Month: August 2018

Apart from a prolonged spell of rain on 26th, the weather remained largely dry and undramatic, with a westerly bias to the wind and a wave of warm air pushing up from the continent at the week’s end. Waders were again at a low ebb, Ospreys were widespread and then there was the curious case of a roadrunner …

In the absence of any other wildfowl – save three Pintails at Pitsford Res – Garganeys were this week’s ducks deluxe, with one at Hollowell Res on 28th and the other hanging on in there at Stanwick GP until at least 29th. The latter site also held on to its mobile Great White Egret and two were there on 29th, while up to two were still present on Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh LNR throughout the period. Some interchange between these two sites is highly likely.

Ospreys just keep coming. Singles were recorded from seven localities – one up on the last review period – these including Hollowell Res and Pitsford Res on 25th, Thrapston GP on 27th with a juvenile south over Daventry CP and then south over Fawsley Park Lake 25 minutes later on the same date (great tracking!) and at Ditchford GP and over Borough Hill on 31st.

Which brings us on to the bizarre tale of a small, spotty bird seen scuttling across the A428, just west of Clifford Hill GP, early in the morning on 29th. The county’s first Spotted Crake since Stanwick in August 2012 narrowly avoided an untimely end under the wheels of the observer’s vehicle but it was seen well enough to identify – spots an’ all – before it disappeared into Hardingstone Dyke on the south side of the road. Has it been looked for since? You have to go back to the last century for records prior to the Stanwick bird so they’re not that easy to come by locally. The closing hours of daylight may pay dividends for the keen optimist hoping for a dalliance at dusk …

The dearth of waders continued, with Hollowell producing the only waders of note – a Ruff on 27th and two short-staying Spotted Redshanks two days later, on 29th. The latter date produced both of this week’s Mediterranean Gulls – evening juveniles at Boddington Res and Ringstead GP, while single-figure counts of Yellow-legged Gulls came from Daventry CP, Hollowell Res, Pitsford Res and Wicksteed Park Lake, although twenty-one were counted at Stanwick on 30th.

On the passerine front, just two Common Redstarts were found this week, comprising one at Borough Hill on 28th and a juvenile male trapped and ringed at Stanford Res on 31st. More Whinchats appeared, with singles at Welford Quarry on 25th, Borough Hill on 28th and Chelveston AF on 30th and two were near Kettering at Wicksteed Water Meadows on 28th-30th. An arrival of Northern Wheatears saw thinly-scattered singles at Harrington AF on 25th, Pitsford Res on 28th, Alderton and Chelveston AF – both on 30th – and two were at Orlingbury on 29th.

Migrant Tree Pipits continued to be found, with 25th producing flyover singles at Croughton Quarry and Naseby Res and one ‘on the ground’ at Welford Res, followed by two at Borough Hill on 28th.

The weather for the last two weeks, now firmly dominated by Atlantic low pressure systems, has remained largely dry and has not been a key influencer on the appearance of birds locally. While wader passage has yet to gather pace, the movement of passerines gained momentum, with the mist nets of Stanford delivering yet more surprises.

Apart from a Ruddy Shelduck at Welford Res on 24th, keeping wildfowl afloat during the review period, Garganeys were present at four localities, the most notable of which was Stanwick GP, where an eclipse drake was present between 11th and 20th. Elsewhere, singles visited Summer Leys LNR on 12th and 15th and both Pitsford and Hollowell Reservoirs on 18th.

Meanwhile, the site most consistent for producing Great White Egrets was again Thrapston GP, where two were frequently present on Titchmarsh LNR throughout the period, with the same site producing three together on 19th. There may have been some movement of the third bird between here and Stanwick, where one was seen on 11th-12th, 14th and 23rd-24th with perhaps the same individual visiting Ditchford GP on 24th. The one lingering at Daventry CP was seen almost daily until 18th and one visited Hollowell Res on 20th.

Ospreys were recorded from six localities, again prominent at Thrapston GP and Hollowell Res – both sites producing two together on several occasions. Away from these locations, two drifted north over Moulton on 13th and singles were at Pitsford Res on 14th, Priors Hall (Corby) on 19th and Ditchford GP on 23rd.

Marsh Harrier action ramped up during the period with two juveniles flying west over Ditchford GP’s Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows on 11th, followed by singles north of the causeway at Pitsford Res on 14th-15th, over Thrapston GP on 16th and 21st-22nd and over Keepers Lodge Bay and adjacent fields at Stanford Res on 21st.

It was the worst two-week period for waders with, aside from small numbers of commoner waders, the only birds of note were two Ruffs at Summer Leys on 15th – and that’s scraping the barrel!

