunrise. It was a beautiful morning and I thoroughly enjoyed my walk even if I didn't find anything too out of the ordinary.

Oundle sunrise and Mandarins.

Beginning at Barnwell I spent a short while in the Kingfisher Hide where I watched the male swan amusing himself by chasing Canada Geese around. With little else on view I took a walk around the park where I was treated to some excellent views of Mandarin Ducks. Three species of warblers were in song with several newly arrived Blackcaps joining the Chiffchaffs and a Cetti's Warbler. Red Kites were much in evidence today with a pair causing much anguish amongst the local Carrion Crows, it seems as if they might be breeding close by. From Lowlands Hide I had good views of the usual passerines while a pair of Mandarins chased off a drake Mallard from beneath the feeders.

Nuthatch, Wren, Chiffchaff and Starling.

The A605 floods were graced by a fine drake Pintail, I've been expecting one to show up for a couple of years now so it was nice to finally find one here. Plenty of Wigeons and Teals are still around too and for the moment at least show little sign of wanting to leave. Redshanks had increased to at least four birds while Lapwing numbers remain quite high.

Rubbish record shot time; Pintail and Redshank.

With the sunshine feeling rather warm in sheltered spots it was no surprise that a few butterflies were on the wing and I saw three Peacocks and a Small Tortoiseshell.

Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell.