Birding in Northants (9 Viewers)

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Merry Christmas, over the years I've developed the habit of taking a stroll on Christmas Day as a way of getting in a sort of preemptive strike against my calorie overdose that is sure to come. Today I wandered over to the patch, it's been a while but I was reasonably confident that nobody would be working.

It looks a bit beaten about the edges but at the moment is still largely intact. The regular Buzzard was on its preferred pylon and there were thirteen Teal on the ponds. Passerines included Marsh Tit and Bullfinch but the patch had something of a surprise in store for me. Walking alongside the tracks I caught a glimpse of a bird feeding which on closer inspection turned out to be a female Stonechat, my first for the site. I couldn't get a picture as she disappeared and so I continued my walk. On the return leg I saw her again at some distance and managed to get a distant snap. She came a little closer but as you can see the view was a little obscured but eventually I was rewarded with some excellent views. No disrespect to Robins but this could well be the festive chat of the future, I won't be too disappointed if it is.

Time to get to grips with those calories...

James.

 

[string boozel]

Lovely out today and many people seemed to be enjoying it. I went out to Harringworth Lodge Lake via Brookfield and Gretton. There seemed to be a lot of bird activity today though none of it was particularly rare.

In Brookfield I enjoyed picking my way through several mixed flocks and it was nice to hear that Nuthatches are still around. Half a dozen Teal were on one of the ponds and Sparrowhawk and Raven were seen. Numbers of Siskins appear to be rising and a good sized flock was present.

Gretton and its surrounds were alive with birds, the wintering thrushes have taken to feeding in the fields with Starlings. Both Yellowhammers and Skylarks were about in good numbers, a flock of the latter numbered about fifty birds.

Harringworth Lodge Lake was almost devoid of birds, a Moorhen and a Dabchick had the place to themselves. Several Auster aeroplanes were flying around including one in the colours of the Royal Australian Navy, can't think too many of their planes have graced our skies.

I finished the day off with a view of a Peregrine, a nice end to a day that also included sightings of Fallow Deer and a fox. I've put in a picture of the windmill that I included in an earlier thread.

James.

 

[string boozel]

My last day off work and what's likely to be my last birding of the year too. I couldn't let 2016 slip away without a final peak at Deene Lake so I headed in that direction. It was a cold start, I got to Bears Lane just before sunrise and the ground was partially frozen.

At the little airstrip near to Laundimer Wood there were about a hundred Lapwings keeping company with some Fieldfares and about forty Golden Plovers. The frosty conditions may well have accounted for some more westward plover movements as I saw four further flocks of Goldies totalling about eighty birds and a few more Lapwings too.

At Deenethorpe Airfield a Stonechat was seen briefly, perhaps the bird from earlier in the Autumn as there's plenty of suitable habitat for it to lose itself in. In the village a Kingfisher was a welcome find and there was also a small flock of Siskins. A sizeable shooting party arrived shortly after me so I did a runner before the fusillade began. Moving on to the inflow at Deene Lake the water level had dropped and there was a lot of mud showing. Snipes had again taken over at the Wheelie Bin Triangle with fourteen in the general area and a Green Sandpiper was there too. The mysterious attraction of this area seems to work on Moorhens as well, it would be great if a Water Rail put in an appearance.

On the main lake a party of people walking along the dam made the wildfowl a little nervy but there was still quite a lot to see. Although both Shovellers and Wigeons seem to have moved on there were more Tufted Ducks and Pochards. Joining these were the two Shelducks, Mallards, Gadwalls, the two commoner grebes, both of the regular geese and Mute Swan. In the area of rough vegetation the Stonechat showed as well as it has so far while the thrush flock feeding in the field contained Mistle Thrush. At the ponds the ducks included Wigeon and a pair of Egyptian Geese which flew off, I found them later in a field with about sixty Lapwings.

Walking back through Weldon Industrial Estate a Buzzard perched on a light gave me an opportunity to take one of my better photos.

 

[string boozel]

As 2016 is all but over bar the shouting and perhaps some drunken singing I thought I might look back over the year. This was a year when I did most of my birding in the county and most of that while on foot. I found that this less car dependant form of spotting while enabling me to stay in visual contact with my feet also helped me to rediscover some places that I'd all but forgotten.

