Dull, dreary and leniently mild, with light winds off the continent and temperatures above average for the time of year, this week’s weather was anything but inspiring. But it was far from doom and gloom on the birding front as November began to shape up nicely from the get-go, kicking off with some select species which had, to date, managed to evade all but the lucky few earlier in the year.
The first of these was a Dark-bellied Brent Goose found on 4th at Clifford Hill GP, the same site laying claim to the year’s only previous record of a decently-sized flock of sixteen – albeit very briefly – on 12th March. In a similar vein, this week’s bird chose not to stick around and had departed by the following day.
Clifford Hill GP, also known latterly as ‘Northampton Washlands’, has established a knack for pulling them in and, offering the largest slice of the Brent Goose pie, is the best place by far for a chance encounter in early spring or late autumn.
Other geese were, of course, available and a respectable skein of approximately twenty Pink-footed Geese was watched flying north over Pitsford Res on 2nd, while singles included one in flight with Greylags over Stanwick GP on 3rd and the sporadic visitor to Stanford Res there again on 8th.
Stanford’s admirable run of Whooper Swans extended to another week when three adults and four juveniles dropped in together on 2nd. Staying long enough for a photoshoot, they departed shortly after being found. Coincidentally, or not, seven were seen flying east over Clifford Hill just under an hour later.
The female Ruddy Shelduck remained at Winwick Pools, where it was seen on 4th and 8th, while Red-crested Pochards became more widespread this week with the largest number of six remaining at Stanford throughout. Nine further localities produced smaller numbers which included five at Stortons GP on 7th, single drakes at Blatherwycke Lake from 2nd until at least 5th, Thrapston GP on 2nd and Pitsford on 5th, the first-winter drake still at Boddington Res until at least 7th, twos at Clifford Hill on 5th, Stanwick on 7th and Ditchford GP on 8th and a female at Kislingbury GP on the last of these dates.
A female Greater Scaup visited Blatherwycke Lake on 5th.
Proving its worth once again, Clifford Hill attracted five Avocets which, although seemingly unsettled, remained throughout the day on 4th. This was only the sixth county record of the year and a decent flock size to boot, following four there on 7th September.
And sealing its eminence as this week’s standout locality, Clifford Hill went on to produce a Knot, also on 4th. This was only the third for the county in 2024 after the first – a one-day bird which also turned up there in March – and the second, which circled Stanford Res without landing, the previous morning of the 3rd. The Clifford Hill individual was still present on 6th and another, or the same, visited Ditchford GP’s Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows NR briefly on 7th.
Four sites produced Mediterranean Gulls, Boddington Res holding the maximum of three (an adult and two first-winters) in its roost on 4th and an adult only on 6th-7th. The Stanford roost produced an adult and a first-winter on 2nd, a second-winter on 3rd and an adult again on 8th, while a first-winter visited Hollowell Res on 4th and two first-winters were in a pre-roost at Daventry CP the following day.
Caspian Gulls were also found at four localities with, again, the Boddington roost producing the highest numbers of five on 6th, three on 4th and two on 7th. Stanford’s roost held an adult on 3rd and a second-winter on 8th and single adults were found at Wicksteed Park Lakes on 3rd and at Hollowell on 4th and 8th. Similarly, Boddington pulled in double figures of Yellow-legged Gulls, the roost count maxing out with at least twelve on 4th and 7th, while smaller numbers included two at Winwick Pools on 4th and singles on various dates throughout the period at Clifford Hill, Pitsford and Stanford.
There’s little to be said about the Summer Leys Glossy Ibis, which remained on site for another full week, while Bitterns and Cattle Egrets were the sole preserve of Stanwick, with two of the former on 4th and eight of the latter on 3rd and 7th.
Just one, or maybe two, Marsh Harrier(s) were seen during the period with sightings almost daily from the Summer Leys enclave and the wider area of Earls Barton GP. However, it turned out to be another good seven days for Hen Harriers, the previous week’s ‘ringtail’ at Earls Barton GP’s New Workings (South) now appearing settled, regularly showing well to all comers, daily, throughout the week. The same locality produced a fly-through male on 5th and another male was seen at Ashton and over fields south of nearby Bozenham Mill on 7th, while the latter date also saw another ‘ringtail’ at Harrington AF.
The number of Short-eared Owls also increased with single birds at Harrington on 2nd and 5th-7th and at both Clifford Hill GP and Stanford Res on 5th.
A male Merlin was found at Harrington on 4th.
And, surprisingly, the first 2024 Bearded Tits appeared at Stanwick GP, where two were first seen on 5th and remained until the week’s end.
The run of Yellow-browed Warblers continued with one briefly in a Kettering garden on 5th and another – or the same – reported between Wicksteed Park Lakes and Barton Seagrave two days later, on 7th.
In the west of the county, proving its worth not just for gulls, Boddington produced a first-winter Ring Ouzel in an off-site adjacent hedgerow on 6th, while a Black Redstart spent at least three days in Braunston, at a site with no public access, between 4th and 6th. Stonechats were recorded from Earls Barton, Hollowell, Lilbourne Meadows NR, Pitsford, Stanford and Summer Leys, with a maximum site count of four at Hollowell on 4th.
And Hawfinches continued to be found at various sites across the county, with Cottesbrooke proving the most reliable location for catching up with them. Here they were recorded on a daily basis with a maximum of three or four present on 6th. Elsewhere, from high to low, nine flew south-south-east over Boddington on 4th, five were mobile around Welton on 8th, three were again in Thenford Churchyard on 2nd and the same number flew south over Hanging Houghton on 5th and three were also in St Peter’s Churchyard, Deene on 7th. Blatherwycke churchyard produced two on 3rd and one on 5th and two were found at Lamport Hall on 8th.
Single Crossbills flew over both Hollowell and Cottesbrooke on 3rd.
Northants birds 