Some more images from the car trip...

Hello

Some more images from the NBC car trip yesterday, courtesy of Jacob Spinks...

Neil M

Penduline Tit

Drake Pintail

Woodpigeon

Bewick's Swan

Bird Club car trip

Hello

Six members of the Northants Bird Club ventured south to Gloucestershire today, our first venue being a roadside flood pond on the outskirts of Gloucester. Here we eventually enjoyed prolonged views of two Penduline Tits which appear to be wintering at this site. Tiny birds, they were often difficult to see as they fed amongst the reed mace.

Low cloud and very grey conditions over the Forest of Dean called for Plan B, so we spent the remainder of the day at the splendid Wildfowl and Wetlands reserve at Slimbridge. Here there is an opportunity of watching wild birds in suitable habitat, plenty of captive wildfowl and similar and a number of Common Cranes feeding in the fields as part of the reintroduction scheme. With a mix of small birds, some raptors and a good number of waders too, we always had something to admire...

A few images from the day today, hopefully some more to follow during the next few days...

Regards

Neil M

Leucistic Woodpigeon

Rook

Bewick's Swan

LIFE IS A CABARET

Something to brighten your day.

Dave Jackson has reworked his Puffin entrant from the N B C Photographic Competition.

I would say he's definitely added a little something to an already fine entrant.

Delicious Donuts

Common Buzzard

After Tesco's,a jammy donut and quick cuppa,Wend and I had a walk around Pitsford as far as the
the Lagoon hide...........where I devoured another donut and a cheesy topped roll from Smithy's
farm shop.
I forgot to mention yesterday about a hunting STOAT in the hedgerow at Sywell Res.Too difficult
to get shots.
Anyways, again not a lot about today so ended up taking pics of the usual suspects and then we went home.......I reckon theres another donut awaiting.

C

Female Goldeneye

Lapwing

Female Pochard

Reeves Muntjac

Red Kites

Male Wigeon

A cold but bright day saw Wend and myself  at Sywell Res.Birds were thin on the ground,with several NUTHATCH around the feeders accompanied by MARSH, BLUE,  GREAT and LONG
TAILED TITS being the best.
Anyways, here are a couple of my shots for the day.And yes that appears to be a square crop
ooh eeerr.

MUTE SWAN

NUTHATCH

NUTHATCH

ROBIN

CORMORANT

CORMORANT

Interesting stats from N B C Photographic Competition.

Number of positions gained,

10 x Dave Jackson.

 9 x Dave Thomas.

 3 x Martin Swannell, Bob Bullock, Barry Boswell.

 2 x Jeff Blincow,Clive Bowley,

 1 x Andrew Cook, John Showers, Peter Gilbert, Bob Gill.

Dave Jackson,  4x 1st, 3x 2nd, 3x 3rd.

Dave Thomas,  4x 1st, 4x 2nd, 1x 3rd.

Barry Boswell,             1x 2nd, 2x 3rd.

Bob Bullock,                1x 2nd, 2x 3rd

Martin Swannell,  1x 1st, 2x 2nd.

So using Formula one scoring .

Dave Jackson...............199 points.

Dave Thomas...............187 points.

Martin Swannell........... 61 points.

Barry Boswell...............48  points.

Bob Bullock..................48 points.

Jeff Blincow..................40 points.

Clive Bowley................33 points.

Peter Gilbert.................25 points.

John Showers...............25 points.

Bob Gill.......................15 points.

Andrew Cook..............15 points.

So the overall point winner is again Dave Jackson,

Points awarded could depend on how many
categories the photographers entered but if someone gained 3rd position in 13 categories
a total of 195 points awarded.
So next year enter as many categories as you can, as you could do very well without a first .

This is all a BIT OF FUN as is the competition, so please take it that way and enjoy your photography.

MANY THANKS to ALL who entered.

Winner of the Graham Soden Trophy for Best Overall Photo in the Bird Club Competition

In memory of former Bird Club member, Graham Soden, a trophy will be awarded each year to the photographer whom members vote produced the best photo in the annual competition.

The first winner is Dave Jackson for his photo of a Western Red Colobus Monkey, taken in The Gambia.

Well done Dave.

The voting was very close. The other winning photos will be added to the competition results page over the next few days.

February Car Trip

Hello

The next club car trip is planned for Sunday 21st February 2016. The plan is to spend a day down in the Forest of Dean and Symonds Yat in Gloucestershire, a particularly good area to look for rare or scarce forest wildlife which could include Goshawk, Peregrine, Hawfinch, Crossbill, Mandarin Duck and even Wild Boar. On a sunny day we could expect to see early emerging wildlife including Adders. In the event of poor weather which would reduce our chances of seeing the best of the forest, it is likely that we would divert to the Wildfowl and Wetlands reserve at Slimbridge.

