Month: January 2017

The days in the early part of the week remained cold but were marred by more damp and foggy starts. The murky conditions cleared, however, as the winds swung to the south-east, bringing cold, sharp air and frosts from the continent. Many bodies of water became covered with a thin layer of ice, albeit for the short term. The first white-winged gull of the winter put in an all too brief appearance but the Waxwing influx continued to dominate, with new birds found at a number of localities.

Fourteen Eurasian White-fronted Geese remained in the Nene Valley below Great Doddington, with varying numbers of them paying almost daily visits to the main lake at Summer Leys LNR. The two Red-crested Pochards were still at Pitsford Res on 24th, and two also visited Summer Leys on the same date, while the latter site, along with adjacent Earls Barton GP, continued to host the long-staying drake Scaup, which was joined by another drake on 22nd (when two females were also reported) and a third drake on 24th. The female remained on the main lake at Stanwick GP until at least 23rd. Meanwhile, Stanford Reservoir’s Long-tailed Duck remained all week and the drake Smew at Ditchford GP was joined there briefly by a ‘redhead’ on 21st, on which date both birds flew off in the direction of nearby Stanwick GP.

Three Great White Egrets were at Summer Leys on 21st, this locality competing for highest site total with Ravensthorpe Res, where the three long-stayers were still present on 24th. Apart from almost daily sightings at the first of these two locations, there was one at Thrapston GP on 21st and up to two were still at Pitsford Res throughout the week.

Thought to have departed some time ago, Pitsford’s Slavonian Grebe was seen again in Pintail Bay on 23rd. Where has it been in the intervening period? The week went by with no uncommon raptors reported, while the only scarce waders were single Jack Snipe at Stanford Res on 21st and 27th and at Summer Leys on 26th.

While gulls-a-plenty is not a term applicable to the distribution of this week’s larids, there was a first-winter Mediterranean Gull in the roost at Pitsford Res on 21st and    Caspian Gulls continued to be seen in reasonable numbers, with three adults at Rushton Landfill on 21st and 2 there on 27th, single adults at Stanford Res on the same dates, at Chacombe on 22nd and at Boddington Res on 24th and single first-winters at the latter site on 22nd and at Pitsford Res the next day. Only one Yellow-legged Gull was seen – at Pitsford Res on 21st. Highlight of the week, however, was the adult Glaucous Gull which was discovered near Chacombe on 22nd, subsequently appearing in the gull roost at nearby Boddington Res late in the afternoon.

In a winter frequently remarked upon for its higher than usual numbers of white-winged gulls – including inland – it’s surprising that this is the first and only one which has been discovered in the county so far. Even more remarkable is the fact that up to twelve different individual Glaucous Gulls have recently been identified visiting the gull roost just over the border at Draycote Res in Warwickshire …

A new maximum count of six Short-eared Owls was made at Neville’s Lodge, near Finedon, on 22nd with at least three still present the following day. But it was Waxwings which stole the show again this week, with seven visiting Summer Leys briefly on 21st, up to sixteen at Hanging Houghton on 23rd-24th, separate flocks of eight and twenty in

Northampton’s eastern district on 24th, ten at Kettering on 26th, eight in Broughton on 26th-27th and nine at Little Stanion, Corby on 27th. Drabber but, these days, arguably rarer at a local level, a Corn Bunting was seen at Harrington AF on 22nd.

The northerly wind, which brought lower temperatures at the end of last week, shifted back westerly for the first half of the period, bringing overcast and wet conditions before high pressure delivered colder, drier weather on the back of an easterly airflow from the continent. There were no major surprises, however, and Waxwings remained firmly in the limelight at the very beginning of the week.

Predictably, the adult Whooper Swan remained at Sywell CP until at least 17th but a herd of fifteen flying up the Nene Valley between Elton and Fotheringhay on 19th was more unusual in terms of the number involved.

At least eleven Eurasian White-fronted Geese were still with Greylags below Great Doddington on 17th, while a juvenile was reported at Kislingbury GP on the same date. Oddball of the week was a female Wood Duck on the Nene at Wellingborough Embankment on 15th. Although mooted as a potential vagrant, this one must surely have been a fence-jumper at some previous point in time.

Just two Red-crested Pochards were at Pitsford Res on 17th, with one remaining to 20th and both Scaups remained on station all week on the large lake east of Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP and on the main lake at Stanwick GP.

The Long-tailed Duck – apparently unreported last week – was still at Stanford Res, by the reedbed on the northern bank, at the week’s end, while a ‘redhead’ Smew was seen there again on 14th. The drake Smew from last week remained on the large lake between Higham Ferrers and Irthlingborough at Ditchford GP until 14th.

The usual fixtures and fittings included three Great White Egrets still at Ravensthorpe Res on 17th, apparently dwindling to one there by 20th, up to two were still at Pitsford Res to 17th and one was at Summer Leys all week, with two there on 19th. Two species of harrier were notched up during the period, both on 15th, beginning with with a male Marsh Harrier at Stanford Res and followed by a ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier at Polebrook AF, which was also reported at nearby Lutton on 12th. The 15th also saw an unconfirmed report of a Black-tailed Godwit at Summer Leys.

