All White Now

Turns out this particular beast had a real bite to it as freezing temperatures and snow brought the country to a standstill. While Northants missed out on the worst conditions it was still bad enough with snow drifts covering some of the minor roads and reducing the flow of traffic to a snail's pace. While I have a lot of sympathy for those people affected by the cold spell it's the wildlife that has suffered from the harsh weather which I feel most pity for. The timing of this freeze at the end of winter meant that natural food reserves were all but depleted and the result was that many birds in particular were all but dependant on human hand outs for their survival. Social media has been full of pictures of Redwings and Fieldfares visiting gardens and there are plenty of pictures of Bramblings too. Other less usual species like Woodcocks and even Lapwings appeared as they ranged far and wide in a desperate search for food. What long term effect this wintry spell has on bird populations remains to be seen but a thaw seems to be setting in and hopefully conditions will ease.

Corby Old Village.

I thought it would be prudent to keep things local and so I ranged no further than Weldon. A mist was hanging around for all of the time that I was out which meant that photography was difficult but at least it was warmer than of late. The sound of either dripping or running water suggests that the snow is melting but for now drifts remain over welly deep in places and I stuck to the clearer bits as much as I could. A walk around Corby village revealed many Redwings around with birds feeding around the base of trees where a little circle of cleared ground offered some hope of finding food. An apple tree next to Lloyd's Road had attracted both Blackbirds and a Fieldfare.

A shape in the mist, Redwing looking for food.

Popping into the patch produced the best bird of the day, a Woodcock which was flushed from next to the path but this apart from a Grey Wagtail at the stream was the only thing of note here. Weldon had further thrushes while the streams here had numerous Mallards and one or two Little Egrets. Both of the ponds were frozen although the Woodland Park pond had half a dozen Reed Buntings feeding on Reedmace seed heads. Despite the cold and rather gloomy conditions there was still birdsong to enjoy with Dunnocks in particular in good voice. Greylag Geese were heard on two occasions, pairs are often seen at this time of year as they search for likely breeding sites but I suspect it was the search for food that motivated these birds.

Reed Bunting and Dunnock at Weldon.

Not too much else to report though I did get excellent views of a Red Kite, these and other carrion feeders may well enjoy something of a feast over the coming days as the snow recedes and reveals the casualties of the last week.

Red Kite.

Not that Beastly

As Britain waits with a sense of almost cowering trepidation for the arrival of the much heralded Beast from the East I wrapped up good and warm before venturing out. While it remains to be seen whether this beast will be the traditional roaring Lion of March or the meowing of an overhyped kitty it certainly was a little on the chilly side with temperature ranging from bracing to brass monkeys. As I waited for my bus in Corby little flakes of snow were swirling and twisting in eddies of breeze but it was sunny by the time I reached Oundle.

Cold but lovely.

Once I'd got there I walked down South Road where I checked for the Hawfinches that were seen several times here last week. No luck with the finches so I set out for Ashton Mill to look for Otters. Unfortunately a beast of an altogether less formidable sort was affecting conditions here, a yappy little dog which had put a large flock of Teals and also any hope of my seeing Otters to flight. Its owner apologised for the disturbance, well intentioned no doubt but it did not bring any Otters back. A Redpoll was the sole highlight here and its calls were the only bird sound, the cold weather has silenced all but the most determined singers.

Sinensis Cormorant and drake Mandarin.

Just the usual selection of birds on offer along the river though at least there was no goose hunting going on so there was no more disturbance. Quite a few Lapwings on the move but they always get a little restless when cold weather is on the way. Plenty of thrushes too, mainly Fieldfares but a few Redwings showed with them. A sinensis race Cormorant was nice to see well while an Egyptian Goose was perched on a roof near the marina, not a bad garden tick.

A trio of thrushes.

