Author: Mike Alibone

Edging closer toward spring saw rapidly extending daylight hours on both sides of the ‘dark zone’. There was also little in the way of frost and low temperatures, with most of the variations in weather resulting from a series of low pressure systems bringing mild, though wet and blustery conditions from a south-westerly airstream, which turned southerly at the end of the period. The first Sand Martins of the spring were seen at Pitsford Res on 6th and further evidence of northward migration came in the form of a Kittiwake moving over Ravensthorpe Res on 8th.

The wintering adult Whooper Swan remained at Sywell CP until at least 8th and, first discovered on 15th February, the only remaining Eurasian White-fronted Goose from this winter’s generous hand-out was the one at Pitsford Res until at least 7th.

Two drake Red-crested Pochards also remained at Earls Barton GP/Summer Leys LNR until 3rd with one still present on 9th, while two (one drake) were at Thrapston GP on 28th. The long-staying female Scaup remained at on the main lake at Stanwick GP, where it was joined by a drake from 7th to 10th and the wintering Long-tailed Duck remained on site at Stanford Res throughout the period, as did the ‘redhead’ Smew, while another ‘redhead’ was again at Earls Barton GP on 25th and 26th.

As winter turned to spring there was a noticeable easing up on the number of Great White Egrets reported, with just two at Pitsford Res to 26th with one remaining until 2nd, one still at Thrapston GP until 7th, one at Summer Leys from 26th – joined by another on 8th and 9th – one flying east along the Welland Valley at Wakerley on 27th, one still at Ravensthorpe Res on 5th and it, or another, flying over Hollowell Res on 10th and one at Earls Barton GP on 10th. Pitsford’s Slavonian Grebe was still present on 8th, as was the Red-necked Grebe on 7th – the latter having moved north of the causeway during the period.

While scarce raptors were sadly lacking, a belated report of a ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier came from the disused airfield at Grafton Underwood on 24th and scarce waders were limited to single Jack Snipe at Pitsford Res on 26th and Stanford Res on 4th with four at Hollowell Res on 10th.

Things were looking up on the gull front during the period with a Kittiwake flying low north over Ravensthorpe Res on 8th, a Little Gull reported from Clifford Hill GP on 6th and single first-winter Mediterranean Gulls at Pitsford Res roost on 26th and Hollowell Res on 6th, while an adult visited Daventry CP on 28th.

Three Yellow-legged Gulls comprised an adult at Rushton Landfill on 25th and single first-winters at Pitsford Res on 26th and Daventry CP on 28th. Caspian Gulls have consistently outnumbered the former species this winter and this trend continued, with Rushton Landfill providing the lion’s share, which included single adults on 25th and 28th, two adults on 1st and an adult plus a first-winter on 4th. Elsewhere, single first-winter Caspians were found at Stanford Res on 1st and at Hollowell Res on 6th with single third-winters at DIRFT 3 (near Lilbourne) on 5th and at Pitsford Res two days later. Stanford Res pulled in another roosting Iceland Gull – this time a juvenile – on 25th but, just like the last one on 2nd February, there was no repeat performance on subsequent dates.

More obliging, however, was the juvenile Glaucous Gull which was found at Rushton Landfill on 25th and seen almost daily, either in the roadside field at Storefield Lodge Farm or on the landfill itself, until 4th. This bird was considered to be a different individual to the juvenile present the week before. An adult Glaucous was also discovered roosting with Lesser Black-backed Gulls in heavy rain at DIRFT 3 before flying off east on 5th.

Up to four Short-eared Owls were still at Neville’s Lodge, near Finedon, until at least 1st but this number appeared to have dwindled to just two by 9th. Another was seen in the Brampton Valley on 3rd.

Waxwings were still very much in evidence throughout the period, with cotoneasters in East Hunsbury (Northampton) providing a ready source of food for more than fifty between 25th and 1st. The focus then shifted to Duston, where up to sixty-six were present in the Kent Road/St Crispin Drive area between 4th and 9th.

Elsewhere, two visited Brackley on 26th, two were in Hanging Houghton the following day and a dozen visited a garden in Nassington on 9th. Overshadowed and outnumbered was a single Crossbill idling at Kelmarsh on 4th and the lingering Corn Bunting near Warmington on 26th.

The extended round-up period saw the arrival of more traditional winter fair in the shape of white-winged gulls, scarce grebes and more Waxwings, the largest flock of which exceeded fifty. Wildfowl, too, remained prominent, with long-stayers remaining and a few new ones being thrown into the wetland mix.

Like the first on 5th January, the second record of Bewick’s Swan for 2017 consisted of a small, fly-over flock of four flying east along the Nene Valley on 13th, while the adult Whooper Swan remained at Sywell CP until at least 19th.

