After the Storm

 After a night of howling winds whistling around the rooftops it was nice to wake up to some decent sunny weather. Alan Shorrock and I headed over to Ferry Meadows for what is likely to be a last away day before the new lockdown begins on Thursday. Our target was a Glossy Ibis that has been frequenting the area for several days and we were lucky enough to get some good views.

Glossy Ibis.

At first the ibis was rather distant and at one point it disappeared for a while amongst the sedge. After a short space of time it put in another appearance coming closer this time and treating us to some great views before once again flying off. On our way back to the car we rediscovered it feeding close to the path, if only all rarities were as obliging as this one! Not many other species braving the still blustery conditions though Alan did pick out at least one calling Ring-necked Parakeet.

Cranes, Whooper Swans and Stonechat

From here we moved on to what was a very dry looking Eldernell in the Nene Washes. Alan did most of the leg work here picking out two Cranes, a duo of Whooper Swans and a brace of Stonechats. Nearly all were rather distant so pictures are of the dodgy record shot variety. Not much else to report other than several Marsh Harriers and a Great White Egret that only Shozzer managed to see.

Ghosts of Summer

 A blowy old day with a strong wind coming form the south west which at least made for a mild time of things. Squally showers and sunny periods were the order of the day as I walked from Bears Lane at Weldon and back via Deene, Deenethorpe and Priors Hall.

Red Kite and Kestrel.

Things were a bit on the quiet side for much of the morning and I suspect that many birds were sheltering from the gale. An early highlight was a Brambling seen from the public footpath near Harry's Park Wood and it was possibly the same bird seen on a previous visit. The inflow at Deene Lake held three Green Sandpipers as well as many Teal while the main lake had retained the Egyptian Geese seen on my last visit. There seemed to be a lot of Skylarks and Chaffinches today as well as a smaller number of Meadow Pipits though for the most part the birdlife appeared to be keeping a low profile.

Willow Emeralds.

My arrival at Priors Hall coincided with a period of sunshine and in areas sheltered from the wind I had an excellent time watching a small assortment of dragons and damsels. Highlight were my first ever November damselflies as I found at least four single male Willow Emeralds as well as two ovipositing pairs. Also a first for November was a male Southern Hawker which hung around long enough for a picture, sadly a Migrant Hawker was not so obliging. Commonest species was appropriately enough Common Darter with good numbers on site. I never thought that I'd see four species of ode in November but with temperatures hitting the heady heights of seventeen degrees perhaps it shouldn't have come as such a surprise.

Southern Hawker and Common Darters

Low Key and Local

 Last day of my long weekend and I decided that if I was going to have another day of seeing not much I would at least do it locally! Choosing to go to the area near the sewage treatment works I had an enjoyable if predictably less than exciting walk around while trying to dodge the many showers.

Long-tailed and Blue Tits.

With shadows lengthening and more and more leaves falling Summer memories are fading fast and the day's birds spoke more of Autumn than of warmer times. This Autumn's first Teal at the site were flushed from one of the ponds by a low flying Buzzard. Similarly it look a low flying raid from a Sparrowhawk to show just how many passerines were on site. The marauding raptor's dashing arrival sent panicked flocks of Redwings and Goldfinches rushing skywards while the alarm calls of tits rang out. In common with previous visits small numbers of Redpolls and Siskins were noted while my first Bullfinches here for a while were also found. Once again the soundtrack to my visit was provided by the squawks of Jays and the ringing yaffle of Green Woodpeckers. With a fairly cool wind blowing and sunshine during my walk at a premium there was little other wildlife of note to report. 

Goldfinches

Disappointing

 My brother and I ventured over to Norfolk where we enjoyed a less than fantastic day. While the weather was fine if a little on the windy side we struggled to find much of note. For whatever reason there was a large number of people around which meant that we couldn't get parked anywhere at Holkham while even places like Holme NWT were busier than usual.

Dunlin and Curlews.

