Although there have now been two this year, Spoonbill is a near annual visitor to Northants, with records this century in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and one pending, the 27th County record, for 2010. It usually appears singly but eight were present at Pitsford Reservoir on 29th September 1984.
A juvenile discovered at Stanford Reservoir on Saturday – and featured in Bob Bullock’s photo above – is still present today and is almost certainly the same individual which had previously been present at nearby Draycote Water in Warwickshire. Aged as juvenile because it has a flesh-coloured bill and black outer webs to outer primaries are just visible on the closed wing.
Northants birds 