Month: September 2014

The week’s weather remained dry and rather cloudy under the influence of a high pressure system to the north-east, allowing an easterly airstream to become established throughout the period. While the east coast fared well for migrants, Northants failed to deliver any surprises, leaving observers somewhat vexed as they struggled to find anything outstanding. Even the extensive mud exposed at Hollowell Reservoir – arguably the county’s best wader habitat at present – failed to pull.

Much of the same old stuff remained from last week, namely the two Barnacle Geese at Hollowell and the two Ruddy Shelducks at Pitsford Res – where the lingering flock of Red-crested Pochards swelled to thirteen on 15th – while an eclipse drake of the latter species was found at Stanford Res on 13th and the leucistic bird remained at Clifford Hill GP.

More dwelling ducks included up to two Garganeys at Summer Leys and one at Ravensthorpe Res all week and another visited Pitsford Res on 14th, while two Pintails were at Stanford Res on 13th-15th and up to two visited Pitsford Res between 14th and 17th.

The latter site continued to host last week’s Great White Egret and another was photographed in flight over Thrapston GP on 18th, while the smart adult Red-necked Grebe continued to delight visitors to Daventry CP throughout the period.

‘Cream-crown’ Marsh Harriers visited Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 15th and 18th and another was at Thrapston GP on 17th but the only Peregrine reported was the regularly visiting female at Blueberry Farm on four dates during the week. And so on to waders … This week’s highlight was a nice, scaly juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, present for just one day – the 15th – on the muddy spit between the dam and Moulton Grange Bay at Pitsford Res.

The same small area attracted up to six Ruffs and a Dunlin. Further Dunlin included four at Clifford Hill GP on 19th and singles, all on 15th, at Ravensthorpe Res and Clifford Hill GP and two at Ditchford GP, while the same date saw single Ruffs at Ravensthorpe Res, Stanford Res and Clifford Hill GP and two at Hollowell Res; there were also three at Clifford Hill on 19th. Two juvenile Little Ringed Plovers were at Clifford Hill GP on 13th-19th and single Ringed Plovers visited Hollowell Res and Stanwick GP on 15th. Two Black-tailed Godwit dropped in at Clifford Hill GP on 13th where a Little Stint was found two days later. One or two Common Sandpipers were present at six localities with five at Daventry CP on 15th, while Green Sandpipers this week numbered no more than two at Pitsford Res, Ravensthorpe Res and Daventry CP.  Just one Greenshank made it on to the week’s list with Daventry CP being the favoured locality on 18th and only one Redshank was found, at Pitsford Res, on 15th, while up to four Common Snipe were at Daventry CP, Pitsford Res and Stanwick GP and three at Clifford Hill GP.

A first-winter Mediterranean Gull was at Daventry CP on 15th along with a juvenile Caspian Gull  with more of the latter species including one on the same date at Stanwick GP, where there were five present on 18th. Apart from two adults at Pitsford Res and the regular adult at Hollowell Res, the only other Yellow-legged Gulls were represented by a sizeable count of approximately ninety at Stanwick GP on 18th.

Pretty much the same species of passerines topped the bill as last week including, remarkably – hot on the heels of Northamptonshire’s third – another Northern Willow Warbler trapped and ringed at Stanford Res on 13th.

A Turtle Dove was at Harrington AF on 18th with the same site hosting a Common Redstart on 16th-18th, while up to two were in the Brampton Valley/Blueberry Farm area for most of the week and one visited Stanford Res on 15th. Up to six Whinchats were also in the vicinity of Blueberry Farm, as was a Stonechat, while the only other Whinchat was one at Stanwick GP on 15th. Northern Wheatears remained thin on the ground with one at Hollowell Res on 17th and two at Harrington AF on 17th-18th while a White Wagtail was identified at Clifford Hill GP on 15th and migrant Tree Pipits this week included singles on 18th at Harrington AF, Daventry CP and Blueberry Farm, Maidwell.

Summer almost returned as an area of high pressure remained over the country for the whole week and temperatures reached the low twenties. Winds were light and variable but contained a significantly easterly element.

The two Barnacle Geese remained at Hollowell Res all week as did the three Pintails and the two Ruddy Shelducks similarly remained at Pitsford Res after having returned there from Hollowell on 5th. Two more Garganeys were located, with the longer stayer at Summer Leys remaining all week, one at Clifford Hill GP on 8th and another at Ravensthorpe Res on 9th-10th, while Pitsford’s nine Red-crested Pochards had reduced to eight by the week’s end and three appeared at Clifford Hill GP on 7th, dwindling to one leucistic individual the following day.

