Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

🎄🎅🤶⛄❆

Robin.

Digital Photographic Competition

A reminder that the closing date for entries to the Club's photographic competition is December 20th. Please make a note in your diaries for February 1st when this most anticipated meeting will be held to select the winner.

Good luck to all who enter. 

https://northantsbirdclub.blogspot.com/p/photographic-competition-rules.html

Wader Quest AGM

The on-line Wader Quest AGM held on Sunday 27th November highlighted the issues waders are facing around the world. We're very familiar with the plight of the Eurasian Curlew and its decline and Wader Quest fund several important studies for other waders including Wilson's Plover, Nordmann's Greenshank and Spoon-billed Sandpiper. 

It was particularly sad to hear that the population of Spoon-billed Sandpiper, the original Wader Quest project, is declining at a rate of 8% a year and numbers have halved in the last 5 years to fewer than 250 individuals. The captive breeding programme is no longer operational as there are no females and the likelihood of taking adult birds from the wild seem highly unlikely given the situation with Russia.

All the effort to save this species from extinction seems to have been in vain as Spoon-billed Sandpipers could be extinct in the wild by 2035 if current declines continue, a terrible state of affairs. 

On a more positive note, the Chinese government have halted all land-grabs which will help protect vital wetland habitats of Nordmann's Greenshank, one of only three tree-nesting waders and the only one to build its own nest. 

The Bird Club continues to sponsor Wader Quest and the excellent work they do and individual membership is available at just £10 a year.

https://www.waderquest.net/join-us/

Eurasian Curlew - Dave Jackson

The Bird Club Photographic Competition and Trip to The Gambia 2023

Calling all photographers - It's that time of year when we start looking ahead to 2023 and one of the most anticipated meetings is the annual photographic competition. We have a new judge and we've made some changes so please read through the rules carefully and start getting those winning shots edited! 

https://northantsbirdclub.blogspot.com/p/photographic-competition-rules.html

Great Egret - Matthew Hazleton, 2022 winner

The Gambia 2023

Our first and last Club trip to The Gambia was organised by Dave Thomas way back in the year 2000 and led by Clive Barlow who helped put this small African country on the birding map.

A few things have changed since then; they have a new president, a new river bridge and a new tarmac road all the way up country. The trip will be based on the Naturetrek tour and will include all food, water, transportation and reserve entrance fees for a shorter 8 day trip. 

Dates have yet to be finalised and will likely be end of November into December to give us the best chance of seeing what is arguably the best wader in the world, Egyptian Plover as well as many of the country's colourful rollers, bee-eaters and sunbirds.

Beautiful Sunbird - The Gambia, Dave Jackson

Places are going rapidly so if you're interested, please let Bob know at the next meeting.

Talking of which, Matthew Capper, a Naturetrek leader will be giving us a talk entitled Birding Florida on Wednesday 2nd November, see you there.

Kelmarsh Hall Evening Walk

Hello

Yesterday evening was the club's outdoor meeting at Kelmarsh Hall. Sixteen members met up for 7pm and we took a gentle stroll to look at the Orangery, the stunning Walled Garden and further afield around the trees next to the River Ise and the lake and then a walk back up to the Hall building itself. It was rather breezy and cloudy but the sun broke through on several occasions and it turned out to be a very pleasant walk. After looking at the Orangery and hearing how birding on the estate helped to finance the rebuild, we walked towards the Walled Garden and saw a small group of Purple Hairstreak butterflies battling against the breeze around tall oak trees. Once inside the garden a Scarlet Tiger moth showed nicely in flight and birds included Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Blue Tit and Chiffchaff with brief views of Nuthatch and Blackcap.

Ravens were heard calling some distance away and a family party of Spotted Flycatchers in the mature trees towards the river initially were difficult to see but then a couple of juveniles showed nicely and proved their adeptness at already catching their own insects. Down by the river and lake we heard Kingfisher, Treecreeper and Goldcrest but they remained hidden. A wary female Gadwall hid her ducklings in waterside vegetation and another female posed before flying off. A Common Buzzard and a distant Brown Hare were further wildlife on show as we walked the edge of the main lake, seeing a Grey Heron and two flying Little Egrets as we did so. The pair of Mute Swans had an excellent brood of eight cygnets. A Kingfisher shot past Richard and calling birds included more Blackcaps and Nuthatches with a couple of House Martins and a Swift overhead.

