Birding in Northants (1 Viewer)

[string boozel]

A return to the more usual routine with a walk down to Weldon in much greyer conditions than yesterday. At the A43 pond some sad news with the discovery of the remaining cygnet's corpse. Although I was able to get a good look through binoculars I was unable to determine the cause. Amongst the birds seen were Dabchick, Heron, about twenty Mallard, ten Gadwall, six Tufted Ducks and Coot.

Not much at the other pond with several Moorhens, a Coot and three Mallards. A lot of Greenfinches feeding in the area on fallen seeds, I'm not used to seeing them in such good numbers nowadays. A ripple of panic amongst the passerines betrayed the presence of a Sparrowhawk which was my first of the year.

James.

 

[string boozel]

Another trip to the doctors today which meant a quick stroll around the town's boating lake. A bit of retro charm to match Sunday's Stonechats and Yellowhammers in the shape of a drake Pochard. A small number used to winter here regularly but I have not seen them at this site for a decade or more and none in the wider Corby area for at least three years.

James.

 

[string boozel]

I had a half day off work and decided to go to the patch. It was a lovely day for a walk so it was perhaps fortunate that there were very few birds to distract me from my stroll. A few Siskins and Bullfinches but not much else.

James.

 

[string boozel]

Like many others I woke up to a dusting of snow this morning but that didn't stop my brother and I from venturing a little further south to take in some of the county's birding sites.

We began at Ravensthorpe where the main target was the Otters which have been showing well from the causeway. My brother was successful and managed to get a twenty second view of one but I had wandered off and consequently dipped - ****! Although we hung around for over an hour neither one of us caught so much as a glimpse after the initial burst of activity. There was some compensation in the form of a few year ticks of which the best was perhaps a Great White Egret, they've become such a feature of winter birding in Northants recently it's hard to believe that they were such a big deal. A typically croaky Raven flew over and in amongst good numbers of wildfowl were Wigeon and Goldeneye.

Next stop was the dam at Pitsford where we hoped to catch up with the Red-necked Grebe but, despite a good search, we did not. Once again there was a reasonable selection of the commoner water birds of which a couple of Shelduck were the best. Moving on via Brixworth where a year tick Kestrel was noted and on to the causeway where we were lucky enough to get parked, Not a huge amount of interest here though I saw my first Canada Geese of 2016 and there were high numbers of both Pochard and Tufty.

Our final destination was Ditchford and an appointment with the Great Northern Diver on the watersports pit. Following the advice on the Northants Birds website we got good views from north of the Nene and I even managed a couple of dodgy photos. We didn't stay for long as time was running short and were back in Corby before dusk.

James.

 

[string boozel]

Was out at Southwood/Stanion Lane this morning, most of the snow has gone but the wind was on the cooler side of pleasant. Highlight was a Woodcock flushed from next to the path and there were also a pair of Sparrowhawk which appeared to be displaying. A Cormorant was roosting at the Clayhole and two more flew over. Plenty of the commoner species including a large mixed flock of Siskins and Goldfinches.

Up to twenty or more Fallow Deer were present in the large clearing and I also saw my first rabbit of the year.

In an earlier post I mentioned that some clearance work was going ahead in the clearing and it seems that the workmen were pretty diligent. All of the alder and willow scrub has been removed and I suspect that some development will be commencing in the near future. Corby has lost so much valuable wildlife habitat and continues to lose more, I'm not sure what sort of green legacy is being left for future generations. It would seem that politicians of all stripes, both national and local are only concerned with the green that folds. Apols for the downer but I'm sick of seeing all my old haunts disappearing under concrete and tarmac.

I'm in Prague next weekend so no update from me but if anyone else sees something...

James.

 

[markspirito]

Hi James very little to report from the Daventry area, apart from a definite increase in Siskins and 10 Goosanders on the Res, 2 Ravens flew over my house cronking away

Mark

 

[string boozel]

Well after four days of eating and boozing I think my belly is large enough to generate its own gravity. Having left the Hawfinches and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers of Prague behind it was time to walk some of my excesses off with a wander around the patch.

I was beginning to get fairly jealous of Mark's Goosanders and other goodies when a patch first Raven croaked its way overhead. Although they are increasing locally records of Ravens in this part of the town are few and far between. Nothing much else though the Magpies are getting territorial and the Great Tits are teacher-teachering.

Saw my first patch rabbits of the year, a couple of panicked individuals scarpering away into the undergrowth were the first for a little while.

James,

 

[string boozel]

The usual onerous trudge into work this morning was brightened up a smidge by a Snipe which was heard over wasteground near to the ASDA store. Although I used to get counts of a hundred plus in certain parts of the town during the eighties I hadn't seen or heard one locally for several years.

James.

 

[string boozel]

I'm not sure if this morning's rain was good for the ducks ( I can never tell if they're smiling or not ) but it certainly made for a damp walk down to Weldon. At the A43 pond a pair of Greylags were ruling the roost while there were also eleven Tufties, fourteen Gadwalls and about twenty Mallards with a couple of Coots for company. Fallen Alder seeds appeared to attract some Siskins and Goldfinches on to the ground and Blackbirds and Song Thrushes were feeding on worms in good numbers.

