Month: September 2023

This week, all eyes were on Storm Agnes in the high hope it would deliver a rewarding wreck of inland seabirds. Unfortunately, again it never happened as, by the time it reached Northants, in very much the manner of a damp squib, it had all but blown itself out. Consequently, in the absence of anything tasty, the county was left well and truly wanting …

So, on the water, Red-crested Pochards were the only standout wildfowl of the period and included last week’s leftover female at Daventry CP, until at least 27th, and Stanford Res’s drake, which was joined by another on 24th and then two more from 27th.

Also, last week’s moulting adult Black-necked Grebe remained on Thrapston GP’s Town Lake until at least 28th.

With wader numbers continuing to wane, an element of irony crept in with the discovery of remnants of what would have been a first for the year … had it been seen alive. Instead, feathers were all that remained from a Knot which formed part of an analysis of prey items from a local Peregrine, in Kettering, on 28th. Time is fast running out for the appearance of a ‘live’ one locally and, following none in 2022, it’s beginning to look very much like we could be in for another blank year as far as this species is concerned.

That’s clearly not the case with Ruff, which appeared at four localities that included Stanwick GP, where there were two from 23rd to 25th and one from 26th to 28th, Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh LNR, where one was present from 23rd to 26th, Ditchford GP’s Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows LNR (ILAM), where there was one on 25th and Summer Leys LNR, with one on 29th.

Gulls were up on last week’s low numbers and the period saw three Caspian Gulls, comprising single first-winters at Daventry on 25th and Stanwick on 28th, while the returning 2021 German-ringed adult male ‘XLVH’, back in the county for the third consecutive year, was at Naseby Res on the second of these two dates.

Stanwick produced the highest count of Yellow-legged Gulls with five on 26th, followed by four there on 28th. Pitsford Res held four on the latter date, with two there on 26th and one on 29th, while Daventry produced twos on 25th and 27th.

Titchmarsh LNR produced a Bittern – if only in flight – on 23rd while, back at Summer Leys, another was reportedly showing well on the last day of the period. Since staging a comeback in early August, Cattle Egrets continue to be seen weekly, although there is not yet any single reliable place to see them. Single birds were at both Titchmarsh and ILAM on 24th and at Earls Barton GP/Summer Leys on 25th-26th.

This week saw Marsh Harrier continue to prop up the raptors with single birds flying south-west over Stanwick on 23rd, at Harrington AF on 25th and at both Summer Leys and Stanford on 29th – the latter one of the two lingering red wing-tagged females.

Scarce passerine migrants began to dwindle, with just two Common Redstarts on offer – one at Harrington on 25th, the other at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 29th. Similarly, Whinchats were down to one at Sywell CP from 23rd to 25th, two in the Brampton Valley, between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton on 28th and one at Blueberry Farm the following day.

But where Whinchat numbers had dropped, Stonechats stepped in to fill the gap, with one at ILAM on 24th, up to two in the Brampton Valley/Blueberry Farm area from 27th to 29th, two at Titchmarsh on 28th and two at Hollowell Res on the latter date.

A trickle of Northern Wheatears included up to two in the Brampton Valley between 27th and 29th and one between Brockhall and Little Brington on the last day of the period.

The Atlantic delivered some hefty westerlies which, on the face of it, should have set the week up for some inland seabirds but it was not to be. A second Pectoral Sandpiper arriving in the Nene Valley was the closest we got …

Still settled at Hollowell Res, the Pink-footed Goose remained throughout the week, while the only other wildfowl – though scarcely worth a mention – were a female Red-crested Pochard at Daventry CP on 18th-19th, one at Pitsford Res on 22nd and a drake at Stanford Res on the same date.

In what has turned out to be a rather good year for the species, locally, another Black-necked Grebe – an adult – was found at Thrapston GP’s Town Lake on 17th, remaining there until the week’s end, unsurprisingly attracting little attention.