Barnwell CP had plenty of common bird activity though it looked as if the feeders had not been filled, perhaps our glorious county council can't afford the seed. Hopefully this situation will change before the really cold snap kicks in. A pair of Mandarins showed very well here and were the first since the new year. Not much else to report though a Siskin was in full song and several Nuthatches were seen.

a few Barnwell birds.

By the time I'd got to the pub a snow shower was starting and I was grateful to be inside looking out rather than vice versa as I watched some very cold looking folks shuffling past.

This Robin visited me in the hide.

The Best Laid Plans...

My brother had come up with the kind of plan that gives the lie to any notion that only the fairer sex can multi task. We would take in a triple bill of bands at the Cambridge Corn Exchange on the Saturday night, stay nearby overnight and then hit the wilds of East Anglia for various goodies today. Unfortunately for us and the plan everything hit the rocks this morning when a spot of car trouble meant that after one AA visit we had to abandon our scheme and  head back to Northants without any Goshawks, Woodlarks or any Parrot Crossbills on the list to worry us.

Both Little Egrets and Wigeons looked nice in the sunshine.

Not wanting to write the whole day off we chanced a stop at Blatherwycke in an attempt to see the Hawfinches that had been seen earlier in the week. Our first stop at the lake produced sightings of Mandarins in their usual spot and a selection of the regular wildfowl. From here we headed over to the churchyard to look for the finches. Two folks were already searching when we arrived and had sadly drawn a blank and we too managed to achieve the same result. We waited around for half an hour or so of fruitless searching but decided at that point that that today was not going to be our day and headed back home.

Blatherwycke Vistas.

Although I didn't take my usual peek over the fence at the menagerie my brother did and reports that both the wallabies and the white Rheas are still in residence. It's a shame that such a promising day led to nothing else of note but at least there's always another day.

Crested Grebes are Great

The X4 had to jostle for position with a couple of rail replacement coaches this morning at the train station but that did not prevent me from getting on and visiting Wicksteed Park. Drizzle and light rain seemed to be the order of the day so photography was more than a little difficult.

Little Egret

A Mistle Thrush's song greeted me as I arrived and the usual gaggle of geese were grazing on the field. Gull numbers remain high with Commons in particular increasing, their main passage will soon begin. Plenty of Tufted Ducks on the main lake, well over fifty birds while wildfowl numbers in general stayed at about the same level as on my previous visits.

The same egret looking a little dejected.

Today it seemed to be Little Egrets ruling the roost with at least five around the main lake and a further four infringing Cattle Egret copyright by feeding in the field adjacent to the arboretum. At least three were either lazing or preening whilst standing on posts and one posed nicely during one of the few less damp periods.

With little new or rare to watch my attention was drawn to a pair of Great Crested Grebes which were going through their courtship ritual. The pair would swim in procession shaking their heads in unison before turning to face each other. They would raise their crests and puff out the ear tufts before presenting each other with water weed. Sometimes they would rise out of the water almost as if on tip toes before breaking off and either feeding or preening. It wasn't quite the full spectacular show but not far off, anyone venturing out to larger bodies of water should definitely keep an eye out for it.

Great Crested courtship.

With little else to look at and with the yaffle of a Green Wood bidding me farewell I set off to enjoy my usual large breakfast in the town.

That Wasn't Very Good

A bit of a stinker today with lots of miles walked but very little to show for it, it's getting to that point where Spring can't come soon enough. I began by walking to East Carlton Park and continuing on through the pretty little village of Pipewell before arriving back at Corby.

The walk through the town produced lots of bird sounds with Dunnock song in particular becoming more and more obvious. Green Woodpecker calls were heard from three different spots in the town and it seems as if we retain a decent population of Song Thrushes. My first wild Spring flowers of the year in the form of some Lesser Celandines were found on the verge of Cottingham Road. Leaving the town produced a selection of the commoner rural species but misty conditions made for difficult viewing. A singing Yellowhammer was nice as they don't seem to be that common around this area but I can't recall anything else of note.

St Mary's church, Pipewell.