There were more fly-overs to come as eight Pink-footed Geese were seen heading south over Pitsford Res on 17th and the wintering Eurasian White-fronted Geese appearing to break up, with fourteen commuting erratically between riverside locations at Great Doddington and Whiston between 28th and 8th. During, and beyond, this period there were reports of small numbers elsewhere – possibly as a result of the original flock of twenty-four dispersing and remaining local.  In this respect, two visited Wicksteed Park Lake on 28th, six were at Clifford Hill GP on 1st, two remained on Thrapston GP’s Town Lake between 4th and 18th, one was at Pitsford Res between 15th and 19th and a first-winter visited Daventry CP on 20th.

Keeping tabs on escapes which could be future additions to the British List is always worth doing but in the case of the Wood Duck, which turned up at Shelfley’s Lake, Northampton on 14th this could be stretching things a bit as far as this individual is concerned. Nevertheless, this species is always a nice bird to see.

With no more than two at any location, five sites produced Red-crested Pochards, including Earls Barton GP, Pitsford Res, Summer Leys LNR, Thrapston GP and Wicksteed Park Lake, while the long-staying female Scaup remained at on the main lake at Stanwick GP until at least 20th. The two drake Scaup were still at Earls Barton GP on 29th, a drake was at Ditchford GP on 19th and two females visited Daventry CP the following day – all combining to represent a healthier than average showing for this species during the first two months of the year.

Stanford’s Long-tailed Duck, now into its ninth week, remained throughout the period and another sea duck – a female Common Scoter – was reported from Sywell CP on 3rd. Smew have been relatively scarce this winter in comparison to recent previous years and a drake seen at Pitsford Res on 30th, 6th and 7th was probably the same individual which visited Ravensthorpe Res on 4th, 5th and 11th. Elsewhere, single ‘redheads’ were seen at Stanford Res on 5th and 10th and at Earls Barton GP from 16th to 18th.

Skulking Bitterns were present on the Heronry Lake at Thrapston GP on 5th and 12th and another was seen at Stanwick GP on 6th. Rather more obvious, though, was the period’s crop of Great White Egrets and, while there were no stunningly high single-site totals, this species was on show with up to two almost daily somewhere or other in the county, records coming from Ditchford GP, Hollowell Res, Pitsford Res Ravensthorpe Res, Summer Leys and Thrapston GP.

Upstaging Pitsford’s Slavonian Grebe, which remained until at least 21st, a Red-necked Grebe was found close to the causeway there on 13th, thereafter remaining until the end of the period. The only scarce raptor reported was a Merlin at Pitsford Res on 13th. This species has, so far, been unusually scarce this winter.  Predictably the only scarce waders were single Jack Snipe at Stanford Res on 4th and 10th, two at Barnes Meadow LNR, Northampton on 16th and one at Ditchford GP on 19th.

While gulls are currently enjoying a good deal of renewed adverse media publicity, the demise of their favourite inland habitat, landfill sites, is making them more sought after by local birders. With apparently just one active landfill in Northants the second best option is a local gull roost in fading light … There was a first-winter Mediterranean Gull at the Boddington Res roost on 18th but, as we move into March, more Meds will appear at roosts as they move through the county on passage. Caspian Gulls have also been visiting our roosts, with Pitsford and Boddington attracting adults sporadically throughout the period. Hollowell, Stanford and Daventry have also produced singles during the day but better by far has been the Rushton Landfill site which has produced up to three adults and a first-winter, on and off, throughout. This site has also attracted two different, ‘one-day’ Glaucous Gulls – a fourth-winter on 18th, quickly followed by a juvenile the following day. An adult Iceland Gull visited Stanford Res briefly on 2nd but, apart from these three ‘white-wingers’ along with the recent Glaucous near Chacombe, the winter has been treating Northants rather meanly. A trickle of Yellow-legged Gulls has included singles at Boddington Res, Chacombe, Daventry CP, Pitsford Res, Thrapston GP and, of course, Rushton Landfill, where two were present on 19th.

Up to four Short-eared Owls were still at Neville’s Lodge, near Finedon, until at least 6th and one was at Twywell Hills & Dales on 13th.

Are birders still looking for them at Finedon or has interest diminished in the wake of the continuing winter Waxwing invasion, which continues to illicit considerable interest from birders and the general public alike? The maximum counts for the nine areas in which they have occurred during the last four weeks are as follows: East Hunsbury, fifty-plus on 23rd; Wootton, forty-five/fifty on 18th; Irthlingborough, forty-one on 7th; Kettering, thirty-eight on 29th; Bush Hill (Northampton), twenty-five on 29th; Boughton Green Road (Northampton), ten on 18th; Oundle, nine/twelve on 13th and Rushton, nine on 6th.

