Month: September 2013

A light westerly airstream dominated the first part of the week with a low pressure system in the eastern Atlantic bringing southwesterlies to the UK. This gave way to a Scandinavian high pressure system and a resultant easterly airstream out of Europe towards the week’s end.

The Pitsford Ruddy Shelduck remained throughout the week, continuing to fuel debate about its origins and the same site hosted the only Pintails of the week, three on 21st with a Garganey there on the same date. Single Garganeys were also at Clifford Hill GP on 20th and at Summer Leys on 21st with two there on 26th and one on 27th and the long-staying Goldeneye at Pitsford Res was joined by two more there on 21st.

A juvenile Marsh Harrier was again at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 22nd, followed by an adult male at Harrington AF the next day, while an Osprey visited Thrapston GP on 22nd and another flew west over Hardingstone on 25th. A male Merlin was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 22nd and single Peregrines were seen there on 21st and at Summer Leys on 26th – a juvenile female – and 27th (an adult).

A better selection of waders was evident this week, although numbers of each species were relatively low. Ringed Plovers were the exception, though, with eighteen at Pitsford Res on 21st comprising four on the ground and a separate flock of fourteen flying over. The four on the floor had increased to seven by 24th and then reduced to five from 25th to 27th. Elsewhere one was at Clifford Hill on 21st and five were at Summer Leys on the same date, dwindling to four on 23rd and one on 26th-27th. After flagging up last week the complete absence of Little Stints this year one promptly appeared at Clifford Hill GP on 21st, quickly followed by another at Pitsford Res on 27th.

The Clifford Hill bird was accompanied by two Dunlins, another Dunlin was at Hollowell Res on 24th and, back at Clifford Hill, three were present on 27th, where there were also two Ruff on 21st and three on 27th, with further singles at Pitsford Res on 21st (two on 22nd), Wicksteed Park Lake on 25th and Summer Leys on 27th. The first Jack Snipe of the season was found at Bozeat GP on 26th, the same date that the week’s only Black-tailed Godwit was found at Summer Leys. Two Bar-tailed Godwits – unusual in the county in autumn – visited Thrapston GP on 21st and were still present there the next day and a Curlew flew over Pitsford Res on 27th. Common Sandpipers became scarce with just one at Pitsford Res on 21st and two at Daventry CP on 26th and the only Green Sandpiper of the week was one at Summer Leys on 27th. Another scarce visitor which is only just annual in the county was a Spotted Redshank on 21st at Pitsford Res where it joined up to two Greenshanks present until 25th and a Redshank was also there on 23rd.

Rare larids ramped up this week, producing potentially the rarest bird of the year so far. An adult Azorean Yellow-legged Gull appeared in the Stanwick GP main lake pre-roost around six o’clock on the evening on 27th before flying off toward the A45 Lay-by Pit shortly afterward. This race is not (yet) officially on the British list and reported occurrences here are always controversial and generate much debate. At least one hundred and thirty-five Yellow-legged Gulls were also present on the same date – a new Northamptonshire record count! Others included up to three at Pitsford Res between 23rd and 27th with one at Boddington Res on the latter date, while Stanwick produced three Caspian Gulls – also on 27th – and a juvenile was at Daventry CP on 26th with an adult there on the following date, when a first-winter Mediterranean Gull was also there.

A Short-eared Owl was again at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 21st as were up to six Whinchats until 24th. Two more Whinchats were at nearby Harrington AF from 21st to 23rd and another was found on the ‘chat fence’ behind the Premier Inn at Clifford Hill GP on 27th. A single Northern Wheatear at Harrington AF on 22nd and 23rd continued to mark a poor autumn for this species locally.

A fast-moving Atlantic depression crossed northern Britain at the beginning of the week, bringing strong southwesterlies to western Britain, although these had lost impetus by the time they reached the Midlands. Otherwise the largely westerly airflow continued and the weather remained largely dry.

Coinciding with fresh Icelandic arrivals in northern Britain this week, thirty-one Pink-footed Geese flew high west over Pitsford Res on 18th while 20th saw the return to the Nene Valley of ‘Wossy’, last month’s escaped Ross’s Goose – this time at Clifford Hill GP.

Although with rather better credentials, another species which consistently receives short shrift from birders in the UK is Ruddy Shelduck and last week’s female remained south of the causeway at Pitsford Res all week; more on this later.

Two Pintails at Summer Leys LNR on 14th were the only ones this week, the same site hosting a Garganey throughout the period, although seven were there on 14th, one also visiting Clifford Hill GP the same day. A Goldeneye was found at Stanford Res also on 14th while the long-staying bird at Pitsford Res remained all week.

Raptors were in short supply with single Merlins at Raunds on 13th-14th, Pitsford Res on 16th and at Harrington Res the following day while a female Peregrine was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 15th, 16th and 19th and a juvenile visited Stanwick GP on the last of these dates.