As we approach late September, with wader passage fast dwindling, it’s often the case that quantity gives way to quality and that’s certainly been the situation this week. Kicking off with Ruffs, the lion’s share was taken by Summer Leys, where seven were present on 18th, two on 19th and at least one on 22nd. Stanwick GP held two on 18th, three on 19th and one on 20th while, over at Thrapston, Titchmarsh LNR produced singles on 19th and 22nd.

Meanwhile, quality spilled over from last week at Summer Leys, where the juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper remained until 19th. Another juvenile was found at Stanwick on 17th, staying put throughout the period, although it was not the easiest bird to see, spending much of the time out of sight. This initially sparked some debate as to whether it was the Summer Leys bird commuting as, for a couple of days, both birds were not on show at the same time. But the case was finally closed on the afternoon of 18th, when they were both seen simultaneously.

In a replay of last week’s scarce Larids, a juvenile Caspian Gull was found at Wicksteed Park Lake, Kettering on 21st along with a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull. Other Yellow-legged Gulls were also available – two at Thrapston on 17th and one there on 22nd, plus one at Summer Leys on the latter date.

Last week’s Bittern continued to hang out on Summer Leys’ Scrape until at least 19th, while this week’s Cattle Egrets comprised one at Ditchford GP from 17th to 22nd, joined by a second bird on the latter date, when one was also seen at adjacent Stanwick GP.

And this week, being seen at four localities, Marsh Harrier has the raptors’ slot all to itself. Stanford continued to host the most, with two there on 16th and singles daily between 17th and 21st, including the Norfolk wing-tagged female, ‘ZC’ on at least two occasions. Singles were at Summer Leys on 16th-17th, Harrington AF on 18th and 21st and at Stanwick on 22nd.

Now, not everyone can boast they have had a Hoopoe on their house roof but in Kings Road, Oundle that’s exactly what happened on 22nd. Unfortunately, it took flight immediately after the observer had eyes on and disappeared in the direction of the nearby playing fields. A thorough search ensued … to no avail. Funny thing is, though, back in early October 2007, a Wryneck was clocked sitting on exactly the same roof before giving itself up to observers in nearby gardens over a four-day period between 5th and 8th.

The autumn’s first Black Redstart was reported from Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 21st, while Common Redstarts were also seen there during the course of the period, with a maximum of three on 22nd. Harrington also produced up to two, on and off, throughout. Whinchat numbers dwindled, with only singles at Blueberry Farm on 18th-19th, Hollowell on 21st, Harrington on 21st-22nd and in the Brampton Valley between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton on 22nd. Two Stonechats were found at Hollowell Res on 21st. And the week’s closing passerines were Northern Wheatears, including one at Harrington throughout the period, one at Hollowell on 18th, one at Blueberry Farm from 18th to 22nd and two in the Brampton Valley on 21st-22nd.

In the last of the early autumn heat, as migrant passerine numbers began to tail off, Summer Leys produced a Pectoral Sandpiper which proved to be a popular pull.

After no sightings last week, the female Ruddy Shelduck was back in the frame again – this time at Stanford Res, where it was seen for four days running, between 10th and 13th. This just left the Pink-footed Goose heading up the local wildfowl cast at Hollowell, remaining there until at least 14th. A Garganey put in a brief appearance at Pitsford Res on 11th.

Rarely seen in autumn – in fact, rarely seen at all – a Common Quail was flushed in the Brampton Valley, between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton, on 14th. This year has been a poor one for this species, with just five single-date occurrences between 2nd June and 27th July … and two of these were after dark fly-overs.

But for many, this was a week when waders came to the fore, both little and large. In the latter category, a lone juvenile Black-tailed Godwit remained at Summer Leys LNR between 9th and 12th, with the same locality hosting up to two Ruffs throughout the period. One also visited Stanwick on 11th-12th and another was found at Earls Barton GP’s New Workings (South) the following day.

But the undoubted star of the show in the Nene Valley was the juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper found on the Scrape at Summer Leys on 10th. The county hasn’t done as well for this – the most commonly occurring Nearctic wader in the UK – in recent years compared to a decade or so ago, when it appeared to be a more frequent visitor. This week’s bird remained throughout, attracting a fair few local observers.

