Newsround – 23rd to 29th March 2024

Another week in which the action ramped up, the second half of which was dominated by hefty showers and a strong southerly airflow off the near continent. Unsurprisingly, these migrationally-conducive conditions delivered more summer visitors … and a very Good Friday.

‘More’ in this case means, in terms of numbers, less than last week, with just the two making it onto the calendar. Of these, the star bird was the Good Friday Sandwich Tern which, during the afternoon of last day of the period, cruised straight through Summer Leys LNR pretty much without stopping – much to the chagrin of those who were quick off the blocks in their attempts to see it. March records are not without precedent but this week’s bird is a week long of beating the earliest, which appeared at Thrapston GP on 23rd March 1996.

Completing the week’s new summer arrivals, rather more standard fare turned up in the shape of a White Wagtail at Earls Barton GP on 25th-26th, quickly followed by another at Pitsford Res on 27th.

Far less likely to pique the majority interest, though, were two Barnacle Geese found at Pitsford on 28th, subsequently seen flying west over nearby Hanging Houghton early the following morning. Though overwhelmingly likely to be feral, unlike the birds themselves, the status of this species in the county is anything but back and white. A solitary Pink-footed Goose found at Hollowell Res on 27th is also not beyond the feral but birds turning up locally are usually given the benefit of the doubt and this one may well be the individual which has been doing time at Stanford Res, mainly on the Leicestershire side of the border. Unsullied and beyond question on origin is the party of four White-fronted Geese that have yo-yoed back and forth between Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh LNR and nearby Wadenhoe Meadows since their discovery at the former site on 4th March. They were still present on 24th.

Ducks, too, featured prominently this week. A drake Red-crested Pochard was again at Earls Barton GP’s New Workings (North) on 25th and the female Ring-necked Duck at Ditchford GP was relocated on Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows’ Cotton Reel Lake on 27th-29th after last being seen at nearby Higham Lake on 15th March. Taking its place there, a drake Common Scoter appeared on 25th-26th before itself relocating to IL&M’s Dragonfly Lake on 27th.

Further up the Nene Valley, the long-staying ‘redhead’ Smew remained at Clifford Hill GP until at least 28th.

On the wader front, things were beginning to bubble at Summer Leys, where between one and three Black-tailed Godwits were seen daily from 26th and at least seven were present on 29th. Three were also at Stanwick GP on 28th-29th.                   

These were upstaged somewhat by the appearance of a Grey Plover on the Main Lake at Summer Leys on 28th, where it remained mobile on 29th. Although annual, the number of Grey Plovers visiting the county in recent years appears to have dropped significantly.

Summer Leys was also the venue for a drop-in, first-winter Little Gull, present only briefly, late in the day on 28th. Larger scarce gulls were on the wane, though, with just a single first-winter Caspian Gull at Hollowell on 25th, a second-winter Yellow-legged Gull at Summer Leys on 23rd and an adult Yellow-legged at Pitsford on 28th.

Compared with last week, Cattle Egrets were thin on the ground with just single birds at Summer Leys on 26th and 28th and at Ditchford GP 26th and 29th.

The period also saw more Ospreys moving through. A pair returned to an established breeding location on 25th and one was seen near Braybrooke on the same date. One also flew over Hollowell Res on 26th and one was seen south of Hollowell village, flying toward Ravensthorpe Res on 28th. The only other raptor reported was a Marsh Harrier at Summer Leys on 23rd.

Four Short-eared Owls further extended their stay in the Brampton Valley, below Lamport, until at least 25th and a Merlin went through Summer Leys on 26th.

Following last week’s showy Waxwings in Northampton it was unsurprisingly quiet, with just one seen briefly and photographed in Brackley on the last day of the period. The last of the season, perhaps? We’ll see …

And there was more to come in the way of Northern Wheatears which, this week, featured at four localities. Four were found on and around Borough Hill on 23rd, two were at Willowbrook Industrial Estate, Corby on 24th and single birds were found at Hinton AF on 24th and in the Brampton Valley between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton on 25th. There’ll be more to come but will we ever again witness the massive spring fall of 2006, when an eye-watering forty-one were present at Clifford Hill GP on 21st April?

At Duston’s New Sandy Lane attenuation pond, at least one Mealy Redpoll remained with its attendant Lesser Redpolls until at least 27th, while Bucknell Wood produced a Crossbill on 26th and three were seen at Scotland Wood, Kelmarsh on 29th.

And as the first day of the new week unfolds, while writing, Common Redstart, Sedge Warbler and Yellow Wagtail have all made it to the county. What will the new week bring … ?