Grey Day

 I joined Phil Rogers and Alan Shorrock for a walk around several county sites today in search of migrants. Reports of a Ring Ouzel, a Redstart and some Wheatears at Blueberry Farm near Maidwell were the catalyst for our journey though precise details of their location were lacking. It's quite a big area and our walk failed to produce any of the desired species, the occasional spot of rain coupled with the dip did little to lift our mood. As we prepared to leave a fly over Yellow Wagtail provided the only highlight.

Peregrine and Caspian Gull

Having decided that we hadn't suffered enough already we made the relatively short hop to Harrington Airfield. Sadly for us our fortunes did not improve by much and our woes continued. I managed to get a glimpse of a pair of Grey Partridges which were my first in the county for some time but the other chaps did not see them. I have very little luck with Harrington Airfield and things did not change today as we had a mostly unproductive wander around. Eventually we gave up and headed back to the car, a circling Peregrine did little to help polish what had been a Dame Thora Hird of an excursion. Our day did have a pleasant conclusion however when we popped into the Samuel Lloyd for a mood improving pint. No pics from today but I'll include a few shots from recent excursions,

That Trudge Was A Drudge

 A fortnight's worth of freedom dispelled the usual Monday misery and I used my newly gained liberty to visit a few local sites. I was hoping to catch up with a few migrants but that hope was barely realised so it was perhaps just as well that I enjoyed the exercise! Weatherwise there was some good early sunshine though a strong breeze kept the temperature down.

Peregrine and Dunnock

On my way through the village I watched a small drama unfold as a feisty male Blackbird tried to protect its newly fledged chick from a menacing Magpie. Sadly for the spirited father its chick was sitting in the busy road and was hit by a white van. The fledgling though still alive at this point was then struck by another van which appears to have delivered the coup de grace. Doubtless the Magpie had its meal eventually and I wonder how many passerines our ever growing population of these charismatic corvids predate each spring? From the scene of this small tragedy I moved on to check out my local Peregrines. It's no secret that I've been seeing other Peregrines recently and I felt a little guilty about neglecting this pair. My falcon infidelity went unpunished on this occasion however as I saw the female perched in the usual spot while the male did a brief flypast.

Female and male Orange-tips

Brookfield Plantation was my next port of call though it was a little quiet, Fallow Deer and Muntjacs crossed my path on several occasions but there were no birds of note. On the way to Gretton I saw the first of three Whitethroats, they seem to be quite early this year. Closer to the village I got to play the alliteration game when I heard a Grasshopper Warbler reeling in the rough corner of a field. Unfortunately this was my only migrant of note as the hoped for Wheatears and Ring Ouzels did not appear, perhaps I should have gone to Harrington Airfield instead. I continued my walk along the Jurassic Way as far as Harringworth Lodge Lake but did not add anything else of interest to my list.

Green-veined and Small White

While birds disappointed today butterflies fared a bit better with whites in particular showing well. Three species were noted, Small and Green-veined Whites and Orange-tip though it's not always easy to separate them as they fly past. Other species seen were Peacock and Speckled Wood, the latter being fairly common in Brookfield Plantation on my return slog. I had another peek at the Peregrines before a trip to ASDA insured that Monday still had a lit bit of misery to dole out.

Skylark

April Showers

 I had a busy morning around the house doing a few much needed jobs and it wasn't until early afternoon that I boarded the X4 for a trip to Oundle. Today's weather had returned to the seasonal norm with a mixture of sun, clouds and showers replacing the unbroken sunshine and blue skies of previous days. While I didn't see much on my travels it was good to get out and at least have the chance of finding something good.

Grey Heron and Speckled Wood

Several rarities in the county today showed an appreciation for alliteration as a White Stork circled over Whiston New Workings and a Hoopoe visited Hanging Houghton. Sadly I didn't get so much as an ooh out of Oundle as I walked along the River Nene. Any thoughts that I may have harboured of visiting Barnwell CP were soon dispelled as I could hear squealing brats quite some time before I reached the entrance. No Kingfisher today near Oundle Mill but some Swallows hawking low over horse paddocks on the opposite site of the road helped to make up for that. Several minutes later and I saw my only butterfly of the day when I found a Speckled Wood near the Princess fishing lake. Little else was noted as I made my way along to the A605 floods.

Oystercatchers and Yellow Wagtail

Things were pretty quiet at the floods, a birder from Nassington told me that some waders had been present a little earlier but had since moved on. I gave the area a thorough scan but couldn't find much, duck numbers have certainly dropped over the last few weeks. A potential reason for the lack of birds presented itself when a Peregrine dropped in and sat on the mud for a short while before departing again. Rain showers were now beginning to roll in but before I left I managed to find a couple of Yellow Wagtails joining the many Pieds feeding on the margins of the floodwater. Having decided to move on I made my way to the town centre where I was once again lucky enough to see a Peregrine before catching the bus home.

