March 13th 2011

First of two visits in the morning to the pond produced the male Smew off farborough bank, distant views of the first winter male Scaup (or should it be first summer as they don’t reach full adult plumage till the autumn) adult summer Med Gull among the 2000 Black Heads on the adjacent field below farborough bank first seen from Southam Road and 2 Meadow Pipit on farborough bank. Muntjac 2 and Hare 3 seen along Southam Road
Napton on the Hill had 2 Lesser Redpolls, 2 Chiffchaff and Great-spotted Woodpecker in the churchyard along with 6 Mistle Thrush and overhead were 5 Raven. The quarry and windmill were quiet apart from 400 Fieldfare, 200 Redwing and a distant Peregrine. Also seen were 2 Brimstone and a Red Admiral butterflies.
Napton Reservoir had Shelduck, female Goldeneye, 6 Shoveler, Cetties Warbler, 5 Long-tailed Tit, Siskin, 5 Bullfinch and 3 Tree Sparrow.
Between Beck Hill and Grandborough there were 2 Tree Sparrow, female Brambling, 20 Yellowhammer, 2 Sparrowhawk and 4 Golden Plover heading east while my second visit to the pond produced the first Sand Martins of the year with 4 off farnborough bank.
This evening the sky’s were clear and though the temperature dropped it was well worth the three hours searching for one of Saturn’s moons.


Oliver Cromwell over the Harringworth Viaduct by Bob and April Hazell

Richard