A little further on and the members ahead had the Kingfisher perched up and we were all fortunate to see it sitting in a part-submerged branch albeit at some distance. We talk a walk up the slight incline towards the Hall and one of the adult Spotted Flycatchers showed very nicely. At the Hall we saw a female Blackbird carrying food for her youngsters and one of the items in her bill was a still wriggling Scarlet Tiger moth!

I think we all enjoyed our two hour dawdle on a reasonable summer evening in the peaceful environment of Kelmarsh Hall gardens and grounds!

Regards

Neil M

Members in action courtesy
of John Hunt.

British White Cattle.

The 'Ugly Duckling'...

...and proud Dad!

Kelmarsh Church.

The Wildlife of Finnmark - our first 'live' meeting since 2020!

Hello

At last, our first 'live' meeting since 2020! Please join us at the Fishing Lodge, Pitsford Reservoir on Wednesday 4th May 2022 when club member and all round wildlife guru Jeff Blincow will be presenting his talk on 'The Wildlife of Finnmark'. This is the most northerly and easterly part of Norway and the illustrations will reflect on some of the wildlife highlights of this special region.

The meeting commences at 7.30pm and we will again be providing hot drinks and biscuits on arrival which will be available just outside our usual entrance so as not to cause a bottleneck and provide a free flow access and egress to the building (plus more ventilation than normal).

We want to be social but responsible and for everyone to feel comfortable back in our club venue surroundings. 

The club committee welcomes you back!

Neil M

Drake Eider.

Arctic Skua.

New Visitors' Centre at Summer Leys

The new Wildlife Trust BCN visitors' centre is now open, details in the link below. Amongst activities planed there will be an Opticron 'try before you buy' optics event on April 7th and with Jack Snipe and up to four Garganey there now might be a good time to visit! 

 https://www.wildlifebcn.org/news/new-summer-leys-visitor-centre

https://www.wildlifebcn.org/events/2022-04-07-try-you-buy-optics-event-summer-leys

Female Garganey, Summer Leys April 5th 2022. Dave J.

Members' Photographic Competition

For anyone who missed the Bird Club’s photographic competition or if you’d like to view again the Zoom link is here (Passcode: *hsfQx5F)

Unfortunately, not all the submitted photos were included for judging and the committee would like to apologise to anyone who entered photos that were missed from the competition. If those affected would like to send their missing images to davidjac (@) mac.com they'll be posted on the home page. We’re taking steps to ensure the same doesn’t happen next year when we should be back to our normal face-to-face meetings.

Many thanks to Jeff for judging the competition, it’s always a difficult and thankless task with so many excellent photos entered, and well done to Matt Hazleton who gets his name on the Graham Soden Shield for the second time. 

Winning entries here 

Missed photos;

Goldeneye, Black-headed Gull, Stonechat and Little Stint. Birds in Northants by Robin Gossage

Fly Agaric, Plants & Fungi by Dave Jackson

Pheasant and Fox Cub, Birds or Animals in Their Environment by Dave Jackson

Two Events For Your Diaries

Bird Club Photographic competition, Wednesday 9th February and an exhibition in Northampton Museum - 10 Years of the British Wildlife Photography Awards

https://www.northamptonmuseums.com/directory-record/434/

The Kingfisher Screen at Pitsford

Work has been completed on the Kingfisher screen at Pitsford Wildlife Reserve in a quiet corner of Scaldwell Bay. It could be a month or two before the perches are in regular use as Kingfishers have only been photographed once in 6 visits since December from personal experience. 

This is the first purpose-built photography hide available to Wildlife BCN members and permit holders in Northants! 

https://www.wildlifebcn.org/news/kingfisher-viewing-screen-pitsford

Global Bird Fair

Hello

Yesterday it was announced that a Global Birdfair event will take place this year on 15th/16th/17th July at the Rutland Showground, Oakham, Rutland LE 7TW. Tickets will be available from 14th Feb 2022 and the format will be similar to the previous British Birdwatching Fair. Indeed Tim Appleton a co-founder for the Birdfair is behind this latest project too.

You can find out more by visiting:-

https://globalbirdfair.org/

Neil McMahon

Osprey.

Black-tailed Godwit.

Swallow.