Newsround 8th to 14th November 2025

Mild weather with above average temperatures persisted throughout the week, culminating in the arrival of Storm Claudia, bringing relentless, increasingly torrential rain, backed by strong easterly winds as the final day concluded. This murky, wet backdrop proved no deterrent to the determined, although the bucketloads of rain provided very little gain for stalwart birders braving the wholly inclement conditions.

New birds on the block in the wildfowl camp kicked off on the 8th with an immature Whooper Swan at Pitsford Res, with what was assumed to be the same bird still present there on 12th. And, after its apparent absence for more than two weeks, the female Ruddy Shelduck again appeared at Stanford Res on 13th. It was also Pitsford’s privilege to produce the first Greater Scaup of the autumn/winter period, two turning up there on 10th but nowhere to be seen subsequently.

And following last week’s speculation that Ditchford’s drake Lesser Scaup seemed settled enough to see the winter out, it was clearly not in it for the long haul, seemingly abandoning the site for pastures new after 11th. Further conjecture suggests that this short-term celebrity is likely to be the same drake that turned up at Staines Reservoir, London on 12th – a mere 96 km distant as the scaup flies …

With the spotlight firmly on Ditchford this week, another first for the autumn/winter period was found there on 8th in the shape of a ‘redhead’ Smew. Its stay, however, was short and sweet and it was nowhere to be seen the following day.

Aside from a Grey Plover in flight over Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 9th, waders on the ground included the first-winter Black-tailed Godwit seeing the week out at Daventry CP, along with a Ruff there from 8th to 13th and another Ruff at Pitsford, also on 8th.

A Jack Snipe was seen at Clifford Hill GP on 8th and, despite the date, a late Common Sandpiper at Stanford on 13th was just that, although at this time of the year Spotted Sandpiper is at the forefront of many a hopeful birder’s mind.

On the last day of the period, at Summer Leys, a Little Gull was little more than a token gesture on the back of Storm Claudia, given the hefty ninety-three plus counted over the border at Grafham Water on the same day.

With further respect to gulls, the more usual fare on offer included two first-winter Mediterranean Gulls in the roost at Stanford on 10th, followed by just one the next evening. Caspian Gulls comprised an adult and a second-winter at Earls Barton GP’s Mary’s Lake on 8th and single adults at Pitsford on 9th and in the Stanford roost on 12th. A bird considered to be a Caspian Gull x Herring Gull hybrid was present at Daventry, also on 12th. Pitsford produced the week’s highest count of four Yellow-legged Gulls on 10th, followed by one there on 12th. Elsewhere, an adult was at Mary’s Lake on 8th, one was at Clifford Hill on 9th-10th and a first-winter visited Daventry on 14th

And while the three Glossy Ibises saw another week out at Summer Leys, it appears that the Stanford duo was back, being seen on all but one day, flying east in the early morning and west toward Stanford Hall in the evening, as well as on the ground behind the Settling Pond on a couple of occasions.

Summer Leys also produced a Bittern on 14th and a male Marsh Harrier on 8th-9th, while one was also seen nearby at Earls Barton GP’s Quarry Walk on the latter date. Elsewhere, one flew east over Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 8th and two were again at Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh NR on 9th.

Harrington AF produced a Short-eared Owl, flying high south, also on 9th, as well as a Merlin on the same date, while further single Merlins were in the Brampton Valley between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton and between Brockhall and Great Brington on 8th and 11th, respectively.

Heading the cast of the period’s passerines was a Firecrest, mobile with a Long-tailed Tit flock in the vicinity of Rotary Hide at Summer Leys, on 12th.

And the weekly Stonechat quota included a double-figure count of eleven at Pitsford Res on 10th, while between two and four birds were logged at Borough Hill, Brampton Valley, Clifford Hill, Ditchford GP and Harrington AF during the period.

There was an unconfirmed report of 5 Twites at Sywell CP on 9th and, with the source unknown, it remains exactly that. The last record in the county was of two near Yardley Gobion on 9th January 2023, which were the first to be recorded since 2014 while, prior to that, the last occurrences were in 2011 and 2000.

Less contentious, however, were Crossbills – of which two were at Pitsford on 8th, several at Gamboro Plantation in the Brampton Valley on 9th and 12th, followed by three in flight over Daventry on 13th.