Newsround – 30th March to 5th April 2024

The overall south to south-westerly airflow was maintained throughout the week as a series of low pressure systems swept in off the Atlantic, hastening the arrival of more summer visitors.

Indeed, the first day saw three out of the period’s seven new arrivals that made it onto the clock this week, one of which was a record-breaker.

The male Common Redstart found at Clifford Hill GP on 30th pipped the previous earliest records, on 31st March in 1990, 2009 and 2021, by one day.

The arrival dates for the other six species, though, were largely unremarkable and a steady trickle ensued with the next Sedge Warbler at Earls Barton GP on 1st, further Yellow Wagtails at both Earls Barton and Harrington AF – also on 1st – while the next Common Tern checked in at Summer Leys on 4th.

With wildfowl on the wane, Hollowell Res hung on to its Pink-footed Goose – found there last week – until 1st, while at least two White-fronted Geese were still present at Wadenhoe Meadows until 30th. Back on the block this week was the female Ruddy Shelduck – this time dropping into Foxholes Fisheries, Crick on 1st. She was last seen previously at Hollowell Res on 19th January. Down in the Nene Valley, the mobile drake Red-crested Pochard again visited Earls Barton GPs New Workings (North) on 4th, while the female Ring-necked Duck saw another week out at Ditchford GP.

Making it into the new week was the Grey Plover at Summer Leys LNR but it was nowhere to be seen after 30th while, joining the Summer Leys wader club for one day only, on 3rd, was the year’s first Greenshank. Following last week’s run at the same locality, one Black-tailed Godwit remained on 30th, Stanwick GP produced one on 30th and two on 31st and, on 1st, one dropped into Ditchford GP and two visited Clifford Hill GP. Elsewhere, remnants of the wintering Jack Snipe population included one at Hollowell on 30th and two in the Brampton Valley between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton on 4th.

Maintaining this year’s earlier than usual passage, more Little Gulls came through, starting with one at Thrapston on 31st, followed by one at Stanwick and three at Pitsford on 1st and two at the latter site the next day. All were adults. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was also mobile around said reservoir throughout the week. The prospect of running into any scarce larid is now fast slipping away.

Not so with Cattle Egrets, though. Aside from one paying almost daily visits to Summer Leys, seven congregated on Big Lake at Ditchford on 31st while, just west of there, five were among Alpacas at Ditchford Lane on 2nd. Two also visited Stanwick on 3rd. It seems unlikely there are more than eight birds in total.

Further east along the Nene, a White Stork was seen flying low over the A605, north-east of Oundle, on 31st. The origin our storks is unknown. Factor in that twenty-six chicks fledged from eleven nests across the Knepp Estate in West Sussex last year as part of the ongoing UK reintroduction scheme and it’s odds on that, these days, they are not truly wild birds.

Two of the week’s raptors were unsurprising. Single Ospreys were seen over Summer Leys on 31st, Deene Lake on 2nd and the Brampton Valley, Pitsford and Stanford Res on 5th and, in line with recent weeks, single Marsh Harriers were logged at Stanwick on 30th and Summer Leys on 5th. The third – a ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier flying east over suburban Stortons GP on 2nd – was unexpected. It’s only the second of the year, following one at Harrington AF on three dates between 14th and 30th January.

And, talking of Harrington, the site featured well in the news for viewable Short-eared Owls this week with up to two seen daily while, conversely, four apparently remained in the Brampton Valley below Lamport at a site said to be inaccessible to the hoi polloi. Nearby, three were still around Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 1st, with two there on 4th. Seemingly having tailed off in popularity in recent weeks, Neville’s Lodge, Finedon still held on to at least one bird on 1st.

Following the early bird at Clifford Hill on 30th, more Common Redstarts found their way to the county this week. One was reported as heard only at Stanford on 1st and single males appeared at Honey Hill and Pitsford on 4th and 5th, respectively.

Northern Wheatears also continued to trickle through in the form of single birds at Harrington on 30th, 1st and 5th, Clifford Hill on 31st and Borough Hill on 5th.

The period’s White Wagtails, however, were limited to singles at Summer Leys on 1st and Pitsford on 2nd.

And then there were Mealy Redpolls. Summer Leys Feeding Station attracted a female on 1st while, on the same date, at least three were with Lesser Repolls on the Barton Seagrave periphery of Wicksteed Park.

Given the capricious taxonomic history of this species, it’s being widely touted that Mealy Redpoll will be re-lumped with Lesser Redpoll – and possibly Arctic Redpoll – in the not-too-distant future. A disappointing prospect …