Month: December 2012

Another mild and largely wet week with few new discoveries, despite it being a ‘holiday week’ with presumably more birders taking to the field. Single Shelducks were seen at Blatherwycke Lake and at Deene Lake on 23^rd while other duck numbers began to build, with the maximum count of Goldeneye reaching twenty-three at Ditchford GP on 23^rd. Goosanders were recorded at Abington Park Lake, Clifford Hill GP, Ditchford GP, Pitsford Res, Stanford Res and Stortons GP with a maximum of six at the latter site on 26^th.  Pitsford Res was the only site where Smew were recorded this week with four or five at the dam end on 22^nd, dwindling to a drake and one or two ‘redheads’ by 27^th and a single ‘redhead’ by 28^th. A drake Ruddy Duck was at the same locality on 26th. Last week’s first-winter drake Scaup was still at Ditchford GP on 23^rd.

At Pitsford Res the Great White Egret remained throughout the week, favouring the flooded marsh at the junction of Hannington Road and Walgrave Road, just outside Holcot and the Slavonian Grebe remained halfway between the dam and the causeway all week.

Approximately two hundred Golden Plovers were near Oundle on 23^rd but the only other wader of note was a Redshank at Pitsford Res on 27^th and 28^th with the gull roost at the latter site holding an adult and a first-winter Mediterranean Gull plus a first-winter Yellow-legged Gull on 22^nd, the two first-winter gulls both being present there again on 24^th. On 23^rd and 24^th nearby Hanging Houghton played host to a Jackdaw showing characteristics of the southern Scandinavian race monedula, ‘Nordic Jackdaw’, which is a scarce winter visitor to the county.

A Cetti’s Warbler was found at Stanford Res on 27^th – an unusual record for this site – while a pair of presumed Central European Blackcaps continued to visit a Northampton garden during the week and another visited a garden in Potterspury on 22^nd.

A male Stonechat was found at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 28^th.  In comparison to last week, Waxwings were in relatively short supply, the regularly appearing (although frequently elusive) birds in Brackley, Chelveston, Polebrook and Sywell all having moved on. Just a handful of fleeting visits were made by five to Holcot on 23^rd, one to

Irthlingborough on 25^th with four in the Brampton Valley below Brixworth and eight to ten at Morrisons Supermarket, Kettering Road, Northampton on the same date. On 28^th eleven were in a garden at Hanging Houghton and nine were on Newport Pagnell Road, Wootton Fields, Northampton. Bramblings continued to be seen throughout the week at Harrington AF, where there was a maximum of eight on 26^th, Kelmarsh with a maximum of four on the same date, Hanging Houghton where there was one on 23^rd and two on 28^th and at Pitsford Res with singles on 24^th and 26^th.

In stark contrast to the previous week, the last seven days saw the return of relatively mild, wet and windy conditions and rising floodwater. The adult Dark-bellied Brent Goose remained at Clifford Hill GP until at least 17^th and the same site hosted this week’s maximum count of Goosanders with 13 there on 16^th while 3 were at Pitsford

Adult Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Clifford Hill GP, 16th December 2012 (Mike Alibone)

 Res on 17th and 8 at Daventry CP on 21st. The only Smew during the period were a ‘redhead’ at Pitsford Res on 17^th, two ‘redheads’ at Ditchford GP on 18^th and the same number at Ravensthorpe Res the following day. A first-winter Scaup was again at Ditchford GP on 18^th.

The Pitsford Res/Holcot Great White Egret remained throughout the week and a Slavonian Grebe  was found there on 18^th and, in the raptor camp, a Peregrine was on pylons by the fishing lake at Ditchford GP on 16^th, another was at Stortons GP on 17^th and a Merlin was seen at Harrington AF the next day.

Waders were thin on the ground as is so often the case at this time of the year and, apart from small flocks of approximately fifty Golden Plovers at Clifford Hill GP on 16th and sixty at Ditchford GP on 18^th, the only one of note was a Redshank at Clifford Hill GP on the former date. The only Short-eared Owl reported was one at Harrington AF on 17^th but more unusual was a flock of nine Ring-necked Parakeets which flew over Stoke Bruerne the following day. Ditchford GP also held three Chiffchaffs on 18^th and further singles were at Clifford Hill GP on 16^th and Pitsford Res on 17^th while a pair of Central European Blackcaps was in a Northampton garden on 15^th with another in a different Northampton garden the next day.

Upholding their recent winter scarcity, two Stonechats were found at Ditchford GP on 18^th. Waxwings continued to be reported throughout the week with singles at Polebrook, Syresham and Woodford Halse on 15^th and at Byfield on 21^st and twenty-five in Brackley

on 15^th. Thirteen were in Woodford Halse the following day, up to twelve remained around Chelveston on until 21st, approximately twenty were in Finedon on 18^th and, on 19^th, at least thirty were in Brackley. Up to a dozen visited gardens in Sywell on 19^th and 20^th

while, during the same two days, up to thirty-six were feeding in gardens and showing well on TV aerials in Polebrook. Two visited Pitsford Res on 21^st and up to four Bramblings were also at there with ten at Harrington AF on 17^th.

