Month: December 2025

There was – perhaps unsurprisingly, given the time of year – no fallout from Storm Bram as it barrelled towards the far north in the early part of the week. However, a set of seasonal goodies remained on tap, including the first properly twitchable Black Redstart of the year.

With the passing through of respectable numbers of Whooper Swans earlier in the autumn, it appears that a lone juvenile, discovered on 8th November at Pitsford Res, has found the site to its liking, having chosen to remain there now for five weeks. Will it stay to see the winter out?

Now one of fifty present in Britain and Ireland during the past week, the drake Ring-necked Duck notched up another seven days at Thrapston GP’s Town Lake, bringing its time there to almost three weeks, while the first-winter drake and female Greater Scaups also remained at the above locality throughout the period.

Seeing out another week, Pitsford’s Black-necked Grebe also appeared settled, alternating between Pintail Bay and Yacht Bay, but its exclusivity in the county was upstaged by the arrival of three more at Daventry CP on the penultimate day of the week, although they had apparently moved on by the following morning.

The period’s gulls continued in the same vein as last week with five localities producing Caspian Gulls, headed up by Daventry, which delivered three on 8th, one on 11th and two on 12th. Elsewhere, Ravensthorpe Res held two on 8th and singles appeared at Naseby Res on 7th, Hollowell Res on 11th and 12th and at Summer Leys LNR on the latter date. Single adult Yellow-legged Gulls were to be found at Clifford Hill GP on 6th, Stanford Res on 7th, Daventry on 8th and 12th and Pitsford on 10th.

The same four Glossy Ibises divided their time between four localities this week, with the original Summer Leys three still to be found at the flood pools in the usual field at Little Irchester on 7th, after which two moved a short distance to a similarly wet area next to Wellingborough Embankment, remaining there until the end of the period. One was also seen on occasions back at Summer Leys and the Stanford individual was still visiting the settling pond there at the week’s end.

Like last week, a Bittern broke cover at Summer Leys again on 6th.

And, in almost a carbon copy of the week before, single Marsh Harriers were again at Summer Leys on 6th, at Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh NR on 10th and over Irthlingborough heading toward Ditchford GP on 12th, while the Brampton Valley ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier put in another appearance between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton on 11th.

Recent winters have seen Short-eared Owls over fields close to Neville’s Lodge, Finedon and, continuing the theme, one was back there on 7th, while another appeared in the above area in the Brampton Valley on 10th.

The latter site also saw the continuation of a wintering Merlin on 6th and 10th and another was present in the south of the county at Hinton AF on 11th.

Answering last week’s question on what we might be missing in suburbia and heading up the week’s cast of passerines was a neat, young, male Black Redstart, found in the avenues and alleyways of the Abington area of Northampton on 7th. While it’s the eighth to be discovered in the county this year, it was, at long last, the first to be readily accessible, obligingly sticking around until the period’s end for those who were keen to catch up with one locally.

Returning to more open country, numbers of Stonechats were down on recent totals with three at Hollowell on 12th, duos at Neville’s Lodge on 7th and in both the Brampton Valley and Upton CP on 10th, while singles were to be found at Clifford Hill on 6th and Pitsford on 10th.

And in a non-invasion year, Northampton’s most reliable winter location for Hawfinches – Holy Trinity Churchyard, Blatherwycke – delivered on cue with two on 7th. The period’s Crossbills comprised seven at Bucknell Wood on 7th, while the Brampton Valley Corn Bunting was again seen on 6th.

The move into ‘winter proper’ was a transition largely without incident but a growing assortment of seasonal goodies was out there to keep the birding fires burning.

Stoking the coals, quality ducks were on offer this week, kicking off with a drake Ring-necked Duck, first found on 24th November at Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh NR and remaining in the general vicinity, being seen on Town Lake at the week’s end. Odds on it’s last winter’s returning bird and, if so, it seems likely it will be in it for the long haul. The same site also produced three Greater Scaups which consisted of an adult female on 28th followed by a first-winter drake from 30th to 5th, along with a first-winter female on the latter date. Scarcer than Scaup, though, was a ‘redhead’ Red-breasted Merganser found at Boddington Res on 28th. Prone to flying off and returning, it was not constantly on show but was present daily until flying north-west just prior to dusk on 2nd. This was only the second to be seen in the county this year, the previous one being a dapper drake at Blatherwycke Lake from 9th to 14th February, and so maintains the average of two (actually 1.75) per year over the 20-year period 2004 to 2023, during which there were 5 blank years.

On site since 21st, and more reliably showy, was the Black-necked Grebe extending its presence at Pitsford Res throughout the week.

Back at Boddington, a second-winter Caspian Gull joined the gull roost there on 30th, while a third-winter was at Daventry CP on 1st, single adults were at Hollowell Res on 2nd and 5th and at Ravensthorpe Res on the latter date. Fewer than of late, single Yellow-legged Gulls were present in Boddington’s roost on 2nd, at Pitsford on 2nd and at Clifford Hill GP on 5th.

And there can be little more to add to the Glossy Ibis diary this week. Three, sometimes two, remained on their favoured flooded field at Little Irchester throughout the period, one of which also put in an occasional appearance at nearby Summer Leys LNR. At Stanford Res, two dropped to one which was present for varying periods of time on 29th, 30th, 2nd, 4th and 5th.

A Bittern broke cover at Summer Leys again on 4th.

And while Summer Leys/Earls Barton GP and Thrapston produced single Marsh Harriers, on and off, throughout the week, a ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier flew south at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 29th.

The 29th also produced Short-eared Owls – two at Harrington AF and one hunting alongside the Rive Nene below Great Doddington.

Once again, the week’s only Merlin was in the Brampton Valley between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton on 29th, 2nd and 3rd.

And we’ve done well for Firecrests of late – one in Abington Park, Northampton making headlines on 2nd as the first for the site. What else are we missing in urban and suburban locations?

Taking a backseat, other passerines included Stonechats in the Brampton Valley, at Clifford Hill, Earls Barton GP, Hollowell Res, Thrapston and Upton CP, with a maximum of five at Hollowell on 2nd and 5th.

The week’s Crossbills were represented by single birds at Harlestone Heath on 30th and Pitsford Res on 2nd and the Brampton Valley Corn Bunting was still present in the same area, being seen on 29th and 3rd.