Best Wishes at Christmas!

Hello

No doubt everyone is going to be very busy over the next few days so at this perhaps rather early stage the Northants Bird Club Committee would like to wish everyone a happy and relaxed Christmas wherever you are and whatever you are doing. We look forward to a bird-filled festive period and of course an eventful 2016, and as we look back at 2015 I would like on behalf of the committee to thank you all for your support during a very successful year for the club. During the year we have attracted new members, enjoyed our new venue for the indoor meetings and branched out to embrace interest in other wildlife disciplines. 

There have been exciting car trips to other counties, Hugh Matthews continues to run the successful local monthly outings and Robin Gossage has worked with other members to create an opportunity to enhance our knowledge and ability associated with digital photography. We look forward to the annual photographic competition in February and of course many members will be flying out to South Africa in March 2016 as part of the club's international adventure as organised by Dave Thomas. Participants will look back with fondness at the club's six day trip to the Scottish island of Islay in April 2015 and we look forward to new opportunities, trips out and forging new friendships during the next twelve months.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Neil McMahon

Robin

What else?

Titchmarsh Update

The Wildlife Trust have been carrying out some work  at Titchmarsh Local Nature Reserve. The vandalised hide at the North Peter Scott Scrape has been replaced by a viewing shelter. It is hoped that leaving the back open will make it less vulnerable to vandalism. The scrape in front of the hide was half cleared about a year ago, leaving an open area of shallow water before the reedbed. The water level fluctuates throughout the year and may dry out completely in dry summers.

The boardwalk alongside the South Peter Scott Scrape has been replaced and repairs made to all the other hides. Fencing is being put up alongside the path between the North end of the reserve and the Heronry Wood. This will allow livestock to be put into the meadow to keep the grass short and encourage wigeon to graze. It should also protect the livestock from loose dogs, which continue to be a problem on several reserves. We shall cut back the shoreline scrub in this meadow to maintain a view over the Aldwincle Lake and make access easier for the wigeon.

We are planning to set up a Facebook group for Titchmarsh Reserve so that visitors can see what is happening and add sightings and photos. I shall set up a link to it when it is up and running.

Here is a link to a video about the work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNSRqwPVz60

Indoor Meeting Wednesday 2nd December

Hello

This is an invitation to non-members and a reminder to members that our next indoor meeting is this coming Wednesday (2nd December) starting at 7.30pm. As usual the venue will be the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir which is found off the Brixworth Road just outside the village of Holcot north of Northampton (post code NN6 9SJ). Parking is possible close to the lodge with overflow facilities at the bottom of the track next to the boats or on the causeway itself.

This month our speaker is our very own charismatic chairman Mr Bob Gill! A man of few words but those that he does utter are pretty spicy, Bob hopes to entertain us with a digital presentation of wildlife from Spain. In the main the images will be from the trip earlier this year with other Bird Club colleagues.

As usual hot drinks and biscuits will be available during the evening and of course it is an opportunity for a natter and meet fellow wildlife enthusiasts.

I very much hope to see you there!

Neil M

Bee-eater
courtesy of Robin Gossage

Items for Sale

Hello

All the below-listed items have been donated to the Northants Bird Club by the late Graham Soden.

The committee are seeking to sell these items in order to raise funds for a celebratory shield in Graham's name, 

the GRAHAM SODEN PHOTOGRAPHIC AWARD.

This shield will be engraved with the Northants Bird Club emblem as well as his name and is to be presented to the photographer whose image is deemed the best overall by Bird Club members during the course of the club's annual photographic competition.

It is planned for all winners to have their name engraved.

Should you be interested in purchasing the listed items please make email contact with committee member Robin Gossage on robin.gossage@sky.com

In addition Graham donated a selection of books and Robin will bring these to Bird Club evenings where it is hoped members will purchase those they wish to own.

The photographic/ optical equipment for sale consists of:-

A BENBO 1 TRIPOD with or without the MANFROTTO 322RC2 TRIGGER GRIP.

A TAMRAC PRO CAMERA BAG, EXPEDITION 8X.