East Carlton did not come up with the Hawfinch goods despite my checking around the hall and the Yews behind the visitor centre, I didn't linger here though because of the number of pooches running around. From here I headed along the lane towards Pipewell, it's been a couple of years since I last walked along here and to be honest it may be a few more years before I do it again! With a variety of rubbish lining the road verges, the odd bit of fly tipping to admire and the occasional dead Fox or Badger it was a far from pleasant experience. In the village itself I paused to gawp at the tiny St Mary's church, it must be one of the smallest ones in the county.

Pochard and Coot.

On the walk back towards Corby I caught a whiff of the Rushton tip but I did not fancy extending my walk to look for scarce gulls and instead walked as fast as I could to avoid any more of the speeding motors. I used to believe the national speed limit is a potential maximum and is not compulsory but now I'm not so sure!

At the boating lake the Coots and at least one drake Pochard had to share their space with a little flotilla of boats from Corby's Model Boat Club but they didn't seem too worried. As I walked through Hazel Woods I had to stop and chuckle at one of the information boards, check the picture below to find out why!

I'd like to find one of these in Corby!

Another Sunny Stroll

X4 time again this morning as I took the bus as far as Lower Benefield. From here I walked along the gated road towards Glapthorn before taking a bridleway along to Burn Coppice. After this is was on through Deenethorpe, Deene and Weldon.

Fieldfares near Benefield and barn near Glapthorn.

As is becoming normal of late there was little to report from the earlier stages of the stroll, a large flock of Fieldfares and Redwings near to Lower Benefield and plenty of kites in the early morning sunshine. The barns near Burn Coppice still had the large flock of seed eaters which included Tree Sparrow. Close by a Raven called and a Buzzard and several kites reminded me of trips to mid Wales in the 1980s.

Views from Deene.

Deene Lake inflow had nine Snipes feeding around the Wheelie Bin Triangle but they were overshadowed on this occasion by the first Green Sandpiper here since December. Teal numbers seemed to have increased though I still can't find a Green-winged amongst them. Shelduck numbers on the main lake had risen once again to a total of at least twenty three but numbers of wildfowl in general had dropped perhaps due to work in progress near the dam.

The WBT was quite busy today.

Nothing much was seen on my walk along Kirby Lane though Weldon Industrial Estate played host to two herds of Fallow Deer, one of over thirty near to the race track and another more modest one close to the Morrison's warehouse.

Kirby Hall and the Fallow Deer near the racetrack.

Nene Again

A beautiful morning once again and I began my day with a quick walk around the Old Village. My target was the Little Egret that has been visiting here for the last few days, I hoped to get a photo, but the bird was AWOL today. One compensation was a large flock of Redwings feeding on the Charter Field, these lovely thrushes are always worth seeing.

River views.

Once again I chose to walk along the Nene but this time I walked along towards Cotterstock and on to Tansor. While the skies were blue the wind was cold and it was hard to stop my eyes watering as I walked. A highlight of the day came soon after arriving at Oundle when a Peregrine was seen close to the north bridge. Raptors were well represented throughout the day with a further four species on view, a male Sparrowhawk showed particularly well. Having given all the passerines in a small wood cause for alarm as it passed through it then set off over the neighbouring fields where it flushed many Fieldfares.

A few of today's birds.

As has been the case on other recent sorties out into the field there was not a whole lot of interest to report. Spring flowers continue to bloom although I've only seen cultivated types so far. In Cotterstock village there were numerous Snowdrops as well as plenty of Winter Aconites while in nearby Tansor I saw a lot of Crocuses. Tansor churchyard had many mature Yews but I could not find any Hawfinches though it could bear further investigation.

Spring flowers and the church at Cotterstock.

Timing is not always a strong point of mine but today I was glad to get to the pub just before the first of several hail showers. It's much better to watch other people battling the nasty conditions while sipping on a pint than it is to face them yourself.

A couple from Oundle.