Month: April 2018

The uber spring-like temperatures from the end of last week tailed off after the first two days of the period as the Atlantic jetstream moved north, allowing a predominantly westerly airflow to bring more blustery, showery conditions throughout the remaining days. The only on cue summer visitors new in during the period were Common Swifts from 22nd, while a White Stork caused a stir in the Nene Valley on 21st.

In addition to the two which remained at Lower Barnwell floods until 23rd, more Garganeys appeared this week, with 24th seeing the arrival of a drake at Boddington Res and two at Summer Leys LNR, which were still present on 27th, when they were joined by a third. Another drake was found at Thrapston GP on 26th before being joined by a female there the following day. The only other wildfowl of note were the male and female Red-crested Pochard still at Kislingbury GP until at least 24th.

Great White Egrets remained very much in evidence. One continued to be seen intermittently at Summer Leys up to 23rd, two reappeared on Lower Barnwell Floods on 22nd, with at least one remaining until 25th, singles were at Clifford Hill GP on 22nd and in flight, north, over Pitsford Res on 25th, while two flew west over Billing Aquadrome the following day. This week’s star of the Nene Valley was …

Another fine, summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebe was discovered this week – this time at Pitsford Res, where it was present south of the causeway on 24th-25th and after a scattering of Ospreys last week, a single ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier flying east at Borough Hill on 25th was the only notable raptor during the period.

Waders were similarly lacking in numbers, with just three Whimbrels – one north over Hollowell Res on 24th and two at Summer Leys on 27th – and two Wood Sandpipers at Summer Leys on 26th, one of which remained the following day, when a Greenshank was also present there. All of these were set against a backcloth of small numbers of commoner migrant waders, including Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover and Dunlin.

The thin sprinkling of Arctic Terns this week comprised three at Pitsford Res on 22nd and two there on 25th-26th, one at Hollowell Res on 23rd, followed by two on 26th and approximately fifteen there the following evening, at least two at Clifford Hill GP on 23rd, two at Daventry CP on 25th with one there on 27th and two at Summer Leys on the same date.

Sometimes appearing moribund but clearly able to fly, the adult Kittiwake at Thrapston GP remained until 22nd, after which it could not be found. A three-day stay at one locality is extremely unusual, if not unprecedented, and this individual may well be the last record for the spring. The two adult Mediterranean Gulls, previously seen at Stanwick, visited Summer Leys on 24th with one of these remaining there the following day.

Three Ring Ouzels were reported in hedgerows and rape fields, south-east of Farthingstone on 21st and the first migrant Whinchat of the spring turned up at Boddington Res on 24th, while Northern Wheatears continued to trickle through, with Clifford Hill GP again producing the maximum count of eight on 22nd. Elsewhere, two were at Borough Hill and singles at Newnham Hill and Bugbrooke on 21st, two were at Wappenham and five at Borough Hill on 22nd and three were between Shutlanger and Alderton on 26th. A male Greenland Wheatear was at Ringstead Grange Quarry on 22nd. Lastly, a Tree Pipit was found at Borough Hill on 21st and it, or another, was present there the following day and a White Wagtail – unusually scarce this spring – was at Summer Leys on 27th.

In contrast to last week’s wet and murky conditions, this week was largely dry with a persistent south to south-westerly airstream raising temperatures to a local peak of 26°C on 19th. Summer visitors new in during the period were Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat on 14th, Garden Warbler on 15th, Nightingale on 17th and Reed Warbler on 18th.

After last week’s handful of records, another Dark-bellied Brent Goose was found at Stanwick GP on 17th and more Garganey appeared, with two at Clifford Hill GP on 14th and up to four on Lower Barnwell floods between 16th and 20th. Diving ducks continued to put on a good showing, which included the male and female Red-crested Pochard still at Kislingbury GP until at least 16th, a Scaup at Pitsford Res on the same date and Common Scoters still turning up, with 14th producing two at Pitsford Res, a drake at Summer Leys LNR and one flying over Duston, as well as the two females from last week remaining at Clifford Hill GP until 15th.

