Month: April 2016

The week commenced with cold northerlies and biting rain on 16th, when observers at Harrington Airfield also experienced snow showers. Following overnight frost, the 17th dawned bright and sunny and occasionally relatively warm, dry weather ensued for the remainder of the week, with the wind taking on an easterly element. Migrants – it seems – were undeterred and both new arrivals and fly-overs were logged in numbers throughout the county.

The law of diminishing ducks kicked in this week and, aside from Pitsford’s Ruddy Shelduck, the female Scaup remained at Summer Leys LNR until 20th, after which it promptly disappeared. Speculation it is incubating eggs containing Tufted Duck DNA has been running high …

Just when we thought we’d seen the back of them, another Great White Egret was seen flying north-east along the River Nene Valley at Summer Leys on 17th; it did not linger.

There was a better showing of raptors this week with a Marsh Harrier between Wollaston and Strixton on 21st, the immature male Goshawk again in Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Res on 18th and an Osprey at the same location on 16th-17th, while reports of

Peregrines were limited to one at Stanford Res on 16th and a pair at a potential breeding site all week. The first Hobbies of the spring were singles between Pitsford Res and Holcot on 19th and at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell two days later.

Preceding a flurry of wader activity at Summer Leys later in the week, three Common Cranes were picked up flying low north-east along the River Nene Valley there late in the morning on 17th. This species remains a scarce visitor and, following the fourteenth county record in 2013, four reports in 2015 have yet to be assessed.

Reports of Ringed Plovers were limited to singles at Pitsford Res on 20th-21st and Summer Leys on 22nd, while Little Ringed Plovers were present at Summer Leys, Stanwick GP and near Northampton, with a fly-over at Harrington AF on 18th. Following the first Whimbrel of the spring at Pitsford Res on 15th, more appeared with singles at Thrapston GP on 17th, Pitsford Res on 18th and 22nd and three at both Summer Leys and

Stanwick GP on 20th, while single Curlews visited both Summer Leys and Stanford Res on 16th and single Bar-tailed Godwits appeared at both Summer Leys and Stanwick GP

on 20th. The latter site held the week’s only Ruff for one day, on 17th, and half of the week’s Dunlin, with three there on 16th – the others being two at Clifford Hill GP on the same date and one at Pitsford Res on 18th.

Common Sandpipers were recorded throughout the week at Pitsford Res, Stanford Res, Stanwick GP and Summer Leys with no more than two at any one site, while single Green Sandpipers were still at the Northampton end of the Brampton Valley on 16th, Pitsford Res between 16th and 20th and at Ditchford GP on 20th. Two splendid full summer-plumaged Spotted Redshanks arrived at Summer Leys on 20th, with one remaining

there until the week’s end and being joined by up to two Greenshanks and a Wood Sandpiper from 21st. The only Common Snipe reported were two at Stanford Res on 16th.

Following last week’s influx of Little Gulls, this week seemed strangely quiet with just a first-winter at Pitsford Res on 16th and it, or another, there on 18th.

The latter date saw the arrival at Stanwick GP of an adult Kittiwake but the only other gulls of note were a second-summer Yellow-legged Gull at Stanwick on 16th and one at Pitsford Res on the same date.

A Black Tern visited Hollowell Res on 19th and Arctic Terns continued to move through with 16th seeing eight at Stanwick GP, five at Boddington Res and one at Hollowell Res, while eleven were at Stanwick and one at Stortons GP the next day, followed by singles at Clifford Hill GP on 21st and Stanwick again on 22nd.

Ring Ouzels continued to be seen at Harrington AF until 21st with up to three there on the latter date, including a male which often showed well in a ploughed field adjacent to the shooting wall. One was also found at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 17th. Harrington also attracted migrant Common Redstarts with three there on 17th and one on 21st, while two were at Fawsley Park on 16th and one at Brackley on 21st.

Harrington AF again proved to be the principal location for Northern Wheatears with the site attracting up to six between 16th and 21st. Interestingly four were trapped and ringed on 17th with two of these proving to be of the Greenland race leucorhoa – colloquially known as Greenland Wheatear. Elsewhere, single Northerns were at both Pitsford Res and Hollowell Res on 16th with four at Blueberry Farm the following day. Similarly northbound, White Wagtails again occurred in small numbers which included two at Pitsford Res on 16th with one there on 20th, two at Summer Leys on 17th, three at Clifford Hill GP on 18th and one at Hollowell Res on 22nd, while single Tree Pipits flew over Harrington AF on 18th and Hollowell Res the following day.

