Month: July 2016

Last week’s hot and humid air ebbed away after the weekend, being replaced by fresher conditions on the back of a restored westerly airstream from the North Atlantic. The autumn’s second Great White Egret appeared, while migrant waders continued to filter through.

The injured Ruddy Shelduck remained at Pitsford Res and up to three Red-crested Pochards were there between 24th and 26th, while a female appeared at Clifford Hill GP on 23rd. Last week’s Great White Egret stayed at Summer Leys LNR until 23rd but was quickly followed by another at Stanwick GP on 26th-27th. Although there is often movement between Nene Valley sites, these were two different birds with completely different bill patterns.

The only large raptor seen this week was the Osprey which flew west over Scaldwell Bay on 26th and the usual smattering of Peregrines included singles at Summer Leys on 27th, Higham Ferrers on 28th and Stanwick GP on 29th.

There was a more diverse selection of waders this week. Four Little Ringed Plovers visited Clifford Hill GP on 23rd and singles were seen at Stanwick GP on 24th and at Summer Leys on 28th, while two Ringed Plovers were at Hollowell Res on 26th. The autumn’s first Whimbrel flew east over Pitsford on 23rd and Black-tailed Godwits continued to move through, singles of which at Stanwick GP on 23rd and 27th and at Summer Leys on 28th with four at the latter locality on 25th and two there on 27th. Summer Leys also produced single Dunlins on 23rd and 27th, while nine visited Hollowell Res on 26th and seven were there on 29th. Common Sandpipers included one at Summer Leys on 23rd and four there on 27th, three at Stanwick GP on 23rd and five on 27th, singles at Pitsford Res on 24th-25th and Sywell CP on 25th and three at Stanford Res on 26th, with four there the following day.

A handful of Green Sandpipers included singles at Clifford Hill GP on 23rd, Pitsford Res on 23rd and 25th and Summer Leys on 27th, while two were at Stanwick GP on 28th and the only Greenshanks was one at Stanford Res on the same date. The first Wood Sandpiper of the autumn appeared briefly at Summer Leys on 28th but did not linger, a Redshank was also there on the same date and a Common Snipe was at Stanwick on 23rd.

Also at Stanwick, the build-up of Yellow-legged Gulls continued with one hundred and fourteen counted there on 28th, while two were at Thrapston GP on 23rd and singles visited Pitsford Res on 24th-25th and Summer Leys on 28th. The only Caspian Gulls this week were, of course, at Stanwick GP with a second-summer on 26th followed by an adult there the next day.

Again, this week’s Turtle Doves were restricted to two at Harrington AF on 23rd and a Firecrest visited a Warmington garden briefly on 23rd.

In complete contrast to last week’s rather bland and dreary weather conditions, the wind swung south as a high pressure system crossed Europe, dragging hot and humid air from the Iberian Peninsula and raising local temperatures to the mid-thirties. A true taste of summer then, with, for good measure, some new autumn migrants arriving at the same time.

The injured Ruddy Shelduck was still at Pitsford Res on 17th, having walked or swam under the road bridge to reach Scaldwell Bay from the sailing club. The female Garganey remained at Stanwick GP on the same date and the drake Goldeneye – now in eclipse – was still at Stanford Res on 19th, while an unseasonal female Scaup visited Daventry CP on 22nd. A Bittern was found at Stanwick GP on 19th – this species is now becoming more frequent outside the winter period – while the inevitable deluge of Great White Egrets commenced on 22nd with an early morning arrival on the scrape at Summer Leys LNR. I would bet my bottom dollar we are in for a double-figure wintering population in Northants during 2016-17.

In a week of few raptors single juvenile Marsh Harriers were at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 22nd and over the scrape at Summer Leys on 17th, as was an adult

Peregrine the day before and the same site produced migrant Black-tailed Godwits, with at least thirty-four over on the evening of 17th and six on 20th.

There were fewer Common Sandpipers this week, with one at Daventry CP on 18th followed by three there on 22nd, while another was at Pitsford Res on 20th and 22nd.

The only Green Sandpipers were at Daventry CP, where up to two were present between 18th and 22nd and the only Greenshanks were three at Stanwick GP on 20th along with three juvenile Redshanks there two days later.

Stanwick also produced a single adult Mediterranean Gull on 16th and 18th, which was highly likely to have been the same bird watched ‘anting’ with Black-headed Gulls over nearby Irthlingborough on the latter date. The first juvenile Med Gull of the autumn appeared at Daventry CP on 20th. Yellow-legged Gulls at Stanwick GP peaked this week at at least sixty-four on 18th, while elsewhere three different individuals visited Daventry CP between 18th and 22nd, the latter date also seeing two at Pitsford Res. An adult, a first-summer and second-summer Caspian Gulls came into the evening pre-roost gatherings at Stanwick GP intermittently between 16th and 20th and a second-summer visited Daventry CP on 18th.

Showing no signs of picking up in numbers, this week’s Turtle Doves were restricted to two again at Harrington AF on 20th and a Firecrest was still singing at one locality on 18th, while a single Crossbill flew over Denton Wood the following day and two more were over Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 22nd.

There was little change in either the weather or the birds from last week. West to south-westerly winds, sunny spells and lower than hoped-for temperatures continue to be the hallmarks of a generally lacklustre summer. Waders continued to trickle through in small numbers while the seasonal build-up of Yellow-legged Gulls at Stanwick GP continued.