Apart from the one frequenting the River Nene adjacent to Earls Barton GP/Summer Leys LNR until 20th, Great White Egrets were either mobile or transient and included singles at Thrapston GP on 14th, over Clifford Hill GP on 15th, Ditchford GP on 16th, Stanwick GP on 17th and Stanford Res on 20th, while two paid a five-minute visit to Lower Barnwell floods before flying north-west on 15th. The star of the Nene Valley, making an exclusive appearance for one day only, was a summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebe at Stanwick on 14th.

Raptors were limited to a single Marsh Harrier flying south-west at Stanwick GP on 14th and single – now only to be expected – Ospreys at Thrapston GP on 14th, 16th and 20th, over the A508 at Hanging Houghton on 15th, Hollowell Res on 16th, Pitsford Res on 19th and Ringstead GP on 20th, plus two at Harringworth Lodge Lake on 14th.

Totally unexpected, however, was the Stone Curlew which flew over the A45 at Upton (Northampton) on the evening of 19th and appeared to land somewhere near Upton Lodge Farm. Subsequent searches in the immediate area uncovered nothing, although suitable habitat there is limited. This will be only the sixteenth county record and the first since 2014, if accepted. Following a belated report of an Avocet at Summer Leys on 13th, two were there the next day, remaining throughout the morning.

The first spring Whimbrel flew east over Clifford Hill GP on 19th and another was there the following day, the same site producing five Black-tailed Godwits on 14th. Stanford Res again produced a Greenshank on 15th – the third of the spring at this site – while one was seen at Summer Leys, two days later, on 17th.

The first Black Tern of the spring appeared at Ditchford GP on 19th, followed by an Arctic Tern there on 20th while, on the same date, single Arctic Terns were found at Earls Barton GP and Thrapston GP, two were at Clifford Hill GP and four visited Daventry CP.

Three more Kittiwakes – all adults and all at Thrapston GP – extended the species’ outstanding run this spring and included one on 18th and two on 20th, while Little Gulls appeared at four localities, with Clifford Hill GP producing the lion’s share of six on 15th, three on 16th, two on 17th and one on 19th. Two were also at Summer Leys on 19th and singles visited Stanwick GP on 14th and Daventry CP on 17th and 20th.

Two adult Mediterranean Gulls were at Stanwick on 14th while the only big gull of the week was an adult Yellow-legged Gull at Daventry CP on 17th.

After last week’s two single-observer Ring Ouzels, one finally gave itself up to the masses (or at least to most of those who wanted to see it), although not without a fight. Found at Clifford Hill GP on 16th, it went missing for the whole of the following day, before reappearing in the same favoured spot on the evening of 17th and then playing hide-and-seek on 18th.

Again, just one Common Redstart was seen this week – a female between Scaldwell and Pitsford Res on 16th-17th but there were much better numbers of Northern Wheatears, with Clifford Hill GP producing the maximum count of ten on 18th, plus six on 14th, two on 16th-17th and one on 19th. Elsewhere, singles were at Harrington AF on 14th, Kislingbury Meadows on 16th, Preston Deanery on 17th, Earls Barton GP on 18th and Hartwell on 20th. Finally, a lone, singing male Corn Bunting was between Deenethorpe and Upper Benefield on 19th.

#northantsbirds iphone digiscope of the Deenethorpe Corn Bunting this am. pic.twitter.com/Bi0jNfnoWT

— John Hunt (@JHOUNDLE) April 19, 2018

This individual was singing like a Yellowhammer and BWP states that isolated males, which mix regularly with Yellowhammers, away from other Corn Buntings, pick up and sing a Yellowhammer-type song. This is a sad state of affairs and just goes to show how low the Corn Bunting population has fallen locally

Although this week’s winds were largely migrant-friendly south to south-easterlies, the overcast, wet and murky conditions, which ensued throughout the period, were not and left many migrants temporarily grounded. Among these, a ‘mini-invasion’ of northbound Common Scoters marked the week, while summer visitors new in were Common Sandpiper and Sedge Warbler on 8th, Cuckoo and Grasshopper Warbler on 9th and Hobby on 13th.