Should you wish to partake, please email me on birdingallthetime@gmail.com and advise whether you are prepared to drive and take other members.

Thank-you

Neil McMahon

Peregrine

Crossbill

Mandarin Duck

Bird Club Photographic Competition

Wednesday, 3rd February will be the much anticipated members photographic competition. There are lots of photos so a prompt start will be needed. The format will be similar to previous evenings with all the entries shown in each category. However we shall show the winners of each category twice to allow the members to decide which is the overall winner on the night. That photographer will be the first to receive the Graham Soden Trophy, set up in memory of Graham.

It promises to be a good evening with some great photos and lots of friendly (I hope) banter.

AGM

The club's AGM will be held on 2nd March. The AGM itself should not take very long and the major part of the evening will be a talk by Bob Bullock on Northamptonshire's birds.

However the AGM is the time when the committee is elected. If you wish to stand for the committee you should let an existing committee member know by the start of the meeting. All the existing committee are willing to continue but some fresh faces would be welcome.

Bird Club car trip to Frampton 24th Jan

The following is an account by Robin Gossage on a successful Northants Bird Club car trip to Frampton in Lincolnshire:-

Getting settled in the back of Bob Gill's car, we (Bob, Mark, Wend and myself), set off for Frampton, a different venue and breaking tradition for the car trip at this time of year.

Typically we arrived almost before we’d set off in Bob's time machine and at 8 o’clock we pulled into the car park and by way of a greeting a BARN OWL sauntered around it, a great start but the light was poor as it remained so all day and so no pix were had. Just as we were about to leave the car park we were joined by our intrepid companion Richard Barford, who had travelled up on his own.

As we strolled across to the centre, a few passerines were on show, namely TREE SPARROW, GREENFINCH, REED BUNTING and the like. Moving on, a CETTI’S WARBLER provided some excitement for the locals! Then it was our turn to become excited with the appearance of a PEREGRINE FALCON  on the deck, one of two or three seen during the day. A Hobby-like raptor came into view - a female MERLIN - and we watching her scythe through and over the reed beds and scrape. Brilliant and then she perched on a fence post………………right back next to the visitors centre. As we rushed back for hopeful shots, off she went again, this time landing on a post on the next planet, as my highly enlarged shot testifies.

Speaking to a local if you arrive just before light you may well see a party of WHOOPERS departing from their roosting site.

Reaching the barrage and looking over the marsh several distant MARSH HARRIERS vied for viewing. Walking a little further and a female SPARROWHAWK shot over the top and followed the fencing, always at low level but eventually also perching on a remote fence post somewhere in Outer Mongolia.

We made our way slowly back visiting one hide on the way, seeing most of the usual suspects including BLACK TAILED GODWITS. Having tuckered up, we stretched our legs to two hides in the middle of the reserve.Here we found a small number of PINTAIL - a smashing duck in the male form. Also a very distant drake SCAUP. 

Making our way back to the barrage again, Bob picked up a beautiful male HEN HARRIER, flying very near a MARSH HARRIER, the difference in size and structure was most apparent.

Back to reception for a nice hot cuppa when suddenly the earlier BARN OWL came into view, again the light was very poor at that time of day for pix and as everyone knows I never take a pic in poor light?

We were home by 5.30pm.  My thanks to Bob Gill for his excellent driving services and for his and Mark's good company. Also a special mention to intrepid Richard for coming on his own and his good company.

THANKS 

Robin.

Goldfinch

Greenfinches

Tree Sparrows

Female Merlin

Yellowhammer

Drake Pintail

Drake Scaup

Photo Competition 2016

The dealine for entries is fast approaching. It is the Bird Club meeting of Wednesday 6th January.

Please, please, please read and follow the rules. I am still receiving images over 1.5Mb in size (up to 6.6Mb so far), I have had a domestic animal entered under "mammals", several photos sent with no details of subject or location and others entered into the wrong category and an entry from someone who is not a member of the club.

Setting up the competition is very time consuming and I do not need to have to follow up on these. If your photo is not in the competition on the night, don't blame me.

Indoor Meeting 6th Jan

Hello

Our next indoor meeting will be on Wednesday 6th January 2016 when we will be entertained by visiting speaker Chris Ward who will present on a birding and photographic trip to the sunshine state of Florida, U.S.A. Just the ticket and a tonic from the high winds and rain of this weird British 'winter'!

Members and non-members alike are welcome and the meeting will commence at 7.30pm at our usual venue of The Fishing Lodge, Pitsford Reservoir, Brixworth Road, Holcot NN6 9SJ. Hot drinks and biscuits will be available from arrival and we very much welcome you to the first meeting of 2016!

Neil McMahon

Tawny Owl

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.