Author: Mike Alibone

High pressure building over the last week ultimately delivered some weather which may be viewed as being loosely associated with ‘summer’. There was no pressure building on the birding front, however, as we drifted further into what is generally regarded locally as one of the quietest times of the year.

Another telltale sign of the period is the emergence of wildfowl ‘sporting’ eclipse plumage. One such bird was the drake Garganey that appeared on the dam at Stanford Res on 17th.

Not normally associated with this point in time, a second-summer Yellow-legged Gull was found at Daventry CP on 20th.

The ongoing presence of Bitterns at a minimum of two locations in the Nene Valley this week continues to fuel speculation they are breeding … somewhere.

However, with a nest holding at least two young, Cattle Egrets are definitely breeding at one site in the Nene Valley – a welcome return after they last bred in 2020. Also in said valley, two visited Summer Leys LNR on 15th, one was at Stanwick GP on the same date and one was present at Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh LNR on 18th.

The week’s raptors saw a fall in the number of Ospreys reported to singles at Ravensthorpe Res on 15th and at Pitsford Res on 16th and 21st, while a Marsh Harrier flew north-east over Stanwick on 20th.

Almost seeing out a fourth week, the singing male Wood Warbler remained at Harry’s Park Wood until 20th but was nowhere to be seen subsequently.

And here’s something else to think about. Virtually three-quarters of the way through June and the fact that we have not yet had even a sniff of a Common Quail in Northamptonshire is perhaps a sad reflection of the times. But, one singing east of Raunds and south of Keyston, Cambridgeshire, on the last day of the week, was less than one kilometre from the county boundary. There’s still time and the Brampton Valley’s always a good bet …

A varied week weatherwise saw, on average, a month’s rainfall over 36 hours during the middle of the period with the resultant effect of raising water levels, sadly to the detriment of a number of wetland breeding species. The same weather system also brought a class migrant or two into the county.

It was, as they say though, perfect weather for ducks and this week’s were limited to a drake Garganey at Stanwick GP between 18th and 21st and a now proven two drake Red-crested Pochards in the Nene Valley at their respective locations of Earls Barton GP and Ditchford GP’s Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows LNR, also between 18th and 21st.

Out of the rain came another handsome summer-plumaged Grey Plover – this time at Stanwick GP on 22nd, while the following day saw at least two Tundra Ringed Plovers drop into Stanford Res. Late May is the peak time for a chance encounter with this subtly different subspecies as small numbers move through en route to their breeding grounds in the high Arctic. And, while we’re on the subject of subspecies, what should turn up this week but a smart, nominate limosa race ‘Continental’ Black-tailed Godwit at Summer Leys LNR. Found on 20th and identified on 21st, it remained on site until 22nd, after which rising water levels had an adverse impact on suitable wader habitat.

Although considered to be a rare passage migrant, the precise status and history of occurrence of this race in the county is unclear. What we do know is that they are very scarce in Northants and massively outnumbered during spring and autumn by the much commoner islandica race, known simply as ‘Icelandic’ Black-tailed Godwit.

Salient ID points, along with images of the Summer Leys bird in May 2020, can be found here and ‘Godwit Guru’, Mark Golley, who has kindly advised on the ID of some of our local birds, will be providing fully up-to-date coverage of how to separate these two races in the July issue of Birdwatch magazine, due out on 27th June.

The week also brought another Sanderling – the county’s fourth of the year – to the dam at Stanford Res on 21st.

Few would argue that topping the bill this week, though, was a smart female Red-necked Phalarope at Lilbourne Meadows NR on 22nd. Found mid-afternoon, it remained late into the evening but was not present the following day. This is only the 21st record for Northants, the last being three years ago, at Summer Leys on 31st May 2021. Consequently, it drew a small crowd.

Lilbourne Meadows was also the only site to attract Greenshank this week, with singles there on 20th and 23rd.

During the inclement weather on 22nd, and in contrast to previous weeks, it was the west of the county’s turn to dish up a Little Tern, this time at Daventry CP, which also pulled in four Arctic Terns at the same time, while a solitary Black Tern put in a brief appearance at Summer Leys on the same day.

Bitterns continued to be seen and, or, heard at two localities this week and single Cattle Egrets overflew Summer Leys at three-day intervals on 18th, 21st and 24th.