The first Great White Egret of the autumn appeared at Pitsford Res on 10th and was still present at the week’s end. This species is becoming an increasingly common sight in Northamptonshire as well as in the UK as a whole; up to eleven were roosting at Britain’s breeding site in Somerset during the week.

A Red-necked Grebe, the fourth to have visited the county this year – or perhaps the same wandering individual – was found at Daventry CP on 10th, showing well from the dam and also remaining until the week’s end. This is the third for the site, the previous two records having been in 1991 and 1993.

Two Marsh Harriers were reported at Thrapston GP on 8th while the week’s tally of Ospreys came to a grand total of two, with singles over the canal at Yardley Gobion on 6th and at Pitsford Res on 11th. The only Peregrine was a female at Blueberry Farm on three dates during the period.

Scarce waders remained just that, with single Little Stints at Clifford Hill GP on 6th-7th and 11th, and at Summer Leys LNR on 10th, topping the bill. Otherwise it was a similar picture to last week with five Golden Plovers over Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 8th and two at Hollowell Res on 12th, up to two Little Ringed Plovers at Hollowell Res, Clifford Hill GP and Stanwick GP and one or two Ringed Plovers at Clifford Hill GP with six at Hollowell Res on 12th. A Black-tailed Godwit visited Summer Leys LNR on 8th and three were present there the next day, while Ruff were reported from six localities, with singles at Stanwick GP on 8th, Hollowell Res and Summer Leys LNR on 9th and Ravensthorpe Res the following day but two were at Pitsford Res on 9th and Hollowell Res on 12th and three were at Clifford Hill GP on 8th with six there on 11th. Up to seven Dunlin were at Clifford Hill GP until 11th and singles were at Daventry CP on 7th and Stanwick GP on 10th with one at Hollowell Res on 9th and two there on 12th. Common Sandpipers were found at Pitsford Res, Ravensthorpe Res, Daventry CP, Stanwick GP with a maximum of three at Pitsford on 7th, while Green Sandpipers this week were at Pitsford Res, Ravensthorpe Res, Daventry CP, Stanwick GP and over Hanging Houghton with a maximum of four at Daventry CP on 7th.  The small numbers of larger tringas included just four Greenshanks over Boddington Res on 9th and one Redshank at Hollowell Res on 12th, while the few Common Snipe included one at Clifford Hill GP on 6th, three at Summer Leys LNR and one at Ditchford GP on 8th, two at Hollowell Res and one at Stanwick GP on 9th and one again at Clifford Hill GP on 11th.

The only Mediterranean Gull this week was a juvenile at Pitsford Res on 7th while the highest number of Yellow-legged Gulls was six at Pitsford Res on 7th, with one there on 11th and two on 12th plus an adult at Hollowell Res on 9th-12th. Terns remained scarce with just one Black Tern reported at Thrapston GP on 8th.

Perhaps what will ultimately prove to be the last Common Swift of the year was seen over Raunds on 8th and Ring-necked Parakeets continued to be seen with two flying north over Clifford Hill GP on 6th and three in St Giles Street, Northampton on 9th. Despite being ‘only a sub’ arguably the best bird of the week was a Willow Warbler of the race acredula, colloquially known as Northern Willow Warbler, which was trapped and ringed at Stanford Res on 8th. This is only the third record of this race for Northamptonshire, the previous two also having been extracted from the mist-nets of Stanford in August 2008 and June 2011. An astonishing five hundred Blackcaps were also counted at Stanford Res on 8th following the lifting of early morning fog and ‘many’ were also said to have been present at Stanwick GP on the same date. Common Redstarts remained very much in evidence this week with up to four at both Borough Hill and Blueberry Farm, Maidwell, two at Harrington AF and one trapped at Stanford Res on 9th. What has proven to be the best year for Whinchats in recent times saw up to eight at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell, at least six at Stanwick GP, five at Borough Hill, three at Harrington AF, two at Clifford Hill GP and singles at Bozenham, Hollowell Res and Sywell CP, while a solitary Stonechat was found at Hollowell Res on 9th.

Northern Wheatears continued to remain scarce with two at Clifford Hill GP on 6th, one or two at Borough Hill on 7th and one at Summer Leys LNR on the same date and two at Harrington AF on 11th.  A White Wagtail was identified at Stanwick GP on 8th and migrant Tree Pipits this week comprised singles at Harrington AF on 6th, Borough Hill and Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 7th and over Bozenham on 11th.