Heavy showers combined with an intermittent southerly airstream did much to both further the northward movement of migrants while at the same time grounding many of them. The most prominent event of the week was the passage of Little Gulls, which was most obvious in, though not restricted to, locations in the Nene Valley.

‘Old faithful’ – Pitsford’s Ruddy Shelduck – remained present throughout but the only other notable wildfowl were two Garganeys at Daventry CP on 12th and the Summer Leys Scaup, which remained throughout the period and appeared to be paired with a male Tufted Duck at the week’s end.

An immature male Goshawk appeared briefly in Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Res on 9th and was again there equally briefly on 15th. Despite ‘healthy’ populations located not too distantly elsewhere in the UK, this species remains rare and difficult to catch up with in Northants. The only Ospreys reported were singles at Pitsford Res on 11th and flying west at Summer Leys on 14th, while reports of Peregrines were limited to just three, all at Summer Leys, on 11th, 13th and 15th.

The week produced two more Avocets, which included one at Clifford Hill GP late in the evening on 11th and one at Summer Leys, which remained all day on 14th. Just one report of Golden Plovers comprised approximately forty at Clifford Hill GP on 12th, while reports of Ringed Plovers were limited to one near Corby on 11th, two at Stanwick GP on 12th and one at Clifford Hill GP on 15th. Little Ringed Plovers numbered no more than two at each of Clifford Hill GP, Stanwick GP and Summer Leys during the week. Last week’s Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit remained at Summer Leys until 11th, probably making it into the record books as the most photographed godwit in Northants, ever.

Following this, there were five at Earls Barton GP on 12th, while a Black-tailed Godwit at Stanwick GP on the same date was identified as being of the nominate, European race, limosa. The first Whimbrel of the spring flew over Pitsford Res on 15th. Numbers of Dunlin ramped up this week with records from Earls Barton GP/Summer Leys LNR, Stanwick GP and Clifford Hill GP, where fifteen were counted on 15th and the first Common Sandpiper appeared at Stanwick on 10th, followed by no more than two at Daventry CP, Pitsford Res, Stanford Res and Wicksteed Park Lake. The only Green Sandpipers were one at the Northampton end of the Brampton Valley on 11th and the Pitsford Res individual below the dam until at least 13th, while the only Redshanks reported were two at Stanwick GP on 12th, four at Summer Leys on 13th and one at Stanford Res the following day. A Jack Snipe was again seen at Boddington Res on 10th along with ten Common Snipe on the same date, while one was at Stanwick GP on 11th-12th and another at Summer Leys on 14th.

Little Gull is now very much to be expected – and often in some numbers – in early to mid-April and this year did not disappoint. They arrived en masse between 11th and 13th with possibly as many as eighty-six individuals involved in the three-day passage, the highest count being a flock of twenty-two at Stanwick GP on 11th.

The only other gulls of note were a second-summer Yellow-legged Gull at Stanwick on 11th-13th and one at Pitsford Res on 13th. Black Terns arrived a little earlier than normal with two at Pitsford Res on 12th and one at Summer Leys on the same date, while the maximum count of Common Terns was at least twenty-five at Stanwick GP on 11th.

Arctic Terns also arrived on the latter date, when seven were at Stanwick GP, followed by two at Pitsford Res and singles at Summer Leys and Boddington Res on 12th, singles at Daventry CP and Stanwick on 14th and, on 15th, five were at Clifford Hill GP, at least three at Summer Leys and two at Thrapston GP. Sandwich Tern appeared at three localities which included one at Clifford Hill GP on 11th, two at Stanford Res on 12th and three at Summer Leys on 15th.

The first Cuckoo was discovered at Wakerley Great Wood on 13th and, although only a scarce resident, a particularly showy Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at Lings Wood during the week drew an appreciative crowd as it performed close to the on-site Wildlife Trust offices. Others were seen at Pitsford Res, near Kelmarsh and in Salcey Forest.