After a recent dearth of wildfowl, things changed dramatically this week. Keeping a generally low profile, the Stanwick Pink-footed Goose was still associating with Greylags there on 8th and the same site also hosted a Dark-bellied Brent Goose on 13th after one had flown south-west there two days previously, on 11th. Seven Dark-bellied Brents also made landfall during the drizzle at Clifford Hill GP on 12th.

Back at Stanwick, a drake Garganey was located on 13th and is still only the second record, so far, this spring. Diving ducks were well-represented during the period, with a drake Red-crested Pochard at Stanford Res on 9th, followed by a male and female at Kislingbury GP on 11th but more interesting was the report of a female Ring-necked Duck, south of the causeway at Pitsford Res, on 11th. Despite subsequent searching, it was not relocated, although a female Scaup was discovered there during the process.

In all this duckin’ n divin’ the week belonged to Common Scoters, which continued to come through in what seems likely to be an unprecedented local ‘spring of scoters’ – perhaps giving rise to a new collective noun for the species. Six – including four drakes – were at Daventry CP on 9th, followed by four more (two drakes) there on 11th. Two also visited Boddington Res on 9th, two drakes were at Pitsford Res on 10th-11th, three (one drake) lingered at Clifford Hill GP from 10th to 13th and a drake was at Hollowell Res on 11th. Interestingly, nine different groups of Common Scoters were sound recorded on nocturnal migration north over one locality in neighbouring Bedfordshire in the early hours of 9th.

Apart from two flying east along the Nene Valley on 8th, just one Great White Egret remained in the vicinity of Hardwater Lake and the weir at Earls Barton GP/Summer Leys LNR until 13th.

Single Ospreys were seen at six localities during the period, these comprising Pitsford Res on 7th, Hollowell Res, Stanford Res and Thrapston GP on 8th, Ravensthorpe Res on 9th and Welford/Sulby Res on 13th. There were no reports of any other scarce raptors this week.

Wader passage begins to ramp up from hereon but, apart from a Knot at Stanwick GP on 8th, there was little change to last week’s line up, with a Black-tailed Godwit at the aforementioned Stanwick on 7th-8th, followed by another there on 13th and one on floodwater near Oundle on 9th. Stanford Res notched up its second Greenshank of the spring, with one on 8th and a Jack Snipe remained at Hollowell Res on 7th.

April wouldn’t be complete without a Sandwich Tern, so the one which completed a couple of laps of Stanford Res on 8th, before swiftly moving on, was right on cue. Hopefully more will follow. The year’s first Arctic Tern was found at Clifford Hill GP also on 8th, quickly followed by another at Earls Barton GP on the same date and another at Daventry CP on 11th. For the first time this year there were no reports of scarce ‘large’ gulls during the period, although arguably more attractive – and a lot easier to identify – Little Gulls appeared at a couple of localities, with Ditchford GP hosting two adults on 10th and Daventry CP producing three adults the following day.

Kittiwake is another species which has enjoyed a remarkable series of records so far this spring. The run continued with single adults at both Daventry CP and Stanwick on 8th, with the latter site producing another flying east on 9th followed by one on floodwater at Oundle minutes later, leading to speculation it may have been the same individual.

The pick of the passerines this week were single Ring Ouzels reported from Chelveston AF on 8th and another in the Brampton Valley, near Chapel Brampton, the following day. Just prior to these two arriving, birders hunting for this species at the traditional site of Newnham Hill on 6th failed to locate any but were amply rewarded with the discovery of a Black Redstart by way of compensation.

Staying in the west of the county, a Common Redstart was found at Boddington Res on 10th and a Northern Wheatear put in an appearance at Borough Hill on 7th. The east, however, produced the only White Wagtails which included two near floods at Oundle on 9th and one near Barnwell on 11th. At least one Hawfinch hanging on at Cottesbrooke this week, on 8th, may well be the last of an outstanding winter’s run for this species. Probably.

Last week’s downpours morphed into a weekend deluge, creating widespread flooding which was most evident in the Nene Valley. Water levels there rose dramatically, creating additional – though short-lived – marshland habitats and engulfing well established islands at several wetland localities. As the floods drained slowly away, the end of the week saw a return toward normal water levels and temperatures rose as a southerly wind predominated. Summer visitors new in were House Martin and Yellow Wagtail on 3rd and Willow Warbler on 5th.