Peregrines near and far.

First Look At Whiston

 After yesterday's local wanderings it was time to cast the net a little wider though it wasn't by much. Alan Shorrock and I decided to visit Summer Leys in the hope that the spring migration might drop a few things in. News on the Northants WhatsApp seemed encouraging as a few decent birds had already been reported. It was yet another warm and mostly sunny day though our good run with the weather does look as if it may be drawing to a close as showers are predicted for most of the coming week.

Whimbrel

Our first stop at the Leys was Rotary Hide from where we did not see much at all. Pioneer Hide was equally lacking in interest as both the reported Bar-tailed Godwit and Greenshank had departed before we arrived. With just Little Ringed Plovers and Redshanks left to entertain us we did not linger for long before moving on. A Common Tern on Gull Island was my first of the year and there were two Snipe on an adjoining  island. Paul Britten Hide yielded the day's only Great White Egret but little else and we found ourselves o the move again. Shozzer did well to pick out the long staying Glossy Ibis though it was pretty distant. Plenty of butterflies appeared to be enjoying the sunshine and my first Small White of the year was seen near Mary's Lake, other species included Brimstone, Orange-tip, G-v White and Peacock. Sedge and Reed Warblers were added to our year lists before we made the decision to move on.

Little Gulls

The new workings near Whiston seem to be drawing in some good  birds this spring and it looked as if a visit there would be a good idea particularly as we were pretty close anyway. After quite a disappointing walk around the Leys the Whiston wetlands more than retrieved the day. A Whimbrel was seen first and it showed well, it was just one of several that moved through the county today. At least one Yellow Wagtail and several Little Ringed Plovers were picked out on the islands though it was three Little Gulls that drew our attention. The two immatures and an adult bird were seen resting on the water and then feeding above it, they seemed to move on before we did. While watching the gulls a Whitethroat was heard singing and then seen too becoming our third new warbler for the year. Yesterday's pair of Garganeys had also been reported this morning and we spent quite a lot of time looking for them. Eagle -eyed Alan eventually picked them out and we watched both for some time as they fed amongst the aquatic vegetation. With the birding now wrapped up we headed to Earls Barton where a pint in the Saxon Tavern brought things to a close.

Garganeys

Oh, What A Ploverly Morning!

 When I'm slaving away at the metaphorical coal face I get somewhat philosophical when various texts  or messages come through informing me of rare bird sightings in the county. It's not that often that some news comes through that makes me consider pulling a sickie but that was most definitely the case earlier in the week. When regular patch worker and pooch pack perambulator Eleanor McMahon found a couple of Dotterels at Harrington earlier in the week I almost felt physically sick as these super attractive plovers are some of my favourite birds. I was already trying to work out how I could get there when news emerged that the birds had done a bunk leaving me feeling disappointed but also slightly relieved - my wife does not believe that twitches (even for Dotterels!) are a legitimate reason for taking a day off! Fast forward several days and I found myself looking at my own plovers even if they were slightly more humdrum than Eleanor's!.

Ringed and Little Ringed record shots.

I currently find myself in between jobs as of yesterday and have a fortnight and a holiday to Lesvos to enjoy before my nose once again gets pressed firmly to the grindstone. With lovely spring weather in store and a day to kill I decided to concentrate on some local sites in the hope of catching up with some interesting wildlife. My day began with a walk down to Weldon from where I went on to check out a local site for Ringed Plovers. It took a while but my efforts bore fruit as I found one bird occupying its regular site. A look for Wheatears at nearby Willowbrook Industrial Estate was decidedly less successful but I did hear at least one song-flighting Meadow Pipit in addition to several Skylarks.

Red Kite, Skylark and Linnet

The North Gullet at Priors Hall provided some more plover entertainment as two pairs of Little Ringeds  appeared to be hotly contesting a fenced off territory on the edge of the building site. I spent over half an hour watching their antics before I moved on. Both the North and South Gullets proved to be less than fascinating as I walked along while at the Quarry Lake the now regular great Crested Grebes were in residence and the colony of Sand Martins seems to be doing well. From here I made my way to the ponds where my search for early Large Red Damselflies began. Butterflies flitting around the area included plenty of Speckled Woods and smaller numbers of Brimstones, Peacocks, Green-veined White and Orange-tips, there were no interesting birds to report.