The first of these three dates saw a male Osprey again visiting Summer Leys, while others were duly noted at Hollowell Res on 18th, Biggin Lake (Oundle) on 19th, Cransley Res on 20th and Welford Res on 24th.

The only other scarce raptor making it into the period was a male Marsh Harrier seen heading east over Earls Barton GP on 19th.  

And as for scarce passerines, well they were exactly that, propped up by just the female Whinchat left over from the week before, at Clifford Hill GP on 18th.

A mixed bag of weather over the past week included a predominantly south-easterly airstream off the continent and, although devoid of new summer visitors, there was a run of decent birds that oozed quality rather than quantity. Representing the first of its kind in the county this century, one stood head and shoulders above the rest …

But it was not the easiest to catch up with as, after the news of its discovery broke on 15th, local birders had barely a two-hour window to see Northamptonshire’s first Common Eider for 25 years before it headed off high east from Boddington Res. A fine adult drake, it showed outrageously well at the northern end of the reservoir before swimming toward the sailing club prior to its departure.

There have been nineteen previous records, primarily in winter, with a notable run in the 1980s. An exceptional year, 1993, saw a remarkable influx into the county involving forty-six birds across eight localities, thirty-one of which occurred at Pitsford Res on 31st October. Smaller numbers of between one and four were subsequently found at Boddington, Cotterstock/Oundle, Daventry CP, Ditchford GP, Earls Barton GP, Hollowell Res and Sywell CP. This influx formed part of a wider movement of Common Eiders across the Midlands at the time.

Notable, too, for racking up an exceptional 93-day stay, was an immature drake at Croughton Quarry between December 1998 and March 1999 – the last to be seen in Northants before this week’s bird, which was clearly long awaited … and maybe long lamented by those who missed it.

Overshadowed but not overlooked, was a/the drake Garganey at Summer Leys LNR on 11th and 17th and single drake Red-crested Pochards – or perhaps just one mobile individual – at Summer Leys on 11th, Ditchford GP on 13th and 17th and at Earls Barton on 14th.

The week proved fruitful for more uncommon waders on the move. Boddington again featured, with its sailing club jetty hosting an Avocet on 16th.

Summer Leys hung on to its – and the county’s – second Grey Plover of the year on 11th, after which another dropped in to Clifford Hill GP on 14th to be joined by a second bird there the following day.

For those up and awake in the early hours, a ‘noc mig’ listen-in produced two parties of Whimbrels moving over Kettering on 14th, while daylight hours on 11th produced two Turnstones at Clifford Hill GP, followed by singles at Summer Leys on 12th and 14th. The second Sanderling of the year was found at Clifford Hill on 12th, hot on the heels of which was one at Summer Leys on 13th-14th.

Another ‘second’ to check in this week was a Wood Sandpiper at Lilbourne Meadows NR, obligingly staying three days from 13th to 15th, in stark contrast to last week’s brief appearance put in by the bird at Summer Leys.

The latter site held the majority, such as it was, of this week’s Greenshanks, with two on 11th and 12th and one from 13th to 14th, while another was found at Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh LNR on 12th.

Thrapston was also the venue for a showy Little Tern, present for a good 3 hours around Town Lake on 15th.

Black Terns, too, continued to filter through, numbers of which included seven at Summer Leys on 11th, two at Stanwick GP on 12th and one at Stanford Res on 15th.

Bitterns continued to be seen and/or heard at three localities this week.

Seemingly becoming more regular in the Nene Valley this year, Ospreys were seen at Thrapston GP on 12th, Summer Leys on 12th and 13th and at Earls Barton on 17th. In more traditional reservoir settings, singles were at Pitsford on 14th, Hollowell on 16th and at both Boddington and Stanford on 17th.

And after a blank week prior, Marsh Harriers were back, with one drifting high over Barton Seagrave on 11th and another mobile around Earls Barton/Summer Leys on 11th-12th.

A lingering Short-eared Owl remained at Harrington AF on 15th.

Always much scarcer in spring than in autumn, single Whinchats found in the Brampton Valley on 11th and at Clifford Hill GP on 17th, were only the sixth and seventh of the year so far, as well as being the only passerines of note during the period.

Looking ahead, there are just five summer visitors left to clock in: Common Quail, Turtle Dove, Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and Tree Pipit. Scarce though they are, surely one of these will make landfall in the county next week.