A Pink-footed Goose was discovered with Greylags at Clifford Hill GP on 31st but it had departed by the following day. The bill pattern and lack of white feathers at the bill base confirmed it was not the bird which has remained throughout the winter in the vicinity of Stanwick GP, where it was seen again on 6th.

Also in the Nene Valley, single Great White Egrets were seen at Earls Barton GP/Summer Leys LNR on 31st, 2nd and 6th, at Ditchford GP on 1st and at Stanwick GP on 6th. Again, a considerable difference in bare part colouration confirmed the presence of at least two different individuals.

Two more Ospreys this week – both on 2nd – included one around Ravensthorpe Res and one over the A43 between Broughton and Cransley. More will surely follow but there was a notable absence of other raptors during the period.

On the wader front, an early Bar-tailed Godwit flew east at Stanwick GP on 2nd and two Black-tailed Godwits visited Summer Leys LNR on 5th, a Greenshank – an uncommon spring migrant – visited Stanford Res on 5th and a Jack Snipe remained at Hollowell Res on 1st.

Eleven Little Gulls flew east through Clifford Hill GP on 2nd but a first-winter Kittiwake, discovered in Pitsford’s Pintail Bay on the same date, was unfortunately found dead there the next day.

Last week’s total of Mediterranean Gulls was doubled this week, with two being seen – one at Stanwick GP on 3rd and the other at Daventry CP the following day; both were adults. Larger larids included two Yellow-legged Gulls at Daventry CP on 4th, a second-winter Caspian Gull at Hollowell Res on 1st, followed by a first-winter there, two days later, on 3rd.

Passerine migrants continued this week with two more Northern Wheatears at Clifford Hill GP on 31st and three near Brackley on 2nd, while the same Brackley locality produced two White Wagtails on 2nd-3rd and another was found at Thrapston GP on 6th. Hawfinches lingered into April with two at Dallington Cemetery, Northampton on 31st and four or five still at Thenford Churchyard on the same date, while Polebrook AF produced one on 5th. Last week’s Corn Bunting again visited private feeding stations in Hinton on 2nd and adjacent Woodford Halse on 4th.

In contrast to the previous week, this last week was milder with the more usual Atlantic airstream dominating – and bringing some hefty downpours to boot. Summer visitors new in were Garganey, Common Tern and Swallow on 30th and the first migrant Northern Wheatear on 26th.

Remaining until at least 27th, the wintering Pink-footed Goose kept up its visits to the main lake at Stanwick GP while, further down the Nene Valley at Oundle, the first Garganey of the year, a male and female, were found on floodwater on 30th, although they did not linger. More Common Scoters came through this week, with two drakes at Daventry CP on 24th, quickly followed by six – including five drakes – at Stanford Res the following day.

Pitsford’s Slavonian Grebe was last reported on 27th, while Great White Egrets were dramatically reduced to one, mobile around Earls Barton GP/Summer Leys LNR between 27th and 30th.

Following the first, on 13th March, two more Ospreys were seen heading north this week – one high over Daventry CP on 26th, followed by another over Pitsford Res the following day. The only other raptors of note were single Merlins, both on 26th, comprising a female flying north at Daventry CP and a male hunting over farmland at Merry Tom Lane, north of Chapel Brampton.

Among more common fare, this week’s scarcer waders were limited to a Black-tailed Godwit on floodwater at Oundle on 28th and two Jack Snipes at Hollowell Res on 24th plus one at Stanwick GP on 26th.

Single adult Kittiwakes visited Stanwick GP on 24th and Ravensthorpe Res the following day but the only Mediterranean Gull this week was an adult at Thrapston GP on 29th. Larger gulls, too, were in short supply with just two Yellow-legged Gull at Daventry CP on 24th and a second-winter Caspian Gull at Hollowell Res on the same date.

The first migrant Northern Wheatear was found at Whiston Lock on 26th while Hawfinches were still in evidence this week, with seventeen at Polebrook AF on 24th, dropping to three by 30th and a Corn Bunting visited a private feeding station in Woodford Halse on the latter date.