A OPTOLYTH TSB 80 TELESCOPE

Regards

Neil M

Club car trip (November)

Hello

The monthly car trip today was spent in the winter coolness of middle Northamptonshire! The first venue was Pitsford Reservoir which provided views of Red-crested Pochard, a Scaup, Green Sandpiper, Redshank, 2/3 Great White Egrets and 6 Little Egrets. Harrington Airfield received a visit and produced raptors in the shape of Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk and good numbers of Fieldfare. The last venue was Blueberry Farm near Maidwell where the team connected with Short-eared Owl and Stonechat...

Regards

Neil M

Next Indoor Meeting

Hello

This is a reminder to members and an invitation to non-members that we hold our next indoor meeting on Wednesday (4th November 2015). Our guest speaker will be Mark Thomas who works as an investigator for the RSPB and his presentation is entitled 'The Wildlife Detective'.

The meeting starts at 7.30pm at our usual venue of The Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir, Brixworth Road, Holcot NN6 9SJ. Hot drinks and biscuits will be available during the evening. Parking is available next to the Lodge with overflow opportunities on the road causeway and off the track that leads down to the moored boats.

I hope to see you there!

Neil M

Bird Club Car Trips

Hello

Today was the Bird Club car trips and two car loads made their way in to the big blue yonder to find some birds and other wildlife. Bob Gill and his team travelled over to the Norfolk coast and spent much of their time in and around the RSPB reserve at Titchwell. Interesting birds included a Great Grey Shrike, two Short-eared Owls and a Water Pipit amongst other fare.

The second car-load spent much of the time in north Northants and birded at East Carlton and other sites off the stunning River Welland valley. A short trundle to nearby Eyebrook Reservoir and a little patience paid off with very good views of an adult American Golden Plover. Winter wildfowl were very much in evidence. 

Birds in and around the Welland Valley included constant numbers of redpolls and Siskins on the move, a single Brambling, common thrushes and of course good numbers of Common Buzzards and Red Kites. A finish in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton concluded with five Stonechats.

Regards

Neil M

Chinese Water Deer

Short-eared Owl

All images taken at Titchwell
by Robin Gossage

Graham Soden

As many of you will know Graham Soden, long standing club member, has been ill for sometime.  We regret to have to announce that Graham passed away on the 11th October.

His funeral will be on the 24th October 11.00am at Banbury Crematorium, with a gathering to follow nearby.

Photographic meeting

Our next Photographic meeting will be on Saturday 31st of October, as always the venue, with grateful help from Sarah, will be The Lodge at Pitsford Res. We hope to kick off at 10.15am.

We are going back to basics with this meeting, hoping to discus metering modes and the exposure triangle.

Why you should try to use other modes rather than fully automatic and how aperture,speed and iso interact with each
other.What makes a great bokeh, how to set up for manual exposure etc.

If you have any any questions at all, regarding terminology, settings, suggestions or anything else your not sure about please join in and ask and we’ll try our best to explain. Joining in is all part of the fun so please do.

Hopefully two of our top wildlife photographers DJ and DT will be there to help and explain along with bickies and refreshments.

So what a great way to spend a couple of hours, look forward to seeing you all.

Robin Gossage

Next Bird Club Indoor Meeting

Hello

This is a reminder to members and an invitation to non-members to come along to the next Northants Bird Club Indoor Meeting on Wednesday 7th October at 7.30pm. Our speaker will be Jeff Blincow who will be presenting on two different short subjects, North American Grouse and Snow Leopards. Jeff is an extremely well-travelled and authoritative naturalist and is an avid photographer so these presentations will be a treat.

As usual the venue will be the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir which is found just outside Holcot village on the Brixworth Road (post code NN6 9SJ). Coffee and tea and biscuits will be available and on this occasion will be available between the two presentations and at the end. 

We look forward to your attendance!

Neil M

Photographic Competition

Hi all

Over the last two years its become apparent to the committee that we have some issues arising from the existing photographic rules and their implications.

Firstly and importantly the existing rules brought about some years ago do NOT allow for the provision to use some of the modern editing programmes widely available today. As time has progressed since, it could be seen that these new edits were being used by entrants.They had become the norm for most and had  become unofficially accepted, although they were strictly against the rules. This would be fine if everyone is doing the same. However some entrants were still abiding by the stated rules and as such were disadvantaged.