Left somewhat in the shade, but nevertheless popular, was last week’s juvenile Little Stint, which remained on view at Hollowell until 13th. The same site also held up to two Greenshanks until 14th, while a Wood Sandpiper was found at Pitsford on 9th.

The period’s scarce gulls were thin on the ground and Hollowell was the only locality to produce Caspian Gull, a juvenile of which was present there on 11th. This week’s Yellow-legged Gulls were the sole preserve of Pitsford, where one was found on 11th, followed by five on 13th.

Pitsford also pulled in a short-staying Black Tern on the first of these two dates, otherwise it was down to Clifford Hill GP to produce a lingering bird, present for three days between 11th and 13th.

Last week’s Bittern seemed settled at Summer Leys, clearly having acquired a taste for the Scrape, where it was on show intermittently throughout the period, providing some fantastic photographic opportunities for those with the patience to sit and wait …

The run of Cattle Egrets kept going with four leaving a roost site on the Main Lake at Stanwick early morning on 11th.

With Ospreys now leaving the country, the number of birds being seen locally is on a downward trend. Just two were seen – one at Hollowell on 9th, the other at Pitsord two days later, on 11th. It’s not the same for Marsh Harriers, though, numbers of which, it seems, see no signs of abating. Once again, Stanford was up there as top producer, with birds present daily until 14th, three being present on both the latter date and on 9th. Two of these sported red wing-tags marked with letters ‘ZC’ and ‘6A’ – the first of these identifying the individual as being a female ringed and tagged on 19th June 2023 at Breydon Water, Norfolk, while ‘6A’ was identified as a female ringed and tagged at Welney WWT, Cambridgeshire on 2nd July 2023. This was the first time either bird had been reported since fledging (per North West Norfolk Ringing Group). One was also seen in the Brampton Valley, between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton, on 11th-12th.

And what about ‘Raptor of the Week’, should such a beast exist? Well, that accolade falls to a Honey Buzzard viewed for approximately 1.5 minutes over The Orchard at Stanford Res on 15th. This is only the second for the year, following the recent bird over Everdon Stubbs on 26th August. Inevitably a fly-over, there has not been a twitchable individual since the bird that lingered at Daventry CP between 15th and 25th June 2002.

Dwindling numbers of scarce passerines saw Whinchats outnumbering Common Redstarts for the first time this autumn with maximum counts of four at Hollowell Res on 13th, threes in the Brampton Valley on 9th and at Harrington AF on 11th and two at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell between 11th and 14th. Common Redstarts numbered two/three at Harrington on 11th, two at Lamport on 10th and singles at Pitsford on 11th and at Blueberry Farm between 11th and 13th. Northern Wheatears reached a respectable five in the Brampton Valley between 9th and 13th, while Blueberry Farm produced up to two between 12th and 14th and Harrington held on to one on 10th-11th. And to round off, two Crossbills were seen at Pitsford on 11th.

With a high pressure system stationed over eastern Europe for much of the week, a strong south-easterly airflow ensued, delivering Saharan dust and temperatures hitting the 30°C mark. This remarkably unseasonal set of conditions had many hoping for the arrival of something just that little bit out of the ordinary but, as the week drew to a close, the county added a rather low key ‘first for the year’, as well as a ‘second for the year’, to its annual tally.  

Perhaps not now seeming so out of place, given the UK appearances of a number skeins of Pink-footed Geese during the first week of the month, the Hollowell Res bird – still present on 6th – may yet hook up with others arriving for the winter. This week saw Red-crested Pochards at two new localities, namely Boddington Res, where there were two on 2nd and Stanford Res, with one there on 6th.

This week’s waders were in disappointingly short supply. Just one Black-tailed Godwit appeared – this time at Summer Leys LNR on 6th, while last week’s Ruff remained there until at least 7th and another was found at Clifford Hill GP on 6th, lingering there until the week’s end. Now, the aforementioned ‘second for the year’  appeared in the shape of a smart juvenile Little Stint at Hollowell on 7th remaining there the following day. The only other Little Stint so far this year was a briefly-staying individual in spring, at Stanwick GP, on 30th May.