At the other pond the pair of Mute Swans had returned and bought their own fan club in the form of a gaggle of Gadwall groupies. Six of them were feeding in close proximity to the swans and there were Mallards, Moorhens and Coots too. Realising by this stage that the rain was going to continue for a while at least I decided to head home.

James.

 

[string boozel]

Rather pressed for time this morning so it was back to the patch for a quick visit. Watery sunshine was quite an improvement over just plain watery though it was fairly blustery.

A Sparrowhawk shooting through put everything on brown alert and made everything just that little bit harder to find. while a kinglet in amongst a tit flock was promising but closer inspection revealed gold rather than fire and that was it as far as excitement went. A flock of Bullfinches was attractive, I love their mellow piping calls and I'll mention Cormorant out of respect for their former rarity.

James.

 

[string boozel]

Rather a long walk today, once again I covered the Kirby/Deene and Harringworth area and walked about ten miles in total.

Starting at Kirby Lodge and walking along the lane there were the same large flocks of corvids, there's a lot of activity around the rookeries at present. Numbers of Fieldfares and Redwings remain high particularly in the fields around Kirby Hall where they seem to be finding a good source of food. I made a point of taking a direct route to Deene Lake so that I could view it in the best light.

The pair of Stonechats were still present at the eastern end and there was an impressive total of at least fifteen Shelducks on the lake itself. The other waterfowl noted were Great Crested Grebe, Dabchick, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Greylag and Canada Goose, Mallard, Gadwall, Tufted Duck. Pochard and Coot. Returning to the road but staying in the general area I was able to add year tick Mistle Thrush and Redpoll while there was also Grey Wagtail at the weir.

I decided to try the Harringworth area and had the vague notion of trying to find Harringworth Lodge Lake but had no joy, my map reading skills are dreadful. Where the Deene to Harringworth road meets the Kirby Lane a large number of finches and buntings were still present, I think that Yellowhammer numbers may have increased. There was not a lot to see along this road though the habitat looks promising and will warrant a further visit. I added a few things to the day list such as Jay and saw another three Canada Geese but there was not much to trouble the county recorder.

While there was no single thing to make the day stand out it was still an enjoyable session. I'm one of those modern chaps that is quite happy to embrace my inner dude and that side of my nature was more than catered for with good views of common species. I should also add that this must be one of the best areas in the country to see Red Kites, I had over fifty sightings and a smaller number of Buzzards. If you want to take pictures of either species then I can thoroughly recommend this neck of the woods. Rather soberingly though was a single Kestrel, my second of the year, I hope that this is not yet another species facing problems.

James.

 

[string boozel]

This winter continues on its wet and windy path, I think that people on the mainland should now know what summer's like on the Hebrides! Just a short visit to the patch this morning where there was little to see. A pair of Teal was the only thing of interest that I managed to find before heading off to Tesco - oh joy*

James.

* In the interest of balance and fair play I should mention that many other retailers offer a similarly dull and mind numbing experience.

 

[string boozel]

No work and no shopping - hooray. Took advantage of the situation by heading down to Weldon where I kicked things off at the A43 pond. The pair of Greylags were still there and had a few Mallards, fifteen Gadwalls, seven Tufted Ducks and Coots for company. The other pond had the swans and their supporting cast of six Gadwalls, Mallard, Coot and Moorhen.

I decided to change my normal routine and walked up through the Woodland Park and into the village before emerging on the Benefield road. It looked like this was a fairly big mistake as. busy road aside there is a whacking great housing estate by the name of Weldon Park in the early stages of construction. I left this monstrosity behind and took a bridleway signed to Fermyn Hall. Initially this seemed a bit of a mistake too as I found plenty of flailed hedges and evidence of fly tipping but few birds. It was only when I got into Upper Laundimer Wood that things picked up. I've never been into this part of the Fermyn Wood complex despite having lived about three miles away and was impressed.

A good selection of woodland birds were present with impressive numbers of Bullfinches. Day hooting Tawny Owl was a first of the year as was a barking Muntjac. It was the mix of habitat that was most interesting and I think it has a lot of potential so I may be heading back in Spring to listen for LSW.

There's more than a few signs of Spring beginning to show with a growing band of singing birds, emerging pussy willows,cherry and blackthorn in blossom and the hawthorns coming into leaf.

James.

 

[string boozel]

My brother an I ventured down to Pitsford today and took a walk around the nature reserve. Despite doing the full seven mile circuit we did not see much at all, wildfowl numbers seem very low and the variety of species was poor too. We managed to see the Ruddy Shelduck of uncertain origin and year tick Tree Sparrows and Little Egret but not much else. Although we were tempted by the Firecrest at nearby Brixworth STW our inability to find the location put paid to that plan.

While driving past Little Stanion on the way home I noticed that a large pond held an immature Mute Swan and two Shelducks. Looks like I've found another place to visit on my local rounds.

James.