Both the escaped – presumed taverneri – Cackling Goose and the injured Ruddy Shelduck were both still at Pitsford Res on 10th, as was a Red-crested Pochard on the same date. At Stanwick GP, the Garganey remained until at least 14th and two Common Scoters dropped on to the A45 Lay-by Pit, also on 14th – while a Marsh Harrier flew east on 10th and it, or another, was hunting over the reedbed there two days later. The only other raptor of note was a Peregrine at Thrapston GP on 9th.

Four Little Ringed Plovers were at Summer Leys LNR on 10th and two, along with a Dunlin, were at Stanwick GP on 12th. Stanwick also produced three Ruff on 14th and Summer Leys saw a run of Black-tailed Godwits, with two on 12th, an unconfirmed report of forty the following day and between eleven and fourteen on 14th. Numbers of Common Sandpipers rose from two at Stanwick GP on 10th to four there on 15th, while two were also at Summer Leys on 10th and ten were counted at Pitsford Res on the same date with just one there on 14th. The only Green Sandpipers were singles at Stanford Res on 9th and at Pitsford Res on 9th-10th, while two Greenshanks were at Stanwick GP on 13th dropping to one the following day and Summer Leys produced two adult Redshanks with at least two chicks during the period.

The annual late summer build-up of Yellow-legged Gulls at Stanwick GP continued with numbers there exceeding fifty by the week’s end and there were also four at Pitsford Res on 10th. More Caspian Gulls accompanied the Stanwick Yellow-leggeds and included at least two first-summers and a second-summer between 11th and 15th.

A Turtle Dove was seen at Finedon on 9th and two were ‘purring’ in Lady Wood the following day, while a single male Crossbill was at Bucknell Wood on 14th.

Despite the continued westerly airstream, the weather remained largely dry with temperatures around average at best. Few new migrants were reported during the period.

The presumed escaped Pitsford Res Cackling Goose, showing characteristics of the race taverneri, was still among the Canadas there on 4th, as was the injured Ruddy Shelduck on 6th. The only other wildfowl of note were a Garganey at Stanwick GP on 8th and a Red-crested Pochard at Thrapston GP on 2nd and it was a quiet week for raptors with just a Marsh Harrier at Earls Barton GP on the same date.

Up to three Little Ringed Plovers were at Summer Leys LNR on 2nd-3rd, a Black-tailed Godwit was there on 4th, followed by four more at Stanwick GP on 7th and a Dunlin was at Earls Barton GP on 7th. Numbers of Common Sandpipers remained stable with four at Pitsford Res and one at Summer Leys on 3rd and two at Stanwick GP on 7th. Both of these sites held at least two Redshanks during the period.

Further down the Nene valley, two Yellow-legged Gulls were found at Thrapston GP on 2nd, while numbers of this species continued to build at Stanwick GP, where there were seventeen on 4th and twenty-seven on 6th, accompanied by a second-summer Caspian Gull on the latter date.

Quality, not quantity, was the order of the week for passerines as four male Firecrests continued to sing at the same site as in June, although song had considerably diminished during the last week, while two Crossbills were seen at Fineshade Wood on 2nd.

More Atlantic weather systems produced largely overcast skies and frequent showers on the back of a westerly airstream, while traditional ‘summer’ weather has yet to emerge. Finding anything new proved hard graft for most, although a certain high flying raptor constituted manna from heaven for one observer, while others made do with a steady trickle of migrant waders serving as a reminder that birds were on the move.

At Pitsford Res a Cackling Goose, showing characteristics of the race taverneri, was discovered among the Canadas there on 30th, although its chances of being wild are, of course, pretty much zero – nevertheless it’s an interesting bird to see.

The drake Goldeneye was also still there on 25th and so was the Stanford Res bird on 26th – the latter thought to be flightless and so not the same individual as the Pitsford bird as surmised in last week’s report.

This week’s ‘bird of the week’ appeared in the north-east of the county on 25th. While James Underwood was photographing Red Kites and Common Buzzards over his garden, in Corby Old Village, a Honey Buzzard came into view, drifting high west. The moment was captured and the species swiftly added to the garden list, hot on the heels of the White Stork which circled over there less than three weeks previously, on 6th June!

The only other raptors of note were an Osprey at Welford Res briefly on 28th and single Peregrines at Northampton on 25th and at Thrapston GP the following day.

Some recent news on last week’s colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit at Summer Leys concerns its being seen four days later at Creek Common, North Hayling, Langstone Harbour, Havant, Hampshire on 30th. Who says birds aren’t site-faithful! On the wader front, four Little Ringed Plovers were at Stanwick GP on 27th and two Ringed Plovers were there the next day, while a Curlew flew over Stanford Res on 25th and one visited Summer Leys LNR briefly on 29th.  More Common Sandpipers appeared this week, with singles at Stanford Res on 26th and 29th, one at Stanwick GP on 28th plus two there on 30th and three at Welford Res on 28th, a Green Sandpiper was at Stanwick GP on 27th with a Redshank there on the same date.

Stanwick also produced the week’s only Yellow-legged Gulls, which included seven on 27th, three on 30th and eight on 1st, along with a second-summer Caspian Gull on the latter date. Beyond that, a Turtle Dove still at Harrington AF on 27th and one at Stanwick GP on 1st was all the week could muster.