Hollowell also held on to its Wood Sandpiper from last week – just – the bird remaining until 2nd. Another was found at Pitsford on 6th and was still present at the week’s end. That just leaves Greenshanks, Hollowell taking the crown for host of the most, with up to four during the first two days, dwindling to one or two by the end of the period.

This week’s larid line-up strongly echoed that of last week, with a second calendar year Mediterranean Gull off the dam at Ravensthorpe Res on 7th and a supporting cast of some of the scarcer large gulls. Falling into the latter category were single adult Caspian Gulls at Hollowell on 4th Boddington on 6th, Daventry CP on 7th and Ravensthorpe on 8th.

Yellow-legged Gulls were more widespread than during last week, with two at Priors Hall Quarry, Corby on 3rd, one at Thrapston on 5th, three at Boddington and four at Pitsford on 6th and one at the last locality the following day.

Arguably for some, bird of the week was likely to have been the Bittern that crept around on the Scrape at Summer Leys during the evenings of 5th and 8th.

Keeping up appearances, too, were Cattle Egrets, one of which was found, unsurprisingly in a cattle field, at Aynho on 3rd. It did not linger. Two more visited Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh NR on 7th.

On the raptor front, Ospreys were thin on the ground, represented only by a juvenile over Summer Leys, late morning, on 3rd and most likely the same bird moving west over Cogenhoe little more than an hour later. Another was seen flying toward Stanford on 4th. The latter site took the lion’s share of Marsh Harrier sightings, with one on 2nd and two on 3rd, 7th and 8th, one of which sported red wing-tags. One was also seen at Harrington AF on 5th.

Common Redstarts maintained their high autumn profile and were seen at nine localities comprising Blueberry Farm, Brampton Valley, Hardingstone GP, Harrington, Honey Hill, Lamport, Old, Pitsford and Stanford. The highest locality count was four at Harrington on 5th. Also coming to the fore in terms of numbers on the passerine front were Whinchats, with the eight localities of Brampton Valley, Clifford Hill, Hollowell, Lamport, Old, Stanford, Willowbrook Industrial Estate (Corby) and two sites at Woodford Halse producing between one and three birds apiece. And not to be outdone, Northern Wheatears, too, stood up to be counted, with a respectable eight localities delivering mainly single birds but three were at Clifford Hill on 5th, two at Blueberry Farm on 6th and two at Slade Brook Field (Kettering) on 7th. The other contributing localities were Brampton Valley, Harrington, Hollowell, Honey Hill and Stanford.

Single Tree Pipits were found at Blueberry Farm on 3rd and Stanwick GP on 5th while, perhaps surprisingly, this week’s first for the year – a Corn Bunting – was located in the Brampton Valley between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton on 8th.  

The last day of the period marked the start of meteorological autumn during a week that produced three top-notch birds, all of which were firsts for the year, although none of these was readily available to the masses …

Conversely, the Pink-footed Goose of somewhat ill repute provided easy pickings for at least three days at Hollowell Res, where the female Ruddy Shelduck was also present for one day, on 29th, before resurfacing at Foxholes Fisheries, Crick on 1st. Three Red-crested Pochards were found at Pitsford Res on 30th.

Also at Pitsford, a Black-necked Grebe arrived pretty much on cue for an established run of early autumn occurrences on the last day of the week.

This week’s waders were low in numbers in no uncertain terms but they at least pushed the variety envelope a little more beyond last week’s offering. Just one Black-tailed Godwit was found, at Ditchford GP’s Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows LNR, on 29th, while the autumn’s second Turnstone was, well, simply turning stones on the shoreline near Wader Bay at Summer Leys LNR on 1st. Summer Leys also hung on to a Ruff all week, two being present there on 31st.

Arguably firsts for the autumn were Wood Sandpipers at three localities, which included two present only briefly at  Stanwick GP on 28th and singles at Daventry CP and Hollowell on 31st and 1st, respectively. Prior to these, the last one was at Summer Leys on 10th July. Greenshanks this week were the sole preserve of Hollowell, where one on 28th was joined by a second bird from 29th to 1st.