A largely dry and relatively warm week, initially dominated by a light south-westerly airstream while the latter part saw coastal drift migrants arriving on easterlies resulting from a broad area of high pressure over Scandinavia. Perhaps associated with this was an exceptional total of two hundred and twenty-two Blackcaps trapped and ringed at Stanford Reservoir on 2nd, while more passerine migrants were clearly in evidence in other areas …

The two Barnacle Geese present at Hollowell Res all week were joined there by Pitsford’s two Ruddy Shelducks on 30th, although they had returned to Pitsford Res by 5th. Hollowell also produced three Pintails on 1st and two Garganeys on 30th, while another Garganey appeared at Summer Leys LNR on 4th, remaining there the next day. Red-crested Pochards remained at Pitsford Res all week, with numbers there rising from five on 30th to nine on 5th.

Unsurprisingly conforming to the local trend was another single-observer sighting of a fly-over Glossy Ibis, this time reported from Harrington AF on 1st, while raptors were thin on the ground but included single Ospreys on 30th at Pitsford Res and at Wakefield Lawn Lake and Peregrines were reported from Blatherwycke Lake, Blueberry Farm, Borough Hill and in the east Northants Nene Valley.

Waders continued to trickle through in small numbers. The autumn’s first Golden Plover flew over Pitsford Res on 1st, four Little Ringed Plovers were at Hollowell Res between 30th and 2nd and one visited Clifford Hill GP on 5th, while three Ringed Plovers were also at Hollowell Res on 2nd and singles visited Clifford Hill GP on 30th and 5th and Pitsford Res on 4th.

Fly-over Curlews appeared at Harrington AF on 3rd and Ravensthorpe Res on 5th, while a Knot dropped into Clifford Hill GP, also on 5th.

Four Dunlin at Hollowell Res on 30th-31st had dwindled to one there on 1st, while six were at Clifford Hill GP on 30th with four there on 5th and one visited Pitsford Res on 2nd.

A smart juvenile Ruff remained at Pitsford Res from 31st to 2nd while further singles visited Clifford Hill GP on 31st and Summer Leys the following day.

At least two Common Sandpipers were found at Pitsford Res, Hollowell Res, Clifford Hill GP, Stanwick GP and Moulton Quarry with no more than two at any one site, while the only Green Sandpipers this week were two at Wakefield Lawn Lake on 30th, one over Pitsford on 2nd and three at Daventry CP on 5th. Numbers of Greenshanks remained low with just one at Wakefield Lawn Lake on 30th and two at Sywell CP on 4th, while just one Redshank was found – at Hollowell Res on 31st – and another Spotted Redshank appeared briefly at Stanwick GP on 3rd with two Common Snipe there the following day.

Scarce gulls continued to feature, although not in any numbers. The only Mediterranean Gulls this week were a juvenile at Pitsford Res on 31st, an adult at Daventry CP on 2nd and a first-winter there on 5th, while Stanwick GP produced a juvenile Caspian Gull on 2nd and 3rd, while continuing to host reasonable numbers of Yellow-legged Gulls, with a maximum count of approximately fifty there on 4th.

Smaller numbers of Yellow-legged Gulls found elsewhere included singles at Daventry CP, Clifford Hill GP, Hollowell Res and Pitsford Res. The only Black Terns this week were two at Hollowell Res on 1st and 2nd and one at Pitsford Res on the last of these two dates.

The two Turtle Doves remained at Harrington AF until at least 1st and, on 30th, three Ring-necked Parakeets were in Brackmills Wood, Hardingstone briefly before flying toward Delapre Golf Course. In what has become the best year for a long time for migrant Common Redstarts, new individuals were found near Pitsford Res on 2nd (two), at Borough Hill on 4th and at Clifford Hill GP the following day, while the run of records from Harrington AF and the wider area of the nearby Brampton Valley continued, with up to two reported on several dates at both sites.

Similarly, Whinchats were present throughout the week at the first of these latter two localities, with up to three present on 30th, the same date upon which eight were counted at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell, while one visited Hollowell Res on 2nd and, on 5th, two were at Borough Hill and five appeared at Clifford Hill GP.

By contrast, Northern Wheatears remained relatively scarce with singles in the Brampton Valley and at Harrington AF on 30th, two at the latter locality on 1st and one at Clifford Hill GP on 5th, while migrant Tree Pipits appeared to be more in evidence than is usual with singles at Pitsford Res on 30th, Brixworth on 1st and Borough Hill on 5th and two flew over Hanging Houghton on 2nd, four were at Borough Hill on 4th and one or two at Harrington AF the following day.