The undoubted highlight has to have been the unlikely double act that found their way on to my garden list during June, White Stork and Honey Buzzard. I've included a picture of the HB as this is about the only place that I haven't tried to show it off on! This unlikely pairing aside I enjoyed seeing Tree Sparrows and Yellow Wagtails at six localities each and it was nice to see that House Sparrow numbers are holding up. Seeing Grey Partridge again was welcome while Stonechats enjoyed a good year too. I didn't do that much twitchy stuff this time around though I could not resist doing a spot of parasite birding for the Deene Great White Egret. They may well be on their way to becoming fairly standard fare these days but I can still remember seeing the first (I think) at Stanford Res not that long ago. Now Cat C wildfowl are not everyone's cup of tea but I also enjoyed seeing Mandarins at six locations and also Egyptian Geese at three, they just add a dash of the exotic on an otherwise dull day.

Finding or revisiting sites long forgotten was a big feature of 2016 and regular trips to Deene Lake meant that this site has almost become a new patch. Other sites that I enjoyed were Laundimer Wood, Harringworth Lodge and Blatherwycke Lakes as well as some of the more established locations. I'm hoping that with the aid of an OS map and the X4 bus I may get to other places in 2017.

It wasn't all rosy of course, land hungry developers and cash hungry land owners continue to form an unholy alliance seemingly bent on turning our county into a suburb of North London. I wouldn't mind if they didn't insist on portraying themselves as philanthropic saints and just admitted that they love the money more than the environment. Sad too is the continued decline of our birds, migrant and resident, so many of the species that I took for granted as a child are now rare or absent. I wonder what the generation of tomorrow make of us, are too many people taking fiddle lessons as Rome burns?

Depressing stuff aside I hope that 2017 brings more good news than bad and lots of good birds. They don't have to be flying over my garden of course, anywhere in the village will be just fine. Happy New Year folks and good birding to all.

James.

 

[string boozel]

Well I don't want to begin the year by throwing around meteorological terms but today was a grey, dull and wet stinker. Although it was not too bad when I left the house it became progressively wetter as the morning wore on. I began in the village where my first bird of 2017 was a Robin singing followed quickly by a Blackbird. Other species were added as I headed down towards Weldon with perhaps two Mistle Thrushes being the highlight. Nothing of note at the doggy pool though there seemed to be quite a lot of activity elsewhere in the village where a Green Woodpecker was calling loudly from near the church.

At Bears Lane the first of two Lapwing flocks was noted, another flew over Deenethorpe Airfield and Yellowhammer was also picked out here. As I made my way towards Deene conditions were becoming challenging ( I don't think I can use the words that sprang to mind at the time) and bird activity seemed to lessen. At the inflow at Deene Lake rising water levels meant that Teals were the commonest bird though about ten Snipe were still present. On the main lake three Shelducks were noted and there were good numbers of the commoner wildfowl which included a drake Shoveller though not Wigeon.. The Stonechat was seen from the dam but this was the last bird of note as I had an opportunity to visit the pub and that seemed a far better proposition at he time.

Only one photo today and that from the porch of Deene church, hopefully tomorrow is going to be a little dryer!

James.

 

[string boozel]

Well today was a complete contrast to the muck and murk of yesterday with some lovely sunny conditions to enjoy. I hopped on to the X4 and headed off to Kettering and although the driver was not Captain Charisma being of a more brusque and curt persuasion I did get there nice and early. Walking through the town centre past the Earl of Dalkeith (it was a little too early) I saw a Grey Wagtail, they really are doing well at the mo.

Wicksteed Park was coated in frost with some slippery conditions underfoot but the views of even common species were superb in the glorious light. A squawking mass of gulls greeted me at the lake and there was a reasonable collection of wildfowl too. A few Cormorants were kipping in one of the trees while the Mute Swans appeared to be getting territorial, there was a great deal of argy bargy going on.