A few more of the scarcer gulls came our way during the period, of which a juvenile/first-winter Mediterranean Gull off the dam at Pitsford on 31st was the best. Caspian Gulls were found at three localities, with single adults at Pitsford on 27th and near Ashton on 29th, while a juvenile visited Hollowell on 28th. Apart from an adult at Summer Leys on 26th, Pitsford produced all the Yellow-legged Gulls, with up to two seen there almost daily.

Terns of interest were limited to the single Black Tern, remaining from last week at Clifford Hill GP, on 26th.

Also just making it into the period was the Summer Leys Cattle Egret, which was still present on 26th but not thereafter. Two also remained at Stanwick until 29th.

Gliding into the world of raptors takes us straight to one of those aforementioned ‘firsts’ for the year in the shape of a Honey Buzzard, found by one lucky observer at Snorscombe, before gaining height towards Everdon Stubbs and drifting away to the north-east, on 26th. History has proven that late August is a prime time for connecting with this species in the county. But will there ever be a repeat of the events which took place in autumn 2000, when an amazing influx occurred in late September with literally hundreds of birds arriving on the east coasts of England and Scotland, before filtering down through the country over some two weeks. During this period, at least thirty-seven were seen in Northants between 22nd September and 2nd October. We can but dream …

More down to earth, though, was a sprinkling of Ospreys which included singles at Earls Barton GP on 26th, Summer Leys on 28th, Hollowell on 28th, 29th, 30th and 1st, and Clifford Hill GP on 30th.

Marsh Harrier numbers were up on last week with one seen north of the causeway at Pitsford on 27th and 29th-30th and further singles at Stanford Res on 27th and 31st, Harrington AF on 28th, Ditchford on 29th and Summer Leys on 1st.

The next ‘first’ for the year was, somewhat predictably, a Wryneck, trapped and ringed at Stanford on 28th. ‘Predictably’ because this is the fourth consecutive autumn that the local ringing group has trapped one, taking the all-time total for this species ringed there to six, with nine records for the site in total.

Which takes us neatly on to the final ‘first’ for the year that appeared in the shape of a Nightjar discovered roosting on a wall at Great Harrowden. Alas, it wasn’t present the following day – a fly-by-night, if ever there was one. This species has become increasingly difficult to catch up with in the county over the last couple of decades but it surely breeds … somewhere …

The autumn’s first Merlin was seen near Hartwell – appropriately on 1st.

And this week’s passerine billing falls very much in line with the recently established trend. Kicking off with the rarest first, another Pied Flycatcher was found at Lamport on 26th, the same site being one of nine to also hold Common Redstarts as part of this autumn’s continuing and unparalleled run of records. Unsurprisingly, the Stanford Ringing Group trapped and ringed a further eleven – the highest day total being six on 26th – and, in addition to these, at least a further two were present on site. Blueberry Farm, Maidwell, where birds were seen daily, produced the next highest day count of four on 29th, followed by Harrington AF and Old with three apiece on 28th and 30th, respectively. Elsewhere, Brampton Valley, Clifford Hill, Duston and Pitsford held one/two birds each.

A further surge of Whinchats appearing in the county brought a high site total of five to Brampton Valley on 30th, with smaller numbers there on other dates throughout the period. A close second was Pitsford Res, where up to four were seen within spitting distance of the causeway, providing a popular draw for a number of local birders. Seven further localities produced one/two birds, including Blueberry Farm, Clifford Hill, Corby (two sites), Harrington, Kislingbury GP and Stanford.

Northern Wheatears were also well represented with site maxima of three in Brampton Valley on 26th, twos at Old on 26th, Harrington on 28th and Clifford Hill on 1st, and one at Hollowell on 30th.

Meanwhile, a trickle of Tree Pipits consisted of singles in flight over Harrington and Stanford on 26th and Pitsford on 29th. Fly-over Crossbills were also seen at Harrington, where there were two on 26th, and Blueberry on 29th.