Newsround – 9th to 15th March 2024

The previous week’s easterly airstream continued into the early part of the week just gone before more sustained south to south-westerlies set in to shape the weather for the greater part of the period. With these conditions clearly conducive to migration, more birds found their way onto the Northamptonshire yearlist including, as expected, a small flush of summer visitors.

Kicking off then with an early Whimbrel, heard calling well after dark above the Brampton Valley on 11th, this bird narrowly missed out on equalling the earliest spring record ever – that accolade falling to one over Ravensthorpe Res on 10th March 2012.

Then came Sand Martins. The first one was clocked at Summer Leys LNR on 12th, followed by runners-up of one at Thrapston GP and five at Hollowell Res – both on 15th. Also arriving this week was the first Little Ringed Plover, found on floodwater at Braunston on 14th with, hot on its heels, another photographed at Earls Barton GP’s New Workings (South) the following day.

Summer visitors aside, wildfowl remained prominent during the period and with the reappearance of last week’s four White-fronted Geese at Thrapston’s Titchmarsh LNR on 11th, followed the next day by a flock of sixteen Dark-bellied Brent Geese at Clifford Hill GP, we were almost on the verge of a veritable Goosefest. Not to be sniffed at, and after a blank year in 2023, sixteen is a sizeable flock for Northants, where we are normally treated to occasional drop-ins of only ones and twos. In fact, this week’s flock is the second largest this century, following approximately twenty in flight over Earls Barton on 31st October 2003.

Having notched up at least sixteen days on site, the now long-staying drake Garganey remained occasionally on show at Ditchford GP’s Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows LNR (IL&M) until at least 13th. Two locations produced Red-crested Pochards – a drake was at Earls Barton GP’s New Workings (North) on 13th and two visited Daventry CP the following day, while the Ditchford first-winter drake Greater Scaup stayed until at least 9th, the other first-winter at Grendon Lakes was also still present on 11th.

Meanwhile, back at Ditchford, the female Ring-necked Duck saw another week out on Higham Lake and, further up the Nene Valley, the ‘redhead’ Smew remained at Clifford Hill until at least 13th. Another first for the year, invisible in the nighttime sky above the Brampton Valley, was at least one Common Scoter heard on nocturnal migration on 11th.

Topping this week’s wader bill was another first for the year in the shape of a Knot, which dropped in at Clifford Hill on 13th. It was not present the following day. This is a species which, in terms of annual appearances in the county, has been on the wane in recent years.

A Ruff at Titchmarsh LNR on the last day of the period was outnumbered by Black-tailed Godwits, which included three at IL&M on 9th-10th, up to three at Summer Leys throughout the week and one at Clifford Hill on 10th.

On the back of the recent easterlies, Little Gulls continued to trickle through, with singles at Summer Leys on 10th and Clifford Hill on 13th, followed by two at Thrapston on 15th. In line with last week, all birds were again adults. Mediterranean Gulls were again on the move, all of which appeared on 14th, when single adults visited Daventry CP and Stanwick GP and a first-winter was in the roost at Boddington Res. Two Caspian Gulls included a third-winter at Stanford Res on 13th and a first-winter at Daventry the following day, when two Yellow-legged Gulls – a first-winter and second-winter – were also present at the latter site.

Other than their numbers being somewhat down, there was little change in the distribution of this week’s Cattle Egrets. Up to two were at Ditchford on 11th-12th, two were again at Summer Leys between 12th and 15th, one was at Wicksteed Park Lakes on 13th and two were found at Titchmarsh LNR on 15th.

At least one roving Marsh Harrier was again in the Nene Valley, visiting Summer Leys on 9th and 12th, Stanwick on 9th, 11th, 12th and 15th and IL&M on 11th.

With just two Short-eared Owls remaining in the Brampton Valley below Lamport on 13th, this scarce, iconic winter visitor to the county seems to be fast melting away …

As for Merlins, Harrington AF had the monopoly, producing a female on 9th and an immature male on 15th.

And it seems we’re not quite done with Waxwings just yet as, on 15th, a wholly unconfirmed report of nine came from Priors Hall Park, where up to seven had drawn the crowds in January and early February while, on the same date, nine were also found at Far Cotton in Northampton. Although briefly caught on camera, these latter birds appeared not to stick around, being disturbed by a motorcycle passing in close proximity, too close for comfort.

A Firecrest – another first for the year – was found at Stanford Res on 9th. Initially on the Leicestershire side of the border, it finally made it into the county at the eleventh hour, albeit briefly.

And finally … at least one Mealy Redpoll hung on at Duston, at the New Sandy Lane attenuation pond, on 13th.