Arriving in exactly the same location as last year, a male Wood Warbler was singing in trees by the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Res on 15th, while the second singing male Siberian Chiffchaff of the spring was discovered at Cotton Park, Long Buckby on 9th. Neither of these scarce phylloscs stayed beyond the date of their discovery. Three more species of warbler arrived this week with a Lesser Whitethroat at Clifford Hill GP on 12th, a Common Whitethroat at Summer Leys on 9th and a Reed Warbler at Stanwick GP on 11th. The first Nightingale was also logged at Wakerley Great Wood on 13th. One of the traditional sites for Ring Ouzel – Harrington AF – attracted a male between 12th and 15th while a female was in a field between Blisworth and Milton Malsor

on 9th and a female or first-summer Black Redstart was a brief visitor to a Byfield garden on 14th. Byfield also produced a male Common Redstart on 13th, the same date that three more arrived at Harrington AF, the latter site producing the week’s maximum count of five Northern Wheatears on the same date. More Northern Wheatears included singles at Borough Hill on 10th and Stanford Res on 12th plus three at Clifford Hill GP the next day. The only White Wagtails during the period were three at Stanwick GP on 12th, while lingering Bramblings included singles at both Harrington AF and Hanging Houghton on 9th and two near Walgrave the following day.

With a southerly airstream and temperatures reaching the mid- to high teens, the first two days of the period felt like spring but this was short-lived. Temperatures fell away mid-week, showers ensued and the winds were on the verge of becoming easterly at the end of the period. This was not enough to deter more migrants, though, and the first Common Swift, Grasshopper Warbler and Sedge Warbler had been logged by the week’s end.

A potentially ‘new’ Barnacle Goose appeared at Thrapston GP on 6th and the Pitsford Ruddy Shelduck was still present until at least the same date, while just one drake Garganey remained at Earls Barton GP/Summer Leys LNR until 2nd. On the brink of qualifying as a long-stayer, the Summer Leys Scaup remained throughout the period.

A single Great White Egret made it into this week, when it was seen at Summer Leys on 2nd and flying over the main Earls Barton GP complex the following day. Two rare grebes – both short-stayers – were found at the weekend. A Slavonian Grebe spent most of the day at Daventry CP on 2nd and a Black-necked Grebe made a brief appearance in Pintail Bay at Pitsford Res the following day.

Although the diversity of raptors was at a low point, at least three Ospreys were around to hold the interest with singles visiting Pitsford Res on 2nd and 5th, while reports of fly-overs at Clifford Hill GP and Summer Leys on the morning of 4th are likely to refer to the same individual and, in addition to this, one flew north-west at Boddington Res on 8th.

Aside from potential breeders, reports of Peregrines dwindled to just three, with singles at Borough Hill on 3rd and at Summer Leys on 5th and 8th.

Early April is traditionally the best time to find an Avocet and this year is no exception. Two appeared, both on 3rd, both were in the Nene Valley and both were characteristically short-stayers. The first was at Stanwick GP, where it was found on the A45 Lay-by Pit first thing in the morning and the second was seen later at Summer Leys. On 2nd,

approximately four hundred and fifty Golden Plovers were counted at Stanford Res and twenty were at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell), while a Ringed Plover plus three pairs of Little Ringed Plovers were at a Nene Valley breeding site on 3rd and single Little Ringeds were at Stanwick GP and Summer Leys up to 8th. Lone Curlews visited Pitsford Res on 1st, Bozenham Mill and Hanging Houghton on 2nd and two were at a potential breeding site in the Nene Valley on 3rd, while an Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit was at Summer Leys on 7th-8th.

After an absence last week, single Dunlins visited Stanwick GP and Summer Leys on 4th and the only Green Sandpiper was the malingerer at Pitsford Res on 2nd-4th, while the only Redshanks reported were six at Stanwick GP on the last of these dates. A Jack Snipe was flushed at Harrington AF on 5th and Common Snipe numbers were pegged to three at Stanford Res on 2nd and one at Stanwick GP on 6th.

If it had not been for an adult Little Gull at Sywell CP on 3rd there would have been no rare gulls this week but an arrival of terns went some way to make up for this with the first

of the year’s Common Terns found on Thrapston GP’s Town Lake on 2nd, followed next day by two at Stanwick GP. The latter site also produced a fly-over Sandwich Tern on 4th.

The first Common Swift – the second earliest ever by a day – was at nearby Finedon on 6th, the first Grasshopper Warbler of the spring was singing behind Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP on 8th and the first Sedge Warbler was at adjacent Summer Leys on 8th. After a relative paucity of Northern Wheatears last week this species was recorded from nine localities during the period, with a maximum of five at Borough Hill on 4th.