At the fishing lake a flock of twenty plus Shovellers were feeding in a large circular flock. I can't recall seeing such behaviour before but that may well be me suffering an age thing. There were good views of Gadwall too, the subtle tones of the drake really come out in good light. Also showing well here was a Shelduck allowing good and close views. A heron was sharing the lake with a human angler, I'm not sure who got the better of that contest. A small group of Siskins were heard and a mixed flock contained a Long-tailed Tit with no tail. it looked quite strange when first picked out in flight. Both species of the commoner woodpecker were noted though sadly I missed out on my target of Kingfisher.

James.

 

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A few more images from today.

James.

 

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I was out watching a band in Northampton last night so was more than pleasantly surprised when I woke up in fine fettle this morning. Leaving the house early I headed off in my now usual direction towards Deene though this time I went via Kirby Lane. Both Northants and neighbouring Rutland have been pulling in some good birds of late so I was hopeful that I might find something good myself but it didn't quite turn out that way and I saw the usual cast of characters.

At Kirby Lodge there were a few of the commoner buntings about but the highlight was a Muntjac which was feeding at some distance from me. Further along the lane there were reasonable numbers of the commoner species while a large flock of Lapwings were feeding near Manor Farm, Deene. The two ponds at the back of Home Farm held good numbers of Gadwall and Mallards but an immature drake Shoveller was my favourite bird here though a fly by Egyptian Goose was a first this year.

On the main lake Shelduck numbers continue to rise, six birds were seen today. Two Little Egrets were my first for some time and it was nice to pick out a few Wigeon. A loud trumpeting call had me frantically scanning for wild swans but with no result. Another burst and again no Whooper but I realised at this point that the culprit was the resident Black Swan, it's going to have to call very loudly if it wants to attract a mate! The goose flock was loud and mobile but sadly I couldn't find any White-fronts amongst them. Although the female Stonechat was showing quite well when I first found here she was put to flight by some passing cyclists before I could manage a snap.

At the inflow there was about a hundred waders but all but seven of them were Lapwings bathing and drinking. Snipe made up the rest of the total with the birds in their favoured location, I really do feel that the owners of Deene Park are making unrealistic demands of the dustmen though.

Not much else of note between here and home though Deenethorpe Airfield was quite busy with planes. Strange to think that this former home to the B17s of the mighty Eighth is now playing host to a swarm of titchy microlights. As is often the case in this area both Red Kites and Buzzards showed well.

James.

 

[string boozel]

An early morning medical appointment meant that I was a little late to get going and as time was somewhat tight I limited my birding to a walk down to Weldon. A little light rain began to fall just as I arrived but it was fair rattling on the hood by the time that I left for home.

Beginning at the A43 pond I noticed that the cygnet has gone, as I couldn't see a corpse I'm hoping that this is the one that got away. Fifty or so Mallards and Mallardishes were joined by six Tufted Ducks and four Gadwalls while the Coots seemed a little bad tempered and spent the time chasing each other around. The doggy pool had a dozen Mallards but little else, a few winter thrushes were feeding close by but the morning was a bit of a write off.

I didn't risk my camera in the nasty conditions but I've got a few more snaps from yesterday.

James.

 

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Saw a Little Egret in the village again today though unlike the last early morning view this one was mid-afternoon. Although they're a fairly common bird these days it's still a bit of a surprise to see one perched in a tree next to an urban stream, even herons restrict their visits to quieter times.

James.

 

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A half day plus the X4 equals School Lane, Kettering and Waxwings, well that was the optimistic equation I was working on this morning. Despite there being no news when I left home at eleven I decided that it might be worth the risk anyway and so gave it a bash.

On arrival at the car park I saw a birder, two photographers and twenty four Waxwings. Having managed to count them I was in the process of taking my camera out of the bag when the flock took flight calling loudly at about Midday. They headed over the buildings on Montagu Street in the general direction of Sainsbury's before I could manage a snap, let's just say that my language veered towards the industrial. Knowing that they had been seen in the supermarket car park in past years I set off in leisurely pursuit but was unable to catch up with them. Returning to School Lane for the second of three visits I drew a blank so had a wander around the surrounding area but again was unsuccessful. After a last peak I popped into a pub, had a celebratory pint and headed back home job done, just a shame I couldn't manage a piccy!

