Month: November 2015

Largely dry conditions prevailed although a strong, northerly airstream was in place on 21st, temporarily displacing the hitherto mild autumn weather and delivering the first local frost of the autumn on 22nd.

A herd of fourteen Whooper Swans flying north over Warmington on 21st was perhaps unsurprising as this village is close to the border with Cambridgeshire where this species regularly winters. At least two Pintails were still at Earls Barton GP on 25th and the same number of Red-crested Pochards at Pitsford Res on 22nd, when there was also a female Scaup there, followed by a first-winter Scaup at Ravensthorpe Res on 24th.

Back at Pitsford, the first Smew of the winter – a drake – was found north of the causeway on 23rd, the same site also continuing to host up to four Great White Egrets. Single Great Whites remained at Ravensthorpe Res until at least 25th and at Summer Leys LNR all week.

The second calendar year male Marsh Harrier continued its regular visits to the latter site until 25th, while other scarce raptors included single Merlins at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 22nd and Ravensthorpe Res on 24th and two – possibly three – Peregrines visited Fawsley Park on 25th, attracted to the large Starling roost which is currently building there.

Waders were thin on the ground this week with Golden Plovers reported only from Harrington AF, where there were approximately twenty-five on 21st and sixty-three on 25th while the only Dunlins were singles at Pitsford Res on 22nd and Daventry CP the following day. Pitsford produced the only Redshank, one on 22nd, and one of two Green Sandpipers on the same date, while the other was at Ravensthorpe Res on 25th.  The only Common Snipe were seven at Daventry CP on 23rd and three at Pitsford Res on the same date.

Hot on the heels of the two at Stanford Res last week, a first-winter Kittiwake appeared at Earls Barton GP during the northerly gales of 21st and an adult Mediterranean Gull visited Daventry CP on 23rd. Single Yellow-legged Gulls at Stanford Res on 21st and Daventry CP on 23rd represented the lowest number reported in a long time.

Up to two Short-eared Owls remained at Blueberry Farm until at least 22nd and another was near Little Harrowden on the same date but it is not (yet) looking good for a big shortie winter.

Although there have been several around during late autumn, it would now surely be safe to say that single males visiting gardens in Greens Norton on 23rd and Northampton on 25th are Central European Blackcaps which are set to overwinter. How long will it be before they are granted full subspecific status? Another warbler still climbing the ladder to specific rank is Siberian Chiffchaff, two of which were identified this week – one at Ravensthorpe Res on 24th and the other at Pitsford Res the following day, the latter individual likely to have been present since 20th.

Up to ten Stonechats remained at Blueberry Farm and two further singles were at Ditchford GP on 22nd and Summer Leys from 24th to 27th. The only Brambling reported was one at Kelmarsh on 22nd.

The mild weather of the previous two weeks continued unabated as west to south-westerly winds helped to maintain unseasonally high temperatures, while also producing storm-force winds halfway through the review period.

The first Pink-footed Geese of the winter appeared on 20th, when five flew over Blueberry Farm, Maidwell. Having last been seen on 3rd, the Pitsford Ruddy Shelduck was again present on 17th, while up to five Pintails remained in the Summer Leys/Earls Barton GP area between 7th and 19th, one was still at Ravensthorpe Res on 9th and six at Pitsford Res on 20th.

The two Garganeys remained, with the first-winter female at Pitsford Res until 8th and the young drake at Ravensthorpe Res until the following day, while a glut of hybrid ducks included a drake Tufted Duck x Pochard hybrid (resembling a drake Lesser Scaup) at

Summer Leys LNR on 8th, a drake Gadwall x Eurasian Wigeon hybrid at Stanwick GP on 9th and a drake Chiloe Wigeon x Eurasian Wigeon hybrid (resembling a drake American Wigeon) at Earls Barton GP on 14th-15th. Seven Red-crested Pochards visited Summer Leys on 7th, while four were at Stanford Res on the same date and three there on 18th, while five remained at Pitsford Res between 9th and 12th, rising to thirteen there on 20th.

An adult Great Northern Diver which made a surprise visit to Stanwick GP on 11th was the first record for the site but it had departed by the following day. It would seem likely, then, that one found not too far away on Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP, just two days later, was the same individual. Amazingly, however, the latter proved to be a juvenile which stayed until the morning of 14th before departing south.

In the same general area, the Summer Leys Bittern showed itself again on, or over, the scrape on 7th, 18th, 19th and 20th the same site also hosting a Great White Egret on 14th and 19th-20th, while another remained at Ravensthorpe Res between 16th and 19th. Pitsford Res also held up to four throughout the period and one visited Ditchford GP on 15th.

The second calendar year male Marsh Harrier, present at Summer Leys LNR since at least mid-October, remained throughout the period, while Peregrines were also seen here as well as at Higham Ferrers, Pitsford Res, Blueberry Farm and in the Brampton Valley. At least five Merlins were seen and included singles at Harrington AF, Pitsford Res and Stanford Res on 7th, Blueberry Farm Maidwell on 9th and 17th, Stortons GP on 15th and near Chapel Brampton on 20th.

There were fewer Golden Plovers reported during the period with just over one hundred at Thrapston GP on 9th, at least twenty-five over Blueberry Farm on the same date, thirty-five between Moulton and Holcot on 20th and two at Pitsford Res on the same date. The only Common Snipe reported were eight at Earls Baron GP and one at Moulton Quarry – both on 15th – and forty-eight at Pitsford Res on 20th, where a Jack Snipe was also present at the same time. Other waders included a Curlew over Summer Leys on 19th, a Redshank at Pitsford Res between 14th and 20th and two Green Sandpipers at both Daventry CP on 7th and Ravensthorpe Res on 7th-9th, with one at Pitsford Res on 8th and four there on 20th.

