Month: February 2016

Strong westerly winds at the beginning of the period eventually gave way to a more northerly airstream by mid-week, bringing with it lower temperatures and overnight frosts. Local winter visitors remained firmly in place and few new birds were found during the week.

The Ruddy Shelduck remained at Pitsford Res until at least 24th and, suggesting an early spring movement, Pintails appeared at three sites, with five at Summer Leys and eight at Daventry CP on 20th plus two more at Ditchford GP on 22nd. Causing some momentary excitement, the smart drake Chiloe Wigeon x Eurasian Wigeon hybrid, first found at Summer leys LNR last November, was back there again on 20th while, unusually scarce this winter, four Red-crested Pochards were found at nearby Sywell CP on 23rd.

Back at Summer Leys the female Scaup remained on the main lake all week and a drake – presumably last week’s Hardingstone GP bird – was found on adjacent Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP on 24th. A drake Smew remained at Ravensthorpe Res until 21st and two were still at Stanwick GP throughout the week.

A Great White Egret remained at Summer Leys throughout – with two there on 20th – one was at Ditchford GP on 20th with two there the next day, two were at Thrapston GP on 21st and one flew east, then back west, at Stanwick GP on 25th, where there was also a Bittern on 24th.

Peregrines were the only raptors noted during the period, with singles at Summer Leys on 20th and 24th and on the latter date at Boddington Res and at Stanwick GP on 24th and 26th. Waders were thin on the ground this week with Golden Plovers at Harrington AF, Summer Leys and Scaldwell with a maximum count of just fifty at the latter locality on 26th.  A Redshank was still at Pitsford Res on 20th and two were at Summer Leys on 20th-22nd while the only Green Sandpiper was one at Pitsford Res on 23rd and the only Common Snipe were just two at Harrington AF between 20th and 22nd.

The 24th saw an adult and a first-winter Mediterranean Gull in the roost at Boddington Res and one or two first-winters in the Pitsford Res roost, where there was also an adult Caspian Gull on 25th, while a third-winter visited Stanwick GP on 24th and three were there on 26th. Stanwick also produced an adult Glaucous Gull on the afternoons of 22nd-24th and 26th. This individual had a red ring and seems likely to be last year’s Pitsea bird again visiting the site. The only Yellow-legged Gulls were seen on 22nd, when a first-winter visited Boddington Res roost and a third-winter was at Daventry CP, and 26th, when one was at Stanwick GP.

The Brixworth Firecrest was again reported in the border hedge at the sewage treatment works on 20th, although it continued to prove elusive, while a male Central European Blackcap remained throughout in a Barton Seagrave garden, occasionally joined there by a female and a female continued to visit a Duston garden all week. The Black Redstart was again in a Northampton garden on 20th and the Summer Leys Stonechat appears to have been the only one reported, remaining there all week. Aside from this, the Mealy Redpoll continued to pay sporadic visits to an East Hunsbury (Northampton) garden feeder throughout the week, while a Brambling was at Oundle on 21st, two visited a Hanging Houghton garden on 22nd when two were also in the nearby Brampton Valley and up to nine visited feeders in Warmington between 22nd and 25th.

Mild conditions ensued, broken only briefly by cold northerlies over the mid-point of the period with the coldest night of the winter so far on 15th/16th.

A Pink-footed Goose discovered with Greylags at Summer Leys LNR on 14th has not been reported subsequently, while the Ruddy Shelduck remained at Pitsford Res

throughout, as did the drake Green-winged Teal at Daventry CP. A drake Scaup appeared at Hardingstone GP on 16th and a female was located on the main lake at

Summer Leys LNR two days later, remaining until 19th, while Smews graced Ravensthorpe Res, where there were two on 7th, Stanwick GP, where up to four were present between 11th and 17th, and Pitsford Res, where up to three lingered between 12th and 17th.

The long-staying Ravensthorpe Great White Egret ceased to be reported beyond 8th, while up to two were at Thrapston GP throughout the period, one was still at Summer Leys until 19th – with two there on 11th – and one was at Ditchford GP’s Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows Reserve on 17th (where there was also a Bittern the following day) and three were within the Ditchford GP complex on 19th.

Further down the Nene valley a ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier flew east at Stanwick GP on 12th and a Merlin had a pop at the wintering Stonechat at Summer Leys on the same date. The only other raptors of note were Peregrines at six locations during the period.

On the wader front, Golden Plovers were noted at Walgrave, Harrington AF, Stanford Res and Scaldwell with a maximum of forty-six at the latter site on 13th. The first Black-tailed Godwit of the year appeared at Stanwick GP on 12th, where nine Redshanks were counted on 11th-12th, while singles were at Summer Leys on 8th and Pitsford Res on 16th – the latter location producing single Green Sandpipers on 11th and 17th. The only Common Snipe during the period were a dozen at Harrington AF on 7th, two at Brixworth STW and nine at Stortons GP on 11th and about forty at Pitsford Res on 17th.

Following singles at Daventry CP and Pitsford Res on the first day of the month, an adult  Kittiwake appeared at Boddington Res on 10th, while the roost at Pitsford Res produced adult Mediterranean Gulls on 6th, 11th and 19th plus a first-winter on 14th and a second-winter visited Stanford Res on 7th.  Pitsford also saw the usual adult Caspian Gull visiting the roost there on 6th, 13th and 14th, a first-winter was at Stanford Res on 7th followed by an adult there on 13th and single adults visited Stanwick GP on 12th and 17th. The latter site produced an adult Yellow-legged Gull on 11th, another was at Hollowell Res on 16th and a fourth-winter visited Daventry CP on 17th .

Included in the period’s scarce passerines was the return of the Brixworth Firecrest in the border hedge at the sewage treatment works on 11th and again a week later on 18th, while a male Central European Blackcap remained throughout in a Barton Seagrave garden, another male was in a Scaldwell garden on 12th and a male and female visited a Duston garden on 13th with the female still present on 19th.

Last month’s Black Redstart returned to a Northampton garden on 13th-14th, where it was taking sunflower hearts from a feeder there.

Stonechats continued to be seen at Summer Leys, in the Brampton Valley, Pitsford Res, Ditchford GP, Thrapston GP and Hollowell Res with a maximum of six at the latter site on 16th.

A Mealy Redpoll visited a garden feeder at Byfield on 6th – a different individual to that which was present there in January – three were on feeders at Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh LNR on 14th and the East Hunsbury (Northampton) bird was seen again on 16th. Just one Brambling was still showing between Badby and Upper Catesby on 13th, a male visited a Hanging Houghton garden on 13th, 18th and 19th, four were at Woodford Halse on 13th and seven at Warmington on 19th.