The continuing cold snap this week saw the further arrival of more traditional winter fare as well as the discovery of a Dark-bellied Brent Goose at Clifford Hill GP on 13^th. The drake Scaup at Pitsford Res was still present there on 12^th and  the number of Smew at

Ravensthorpe Res peaked at five (one drake) on 8^th but appeared to dwindle to just one by 10^th. Six, including four drakes, were found at Pitsford Res on 13^th and two ‘redheads’ were

present at Sywell CP on the same date, while the number of Goosanders at Abington Park Lake, Northampton, had climbed to twenty-six by 9^th with at least twenty-five still

there on 12^th. Smaller number were found at Daventry Res (nine), Stortons GP (five) and Pitsford Res (two).

The Summer Leys Bittern showed again on 8^th and another was found at Stanwick GP on 13th while the Pitsford Great White Egret was seen again on 9^th and 13^th and a Black-necked Grebe – perhaps the Pitsford individual – was discovered at Sywell CP on the latter date.

In the absence of any serious contenders, a male Hen Harrier hunting briefly over setaside at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 10^th scooped the title ‘Raptor of the Week’ while an adult Mediterranean Gull in the roost at Pitsford Res on the same date was similarly the only scarce gull reported. Also on 10^th, two Chiffchaffs were found in the grounds of St Andrews Hospital, Northampton and the male Central European Blackcap was still feeding on crab apples in a Northampton garden until at least 13^th. Waxwing numbers continued to build with the Kettering flock at Sainsburys supermarket car-park peaking at fifty on 8^th and dropping to just twenty-two on 9^th before disappearing completely the

following day. Also on 8^th, thirty were seen at the George Inn, Brixworth, (with sixteen remaining on 9^th), twenty-two were at Stortons GP and twenty were feeding on apples in Blatherwycke. On 9^th, thirty were in East Hunsbury, Northampton briefly before flying

Waxwings, Sainsburys, Kettering, 8th December 2012 (Mike Alibone)

toward Wootton and approximately twenty were by the A45, close to Northampton Garden Centre, on 12^th with sixteen at Chelveston on the same date. Seven remained in Chelveston on 13^th when approximately 35 were located in Wootton and one flew over Pitsford Res on 14th.

Single-figure counts of Bramblings were made throughout the week at Hanging Houghton, Kelmarsh and Pitsford Res with a maximum of six at Harrington AF on 10^th.

This is the first in a new series of weekly reports which picks out the highlights from the past seven days – in this case 1^st-7^th December.

This month usually sees the beginning of a build up of scarcer wintering wildfowl but eight Dark-bellied Brent Geese which flew over Haselbech on 2^nd was a great, unexpected record for a species which normally only occurs as singles in late autumn. A first-winter drake Scaup was discovered on the fishing lake at Ditchford GP on the same date, being joined by another there on 5^th while an adult drake was seen off the dam at Pitsford Res the following day. Three ‘redhead’ Smew were found on the ‘small side’ at Ravensthorpe Res on 1^st and a drake had joined them by 7^th, while the highest count of the more common Goosander was eighteen at the now well established urban wintering site of Abington Park Lake, Northampton on 1^st.

A Bittern was found at Summer Leys on 2^nd and last month’s Great White Egret continued to show sporadically at Pitsford Res (and on adjacent floodwater at Holcot) throughout the week. The long-staying Black-necked Grebe, present since September, remained in the vicinity of the yacht club at Pitsford Res until at least 3^rd and a ‘ringtail’

Hen Harrier was watched hunting south of Weston on 1^st but subsequent searches failed to relocate it. Other scarce raptors included single Merlins at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 4^th and at Fineshade Wood and near Firmyn Woods CP the following day, while two Peregrines were at Fineshade Wood on 5^th with two more at Ditchford GP on the same date. A count of 17 Common Snipe at Ditchford GP on 2^nd was noteworthy when a single Redshank was also present there.

A first-winter Mediterranean Gull visited Pitsford Res roost on 4^th and an adult was at Ravensthorpe Res the following day, while an adult Caspian Gull was found at Sidegate Landfill an 5^th and a third-winter roosted at Pitsford Res on 6^th. The only Short-eared

Owl of the week was one at Harrington AF on 6^th and, braving the falling temperatures, a Chiffchaff was seen at Ravensthorpe Res on 5^th and 7^th and a male Central European Blackcap was feeding on crab apples in a Northampton garden throughout the week while a Stonechat – locally scarce this winter – was at Ditchford GP on 2nd.

As the week drew to a close, however, Waxwings began to move in in force. Twos were seen at Hanging Houghton and Sywell on 1^st and at Pitsford Res on 3^rd, with one at the latter site on 4^th when at least fourteen were found in Corby. Five were in Daventry on 5^th with, the next day, four or five at Byfield and one at Daventry CP but the week ended with thirty-one at Oundle, approximately thirty in Kettering (at Sainsburys supermarket) and ten in Wellingborough at Appleby Lodge Farm.

A Hawfinch was reported from Firmyn Woods CP on 2^nd and, apart from one at Hanging Houghton on 1^st, up to ten Bramblings were visiting Harrington AF to feed on wild bird food throughout the week.