 

[string boozel]

My original plan was to pay a first ever visit to Sywell CP but a last minute cancellation meant that I'll have to postpone that pleasure for a bit longer. Plan B was to head over to the patch where in stark contrast to recent visits there was actually something to see.

Despite this morning's heavy frost the sun was actually pleasantly warm and it was a nice walk. Having made it on to the patch list so recently the Raven ante was upped by three birds flying over, a pair and then a singleton some minutes later. Next to attract my attention was the gentle whistling calls of Teals coming from the pond while a Woodcock flushed from near the path was welcome. Last bird of note was a patch year tick Kestrel which will hopefully be the first of many.

On the mammal front a fox put in an appearance which was the first here for some time. I always enjoy watching foxes so I hope the next siting comes sooner rather than later.

James.

 

[markspirito]

Not too much to report from Daventry Country park, apart from a nice group of Pintail 3 M, 5f and at least 20 Goosander, this has been my 3rd attempt on Saturday to see the Green - Winged Teal that has been present there for at least 2 weeks, ...but dipped again ! very annoying as this is my local patch, Skylark were singing from a nearby rape field which always lifts the spirits. and huge numbers of Wood Pigeon feeding on the same fields.

Mark

 

[string boozel]

Was a county traitor yesterday, had planned to watch some Goshawks displaying but the strong winds ended that plan and so it was off to North Norfolk instead. Today I was back on duty in good old Northants enjoying a much calmer day.

I walked down to one Corby's numerous housing developments, this one called Little Stanion in an attempt to have a peek at the pond I saw last week. At the moment it seems as if it may only be viewable from the busy A43 and I didn't fancy that so it may be a while before I get to investigate further. One nice discovery was a van selling bacon rolls, a setback for my new fitness regime (Operation "See My Feet Without the Aid of a Mirror") but darn tasty nonetheless.

On the bird front many birds were singing with Blue Tits adding their voices to the growing choir and both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers seemed very active. The pond at Southwood had several Moorhens and a pair of Mallard swimming amongst the discarded shopping trolleys, floating bottles and other flotsam while a few Skylarks and a Reed Bunting flying over suggests a bit of movement in progress. A Chiffchaff foraging amongst the waterside vegetation was the highlight and there were two Cormorants seen in flight over the Tesco car park*.

James.
* You can probably see Cormorants from other supermarket car parks too though whether you would want to is a different matter altogether.

 

[string boozel]

Gosh the birding was excellent yesterday but as it was in the Brecks I can't write about it here. This morning however I walked down to Weldon and that's fair game though not, unfortunately, anywhere near as interesting.

I began at the A43 pond where despite lots of disturbance nearby there was a bit to see with a Canada Goose being the highlight. Also present were lots of Mallards, seven Gadwall, one Tufty, Coots and Moorhen. The swans had abandoned the other pond, a new development next to the site may have created too much noise and they had taken the Gadwall gang with them. There were still a few Mallards, Moorhens and Coots but not much else, a large flock of Siskins were perhaps the best of the rest.

There seems to be a lot a lot of work going on in the Weldon area at the moment with at least two other smaller housing projects in addition to the Weldon Park and Priors Hall schemes. I know that the UK needs lots of new housing but does all have to be around here?

James.

 

[string boozel]

I was out watching of couple of bands in Rushden last night so was suffering from the curse of the Kronenborg this morning. Luckily it didn't stop me from taking a walk down Kirby Lane in the direction of Deene and Harringworth.

A Kestrel at Kirby Lodge was the first of three seen today and Yellowhammers seemed to be present along the length of the road with several birds singing. The larger flocks of corvids have all but disappeared and both the winter thrushes and the buntings have dispersed. At Deene Lake a Little Egret was the first bird of note and a small flock of fourteen Wigeon were a good find. Shelduck numbers had risen yet again to a minimum of twenty and other waterfowl noted were Dabchick, Mute Swan, Canada and Greylag Goose, Mallard, Gadwall, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Coot and Moorhen. The female Stonechat was still present and I watched a Buzzard giving an impressive display flight from the churchyard. A cronking Raven passing overhead was expected as the birds continue their recovery but still nice to see.

Moving on I managed to find Harringworth Lodge Lake and it was worth a visit with a smaller selection of birds than Deene but the total did include several Great Crested Grebes. A Mistle Thrush was seen nearby and a flock of about thirty Yellowhammers included a couple of Reed Buntings. Not much else to report on the bird front though the chorus of songsters gathers strength and other signs of Spring included Lesser Celandines flowering and my first lambs of the year.

A Brown Hare seen near Deene village was the only wild mammal of note.

James.

 

[string boozel]

I found both the lake at Little Stanion and the bacon roll dispensary this morning but while one provided tasty packages of piggy goodness the other was just a pond with some Mallards on it. In truth the pond did have an immature Mute Swan, a pair of Greylags, Coot and Moorhen while several Meadow Pipit were seen nearby but it may be a while before I return.

At Southwood a Grey Wagtail was the highlight though I had more excellent views of displaying Buzzard and at least three Green Woodpeckers were heard. Both Lesser Black-backed and Common Gull appear to be beginning their Spring migration, the latter especially seems to do most of their migration during this month.

James.