Next Indoor Meeting 4th Oct

Hello

Our next indoor meeting and presentation will be on Wednesday 4th October when Nicholas Watts MBE visits the Bird Club and presents on 'Farming and Birds'.

Nicholas owns and manages a farm in Lincolnshire which is a conventional farm as well as growing produce specifically for bird food - hence Vine House Farms Ltd - 

https://www.vinehousefarm.co.uk

The presentation will provide photographic examples of appropriate farming methods for cultivating and providing high yields as well as maintaining space and opportunity for wildlife.

As usual the meeting will commence at 7.30pm at our usual venue of the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir, Brixworth Road, Holcot and hot drinks and biscuits will be available.

All welcome!

Neil M

Tree Sparrow courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Barn Owl.

Both these species benefit from
wildlife-friendly farming methods.

The Bird Club Trip To Frampton Marsh RSPB Reserve

Frampton Marsh is a popular reserve for Northants birders as it’s relatively close to the county and has become a wader hotspot in recent years.

This Sunday’s trip didn’t disappoint as thousands of waders were present with large numbers of Black-tailed Godwits & Dunlin with smaller totals of Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank and Little Stint. Avocet, Knot and Common Redshank also made up the numbers. A lone Great (White) Egret kept its distance from the long lenses whilst the double figure counts of Little Egret barely get a mention these days. 

Newly arrived Brent Geese flocked in from the Wash and small parties of Pintail hesitantly dropped in to join the masses of Wigeon & Teal while a resident Whooper Swan with a damaged wing grazed close to the path. A juvenile Kestrel allowed close approach as it eyed up prey from a fencepost becoming the most photographed bird of the day by the Club’s keen shooters. A handful of Yellow Wagtails fed around the cattle as they disturbed insects from the short grass.

Three members decided to take a short walk to a nearby reservoir where Red-necked Grebe, Wood Sandpiper and Greenshank were observed at long range.

This was a day of two halves with the morning thronging with activity and much fewer birds after lunch as the tide turned exposing mud rich with worms, bivalves and other invertebrates, the favourite food for many waders. 

Nevertheless, the weather was perfect with sunshine until mid-afternoon when it was decided there was little more to be seen or photographed and we headed for home.

Please contact Bob Gill if you want to join future trips, space permitting.

Common Kestrel

Spotted Redshank

 Brent Geese

Yellow Wagtail

Little Stint

Meadow Pipit

Whooper Swan

Ruff

Pintail


As a footnote to Dave's article I thought I might share some distant images from a day spent earlier in the week at Frampton.
Frampton with all its waterfowl and waders has the ever presence of raptors. So when all the birds take to the air I immediately scan for a peregrine or some such, this time a low flying Sparrow Hawk was on the hunt.
After I had picked it up at some distance it grabbed a hapless Ringed plover  an inexperienced young bird. All the waders gave chase and called frantically but to no avail the poor bird was tightly held in sharp talons. It was carried some distance before being plucked whilst still alive, its sad to see the poor plover being  killed but nature is cruel sometimes.

The Daventry Country Park Sabine’s Gull

A juvenile Sabine’s Gull was found by local rarity legend, Gary Pullan late afternoon on September 13^th and attracted birders from far and wide including international expert, Yoav Perlman from Israel who is currently residing in Norwich.

The bird was very confiding and spent much of its time foraging along the water’s edge and regularly flew around showing its contrasting wing pattern.

Observers noticed a partially closed left eye and the bird looked unwell on Friday evening when it was last seen. Let’s hope it survived and is relocated for the sake of the bird and the local birders unable to connect during the week.  

This is the 11th sighting of this Arctic wanderer for Northants.

Edit: No further sign of the bird since the evening of Friday 15th September.

Low Water

Pitsford Water has been at its lowest level now than for quite a few years. This has been mainly due to the bank workings on the southern side. I suspect this won't be the case for much longer and as the works are completed water will be pumped back into the reservoir from the rivers.
This is the level we were used to back in the 60's 70's and 80's and most of us will have a nostalgic memories of the birding in those days - except Jacob of course.
Hopefully the level will remain low in time for some good birds and especially wader migration. At the moment we have had some good numbers of Common Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Dunlin etc.
Also Osprey has been quite a regular visitor possibly not quite so many Hobbys this year. Common Terns have departed as have the Oystercatchers but the arrival of a Black Tern could be the precursor for good things to come.
The southern side still seems to hold a fair amount of water and yesterday hosted a Spotted Redshank and with all those boulders in place a Purple Sandpiper may find its way.
All in all I hope we have some great passage, an off course Buff-breasted Sandpiper or another
Sociable Plover would be nice, wouldn't it!

Walgrave arm

Scaldwell arm

Holcot bay

Spotted Redshank  Bob Gill.

Osprey RDG.

Greenshanks RDG.