Author: Mike Alibone

Hollowell Res. Last week, 27th November. Just when you think they’ve gone rare, three turn up in one year. This one a stunner by all accounts and a shame it didn’t stay more than a day. Largely white primary coverts (with black tips) suggest male. As for race … they are difficult without good views of a suite of characters. Nominate nivalis from Greenland, Scandinavia and north-west Russia or insulae from Iceland … I don’t know. Thanks very much to Bob Bullock for the excellent series of images below.

 

The country remained largely under the influence of a south-easterly airstream for much of the week, with overnight temperatures low enough to produce frost on two consecutive days in the early part. Otherwise, intermittent mist, fog and drizzle produced murky conditions which hampered birding to some extent.

The two Ruddy Shelducks remained mobile around Pitsford Res, being seen only on 27th this week, at the same time that Red-crested Pochard numbers appeared to have fallen to just three there, although Wicksteed Park Lake, Kettering still mustered two on the same date, remaining until 28th. Meanwhile, the Daventry CP female Scaup appears to have vacated the site while, up and over to the north-east a bit, a first-winter drake was discovered at Hollowell Res on 24th, remaining there throughout the week.

All three Great White Egrets were on show simultaneously at Pitsford Res on 23rd and another – presumably last week’s Nene Valley wanderer – but in a brief appearance at Summer Leys LNR on 26th. The Black-necked Grebe was still on Town Lake at Thrapston GP on 28th and raptors were again thin on the ground – and in the air – with just two Peregrines over Badby on 22nd and singles at both Stanwick GP and Summer Leys LNR on 24th.

Small numbers of Golden Plovers were reported intermittently from Clifford Hill GP while approximately two hundred were counted at Summer Leys LNR on 24th and a belated report of some four hundred last week on the recently reprofiled scrape at Ditchford GP’s Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows reserve is encouraging for the site. On 22nd, three Sanderlings circling Clifford Hill GP’s main barrage lake before heading off west represented a most unseasonal record for this species in the county as most occur as spring passage migrants in May. The same site also held two or three Dunlins on the same date while two were at Hollowell Res on 24th. This week’s Green Sandpipers were two at Ravensthorpe Res on 24th and singles there on 28th, at Stanford Res on 27th and Ecton SF the following day, while twos of Common Snipe were at the latter site at the same time, at Pitsford Res on 26th and at Clifford Hill GP on 27th.

Adult Mediterranean Gulls were found at Wicksteed Park Lake on 22nd and at Hollowell Res on 27th with the latter site producing an adult Caspian Gull on 24th, two on 27th and one on 28th, while a third-winter Caspian visited Daventry CP on the last of these two dates. Yellow-legged Gulls were equally scarce with just singles at Hollowell Res on 24th and 27th with two there on 28th and one at Ravensthorpe Res on the same date.

Scarce passerines are always at a premium by the time we get to November but noteworthy this week were Central European Blackcaps – all males – with two in a Duston,

Northampton Garden on 22nd-23rd, two in a Kingsthorpe, Northampton garden on 25th and one in a Wellingborough garden on 27th-28th. The only other wintering warbler reported was a Chiffchaff at Clifford Hill GP on 22nd, although there must surely be more … A single Stonechat was at Summer Leys LNR on 23rd while the usual two were at Hollowell Res all week, the latter site producing a Snow Bunting on 27th.

It’s very satisfying to again see people working hard to improve habitat in our river valley wetlands! Following last year’s reprofiling of the peninsula on Clifford Hill Gravel Pits’ main lake, Northampton Washlands, and before that, the scrape at Summer Leys LNR, a new project has recently been completed to create habitat for wildfowl and waders further along the Nene Valley at Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows.

The far eastern end of the old Ditchford Gravel Pits complex has just gone under the knife but the resultant effect is far more than simply cosmetic. The area has SSSI and SPA designations for overwintering wetland birds and, as there is floodplain meadow grassland adjoining some of the lakes, Natural England asked the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire (Wildlife BCN) to prioritise work on the lakes and grasslands either side of the King’s Meadow Lane cycle path.

Ian Wilson, Reserves Officer, Wildlife BCN said “The management aims were pretty simple: to improve the site for overwintering ducks and waders by visually reconnecting the grassland to the lakes, starting summer grazing of the grassland to create a shorter sward, helping water to move through the site and off the grassland rather than being dammed by the cycle path and sitting on the grassland for months at a time and creating additional high quality habitat by providing scrapes and an island.”

Throughout September 2013 and 2014 contractors, staff and volunteers all removed huge amounts of ten-year-old self-set willow from the grasslands, lake margins and ditch banks. The willow was burnt on site and the stumps treated to minimise re-growth.

Over a two year period fencing and grazing infrastructure has been installed ready for grazing the site in spring 2015. This fencing also creates a disturbance-free area as it excludes dogs and people from the vicinity of the most wildlife-sensitive lakes.

In July 2014 a bridge was installed and a channel cut across the cycle path to allow water to move on and off the site more quickly as well as clearing the back channel to help water flow through site.

In early August, Western Power removed three of the four lines of power cables crossing the grassland and lakes. These have been routed underground after a year of digging and mess and the fourth line will be removed next year. The removal of a large number of predator perches increases the potential for ground-nesting birds to use the grassland area to breed as well as eliminating bird-strikes on the wires and improving the look of the site no end.