According to Northantsbirds the Waxwings were picked up again at quarter past one near Sainsbury's so could still be worth a visit.

James.

 

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Weather wise it was a morning for dog walkers and idiots to be out and I don't have a dog but when you only get two days off you have to venture out when common sense suggests otherwise. Today I wandered over to East Carlton and then along the valley before finishing at Brookfield Plantation. The BBC weather guesser suggested that the rain was on for most of the day and so it proved, there was the odd break and even a glimpse of blue at one point but its was mostly dribbley.

Walking through the town just after dawn the usual Magpies and Carrion Crows were squabbling over the bounty left from the night before, bits of kebab and chips by the looks of it. A first teacher-teachering Great Tit of the year was heard near the Town Centre while a gaggle of Greylags were grazing on the bank next to the boating lake, Closer to East Carlton a Redpoll passed over but the best sighting at this stage was three foxes. They crossed the road in front of me with at least one making an almost Magpie like sound and they were so ihtent on their business that they failed to notice me. The last stopped in the road and looked around, did a quick comedy double take when it realised that I was there and then scarpered.

In the park itself I heard a couple of Bramblings near to the rookery and a minute or two later saw five males, too wet for pictures as it was for most of the day, but good views before a passer-by spooked them. Several Nuthatches and the two commoner woodpeckers were calling and both Blackbirds and Song Thrushes were active in the leaf litter.

Walking along the valley there was rather a lot of raptor activity and at one point I was stood eye to beady eye with a male Sparrowhawk which was perched in a hedgerow tree near to Rockingham. Not much else to report from the valley though the STW near this village had quite a lot of bird activity with a mixed flock moving through the surrounding trees and several birds on the sole filter bed. Robins in particular seemed rather adept at flitting down as the booms passed by and grabbing a morsel before the next arm swung around.

Close to Brookfield a pair of Ravens were noted but these were soon forgotten when I reached the plantation itself. A recently remembered call, an oldie but a goodie, alerted me to a Willow Tit feeding low in some bushes, I had excellent views of a first Corby one for years. Somewhat tantalisingly another bird was feeding close to this one but it didn't call and the views were not as good so can only go down as a possible. Nearby a flock of about fifty Siskins was the largest one of the winter so far.

I finished my spotting with a rather soggy and dejected looking Peregrine at one of its favoured sites and feeling some of its pain I headed off home to dry out.

James.

 

[string boozel]

Another day and another deluge and while the day might have been spent more productively, say by googling ark plans or something similar I chose to go birding again. Taking the X4 to Oundle I had intended to walk along the Nene but the at times heavy rain forced a change to my plans. Barnwell Country Park while not one of the county's birding hotspots does at least have hides and that is where I spent most of my time.

I watched the feeders from the first hide where the highlights were Marsh Tit and a female Reed Bunting. From the Kingfisher Hide I had two quick views of Kingfisher (if they make a Roller Hide I'll visit again) and there were a few ducks. People like to say that this sort of weather is good for ducks but they don't seem any happier in rain than at other times though it has to be said that these were taking an opportunity to have a shower.

During a dryer interlude I took a stroll along to Oundle Marina where a pair of Egyptian Geese were on the grass next to the boater's club. A large flock of feeding geese were checked for good stuff but came up blank while a flooded area had attracted rather a lot of Wigeon. As the rain began to get heavier again I gave up on any hope of a Cetti's Warbler and legged it back to Barnwell.

Back in the Kingfisher Hide a chap inquired whether or not I'd seen the Mandarins, six had been present for some time but I have to say that I hadn't caught a glimpse. Looking intently amongst the waterside vegetation I did manage to pick out several drakes but they were very well concealed, they may have been taking lessons from Cetti's Warblers. Reasonably happy with my haul I packed up and went to catch the bus.

James.

 

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A steaming great pile of manure could well be the verdict reached by many on reading some of my posts but for today at least one also served as a magnet for birds. In the cold but beautiful conditions a range of species ranging from wagtails to a Red Kite were drawn to one near Upper Benefield and yes they really do steam when it's cold! After a short hop on the X4 this morning I walked from the village looking for Tree Sparrows and it took about two minutes to find some on its fringe. Walking in the general direction of Deenethorpe I saw more in the hedgerows for about half a mile along the road.