More White Wagtails came through, although only in small numbers, which included two at Thrapston GP on 3rd and singles at Clifford Hill GP and Stanwick GP on 4th and 6th respectively, while lingering Bramblings remained at Maidwell, where there were two on 2nd and in gardens in Hanging Houghton, where there were two on 2nd and one on 5th and in Geddington, where seven were present on 3rd, dwindling to one on 7th.

A long bank holiday weekend – the first of the year – provided more than ample opportunity for birders to get out into the field at the beginning of the period and experience the spring migration in its ascendancy. A number of early migrants arrived, with House Martins and many more Sand Martins, the first Willow Warblers and Yellow Wagtail all putting in an appearance as the airstream swung southerly at the week’s end.

The Clifford Hill Barnacle Goose was still present with Greylags and Canadas on 28th.

Seemingly now a permanent fixture, the Pitsford Ruddy Shelduck remained throughout and Garganeys were seen daily at Earls Barton GP, peaking at four (three drakes) on 31st and another was found on floodwater at the Northampton end of the Brampton Valley on 1st.

Last week’s three Red-crested Pochards were still at Sywell CP on 26th, while the Summer Leys Scaup was also still in residence on the main lake there on 31st and two Common Scoters appeared at Daventry CP on 27th.

The Summer Leys Bittern was again seen briefly on 29th, while at least one Great White Egret was still in evidence there until 31st, with the one at Thrapston GP remaining until at least 30th. With so many individuals wintering and lingering into spring it is tempting to believe that someday they will remain to breed.

Following the first Osprey of the year on 12th, five more were seen commencing with a belated report of one at Pitsford Res on 20th and further singles at Boddington Res on 27th, Daventry CP on 29th, Summer Leys on 30th and again at Pitsford Res the following day.

Meanwhile, Peregrines continued to be seen at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell), Earls Barton GP/Summer Leys, Higham Ferrers and Northampton with further individuals at Daventry CP, Hellidon and Kettering.

Wader numbers fell back compared with last week with between one hundred and one hundred and fifty Golden Plovers near Walgrave, in the Brampton Valley and at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) during the week and up to two hundred between Scaldwell and Brixworth on 26th, while a Ringed Plover was at Pitsford Res on 31st and a pair plus three pairs of Little Ringed Plovers were at a Nene Valley breeding site on 28th and the count of the latter species at Stanwick GP had reached four by 30th.

Other waders included single Curlews at Chacombe on 29th and Pitsford Res on 1st, a Black-tailed Godwit at Summer Leys on 26th and a Ruff at Stanwick GP on the same date. Perhaps surprisingly there were no Dunlins this week and the only Green Sandpipers were singles at Pitsford Res on 26th-28th and on floodwater at the Northampton end of the Brampton Valley on 1st, while the only Redshanks were five at Summer Leys on 30th and three at Stanwick GP the following day. The end of the week produced stripy waders  in the form of a Jack Snipe with thirteen Common Snipe at Boddington Res on 30th, one Common Snipe at Stanwick GP the following day and three at Daventry CP on 1st.

Scarce, large larids were in short supply with only a third-year Yellow-legged Gull at Daventry CP also on 1st and, further down the size scale, a first-winter Mediterranean Gull was found at Summer Leys on 28th. An adult Little Gull spent a few minutes at Daventry CP early on 28th before heading off north and an adult Kittiwake spent most of the day on the roadside A45 Lay-by Pit at Stanwick GP on 31st.

Double-figure counts of Sand Martins were made at several localities this week, Swallows were seen at seven localities and the first House Martins appeared on 26th, when one or two were at Daventry CP, followed by more at four further sites before the end of March. The first Willow Warbler was singing at Thrapston GP on 30th, quickly followed by others at Ditchford GP and Summer Leys the next day and a singing male Siberian Chiffchaff was found behind the dam at Daventry CP on 30th, although it did not linger. Single Blackcaps at Pitsford Res on 26th and Pitsford Res on 1st are likely to have been new arrivals from south-west Europe but a long-staying, wintering Central European female was still frequenting a garden at Barton Seagrave until 31st. Surprisingly few Northern Wheatears were discovered with two in Brampton Valley on 26th and one at Foxley on 30th, while the last of the wintering Stonechats was one still at Pitsford Res on 30th. Two more White Wagtails were located on 31st – at Stanwick GP and Clifford Hill GP and the first of the year’s Yellow Wagtails was on the dam at Boddington Res on 30th. Wintering Bramblings remained in gardens in Hanging Houghton, where there was one until 30th, at Geddington, where two were present on 31st-1st and at Warmington, where six were seen regularly all week.