It was wrong to assume everyone was on the same playing field and the committee apologies to those concerned for this oversight.

Secondly, the caveat “Away from the nest” was used for the birds well being. Birds with food for chicks were deemed to be near the nest and as such were not reviewed. Controversy ensued with comments like what about puffins on the Farnes? etc.

Thirdly, for last year “insects in flight” category, insects about to fly or land were allowed in this section. It is thought that if this continued we may actually loose the images intended for this category.

Lastly due to the dynamic range of digital photography, given the options of RAW/JPEG and the fact that modern camera’s can execute variable editing processes within, at the time of capture, it has been deemed the right time to forge a new set of rules. This should provide clarity for all and bring the NBC into a new and progressing era.

So the new rules are published on this site.  Please read and take note and send in your entries.

Every year the quality of the images seem to get better. I very much hope these new rules will help. On a side note, it would be really good fun if there were more entrants in the captioned category, so go on take the mickey and lets all have a laugh!

Best wishes to all,

Robin

John Finlayson

It is with deep regret and sadness that I record the passing of Bird Club member John Finlayson who died suddenly last Friday.

John was a relatively new member to the club who had found a re-kindled passion for birds rather later in life. 

Living in the north east of the county he spent much of his recent time at the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Gravel Pits and was the main conduit for the passing of information of regular sightings on the complex. He loved the beauty of birds and other wildlife and was always striving to capture that essence in his photography.

John was one of those characters who would quietly sit on the sidelines but was never idle and would rush headlong in to a situation if he could see an opportunity of enthusing others about his passion and intrigue for birds and the habitat in which they dwell. The Starling murmuration at Titchmarsh is perhaps a great example of a local wildlife event which he just had to tell the world about.

John will be much missed and leaves a big hole in the birding scene, particularly towards the east of the county.

Our thoughts and condolences are with John's family at this difficult time.

Neil McMahon

Next Indoor Meeting - Wednesday 2nd September 2015.

Hello

I am very happy to announce that our speaker at the next indoor meeting of the club on Wednesday 2nd September 2015 will be Dr Mark Avery. Mark provided a presentation in January this year which was very well received and since then he has been very busy publicising the effects of Wildlife Crime and particularly the demise of the Hen Harrier as a breeding species in England. Mark is the author of the recently released book 'Inglorious' and joint author of 'Behind the Binoculars' also recently released. It is likely that Mark will have a small stock of both publications for sale on the night.

The subject of the presentation will be associated with the on-going conflict on the wild uplands of the UK, where the effects of grouse-shooting continues to have a devastating effect on the fortunes of other British wildlife, and no doubt we will be involved in some lively discussions which our guest speaker will be happy to provide a point of view!

As usual the meeting will commence at 7.30pm at our venue of the Fishing Lodge, Pitsford Reservoir, Brixworth Road, Holcot, NN6 9SJ. Hot drinks and biscuits will be available and everyone is welcome!

Neil McMahon

Red Grouse

Bugs, birds and burgers

A great meeting yesterday evening at Pitsford.  20 plus members enjoyed a range of activities, including a bird walk along the bank of the Holcot Bay, and the identification of various moths, beetles and other insects in the lab.

And to top it off we could all enjoy a sausage or a burger cooked by our very own chairman!

Many went away with macro photos of many of the bugs and moths - and there have been no complaints of illness as a result of the cooking!! If anyone wants to send me some samples of their photos I'll post them here - or add them yourself.

Many thanks to all concerned in putting together a very enjoyable evening.

Green Flag Award for Pitsford

Congratulations to Sarah Gibbs and her team at Pitsford for being awarded a Keep Britain Tidy Green Flag award.  Pitsford Nature Reserve was jointly recognised by the award with Pitsford Water Park and Brixworth Country Park.

Well done Sarah!

Read more

Bird Club Outdoor Meetings

Hello

On Wednesday 1st July 2015 we will be holding the first of our two summer outdoor meetings at Pitsford Reservoir. As usual we ask that we meet at the Fishing Lodge for a prompt 7.30pm start where we will quickly run through any notices and a briefing for the evening. The plan is then for us to take an evening ramble around the Holcot Bay looking at whatever wildlife is on offer. We plan to be back at the Fishing Lodge at dusk for a cuppa and biscuits. Hopefully then we will have the opportunity of trying out a bat detector to at least hear some of our flying mammals about the reserve, some of which are believed to be quite numerous.