Caspian Gulls came to the fore this week. On 14th they were found at no less than five different localities, which may actually constitute a local ‘day record’. On this date, there were three (two adults and a first-winter) at Rushton Landfill, a first-winter near Chacombe and single adults at Hollowell Res (remaining all week), Pitsford Res and Stanford Res. The following day saw three adults at Rushton Landfill and an adult plus a first-winter in the gull roost at Pitsford and subsequent to this, near Chacombe, a second-winter on 18th and an adult the following day. The number of Yellow-legged Gulls looked poor by comparison, with an adult and a second-winter near Chacombe on 14th – the second-winter remaining on 19th, a first-winter in the Pitsford roost on 14th and two there the following day and a first-winter at Rushton Landfill also on 14th.

Four Short-eared Owls remained at Neville’s Lodge, near Finedon until at least 18th, while Waxwings continued to prove a popular draw in downtown Kettering, where twenty-seven entertained observers (and bemused shoppers) around the Sainsbury’s/Pets At Home/School Lane area on 14th, the flock subsequently moving to St Mary’s Road the following day.

Following this, six or seven were feeding on apples in a Great Billing Garden on 18th and approximately twenty were in the Boothville area of Northampton briefly on 20th.

A mild start to the week even inspired some to go birding without a coat on 8th but the relatively warm blip, brought by light south to south-westerlies, quickly gave way to cooler, wetter conditions the following day. By mid-week, the wind had swung to the west before becoming north-westerly, and eventually northerly, by the week’s end. The change in direction saw daytime temperatures fall to just above freezing and the county experienced its first snow showers on 12th and 13th. The weather evidently had little influence on the arrival of Northamptonshire’s sixth-ever Cattle Egret, which was part of a national invasion, while Waxwings continued to be discovered and proved to be as popular as ever.

The ‘roll up and see’ adult Whooper Swan, now into the sixth week of its stay, remained at Sywell CP throughout, while the twenty-three Eurasian White-fronted Geese remained in the vicinity of Summer Leys LNR/Great Doddington, until at least 10th. Four White-fronts also visited Pitsford Res briefly on 11th. Small numbers of Red-crested Pochards included a drake at Stanford Res on 7th, a female at Pitsford Res on 8th and two at Ditchford GP on 11th, while the drake Scaup returned to, and remained on, the large lake east of Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP from 8th until the end of the week and the female was also still on the main lake at Stanwick GP on 13th.

The only Smew reported this week was a drake on the large lake between Higham Ferrers and Irthlingborough at Ditchford GP on 11th.

The highlight of the week materialised in the form of Northamptonshire’s sixth-ever Cattle Egret which, alas, remained for only one day near Dunkley’s old restaurant at Whiston on 7th. Part of a national invasion exceeding one hundred individuals, it was not entirely unexpected.

From the exciting to the more mundane, up to three Great White Egrets remained at Ravensthorpe Res, numbers between one and three were at Pitsford Res and one was again at Summer Leys all week. Also making it into the new week was the Pitsford Res Slavonian Grebe, which was still present around the dam/sailing club/Pintail Bay area until at least 11th.

The scarcest waders of the week were Jack Snipe, with two at Barnes Meadow LNR, Northampton between 7th and 12th and one at Ditchford GP on 11th. Similarly uncommon gulls during the period were restricted to the third-winter Mediterranean Gull at Daventry CP again on 12th, two Caspian Gulls (adult and first-winter) near Rushton on 8th and an adult at Daventry CP the following day. In a period during which considerable numbers of northern ‘white-winged’ gulls have appeared in the UK it is disappointing that we have not yet had one in Northants!

Two Short-eared Owls were still present at Neville’s Lodge, near Finedon on 8th and one near Summer Leys on 13th, while the flow of Waxwings into the county continued, with the three at Woodford Halse increasing to seven on 7th, three appearing at Sywell on 8th, eight in Bulwick on 10th and twenty-four in Kettering between 11th and 13th, while two Crossbills were still in Fineshade Wood on 10th.

The beginning of the week was marked by a shift in the wind direction with a more northerly vector, bringing with it lower daytime, and sub-zero overnight, temperatures with associated heavy frosts. The conditions did not produce anything dramatic beyond a few new and scarce wildfowl, while local Short-eared Owls and Waxwings continued to prove popular attractions.

The 5th brought five adult Bewick’s Swans to Pitsford Res, albeit fleetingly as they were picked up flying south over the dam. Veteran local birders will recall the time when this species was a fairly common visitor, with Pitsford annually holding flocks of between sixty and seventy individuals from late October well into the winter months.