Wader passage was lifted somewhat this week. Single Little Ringed Plovers visited Clifford Hill GP and Hollowell Res on 14th, the latter site along with nearby Stanford Res also hosting a Ringed Plover on the same date. At least three were at Clifford Hill GP – also on 14th with some still there on 16th when three were also at Summer Leys, increasing to five there on 20th.

A Golden Plover was seen at Harrington AF on 14th and fourteen flew over nearby Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 18th. Wader of the week was the juvenile Curlew Sandpiper which appeared during drizzly conditions at Clifford Hill GP on 14th but there have still been no Little Stints so far this autumn and time is surely running out …

Up to seven Dunlins were present at Clifford Hill GP between 14th and 20th while singes visited Summer Leys on 16th and Stanwick GP the following day but only Ruff this week were two near the dam at Pitsford Res on 14th and 15th and one at Summer Leys on 14th.

Two juvenile Black-tailed Godwits visited the latter locality on 20th. Common Sandpipers were found at five localities with two at Boddington Res and one at Hollowell Res on 14th, three or four at Pitsford Res on 16th and singles at Welford Res and Ditchford GP on 20th. Green Sandpiper numbers remained low with two at Pitsford Res on 14th, one there on 17th and one at Ditchford GP on 20th, while a late Wood Sandpiper was discovered on the drained lake at Wicksteed Park on 19th. 13th with two there on 10th and one at Stanwick GP on 12th. The only Greenshanks during the period were at Pitsford Res, where there were up to two between 14th and 18th. There have been no American waders in the county so far this autumn but we are now approaching the last week of September, which has a great track record locally for producing the goods, so fingers crossed!

A first-winter Mediterranean Gull was found in the gull roost at Pitsford on 16th with five Yellow-legged Gulls there on 18th. Other Yellow-legged Gulls included singles at Hollowell Res on 14th and at Ditchford GP on 20th while seven were at Stanwick GP on 19th. With all the local breeding Common Terns now departed two were found at Hollowell Res on 14th along with a juvenile Arctic Tern.

Away from the wetlands, a Short-eared Owl was at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 14th and two were present there on 18th while a Common Redstart was found at nearby Harrington AF on the first of these two dates. Whinchat were rather more widespread this week with singles at Boddington Res and Borough Hill on 14th and Sywell CP on 16th, up to two at Pitsford Res between 14th and 18th and up to eight at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell between 14th and 19th. A single Northern Wheatear at Harrington AF on 14th-15th continued to mark a poor autumn for this species locally but a flock of approximately fifty Yellow Wagtails at Chelveston Airfield on 20th was a good local record for this species.

Average temperatures and a predominantly westerly airstream followed colder northerlies prior to the beginning of the period. While winter duck numbers were slowly on the rise, few new migrants were discovered locally but …

Early autumn normally produces a scattering of Ruddy Shelducks in the UK and one was found south of the causeway at Pitsford Res on 12th. This coincided with others in East Yorkshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent and Sussex. They are likely to be from the summer moult gathering in The Netherlands and the origin of these birds is uncertain.  An eclipse drake Pintail was at Summer Leys LNR on 8th with two there and three at Pitsford Res on 13th, the former site hosting a Garganey on 7th-9th and five on 13th while Pitsford Res continued to hold a two Red-crested Pochards and a Goldeneye from 7th to at least 10th. A ‘female-type’ Common Scoter on the easternmost pit at Stanwick GP on 12th formed part of an inland ‘mini influx’ at the time.

A Bittern showed well for over an hour on the recently reprofiled scrape at Summer Leys LNR on the morning of 8th and was seen again in flight there later in the day.

The long-staying Marsh Harrier continued to be seen in the Blueberry Farm area until at least 8th and again at nearby Harrington AF on 10th while another was over fields near Fotheringhay on 8th. An Osprey was again at Blueberry Farm on 7th and 9th, it or another visited Pitsford Res on 8th, the same day as one was tracked as it flew southwest over Stanwick GP and shortly afterward over Ditchford GP, while a male Merlin in the Brampton Valley on 9th was the first of the autumn/winter period.