In addition we hope to have some captured 'mini-beasts' on show from the Pitsford bio-blitz the day before and if the anticipated warm summer evening dissipates in to a wet/windy evening, Bob Bullock has kindly provided a contingency in the shape of his excellent 'Northants Birds' digital presentation.

Hot drinks and biscuits are available all evening so even if you don't fancy a walk there is an opportunity to wander around the Fishing Lodge and have a good natter! Non-members are most welcome.

The second outdoor meeting on Wednesday 5th August 2015 is in the process of being finalised and this will be a 7pm start in order to compensate for the shorter period of evening light. Again a nature walk is anticipated plus we hope to host a BBQ (free to NBC members) and again plan to have other activities on tap in case of unpleasant weather.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Regards

Neil McMahon

Titchmarsh Sand Martin Bank update

The week before last I had to visit Titchmarsh Reserve with a couple of colleagues to carry out the May water invertebrate survey. This involves taking samples from a number of the water features around the Northern end of the reserve. As I was close by, I took a very quick look at the sand martin bank to see if our efforts earlier in the year had been successful. Indeed they were. Several sand martins were wheeling around in front of the bank and I saw one bird emerge from one of the holes in the side of the bank. I beat a hasty retreat so as not to disturb the birds, but at least I could be sure that the bank is being used. That is great news as the bank has taken a lot of effort and money to create. Thanks to all the people who have contibuted to its success.

Sand Martin Bank at Titchmarsh Nature Reserve

A few years ago an artificial sand martin bank was built at Titchmarsh Nature Reserve. The aim was to attract a breeding group of sand martins back to the area. When it was a working gravel pit there was a small colony on site. The birds used the sand that had been exposed during the gravel extraction process. With the closure of the workings, the pits filled with water to make what is now the lovely wetland nature reserve. A previous committee member missed the sand martins and left some money to build an artificial bank. This was duly done but has never been successful. One possible reason is that the holes in the concrete blocks making up the face of the bank were made too narrow. The diameter that was drilled was the correct diameter for a natural hole but in an artificial bank the hole has to be wider to allow the bird to excavate its own tunnel in the sand. This year we have tried to open up some of the holes to make them suitable. This proved very difficult as the concrete had hardened since the bank was built. However we have managed a few holes and we shall see what happens. The photo below shows Roly Scotney drilling out one of the holes.

Titchmarsh Reserve

Last Saturday I returned to Titchmarsh to join the working party that does various management tasks around the reserve. We meet on the last Saturday of the month at 09:00, if anyone is interested in joining us. With the winter scrub bashing season over, we decided to concentrate on painting the hides with wood preservative. However, firstly I wanted to pack the holes we had drilled in the sand martin bank with sand to help attract these birds. As we approached the bank I saw a flock of about 20 sand martins wheeling around the bank and chattering excitedly. We immediately backed off to leave them to it. This was most encouraging as previously I had only seen the odd sand martin anywhere near the bank.

The rest of the morning was spent painting the Peter Scott hide and the Kirby (Northants Bird Club) hide. Whilst we were working the sound of a reeling grasshopper warbler was occasionally heard when the wind alowed it. Further down the reserve a cuckoo was calling, my first for the year. Rod Brown, one of our group, had walked up from Islip and heard a nightingale in the scrub at the south end of the reserve. I kept a look-out for a passing osprey but none appeared.

However, Paul Blackman sent me a photo of an osprey carrying a fish that he took on the reserve on the evening of the 27th.

(C) Paul Blackman 2015

Welcome!

Hello

This is the first tentative efforts to create a new site for the Northants Bird Club. The NBC is a small enthusiasts club for amateur birdwatchers, naturalists and wildlife photographers based in the rural county of Northamptonshire in middle England. We meet once a month at The Fishing Lodge, Pitsford Water, Brixworth Road, Holcot for indoor and outdoor meetings. Other activities include car trips to areas of interest in England and Wales and short trips and weeks away further afield in the UK and abroad. Members assist in national and local wildlife surveys and we enjoy presentations from amateur and professional naturalists alike.