There were a lot of birds active today with Lapwings and a couple of Golden Plovers moving around in search of frost free feeding. Red-legged Partridges were present in several large coveys while both kites and Kestrels showed well. A Brown Hare was a nice sight too as it's been a while since I saw my last. In Deenethorpe village a Kingfisher was seen at the Willowbrook and the place seemed alive with Greenfinches.

The inflow at Deene Lake held many Teals, eighty or more and there were thirteen Snipe in the general area. The main lake was partially frozen over but most of the usual wildfowl were present including Wigeon but not Shoveller. There were at least five Shelducks but goose numbers were very low, a single Greylag being the total. I couldn't find the Stonechat today despite a lot of searching but she may well still be around as she has done a disappearing act in the past.

Walking back I noticed a lot of new fencing and some tree planting around Deenethorpe Airfield, I suspect planning permission for the government backed green village is a formality. On that subject a lot seems to have been written on this subject recently and there's been bits about it on the telly. It seems that I may have got it totally wrong when I poured scorn on the idea. Having read the publicity material and listened to the PR this will not be some sort of parasite community leeching away at our public services or putting more pressure on our infrastructure. No, it's going to be a vibrant and indeed verdant self-sustaining village where man and nature will coexist in what seems to be perfect, almost symbiotic harmony. With public transport links and miles of cycle paths the residents will hardly have to use their cars. Shame on me for my doubts about the project, I'm sure that even the pet cats will be vegetarian! The airfield itself was busy with lots of microlight flights, I wonder where the aviators will go once the village is up and running?

Across the A427 and towards Laundimer Wood there were large numbers of Lapwings with a few Goldies mixed in while the Red Kites continued to put on a good show.

For lovers of the English Language and in particularly in its written form I have some good news, this will be my only post of the weekend as I'm off to Latvia for a few days.

James.

 

[string boozel]

As I took rather a lot of pictures today I'm going to stick a few more images on including a couple of Red Kite pictures. Most of my snaps of this species are fairly dire so it was good to get a couple of reasonable ones.

James.

 

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I'm afraid that the lure of a certain diver in Lincolnshire proved far too great to resist and the fact that there was a Ring-necked Duck nearby only added to the attraction. While I'm not much of a twitchy type nowadays this species owed me one after a dip and drench incident a few years ago in Brixham. On the way back from my successful excursion I popped into Blatherwycke Lake where there was the usual collection of wildfowl as well as a pair of Egyptian Geese, perhaps the Deene birds from a couple of weeks ago.

I have sneaked in a couple of pictures of today's star bird, it wasn't in Northants but it sure was a stunner.

James.

 

[string boozel]

It was time to knuckle down to some county birding and put all thoughts of Goshawks, divers and other avian exotica aside. Today I headed over to East Carlton Park where it was misty and a bit murky but at least it wasn't raining. Brambling was once again the highlight with at least three feeding on beechmast with some Chaffinches on the northern side of the park next to the footpath down to Middleton. I managed a picture of sorts, none too sharp but at least it's just about recognisable, the area where the birds were feeding was prone to a lot of disturbance and the birds wouldn't settle for long.

If you've not visited this park before you might be quite struck with your first view of the hall, it looks not unlike somewhere the Munsters might live and is quite unlike any other of the local stately piles. The trees around the hall were alive with common woodland species and indeed the park itself was a hive of bird activity. Mistle Thrushes seemed quite busy today, their ratchet calls could be heard around the hall and the village. A pair of Buzzards were performing in the valley next to the park and suffered the attentions of many of the local corvids.

An encouraging sign that Spring is somewhere on the distant horizon at least was the number of Snowdrops in flower around the park, no doubt there's lots of cold weather ahead but at least it's a start.

While I was in the area I couldn't resist the opportunity to pop out of the park to look at the local herd of Reindeer that someone in the village keeps in fields next to the church. It's a rather strange sight to see in the wilds of rural Northants but no weirder than the wallabies or rheas that can be seen in Blatherwycke village.