The RSPB rotary ditcher was used to create a series of level foot-drains to allow water to flow on and off the grassland as well as creating good wader habitat.

Under Steve Brayshaw‘s direction, contractors removed a large ridge of soil which was trapping floodwater on the grassland and visually separating the lake from the grassland. Steve also designed the scrape and island work from the planning phase some years ago to completion this September, managed the contractors on site and ensured the job came in on budget. Steve also gave much invaluable advice and consultative assistance with the back channel clearing, the bridge and channel on the cycle path and numerous other facets of the project.

The resulting bare ground now drops very gradually from the meadow to the lake and includes a couple of scrape areas as well as a very gently varying topography to create numerous small wet areas. At the same time a tree-covered spit was cleared, lowered and cut off from the mainland to create a new island in the middle of the lake.

Finally Ian’s team have cut some viewing ‘windows’ in the hedge along the old railway track to let people see across the area they have been working on as well as improving the state of the path along the old railway. The project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Sita.

Good numbers of Common Snipe and around four hundred each of Lapwing and Golden Plover last week serve to demonstrate that the scrape works are achieving their aims already! Hopefully once the weather gets colder we will see an increase in the number of ducks too.

Don’t forget the lakeside and meadow habitat is just one of many as there are some good mature hedges, mixed scrub, reed fringes, wet woodland and plenty of willow left to attract a broad spectrum of avian and other wildlife.

Access                                                                                                                                                                                                                The site map below provides a general overview of the area and the few yellow dots indicate where best to view the main area of improvement.

Today’s photo – the first of the series above – was taken from the dot midway between the 11 and 12 labels. Note that the path around wader flats is prone to flooding and is often wet and slippery. The old railway and the new greenway are much better all-weather surfaces from which to explore the area. The site can be accessed most easily from Station Road at the Stanwick GP Lakes end or from St Peter’s way near to the town centre car park.

Many thanks to Ian Wilson for providing commentary, photographs and the map and to Steve Brayshaw for additional detail and photographs.

The country fell under the influence of an easterly or south-easterly airstream for much of the week, although it remained largely dry with temperatures around, or above, the seasonal norm.

This week’s round-up is, then, a subtle blend of predictability and paucity, with a fair proportion of last week’s and long-staying birds remaining and few new discoveries being made. The Stanford Res Pink-footed Goose was still present on 15th and the same site still held at least seven Red-crested Pochards until 20th, with six at Wicksteed Park Lake the following day. The two Ruddy Shelducks were also still present at Pitsford Res on 20th and just one female Scaup remained at Daventry CP on 18th, while the female Ring-necked Duck was still at Wicksteed Park Lake, Kettering on 16th, although there have been so subsequent reports.

At least two Great White Egrets seem set to winter at Pitsford Res, having been seen on and off throughout the week, while one visited Thrapston GP on 15th and Stanwick GP two days later. A Black-necked Grebe resurfaced on Thrapston GP’s Town Lake on 15th and the only Peregrine to put in an appearance was one further up the Nene Valley at Stanwick GP on 20th.

An Oystercatcher at Stanwick GP on 17th was unseasonal but six hundred Golden Plovers there at the same time was the highest number in the county so far this autumn.  A Green Sandpiper at Pitsford Res on 15th was the week’s only record, as were up to three Redshanks at Stanwick GP between 17th and 20th and three Common Snipe there on the last of these dates. Stanwick also produced a Yellow-legged Gull on 17th, while two were at Pitsford Res on 15th along with an adult Caspian Gull at the same time.

A Ring-necked Parakeet visited a garden in Aldwincle on 15th while, just up the road in Oundle, a late autumn Black Redstart spent two days on St Peters Church spire on 17th-18th.

More usual fare included returning Central European Blackcaps with two different birds on consecutive days, 16th and 17th, in one Northampton garden and a male in a Wellingborough garden on 17th. Other wintering warblers were three Chiffchaffs at Stanford Res on 15th (one on 16th) and one at Stanwick GP on 19th, while a Cetti’s Warbler at Spring Marsh in the Brampton Valley on 16th was an unusual find away from this species’ favoured Nene Valley locations.

The Starling murmuration at Thrapston Gravel Pits’ Titchmarsh Reserve continues to attract attention – not just from us birders but from predators, too. Alan Coles captured this Sparrowhawk on the edge of the flock, having a go, this evening.

One recent estimate has put the total of Starlings roosting in the reedbed at between fifteen and twenty thousand! To view, park in the Aldwincle car park, walk down the track to the gate, turn right and walk to the second hide.

This female Ring-necked Duck swam into the record books as Northamptonshire’s 5th when Nick Parker picked it up during heavy rain at Wicksteed Park Lake, Kettering yesterday afternoon. Poor light hampered serious photography and the identification was tentative.

Not so today, though, when the bird showed well all day on the south-east side of the lake. A nice adult female: defined, though narrow while subterminal bill band (less defined and more diffuse on juv/1st winter), restricted, dull yellow-tinged feathering around bill base (whiter and more extensive on juv/first-winter) and uniformly patterned underparts (patchy/whitish in juv/1st winter) offer clues to age and sex of this individual.

This bird follows hot on the heels of last year’s female at Stanwick GP on 20th November, images and previous records here.