A Warwickshire Churchyard - Napton on the Hill

Guardian of the church - Wood Pigeon

A pleasant couple of hours spent this morning in a very pleasant, peaceful Warwickshire churchyard.


Spotted Flycatcher

Song Thrush

Nuthatch (on the church roof)

Garden Birds

I've not really been motivated to get out in the field recently, so I took the opportunity to take some images of common garden birds. Images may be darker than normal as my computer monitor has given up and these were processed on a TV screen!

Song Thrush

Dunnock

Blackbird

Daventry Country Park

What a boring morning! Apart from being rather dull with threatening rain, Daventry Country Park failed to excite me this morning! I was only there as it was Abigails music lessons in Daventry and I had a couple of hours to kill.

I can normally guarantee at least some altercation with the pampered pooch brigade, but today these were all on leads and well behaved!

The naughty boys and girls from the community payback scheme were out in force.

I have to say, that if I had been naughty, then this scheme would be right up my street - meet at a leisurely time, pick up a black sack and a litter picker, walk around the country park, chat as you go with other naughty people, occasionally pick up a piece of litter, return to the cafe, have a cup of tea and some cake and then repeat the process! I really would not be naughty again!

Daventry Country Park is very overgrown with vegetation making it almost impossible to see the water and shoreline for most of its perimeter. The small pool at the Daventry end was impossible to get to or view. Clearing this vegetation would perhaps be a better task for the naughty ones?

As for the birds and wildlife - not a lot really and nothing remotely exciting! It was a "why did I bother carrying the camera" day!

Todays Sightings:

Wood Pigeon; Carrion Crow; Starling; Wren; Jackdaw; Goldfinch; Robin; Song Thrush; Blackbird; Chaffinch; Blackcap; Coot; House Martin; Grey Heron; Canada Goose; Mute Swan; Black Headed Gull; Common Tern; Willow Warbler; Chiffchaff; Great Crested Grebe; Magpie; Moorhen; Green Woodpecker; House Sparrow; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Great Tit; Mallard; Blue Tit; Long Tailed Tit; Pheasant; Swift; Tufted Duck; Cormorant; Sand Martin; Mountain Gorilla; Swallow; Kestrel; LBB Gull; Pied Wagtail; Reed Bunting; Dunnock.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Couldn't resist this obliging Great Spotted Woodpecker!

Draycote Water

I'm being very good and "economical" with another local birding trip to Draycote Water. This time of year is quiet but today was VERY quiet! The largest numbers and probably most spectacular of the birds were the hirundines with Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins competing noisily with the Swifts. Toft Bay held a solitary drake Pochard in with the Tufted Ducks and an adult Yellow Legged Gull flew out of the shallows towards the sailing club. The fields below farborough bank held numerous gulls with mainly Lesser Black Backed and Black Headed, but a couple of Herring and Common. The wooded area in toft shallows contained the expected warblers but also a family group of five Treecreepers. Three noisy Common Terns were off the sailing club for a time. The only wader on site was a single Little Ringed Plover.


Drake Pochard with Tufted Ducks in Toft Bay

Canada Goose Gosling

Coot

Little Ringed Plover

The noisiest "bird" of the day!

Todays Sightings:

Rook; Wood Pigeon; Jackdaw; Carrion Crow; Song Thrush; Tufted Duck; Robin; Magpie; Chiffchaff; Chaffinch; Pied Wagtail; Blackbird; Great Tit; Goldfinch; Dunnock; Swift; House Martin; Mallard; Coot; Common Tern; Willow Warbler; Mute Swan; Great Crested Grebe; Starling; LBB Gull; Black Headed Gull; Common Gull; Herring Gull; Canada Goose; Reed Bunting; Grey Heron; Cormorant; Swallow; Wren; Kestrel; Pochard; Blue Tit; Moorhen; Yellow Legged Gull; Blackcap; Whitethroat; Treecreeper; Long Tailed Tit; Green Woodpecker; Greenfinch; Skylark; Sand Martin; Buzzard; Pheasant; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Garden Warbler; Little Ringed Plover.

Brandon Marsh

More local birding today with Brandon Marsh being my destination. Arriving at 0600, I spotted 64 bird species before leaving at 1000. It was nice to see a Barn Owl hunting over Newlands from the Carlton Hide, with two Kingfishers fishing and a Green Sandpiper. East Marsh Pool held a (feral) Barnacle Goose, Redshanks, Ringed Plover, Oystercatchers, Little Ringed Plovers, Shoveler, Gadwall and Teal. Most of the birds had young. Some random images below - didn't seem to have the ability to capture anything in a good image today. Complete list at end of post.

Juvenile Lapwing

 Kinfisher

 Great Spotted Woodpecker

Green Sandpiper

 Mallard

 Grey Heron

Jay

Todays Sightings:

Rook; Dunnock; Swallow; Robin; Wood Pigeon; Carrion Crow; Jackdaw; Bullfinch; Blue Tit; Blackcap; Blackbird; Song Thrush; Willow Warbler; Grey Heron; Cettis Warbler; Goldfinch; Cuckoo; Magpie; Kestrel; Great Tit; Wren; Great Spotted Woodpecker; Stock Dove; Chaffinch; Goldcrest; Chiffchaff; Reed Bunting; Common Tern; Sedge Warbler; Tufted Duck; Mallard; Whitethroat; Swift; Coot; Lapwing; Redshank; Canada Goose; Grey Lag Goose; House Martin; Sand Martin; Oystercatcher; Black Headed Gull; Little Ringed Plover; Long Tailed Tit; Jay; Moorhen; Ringed Plover; Reed Warbler; Shoveler; Teal; LBB Gull; Mute Swan; Kingfisher; Barn Owl; Green Sandpiper; Sparrowhawk; Cormorant; Green Woodpecker; Barnacle Goose; Gadwall; Linnet; Nuthatch; Great Crested Grebe; Buzzard.

Brandon Marsh - tranquility (lost)!

I decided to stay local again today and decided to visit Brandon Marsh. Arriving quite early at 0600 the sun was well up, the birds were singing, peaceful scenes opened up all around me, it was one of those fresh feel good mornings. All was a scene of perfect tranquility until I arrived at Newlands Corner by the Olive bench. Here, any tranquility was soon lost..................

Why oh why is this permitted? The ringing team / conservation team / private members club have created another car park. They already have one of there own near the wind pump. If equipment needs to be taken to this area, then use one vehicle and then MOVE back to the car park! These vehicles were in situ from when I arrived at 0600 and were still there when I left at 1000.

Most of the work undertaken by the various teams at Brandon is excellent and valued by all visitors. It is appreciated that without these efforts the reserve would decline into overgrown willow scrub. However, there is NO need to clutter the reserve pathways with your cars!