The Week in Focus: 15th to 21st December 2012

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.