Speckled Wood and Large Red Damselflies

My search for odes started slowly which wasn't a surprise as it was still very early in the season. Luck did decide to pay a call however as I caught a glimpse of a teneral damsel flying weakly towards an imposing looking bramble bush. I couldn't find it afterwards and missed the chance to get a picture but I was still very happy, this was my earliest Large Red by two days. Buoyed by this success I redoubled my efforts and was rewarded with sightings of four more, happily for me two of them posed for photographs. By now the day was getting decidedly hot and I opted to return to Weldon. The Quarry Lake on the return leg now held a group of the larger gulls and a look through them revealed a second summer Caspian and also a Yellow-legged amongst them. On my walk though the village towards a medicinal rehydrating stop at the George  the Merlin bird sound app reported hearing a Redstart. I was interested for all of ten seconds before the "Redstart" started singing chiff-chaff! No matter as a pint of cider made as good a way as any of closing my walk.

Yellow-legged and Caspian Gulls

Oundle Again

 The X4 was a bit late today but I didn't stress too much about it as I stood in the sunshine listening to Goldcrests and Coal Tits singing in the churchyard. When the bus did arrive I made a quick return to Oundle where I took my usual walk along the river. There was nothing new or too exciting to report but I enjoyed a pleasant stroll in the blustery conditions.

G-v White, Brimstone and Peacock

Not for the first time I decided to avoid Barnwell CP and headed towards the Nene. My first definite Green-veined White of the year obligingly posed for several pictures near the marina, I saw at least one more on my walk. For the second week running a Kingfisher was seen near Oundle Mill though my camera refused to focus on it before it was flushed by an approaching boat. Between the marina and the floods near the A605 I didn't see much other than Sand Martins and the floods themselves were considerably less interesting than yesterday. Part of the reason for this I suspect was that a couple of bin toting people were wandering around the flooded field itself flushing birds as they went. Despite this unwelcome incursion I did manage to see the remaining Spotted Redshank and also a couple of Little Ringed Plovers. A welcome year tick came in the shape of a male Orange-tip which was braving the breezy conditions as it flew across the floods.

Peregrine

My last stop of the day was at the churchyard where I enjoyed more views of the Peregrines. The male in particular showed well as he enjoyed a snooze in the sunshine. Blood soiled feathers suggested that he'd had his breakfast this morning and was having a little bit of down time before setting off again. I finished my session by checking for Holly Blues but unlike Phil Rogers who has seen one in his garden this year my efforts were unsuccessful. With time drawing on I headed back towards Weldon for a family meal in the George

Ruff And Reddy At Oundle

This week has seen spring establishing itself more and more with plenty of often warm sunshine to lift the mood and stir the soul. My first Willow Warblers and Blackcaps appeared this week at Eurohub in Corby while other parts of the county enjoyed a trickle of northbound migrants passing through. Shozzer and I opted to visit Titchmarsh LNR this morning where grey clouds dominated proceedings before the sun eventually broke through.

Oystercatcher, Dunlin and Little Ringed Plover

For only the third time that I can recall I forgot to pack my binoculars for today's excursion and had to use my scope for our short walk around the reserve.  It was perhaps just as well then that there was very little to look at at other than a good number of Sand Martins and a pair of Oystercatchers. Reports began to filter in from Oundle where the floods near Lower Barnwell Lock seemed to be attracting an interesting selection of waders. We opted to pop over and visit the floods but not before I returned home and grabbed some binoculars. The clouds had gone by the time we arrived and in any spot sheltered from the stiff breeze it grew increasingly warm as the morning progressed.

Ruff and White Wagtail

It didn't take too long to find the first interesting birds, a Dunlin and two Little Ringed Plovers being followed soon after by a sighting of a Ruff. The trio of Spotted Redshanks which had been reported by John Hunt earlier were noted next and showed on and off for the duration of our visit. Whilst we were watching the shanks an Oystercatcher dropped in and I also noted a Common Snipe probing in the muddy margins. Passerines contributed to the entertainment too with first a White and then a Yellow Wagtail being found. We eventually dragged ourselves away from the floods and on our way back to the car saw Brimstone, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell sheltering from the wind.

Spotted Redshanks

Our next and last port of call was Priors Hall where we looked for insects, I harboured hopes of seeing an early Large Red Damselfly but drew a blank in that respect. More obliging were my first Comma and Speckled Wood of the year and a probable but not proven Green-veined White. Birds at the quarry lake included the pair of Great Crested Grebes and more Sand Martins while a Marsh Tit was calling near the ponds. Our day finished at the George in Weldon where a pint was as good a way as any to finish things off. Many of today's pictures are of the dismal record shot variety but hopefully they will still give you an idea of how things went.

Brimstone, Comma and Peacocks