September 26th 2011

Black Terns at the pond had increased over night to 18 birds by mid morning but only 2 Arctic and single Common Tern remained from yesterday’s influx unless we missed them while the only waders noted were 11 Dunlin and 9 Ringed Plover. Two Ruffs and a Greenshank were reported. There was a good passage of Skylark’s and Meadow Pipits going down the valley watched from farborough bank but very few went over the reservoir and this movement had dried up by mid-day.
Only other sightings of note were third year Yellow-legged Gull, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Buzzard, 3 Reed Bunting, Chiffchaff and a distant Raven.

Main reason for going out today was to get Marks dad cracking view of a Raven and this was achieved at Napton on the Hill with 5 perched together of the 18 seen along with 2 Sparrowhawk and 8 Buzzard. Still plenty of Chiffchaff with at least 20 seen or heard, female Blackcap, 2 Coal Tit among a large tit flock, 2 Nuthatch, Green Woodpecker and Great-spotted Woodpecker. A search for visible migrants from the churchyard produced 2 Swift flying along the Warwickshire / Northamptonshire border heading east and a small passage of Swallows south. A Brimstone butterfly flew past and we left with Pa Phillips a happy bunny.

Small Copper

Black-necked Grebe, Sparrowhawk and Raven plus 6 Small Copper were at Napton Reservoir and a couple of more Buzzards seen on the way home.
My kitchen window at home was the place to be at 5pm when a juvenile Peregrine took a feral pigeon only to be robbed by the 15+ corvids that harassed it and later a Sand Martin went over the garden followed by a Siskin.
All three locations today had various numbers of Red Admiral butterflies flying purposely south so presumed on migration.
Mark had shown me his latest phone app earlier in the day which gave the location of all the key stars, constellations, planets and nebulas wherever you point the phone even in day light or below the horizon. Pretty impressive and even more so when he popped around tonight and we spent over an hour exploring the universe above my garden putting names to those I was not sure of before the cloud cover came in. Jupiter was also impressive just starting to rise above the horizon in Aries showing 3 moons in a triangle formation.

Rusty Dot Pearl by Bob Hazel

Richard