November is often a good month for the appearance inland of Kittiwakes and this one was no exception with two adults turning up at Stanford Res on the afternoon of 20th. An adult Mediterranean Gull also visited the same site on 16th, a first-winter was in the roost at Boddington Res on 10th and another adult appeared at Pitsford Res the following day. There were just two Caspian Gulls during the period – a first-winter at Stanwick GP on 15th, followed by an adult at Stanford Res on 16th and 18th, while the usual small numbers of Yellow-legged Gulls continued to linger, these including up to two adults at Pitsford Res on 9th and 14th, one at Ravensthorpe Res and two at Hollowell Res on 9th, eight in the Boddington Res roost on 10th with one there on 18th and two at Stanwick GP on 15th.

Short-eared Owls are now becoming more regularly seen at Blueberry Farm where up to two have been present between 10th and 20th, while a late House Martin was seen flying over the A509 on the county boundary near Warrington on 9th. A male Black Redstart appeared in Kettering, north of the town centre, on 19th but appeared not to be

present the following day and, looking like they are set to winter in the area, the number of Stonechats at Blueberry Farm reached double figures with ten there on 9th and 20th. Smaller numbers elsewhere included four at Hollowell Res, two at Pitsford Res and two near Harlestone Heath.

Several Bramblings were noted at Scaldwell, Pitsford Res/Brixworth CP and Blueberry Farm, while single Crossbills were seen over Scaldwell on 8th and 16th and at Brixworth CP on 20th.

An unseasonally mild two weeks saw record-breaking November temperatures on 1st as winds persisted from a largely southerly direction throughout the period.

Aside from the Pitsford Ruddy Shelduck remaining until 3rd, a mixed bag of wildfowl included more Pintails, with singles at Daventry CP, Ravensthorpe Res, Stanwick GP, Summer Leys LNR and Wicksteed Park Lake plus six at Pitsford Res on 31st and four at Earls Barton GP on 5th.

Two Garganeys remained into November – the first-winter female at Pitsford Res on 3rd and the young drake at Ravensthorpe Res until at least 4th, while Daventry CP bowled a curved ball in the shape of a first-winter drake American Wigeon x Eurasian Wigeon hybrid on 28th and Pitsford delivered a Ferruginous Duck x Red-crested Pochard hybrid on 31st. ‘Real’ Red-crested Pochards included up to seven at Stanford Res between 25th and 1st, up to ten at Pitsford Res on 31st-1st, one at Stanwick GP on 4th and up to six at Daventry CP on 4th-5th.

A Bittern put in a brief appearance at Summer Leys LNR on 25th while up to five Great White Egrets remained at Pitsford Res throughout the period and one visited Stanford Res on 1st. Pitsford also produced a Slavonian Grebe on 30th-31st – only the third to be seen in the county this year.

The second calendar year male Marsh Harrier, present at Summer Leys LNR since at least mid-October, remained throughout, appearing with some regularity over the scrape, where it provided great photo opportunities for some. Peregrines were widespread this week with singles at Borough Hill, Brixworth CP, Ecton SF, Higham Ferrers, Stanwick GP and Summer Leys LNR, while twos were seen at both Ditchford GP and Hardingstone GP.

On the wader front, Golden Plovers were reported from Daventry CP, Harrington AF, Harringworth, Hollowell Res, Summer Leys LNR, Thorpe Waterville and Tiffield with the largest count of three hundred and four coming from Daventry CP on 26th.

A single Ringed Plover visited Pitsford Res on 30th, 2 Dunlin were at Stanwick GP on 4th and  Common Snipe were at six localities, with double-figure counts of fifteen at Ecton SF on 1st and twenty-three at Daventry CP on 6th. Green Sandpipers were found at Daventry CP, Ecton SF, Pitsford Res and Ravensthorpe Res with a maximum of three at the latter locality on 1st.

This week’s Mediterranean Gull was again a first-winter, this time in the roost at Pitsford Res on 24th, while single adult Caspian Gulls were Stanford Res on 25th and Daventry CP on 6th and a third-year visited Hollowell Res on 26th. The reservoirs of Boddington, Hollowell, Pitsford and Ravensthorpe all produced Yellow-legged Gulls as did Daventry CP with the latter site, along with Pitsford, producing the period’s maxima of four.

Just one Short-eared Owl was mobile around Harrington AF on 4th, while a seriously late Sand Martin was a surprise for one observer at Stanford Res on 1st – although it still has a long way to go to beat the latest record of a juvenile which remained around Islip SF from 17th to 22nd November 1976. Another Black Redstart was found during the period, at Wellingborough on 28th, while Stonechats continued to be seen in the Brampton Valley and at Hollowell Res, Pitsford Res, Summer Leys LNR and  Thrapston GP, with a maximum of six at Hollowell Res on 26th. Late October still continues to produce Rock Pipits and Hollowell Res held up to two on 26th-27th, while a Water Pipit flew south, calling, over Harrington AF on 4th. Small numbers of Bramblings were seen at Borough Hill, Catesby, Daventry CP, East Carlton CP, Pitsford Res, Woodford Halse and Harrington AF – the latter site producing the maximum of six on 3rd.