Beginning at Holme we dipped on the Red-flanked Bluetail and the Tundra Bean Geese and had to settle instead for a couple of Crossbills and some Bramblings moving through. Moving on towards Holkham we were disappointed to miss out on the reported goodies for the reasons outlined above. We had to settle for  a stop at Burnham Overy where despite a large number of people enjoying a Sunday stroll we did find a little of interest.

Brent Geese and Stonechat.

The muddy creeks held a few waders of which Dunlin was the commonest while the neighbouring fields supported quite a few Curlews. Both Brent and Pink-footed Geese were seen while the most interesting passerines were a trio of Stonechats. Of the five species of raptor noted an immature Rough-legged Buzzard was the highlight and we had good views before it drifted up the coast.

Rough-legged Buzzard

Other wildlife seen today included Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers while there was a good sized herd of Fallow Deer at Holkham Park.

A Bit Dull

 Another less than exciting day which I spent wandering around Bears Lane and Harry's Park Wood though in fairness it was a bit better than yesterday's slog. One definite plus over yesterday's stroll was a big reduction in the number of doggies that I encountered, I really don't mind dogs but too much of a good thing can be bad for you!

Countryside views.

A flock of about forty to forty five Golden Plovers was seen from Bears Lane, I think that they were feeding in fields next to the A427. Small numbers of Redwings were feeding in the hedgerow and I also found a single Chiffchaff. My first Redpoll of the day was also noted, small numbers were seen throughout the rest of my walk. Highlight was a pair of Ravens that flew over as I was making my way home.

Kestrel and Fieldfares

Harry's Park itself was pretty quiet with only a small number of Siskins and several tit flocks being of any interest. A look around the farmland on the other side of the wood produced a flock of Fieldfares and a good view of Kestrel but not much else. I'm hoping that tomorrow might deliver a little bit more of interest, it can't get much worse!

Going to the Dogs

 First day of my five day weekend and I was lucky enough to see some long periods of sunshine. I was not quite so lucky with my choice of destination however as I opted to go to the dog paradise of East Carlton Park. Although I'd hoped that a mid week visit might see a reduction in the pooch quota I was to be proved wrong and failed to find any of the hoped for Bramblings as a veritable pack of mutts were galloping around.

Red Kite and Peregrine

Not much of anything really in the park aside from the usual woodland species with Nuthatch, Marsh Tit and a Redpoll the highlight. After a quick dash around I chose to cut my losses and headed off along the Welland Valley. Once again I found little of note, some Siskins near Middleton and a Southern Migrant Hawker near Rockingham were the pick.

Common Darter and Comma.

The flooded quarry near Brookfield Plantation added Common Darters and a Migrant Hawker to my day list and also more sightings of both Siskins and Redpolls. It was very quiet in the plantation itself apart from a Comma though I did see a Peregrine nearby at one of their favoured spots.

Late Dragons

 Somewhat brighter today though not quite as interesting as yesterday though I still enjoyed my walk. I had a stroll around parts of Willowbrook Industrial Estate before heading to Weldon.

kestrel and Yellow-legged Gull.

There was not a great deal on view at Willowbrook and I noticed that yet another piece of land appears to be on the verge of development. So sad to think of how good this area was for birding in the 1980's before most of it went under concrete. One highlight was a sub adult Yellow-legged Gull on the bare ground that was cleared last winter.

Great Spotted Woodpecker and Shoveller.

At the A43 pond a couple of Shovellers had joined the more usual water fowl, these really are quite scarce in the Corby area and this duo were only my second sighting at this pond. For the second day in a row I was lucky enough to record a Crossbill as one flew over in a SE direction. Several Siskins were also noted around the pond keeping company with a small charm of Goldfinches. By the time that I'd reached the pond near the Woodland Park the sun was shining which brought out a few dragonflies. The highlight was a fine male Southern Hawker which made a nice change from the many Migrants that I've seen recently. Several Common Darters were also noted and I also found a male Willow Emerald.

Southern Hawker, Common Darter and Willow Emerald.