Conversely, the adult Whooper Swan remained at Sywell CP all week, while the Eurasian White-fronted Geese – now down to twenty-three – became much more mobile, being seen to fly off from White Mills Marina, Whiston on 2nd, arriving shortly afterwards at Clifford Hill GP. The following morning they visited the main lake at Summer Leys LNR before relocating to nearby fields alongside the River Nene, below Great Doddington, where they remained until at least 4th. Two adult White-fronts also visited Pitsford Res, where they were seen in Pintail Bay – also on 4th. Red-crested Pochard numbers remained low with singles at both Sywell CP and Pitsford Res on 2nd and two at the latter site on 5th. In the Nene Valley, a female Scaup appeared at Summer Leys on 2nd before quickly relocating later the same day to Stanwick GP, where it remained until the end of the week. A drake Scaup appeared on the large lake behind Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP on 4th but it was not seen subsequently.

Further north, Stanford’s Long-tailed Duck remained there until at least 4th there along with the ‘redhead’ Smew. Elsewhere drake Smews were seen at Stanwick GP on 3rd and at Earls Barton GP the following day, both records almost certainly relating to the same individual.

By 2nd, the Thrapston GP Bittern had moved from Heron Lake to Aldwincle Lake, where it was seen in reeds at the north end of the lake, while Great White Egrets continued to number three throughout at Ravensthorpe Res, up to two at Pitsford Res and the same number intermittently at Summer Leys along with one at Thrapston GP.

The Slavonian Grebe remained at Pitsford Res throughout, although it became more mobile, ranging between Catwalk Bay and the sailing club, while an unusual winter visitor in the shape of a Marsh Harrier visited Summer Leys briefly on 3rd.The only scarce gulls reported this week were single adult Caspian Gulls at Stanwick GP on 4th and at Pitsford Res the following day.

Neville’s Lodge, near Finedon, again continued to prove a popular draw for observers of Short-eared Owls, now with up to five present throughout the period and birders visiting daily.

After the rush last week to see the first Waxwings of the winter there were no reports of the reportedly forty-strong crowd-pleasing birds in Roade, where the flock size peaked at fifteen just prior to their departure on 2nd.

One of these birds was colour-ringed and traceable to Kincorth, Aberdeen, where it was ringed on 2nd December 2016; it’s a first-winter female. Another Waxwing, a male, paid a brief visit to a garden on Borough Hill on 3rd and, perhaps surprisingly, three return to the site of the ‘Boxing Day One’ – the Rowan outside the Co-op at Woodford Halse – on 6th. Lastly, Crossbills continued to be reported intermittently from Fineshade Wood to 5th.

The light west to south-westerly airstream continued throughout the eight-day ‘week’ extending the period to fit to the last day of 2016. The weather was generally mild, with slow-clearing thick fog a prominent feature during the latter half of the week. The Christmas highlight for most was the appearance of the first twitchable Waxwings between Boxing Day and the New Year.

The adult Whooper Swan remained at Sywell CP until at least 29th, while at least twenty-three of the twenty-four Eurasian White-fronted Geese were still present by the River Nene at White Mills Marina, Whiston until the year’s end. Also present to 31st were up to four Red-crested Pochards at both Pitsford Res and Stanford Res with the latter site also producing a first-winter Scaup again on 30th, on which date another first-winter was also discovered at Ravensthorpe Res. Arguably, though, wildfowl of the week was the Long-tailed Duck found at Stanford on 27th, remaining there along with the ‘redhead’ Smew until 31st. Last week’s two drake Smew were also still present at Pitsford Res until at least 27th.

Perhaps one of the Stanwick birds relocating, a ‘new’ Bittern was viewable from the hide on Heron Lake at Thrapston GP between 27th and 30th, while Great White Egrets continued to feature throughout with daily reports from Pitsford Res, where four were seen together on 26th and Ravensthorpe Res, where three remained all week, while one was seen at Summer Leys LNR intermittently between 24th and 29th, with two there on 31st.

The Slavonian Grebe present at Pitsford Res from 19th was last seen there on 28th, by which time it had moved closer to Catwalk Bay and, at nearby Scaldwell, the only scarce raptor of the week, a male Merlin, appeared fleetingly on 27th. Similarly, the only uncommon wader during the period was a Jack Snipe at Boddington Res on the same date.

An adult Mediterranean Gull appeared at Stanford Res on 31st, while in the far south-west of the county, near Chacombe, the loafing, mixed gull flock again included a first-winter and second-winter Caspian Gull on 24th and a second-winter and third-winter on 27th. Additionally, a first-winter Caspian was at Pitsford Res on 24th and two – an adult and a third-winter – visited Hollowell Res on 30th.

Neville’s Lodge, near Finedon, again proved a popular draw for observers of Short-eared Owls with four present throughout the period but their popularity was eclipsed by the arrival of the first twitchable Waxwings of the winter. Just one in a Rowan outside the Co-op at Woodford Halse on Boxing Day was enough to scramble birders from as far away as Northampton and Rugby and, although it performed well all day, it had departed by the following morning.

Hot on its heels came three in Roade on 29th, the number there rapidly growing to ten, which drew a sizeable procession of spectators during their stay into the New Year.

Down in the Nene Valley, the male Bearded Tit remained along the causeway at Stanwick GP’s A45 Lay-by Pit until at least 27th, while four Crossbills were found at Fineshade Wood on 26th.