James

 

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Fog was something of an issue today and I'm not talking about a light misty type of thing where gentle eddies of wind stir gossamer tendrils into a beguiling array of ever shifting patterns. No this was a clunking great peasouper that sat heavily on the land like a sumo astride a little donkey. With visibility ranging from " I'm sure there used to be a lake here" all the way up to "where's my hand" conditions were somewhat challenging but on the plus side it means that dodgy photos can be passed off by lesser photographers as atmospheric. While viewing was difficult the fog did finally lift after midday though it did not reveal much of interest.

During the earlier part of the day sound came into its own and the ever expanding chorus of songsters were joined by Skylark, Chaffinch and Reed Bunting, the mild feel perhaps encouraging more singers to perform. Flocks of Wood Pigeons could be heard erupting from the tops of trees with the sound of a wave breaking on the shore and the whirring of passerine wings seemed amplified. At Bears Lane a small flock of Greylags were heard calling overhead and a small number of Golden Plover were likewise heard near to Deenethorpe airfield. The mist had parted a little by this stage though the microlight flyers appeared to have stayed at home. Good numbers of Skylarks, my first Linnets of the year and Meadow Pipits as well as a small flock of Lapwings were noted here and small numbers of winter thrushes, much scarcer of late, were seen. In the village a Kingfisher was again present at the brook and at the inflow at nearby Deene Lake at least ten Snipe were just about visible at their favoured spot while a Shelduck could be made out in the thicker fog. Some of the commoner wildfowl could be seen on the lake but even swans were disappearing into the veiling curtain of mist and there was little hope of finding the Stonechat. The ponds behind Home Farm had a small number of Teals, Gadwall, Tufties and Mallards and nearby Manor farm was attracting a large and very noisy flock of Starlings, their calls drowned out just about everything else.

Walking on to Harringworth Lodge Lake the fog was still thick though the lake had a few more birds than on my last visit including a Great Crested Grebe in its full breeding finery. Approaching Gretton the watching became easier as it finally began to clear and a large flock of Yellowhammers were found near the village. Beyond and in the valley a small flock of Siskins were feeding in a flooded patch of alders and the sewage treatment plant near Rockingham had both Pied and Grey Wags feeding on its solitary bed. With that I headed off to the village pub for a meal and a couple of well earned pints, medicinal of course!

I hope that you enjoy the following atmospheric images.

James.

 

[string boozel]

A beautiful morning with lovely clear conditions and a dusting of frost in stark contrast to yesterday's yuck. I took the bus over to Oundle with a view to walking some of the Nene Way as my last visit had been somewhat ruined by rain. Sunrise was breath taking with the light reflecting off the water looking almost like burnished copper.

A sizeable flock of Pied Wagtails were feeding on a frozen puddle with a Grey Wag and half a dozen Meadow Pipits for company while Moorhens were flushed regularly from riverside vegetation, I'd hoped for a Water Rail but couldn't turn one up. A Snipe was flushed from near to Ashton Mill, there looks to be some cracking habitat between the mill and the river and I listened for Cetti's but was unsuccessful. This looks like the kind of place that could attract roosting Long-eared Owls so it's certainly worth checking.

Further along the river a large flock of Greylags were checked for goodies without finding anything but all matters goosey were soon to be forgot. I noticed something in the river that I couldn't immediately put a name to but a squint through the bins soon solved the puzzle and I found myself watching an Otter. This is my first Northants sighting having dipped on them at Ravensthorpe last year and I was somewhat happy to say the least! I watched it for about five minutes but a fellow walker with a loud "Morning" and a loud clunk as the gate swung shut behind him sent it packing and I couldn't find it again.

Continuing my stroll with a bit of a spring to the step I passed a large flooded area where a couple of swans were serving as icebreakers and the open water had attracted Shoveller, Wigeon and Teal. At Oundle Marina a pair of Egyptian Geese showed well while nearby Barnwell had a selection of the commoner species. I finished my birding watching a pair of Buzzards over Oundle town centre and with a bit of time to spare before my bus popped into a pub to toast my Otter with a couple of pints.

James.

 

[string boozel]

A few more pictures from this morning.

James.