Newsround – 20th to 26th May 2023

Persistent north-easterlies and recurrent gin-clear skies set the tone for the period, weatherwise, but it was undoubtedly quality, not quantity, that prevailed on the birding front this week.

Yes, while the birds available plainly did not reach the full gamut of what we had been used to seeing earlier in the spring, there was still enough out there to raise the spirits and keep local birders on their toes. As for finding a rare or scarce bird – well, it’s a bit of a gamble on when and where to go and, spinning the wheel, this week the smart money was clearly on black.

First up was a glitzy Black-necked Grebe, found at the southern end of Pitsford Res, on 24th. While we’ve already enjoyed ones and twos, both there and at Daventry CP back in April, another certainly doesn’t go amiss.

Systematically second but unquestionably the outright winner, though, was the Black-winged Stilt which was found at Summer Leys on the last morning of the week, remaining on site throughout the day. Had four highly obliging birds not turned up at Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows earlier in the month then this one would have been a much bigger crowd-puller than it turned out to be. Nevertheless, it makes it into the record books as Northamptonshire’s seventh.

Other waders were also available and, in the same vein as last week, Lilbourne Meadows NR pulled in another Wood Sandpiper and a Greenshank on 26th, while Summer Leys held up to three of the latter between 20th and 23rd and one was at Earls Barton GP’s New Workings on 21st. The only other noteworthy wader was a ‘Tundra’ Ringed Plover at DIRFT 3’s A5 Pools on 22nd.

The latter locality also held a first-summer Caspian Gull on the same date, while another first-summer visited Hollowell Res on 25th.

That just leaves raptors and while single Ospreys flying east over Brackley on 20th and fishing at Biggin Lake, adjacent to Oundle Golf Club, on 25th were only to be expected, what happened at Stanwick GP at the end of the previous week most certainly was not …

Belated news emerged late this week of a Short-toed Eagle over the site on 19th. Apparently seen well by an experienced observer, it flew north at low altitude without stopping. Jaw-dropping to say the least, this would, unsurprisingly, constitute the first record for Northants if it is submitted to the British Birds Rarities Committee and accepted. Its mega status is reflected in the UK national, all-time tally standing at a mere five accepted records, with two more from 2022 still under consideration. Earlier this year, one was seen near Santon Downham, Suffolk on 21st March and, more relevant to the Stanwick bird’s occurrence, one was seen also heading north over Ambleside, Cumbria early on 22nd May and, in terms of hours, that’s less than three days later …

So, anything’s possible. Let us not forget the hallowed 29th May when, in 1980 a Sooty Tern was found at Ditchford GP and, in 1993, a Bridled Tern made a ten-minute stopover at Mary’s Lake, Earls Barton GP. This year’s 29th is a bank holiday …