Month: June 2018

The calm and settled weather, established over the preceding two weeks, remained throughout the period, while temperatures continued to rise – some parts of the county hitting 27°C during the second week. Other parts of the country exceeded 30°C and with no rain in sight, rumours of a forthcoming drought, water shortages and hosepipe bans began to circulate in the media, as did the suggestion that we might be in for another ‘summer of ‘76’ scenario.

Should this be the case, what might we look forward to during the remaining summer period? A look back at the 1976 Northamptonshire Bird Report reveals that while wildfowl suffered, extensive mud availability in July produced both Little and Temminck’s Stints, Sanderling and Avocets at Pitsford Res, Avocets at Ravensthorpe Res and the county’s fourth-ever Pectoral Sandpiper at Cransley Res … and that was before we hit autumn proper.

Moulting into eclipse, a drake Garganey appeared on the scrape at Summer Leys LNR on 26th, remaining until 29th, when it was joined by a female. Further down the valley, at Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh LNR, the Great White Egret continued to put in sporadic appearances, being present on 18th-19th and 28th, as did an Osprey, which was seen on 22nd and 28th. Three pairs are currently feeding young at nests in Northamptonshire, so it is likely to have been a local visitor to the reserve. One also flew north-east over Byfield on 28th. At least three hundred pairs are now breeding in Scotland and with a new translocation scheme operating in Poole Harbour, plus the announcement of measures being taken to conserve this species on migration and in its west African winter quarters, we can surely look forward to more frequent encounters over the forthcoming years.

Titchmarsh LNR also produced a Marsh Harrier on 23rd and a male Hen Harrier was reported flying over the A43, close to Fineshade Wood the next day, on 24th. It would have been unusual if spring had passed by without at least one Honey Buzzard being recorded so, preserving its almost annual status in the county, one was seen flying north-west over Nether Heyford on the evening of 20th.

Rarely do raptors or even passerines outnumber waders in these reports but compared with the above and below in this instance, three Black-tailed Godwits at Summer Leys on 20th seem distinctly lonely. A singing male Firecrest at Badby Wood on 24th and 25th provided a summer jewel for those who went to see it and ten Crossbills in pines at the University of Northampton’s Park Campus, briefly on 19th, were a sure sign of post-breeding dispersal and perhaps an indication of more to come.

 

 

The local weather for this two-week period was largely calm and settled, remaining under the influence of an airstream from the near continent, despite the best efforts of ‘Storm Hector’ to disrupt on the penultimate day. The birding pace understandably slowed considerably, although the period gave rise to some bizarre birds, as well as the first southbound passage wader of the ‘autumn’ – a Common Sandpiper on the last day.

The drake Garganey remained at Stanwick GP until at least 5th, the year now having bottomed out as far as wildfowl numbers are concerned. A Quail singing at Harrington AF on 3rd did not linger, unlike the adult Gannet previously reported over both Earls Barton GP and the A6 near Rushden on 1st, which was relocated at Clifford Hill GP, where it remained for at least forty minutes on the morning of 2nd.

The almost resident – presumably first-summer – Great White Egret remained at Thrapston GP throughout and another was seen flying over Aston le Walls on 8th.

The biggest surprise of the period also came from the western part of the county, where three Greater Flamingos were seen flying north-west over Farthingstone on the evening of 14th. In a laudable effort of derring-do, the observer gave chase by car but ultimately lost them and a subsequent search at Daventry CP and DIRFT/Lilbourne Meadows proved fruitless. Greater Flamingo is always a difficult one to assess. There is a series of supposedly vagrant records from a broad swathe of European countries as far north as Lithuania (or Finland according to IUCN), while the European population is estimated at 45,000-62,400 pairs and is said to be increasing (IUCN). However, the escape/feral possibility remains high – although three together … go figure.

An increasingly common sight in summer nowadays, single Ospreys were seen at Thrapston GP on 7th, Weldon Quarry and Deene Lake on 9th and at Hollowell Res on 13th and 15th but arguably more unusual was the first-summer Caspian Gull observed with a small flock of loafing gulls at Rushton Landfill on 9th. The main part of the landfill here is currently being capped off while a new excavation has been opened up, further from the traditional observation point along Oakley Road.

Another surprise report involved a Golden Oriole singing in the eastern suburbs of Northampton during the early hours of 3rd, the day after a Wood Warbler was discovered singing at Fineshade Wood, where it remained until at least 9th.

The period’s weather comprised similar conditions to those of the previous week, with a variable easterly airflow and temperatures around, or above, the seasonal norm. Storms and heavy showers continued to work their way up and over from the continent during the first half of the week, giving rise to localised flooding in the county. Indeed, Northampton experienced 16 mm of rainfall in just two hours during the evening of 27th, jeopardising island-nesting birds at local water bodies, some of which had their nests flooded out. Migrant waders and Black Terns dominated the birdscape with, apart from a certain seabird, the week ending somewhat uneventfully on a quiet note.

After a first-summer paid a brief visit to Stanford Res on 12th, another Whooper Swan appeared two weeks later, at Lower Barnwell flood, on 26th. Its origins are perhaps suspect, as are those of the Pink-footed Goose found feeding with Canadas at Clifford Hill GP on 29th, with the same site continuing to host the roaming, presumed escaped female Bufflehead still, on 26th. Dodgy wildfowl notwithstanding, a pukka drake Garganey spent the week at Stanwick GP, while a drake and a female dropped in to Summer Leys LNR on 26th.

Indisputably ‘bird of the week’ – another Friday night special – was an adult Gannet, which was seen flying north over Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP and also north-west over the A6 near Rushden on 1st. It seems highly likely to have been the same bird reported in Bedfordshire, at Great Barford GP, earlier in the afternoon. A Great White Egret was again at Thrapston GP on 27th and 30th-31st, a different individual the one present on 25th and presumably a first-summer. The week’s only Osprey also lingered there on 30th but not too far away and dripping with intrigue, was the report of a ‘ringtail’ harrier sp. flying west over the A43, north of Hardwick Wood on the evening of 29th. At this time of the year we potentially have four species to choose from, so take your pick …

The fall-out from flood of water and waders at the end of last week resulted in more waders, which included twenty-nine, mainly ‘tundra’, Ringed Plovers at Stanwick on 27th (with smaller numbers elsewhere) and a continued run of Sanderlings, with one at Clifford Hill GP on 26th and two at both Summer Leys and Stanwick on 27th, plus two more visiting the latter site on 30th.

A bit of phonescoped video of the 2 sanderling this morning #northantsbirds pic.twitter.com/EUL8MRYCdl

— Steve Fisher (@stanwicktramp) May 30, 2018

These were shadowed by Turnstones – three at Summer Leys on 27th, dropping to two on 28th, also two at Stanwick on the same dates. The four Greenshanks remained at Lower Barnwell flood on 26th and one visited Summer Leys the following day.

The arrival of Black Terns continued with 26th producing singles at Daventry CP, Earls Barton GP and Stanwick plus seven at Summer Leys, followed the next day by singles at Clifford Hill GP and Pitsford Res, two at Boddington Res and three at each of Ditchford, Stanwick and Thrapston GPs. The last two of these sites also held two a piece on 30th. What would have been the rarest bird of the week, had it not been pipped to the post by the Gannet, was the Little Tern which visited Pitsford’s Scaldwell Bay during the afternoon of 30th. Beyond this, the adult Mediterranean Gull was again at Stanwick on 26th-27th.