Newsround – 10th to 16th July 2021

An ‘Azores High’ moving west to the UK eventually delivered the long-awaited clear skies and soaring temperatures by the week’s end, although winds remained largely northerly throughout the period. Conditions were thus conducive for southbound migrants, which were again very much in evidence this week.

One bird going against the grain, though, was the Pink-footed Goose of clearly suspect origin, staying put at Pitsford Res on 10th.

Stanwick GP’s Cattle Egret staged its obligatory one-day appearance on 14th, while Great Egret numbers continued to build with up to three at Summer Leys LNR/Earls Barton GP throughout the week.

At appears that 10th July was raptor day, with single Ospreys at Pitsford and Hollowell Res and a Marsh Harrier logged going north over Moulton.

Topping the waders bill again this week was another Wood Sandpiper, mobile between DIRFT 3 and the adjacent Lilbourne Meadows LNR on 12th – this time doing the decent thing and staying around until the following day, when one also visited Earls Barton GP’s Hardwater Lake.

DIRFT 3 also produced two Black-tailed Godwits on 10th, the same date that seven appeared at Clifford Hill GP, followed by two – maybe four – at Summer Leys/Earls Barton between 13th and 15th. Hot on the heels of the autumn’s first Greenshank at Pitsford last week, two were at DIRFT 3 on 13th, followed by one there on 15th.  

The latter site again held the highest number of Yellow-legged Gulls, with twelve on 13th while, elsewhere, four were at Pitsford on 12th with two there on 15th and one was at Thrapston GP on 12th.

There can be little argument that bird of the week was the juvenile Pied Flycatcher found at Bucknell Wood on 16th – an early autumn migrant following three spring records in late April.

More Common Redstarts also appeared this week. Aside from the female found at Lilbourne Meadows on 6th and remaining until 15th, there were at least four reported from Blueberry Farm, Maidwell between 13th and 16th and a female was at Harrington AF on the last of these two dates.