The second Black Tern of the autumn, a juvenile, appeared at Hollowell Res on 22nd and the season’s first Little Gull was found off the dam at Stanford Res on 21st but it did not linger. Mediterranean Gulls were rather more obliging, however, with single juveniles visiting Ditchford GP IL&M on 11th, Hollowell Res on 14th, Pitsford Res on 15th and Stanwick GP on 20th, while an adult was found at Daventry CP on 23rd.

There were only three Caspian Gulls, though, an adult at Hollowell Res on 11th and two – an adult and a first-summer – together at Daventry CP the following day and Yellow-legged Gulls were reported from five localities, with a maximum count of eight at Stanwick on 20th.

And so to passerines, which saw a bit of an upturn in numbers as well as another quality warbler – even if only a ‘sub’ – being pulled again from a mist net at Stanford Res. The fourth Northern Willow Warbler for the county was trapped and ringed on 21st, following the previous three identified by the same means there in 2008, 2011 and 2014.

Beyond this, up to four Common Redstarts were regularly to be found at Twywell Hills & Dales between 14th and 23rd, with the same site producing a Whinchat on 16th-17th, while further singles were at Borough Hill on 20th and near Glapthorn on 22nd.

Back to Stanford for one of the most difficult passerines to find locally since it stopped breeding locally: Tree Pipit. No less than four were trapped on 21st

If you’re lucky it’s a late August flyover migrant at Borough Hill or Harrington – a tease or ‘teez’, whichever way you look at it.

With local temperatures hitting 30°C, this two-week period saw the heat waver before coming to an abrupt end during the last two days. It was back to sweeping Atlantic low pressure systems, average temperatures and heavy showers setting in on 10th, creating a truly autumnal atmosphere. Among the more common migrants, there were a few surprises – not least of which was Northamptonshire’s fourth-ever Marsh Warbler.

Three Garganeys appeared during the latter half of the period, comprising singles at Pitsford Res on 3rd, Hollowell Res on 7th and Stanwick GP on 8th and 10th, while the only other wildfowl were five Red-crested Pochards still at the first of these localities on 3rd. A Bittern at Stortons GP on 5th was, at first sight, surprising, although this species is now being seen more frequently outside of the traditional winter period as the UK population continues to grow. Also doing well, Great White Egret totals increased by 150% as the two long-stayers at Thrapston GP became three on 8th and further singles were at Stanwick GP on 28th-31st and presumably the same again on 8th-10th, while another was at Daventry CP from 7th to 10th.

Three localities produced Ospreys. Singles visited Stanford Res on 31st and 6th, Hollowell Res on 5th, with two there on 8th, and Thrapston GP on 4th-5th, with three there on 9th. Thrapston also produced a Marsh Harrier on 28th and further singles were subsequently seen at Summer Leys LNR on 1st and at Priors Hall, Corby on 5th.

In stark contrast to the large flock recorded at Stanwick on 27th July, the only Whimbrel during the period was one which stayed briefly at Hollowell Res on the evening of 4th.  Black-tailed Godwits, too, were fewer in numbers with singles at Stanwick on 30th-31st and 10th, although three were present there on 9th. Further singles were at Ditchford GP on 3rd (followed by two there on 7th), Stanford Res on 4th, Hollowell Res on 5th and 8th, Naseby Res on 5th, while two were at Thrapston GP on 8th-9th and four adults – one with a series of colour rings – visited Daventry CP on 9th. The only other notable wader was a Turnstone at Thrapston GP on 3rd-4th.

The first Black Tern of the autumn was found at Clifford Hill GP on 28th but gulls were poorly represented over the period. Hollowell Res produced an adult Caspian Gull on 5th and a juvenile visited Daventry CP on 9th-10th but there were no large counts of Yellow-legged Gulls. Singles of the latter species were at Thrapston GP on 3rd-4th and Hollowell Res on 7th-8th, while four were at Stanwick GP on 4th and at least four were at Daventry CP on 7th and 9th, with 5 there on 10th.

Passerines were certainly well represented in quality, if not quantity, during the period. A Wryneck was discovered ‘anting’ along the track approaching Foxhill Farm, just south of Daventry, on 4th. Shortly after its discovery, it appeared to move off to an adjacent woodland and was not seen subsequently. This follows a spring record at Thrapston GP so two of these amazingly-marked little ‘woodpeckers’ in one year is excellent.

Outshining them in rarity but not in character, was the county’s fourth-ever Marsh Warbler – and the first record for twenty years – trapped, ringed and released at Stanford Res on 9th.

Other than that, a juvenile Whinchat was also trapped at Stanford Res on 6th and a Northern Wheatear was found at Harrington AF on 4th.