Few new waders made landfall in the County this week. Two Little Ringed Plovers visited Hollowell Res and one was at Clifford Hill GP on 13th, where eight Ringed Plovers on 8th had dwindled to five by 12th and one on 13th, while one visited Stanwick GP on 9th and two were at Pitsford Res the following day. Two Golden Plovers were at Stanwick GP on 12th-13th. Up to three Dunlins were present at Summer Leys between 7th and 9th with one there on 13th but the only other site to host this species was Clifford Hill GP, which held six from 8th until 12th and 8 on 13th. Two Ruffs were at Pitsford Res on 10th with one there on 12th, another was at Summer Leys on 13th and nine Curlews visited Stanwick GP briefly on 11th, while 3 Common Sandpipers were found at Pitsford Res on 7th, with four or five there on 10th, Welford Res (two), Sulby Res (one) and nearby Naseby Res (one) – all on 7th – two were at Clifford Hill GP and one at Hollowell Res on 13th and, at Stanwick GP, there were two on 9th and three the following day. Green Sandpiper numbers were very low with three at Sulby Res on 7th, one at Pitsford Res on 8th and 13th with two there on 10th and one at Stanwick GP on 12th. The only Greenshanks during the period were at Pitsford Res, where there were up to three between 7th and 12th and eight Yellow-legged Gulls at Stanwick GP on 10th and one at Pitsford Res on 13th were also the only ones reported.

A Common Swift at Stanwick GP on 9th may have been the last one of the year, while a Whinchat was at Pitsford Res on 13th and up to six remained at Blueberry Farm,

Maidwell all week, the same site hosting up to two Northern Wheatears between 8th and 12th. A Tree Pipit was found at Pitsford Res on 10th and four Crossbills flew over Stanwick GP on the same date.

There was a westerly airflow throughout the week accompanied by unusually high temperatues (high twenties) and mainly clear skies toward the week’s end. This quickly changed, dropping suddenly by ten degrees on 6th as a result of an area of low pressure, which produced easterlies off southern Scandinavia, northerlies down the North Sea and rain and cloud stretching to the near continent … but nothing new in Northants.

More Pintail arrived this week with singles on 3rd at both Stanwick GP and Summer Leys LNR with the latter site producing a Garganey on the same date. Pitsford Res continued to host a Goldeneye and two Red-crested Pochards throughout the week as well as a short-staying Black-necked Grebe on 1st only.

The long-staying Marsh Harrier continued to be seen throughout the period at Harrington AF and in the nearby Brampton Valley/Blueberry Farm area while a juvenile flew east at Hollowell Res on 6th, an Osprey flew south there on the same date and another was in the Harrington AF/Blueberry Farm area on 31st and 3rd, while a Peregrine visited Pitsford Res on 2nd.

The lack of suitable habitat meant that the week did not yield an increase in the number of waders. The only Little Ringed Plovers were singles at Stanwick GP on 3rd and 6th and two at Hollowell Res on the same dates and the only Ringed Plovers were singles at Pitsford Res on 1st with two there on 6th, Welford Res on 2nd and at Clifford Hill GP on 6th with five there on 2nd. A Golden Plover visited Stanwick GP on 5th and another flew over Harrington AF on 6th and four Dunlin were at Hollowell Res on 2nd while twos visited Clifford Hill GP on the same date, Summer Leys the following day, Stanwick GP on 5th and two flew south-west at Clifford Hill GP on 6th with one also at Pitsford Res on the same date.

Juvenile Dunlin, Hollowell Res, 2nd September 2013 (Mike Alibone). Part of a group of four which dropped in to feed late in the morning. Once the commonest small wader in Northants and a regular winter visitor, Dunlin is now a passage migrant in small numbers in both spring and autumn. Long gone are the days when wintering flocks in excess of two hundred individuals were to be found at Pitsford Reservoir, building up while large areas of mud were exposed in autumn and remaining until rising water levels forced them to find alternative feeding habitat elsewhere later in the winter.

In contrast to last week just two Ruff were found – at Pitsford Res on 4th and at Earls Barton GP on 6th. Four Black-tailed Godwits visited Summer Leys on 2nd with one there the next day and just one Whimbrel was seen flying over at Harrington AF on 5th. Common Sandpipers were found at Welford Res, where there were two on 31st and four on 2nd, Pitsford Res, where there were three on 1st-2nd and four on 4th and at Stanwick GP with two on 3rd and one on 5th-6th, while the only Green Sandpipers were seen on 2nd – when three were at Sulby Res and one visited Foxholes Fisheries, Crick – and 6th, when one was at Pitsford Res. The only Greenshanks during the period were at Pitsford Res, where there was one on 2nd and two on 4th and 6th.

Rare gulls were few and far between with a juvenile Caspian Gull briefly at Daventry CP on 3rd being the only candidate this week, while a juvenile Mediterranean Gull visited Hollowell Res on 6th an adult Yellow-legged Gull was there on 31st and 6th and three were at Pitsford Res on 1st.

Of the more interesting passerine migrants, a juvenile Ring Ouzel was located at Harrington AF on 31st (remaining until the next day) when there was also one or two Common Redstarts, a Northern Wheatear and a Whinchat there, while four of the latter species remained at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell all week, the number at this site increasing to eight on 5th-6th. Finally, approximately twenty Crossbills were found in Salcey Forest on 2nd.