Out in the country, away from all the panache and pizzazz, the second and third Corn Buntings of the year were found: one was with Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings near Warmington on 18th-19th and the other visited a feeding station at Woodford Halse on 20th. Good try in both cases but time is fast running out for the discovery of a Pine or a     Little …

The days in the early part of the week remained cold but were marred by more damp and foggy starts. The murky conditions cleared, however, as the winds swung to the south-east, bringing cold, sharp air and frosts from the continent. Many bodies of water became covered with a thin layer of ice, albeit for the short term. The first white-winged gull of the winter put in an all too brief appearance but the Waxwing influx continued to dominate, with new birds found at a number of localities.

Fourteen Eurasian White-fronted Geese remained in the Nene Valley below Great Doddington, with varying numbers of them paying almost daily visits to the main lake at Summer Leys LNR. The two Red-crested Pochards were still at Pitsford Res on 24th, and two also visited Summer Leys on the same date, while the latter site, along with adjacent Earls Barton GP, continued to host the long-staying drake Scaup, which was joined by another drake on 22nd (when two females were also reported) and a third drake on 24th. The female remained on the main lake at Stanwick GP until at least 23rd. Meanwhile, Stanford Reservoir’s Long-tailed Duck remained all week and the drake Smew at Ditchford GP was joined there briefly by a ‘redhead’ on 21st, on which date both birds flew off in the direction of nearby Stanwick GP.

Three Great White Egrets were at Summer Leys on 21st, this locality competing for highest site total with Ravensthorpe Res, where the three long-stayers were still present on 24th. Apart from almost daily sightings at the first of these two locations, there was one at Thrapston GP on 21st and up to two were still at Pitsford Res throughout the week.

Thought to have departed some time ago, Pitsford’s Slavonian Grebe was seen again in Pintail Bay on 23rd. Where has it been in the intervening period? The week went by with no uncommon raptors reported, while the only scarce waders were single Jack Snipe at Stanford Res on 21st and 27th and at Summer Leys on 26th.

While gulls-a-plenty is not a term applicable to the distribution of this week’s larids, there was a first-winter Mediterranean Gull in the roost at Pitsford Res on 21st and    Caspian Gulls continued to be seen in reasonable numbers, with three adults at Rushton Landfill on 21st and 2 there on 27th, single adults at Stanford Res on the same dates, at Chacombe on 22nd and at Boddington Res on 24th and single first-winters at the latter site on 22nd and at Pitsford Res the next day. Only one Yellow-legged Gull was seen – at Pitsford Res on 21st. Highlight of the week, however, was the adult Glaucous Gull which was discovered near Chacombe on 22nd, subsequently appearing in the gull roost at nearby Boddington Res late in the afternoon.

In a winter frequently remarked upon for its higher than usual numbers of white-winged gulls – including inland – it’s surprising that this is the first and only one which has been discovered in the county so far. Even more remarkable is the fact that up to twelve different individual Glaucous Gulls have recently been identified visiting the gull roost just over the border at Draycote Res in Warwickshire …

A new maximum count of six Short-eared Owls was made at Neville’s Lodge, near Finedon, on 22nd with at least three still present the following day. But it was Waxwings which stole the show again this week, with seven visiting Summer Leys briefly on 21st, up to sixteen at Hanging Houghton on 23rd-24th, separate flocks of eight and twenty in

Northampton’s eastern district on 24th, ten at Kettering on 26th, eight in Broughton on 26th-27th and nine at Little Stanion, Corby on 27th. Drabber but, these days, arguably rarer at a local level, a Corn Bunting was seen at Harrington AF on 22nd.

The northerly wind, which brought lower temperatures at the end of last week, shifted back westerly for the first half of the period, bringing overcast and wet conditions before high pressure delivered colder, drier weather on the back of an easterly airflow from the continent. There were no major surprises, however, and Waxwings remained firmly in the limelight at the very beginning of the week.

Predictably, the adult Whooper Swan remained at Sywell CP until at least 17th but a herd of fifteen flying up the Nene Valley between Elton and Fotheringhay on 19th was more unusual in terms of the number involved.

At least eleven Eurasian White-fronted Geese were still with Greylags below Great Doddington on 17th, while a juvenile was reported at Kislingbury GP on the same date. Oddball of the week was a female Wood Duck on the Nene at Wellingborough Embankment on 15th. Although mooted as a potential vagrant, this one must surely have been a fence-jumper at some previous point in time.

Just two Red-crested Pochards were at Pitsford Res on 17th, with one remaining to 20th and both Scaups remained on station all week on the large lake east of Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP and on the main lake at Stanwick GP.

The Long-tailed Duck – apparently unreported last week – was still at Stanford Res, by the reedbed on the northern bank, at the week’s end, while a ‘redhead’ Smew was seen there again on 14th. The drake Smew from last week remained on the large lake between Higham Ferrers and Irthlingborough at Ditchford GP until 14th.

The usual fixtures and fittings included three Great White Egrets still at Ravensthorpe Res on 17th, apparently dwindling to one there by 20th, up to two were still at Pitsford Res to 17th and one was at Summer Leys all week, with two there on 19th. Two species of harrier were notched up during the period, both on 15th, beginning with with a male Marsh Harrier at Stanford Res and followed by a ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier at Polebrook AF, which was also reported at nearby Lutton on 12th. The 15th also saw an unconfirmed report of a Black-tailed Godwit at Summer Leys.

Caspian Gulls came to the fore this week. On 14th they were found at no less than five different localities, which may actually constitute a local ‘day record’. On this date, there were three (two adults and a first-winter) at Rushton Landfill, a first-winter near Chacombe and single adults at Hollowell Res (remaining all week), Pitsford Res and Stanford Res. The following day saw three adults at Rushton Landfill and an adult plus a first-winter in the gull roost at Pitsford and subsequent to this, near Chacombe, a second-winter on 18th and an adult the following day. The number of Yellow-legged Gulls looked poor by comparison, with an adult and a second-winter near Chacombe on 14th – the second-winter remaining on 19th, a first-winter in the Pitsford roost on 14th and two there the following day and a first-winter at Rushton Landfill also on 14th.

Four Short-eared Owls remained at Neville’s Lodge, near Finedon until at least 18th, while Waxwings continued to prove a popular draw in downtown Kettering, where twenty-seven entertained observers (and bemused shoppers) around the Sainsbury’s/Pets At Home/School Lane area on 14th, the flock subsequently moving to St Mary’s Road the following day.

Following this, six or seven were feeding on apples in a Great Billing Garden on 18th and approximately twenty were in the Boothville area of Northampton briefly on 20th.

A mild start to the week even inspired some to go birding without a coat on 8th but the relatively warm blip, brought by light south to south-westerlies, quickly gave way to cooler, wetter conditions the following day. By mid-week, the wind had swung to the west before becoming north-westerly, and eventually northerly, by the week’s end. The change in direction saw daytime temperatures fall to just above freezing and the county experienced its first snow showers on 12th and 13th. The weather evidently had little influence on the arrival of Northamptonshire’s sixth-ever Cattle Egret, which was part of a national invasion, while Waxwings continued to be discovered and proved to be as popular as ever.

The ‘roll up and see’ adult Whooper Swan, now into the sixth week of its stay, remained at Sywell CP throughout, while the twenty-three Eurasian White-fronted Geese remained in the vicinity of Summer Leys LNR/Great Doddington, until at least 10th. Four White-fronts also visited Pitsford Res briefly on 11th. Small numbers of Red-crested Pochards included a drake at Stanford Res on 7th, a female at Pitsford Res on 8th and two at Ditchford GP on 11th, while the drake Scaup returned to, and remained on, the large lake east of Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP from 8th until the end of the week and the female was also still on the main lake at Stanwick GP on 13th.

The only Smew reported this week was a drake on the large lake between Higham Ferrers and Irthlingborough at Ditchford GP on 11th.

The highlight of the week materialised in the form of Northamptonshire’s sixth-ever Cattle Egret which, alas, remained for only one day near Dunkley’s old restaurant at Whiston on 7th. Part of a national invasion exceeding one hundred individuals, it was not entirely unexpected.

From the exciting to the more mundane, up to three Great White Egrets remained at Ravensthorpe Res, numbers between one and three were at Pitsford Res and one was again at Summer Leys all week. Also making it into the new week was the Pitsford Res Slavonian Grebe, which was still present around the dam/sailing club/Pintail Bay area until at least 11th.

The scarcest waders of the week were Jack Snipe, with two at Barnes Meadow LNR, Northampton between 7th and 12th and one at Ditchford GP on 11th. Similarly uncommon gulls during the period were restricted to the third-winter Mediterranean Gull at Daventry CP again on 12th, two Caspian Gulls (adult and first-winter) near Rushton on 8th and an adult at Daventry CP the following day. In a period during which considerable numbers of northern ‘white-winged’ gulls have appeared in the UK it is disappointing that we have not yet had one in Northants!

Two Short-eared Owls were still present at Neville’s Lodge, near Finedon on 8th and one near Summer Leys on 13th, while the flow of Waxwings into the county continued, with the three at Woodford Halse increasing to seven on 7th, three appearing at Sywell on 8th, eight in Bulwick on 10th and twenty-four in Kettering between 11th and 13th, while two Crossbills were still in Fineshade Wood on 10th.