Author: Mike Alibone

A high pressure system located to the north-east of the UK ensured a constant, cold easterly airstream, suppressing temperatures and producing snow as it collided with the warmer, moist Atlantic air at both the beginning and the end of the week. The ‘Siberian Spring’ seems set to continue …

Migration continued despite the unseasonal weather conditions and fewer winter ducks were in evidence with two Smew at Pitsford Res on 19th and six there on 22nd with a ‘redhead’ at Thrapston GP on 20th. Goosanders were recorded at Stanford Res, Clifford Hill GP, Stortons GP and Thrapston GP with a maximum of thirteen at the latter site on 17th.

The only Bittern found this week was one at Earls Barton GP’s Quarry Walk on 18th while the wintering Great White Egret was still present at Pitsford Res on 21st and another Osprey was present at the same site on 19th, 20th and 21st. Peregrines were seen at both Thrapston GP and Northampton on 20th while the immature male Merlin was still present at Harrington AF on the same date.

Waders on the move included a high count of approximately sixty-five Common Snipe at Pitsford Res on 19th and two Jack Snipe at Hollowell Res on 16th and 22nd with another trapped and ringed at Stortons GP on 17th. The only Redshanks reported were two at Summer Leys LNR on 17th with a Curlew there and two more at Clifford Hill GP on the same date. ‘New’ Green Sandpipers were two at Earls Barton GP on 17th and three at Pitsford Res on 21st.

A fourth-winter Glaucous Gull at Finedon Road, Wellingborough on 16th had been present there the previous day and was not the same individual, an adult, which was seen at nearby Ditchford GP last week, while a juvenile circled Boddington Res for five minutes on 19th before drifting west.

Other relatively scarce larids included a second-winter Yellow-legged Gull at Pitsford Res on 19th and two adults at Ravensthorpe Res on 22nd, an adult Kittiwake at Boddington Res on the same date with the same site hosting three Mediterranean Gulls (two adults and a first-winter) on 19th and an adult on 21st.

One or two Bearded Tits remained in the reedbed at Ecton SF on 17th and another was still at Earls Barton GP’s Quarry Walk the following day.  Just one Sand Martin was discovered battling against the elements this week at Pitsford Res on 19th, while a Siberian Chiffchaff remained at Ecton SF on 18th along with up to four Chiffchaffs and another Chiffchaff was singing at Thrapston GP on 20th. Central European Blackcaps remained in two gardens in Duston (Northampton), Kettering, Northampton, Rothwell and Wellingborough, with a maximum of three males in one of the Duston gardens on 17th and eleven Waxwings put in a brief appearance in a Woodford Halse garden on 22nd.

The first Northern Wheatear of the spring was below the dam at Pitsford Res on 21st and other spring passerine migrants included a White Wagtail at Hollowell Res on 16th and a Rock Pipit at Pitsford Res on 19th and 20th. Two Bramblings continued to be seen at East Hunsbury (Northampton), one at Pitsford Res and up to twelve at Harrington AF, while seven Crossbills were at Bucknell Wood on 18th.

A dramatic return to sub-zero overnight temperatures and snow flurries did not appear to stop the first spring migrants pushing through the County, although the few summer visitors recorded this week will have struggled to make significant progress against the biting easterlies which have so far characterised the ‘Siberian Spring.’ The five Egyptian Geese were still in fields by the watersports pit at Ditchford GP until at least 11th, Pintail maintained a low profile with just two at Stanford Res on 9th and the number of Smew remained low, with long staying pairs at Pitsford Res and Ravensthorpe Res on 9th and a ‘redhead’ at the latter locality on 11th, plus a ‘new’ pair at Stanwick GP from 12th to 14th and a ‘redhead’ at Stortons GP from 9th to 13th. Numbers of Goosanders similarly remained lower than in previous weeks with between two and eight at eight localities but eleven were at Clifford Hill GP and twelve at Stanwick GP on 14th. The drake Ferruginous Duck x Pochard hybrid was back again at Daventry CP on 14th and the drake Scaup was still present on the watersports pit at Ditchford GP on 15th.

The Ravensthorpe Bittern remained at the reservoir until at least 13th and the Pitsford Great White Egret continued its protracted stay throughout the week. A ‘new’ Slavonian Grebe appeared at Daventry CP on 10th but it did not linger; conceivably it could have been the same individual which had been at Clifford Hill GP the previous week and perhaps at Pitsford Res prior to that.

An Osprey flying north at Pitsford Res on 13th was no doubt the first of many Northants migrants to come, the vanguard having already arrived in Scotalnd a few days previously. Peregrines were seen at Harrington AF on 9th and in the Brampton Valley on 13th while the immature male Merlin was seen again at Harrington AF on the latter date.

More waders were in evidence than last week and the first migrants beginning to trickle through included a Ringed Plover at Hollowell Res on 9th with three more at Clifford Hill GP on 12th. Golden Plover numbers were up on last week with seventeen flying south over Stortons GP on 9th and fifteen at Harrington AF and approximately eighty at Stanford Res on the same date, two hundred and twenty at Clifford Hill GP on 12th and more than three hundred at Sywell AF the same day. Single Dunlins were found at Ditchford GP and at Hollowell Res on 9th, four Jack Snipe were at the latter locality on the same day and the only Redshank reported was a group of four at Stanwick GP on 10th. Single migrant Curlews flew over Old Pastures Wood on 7th, Great Brington on 9th and Boddington Res on 15th and three were on fields at Ecton SF on 10th, the latter site also continuing to host the regular wintering Green Sandpiper on the same date.

One juvenile Glaucous Gull was again at Finedon Road, Wellingborough on 9th and an adult commuted between there and Ditchford GP’s Viaduct Pit on 15th while single adult Yellow-legged Gulls visited Hollowell Res and Stanford Res on 9th and second-winters visited Ravensthorpe Res on 11th and Pitsford Res on 14th. Kittiwakes are almost guaranteed in March and one visited the gull roost at Boddington Res on 9th and the same site hosted a first winter Mediterranean Gull on 15th.

A Ring-necked Parakeet was seen again at Stoke Bruerne on 13th and two Sand Martins – the first of the ‘summer’ – were at Ditchford GP on 9th, while a Chiffchaff was at Ravensthorpe Res on 11th and seven were still frequenting the outflow stream at Ecton SF on 12th along with one Siberian Chiffchaff.  Numbers of Central European Blackcaps were lower this week with just a female in a Wellingborough garden on 10th, a male in a Kettering garden on 11th, a pair in a Duston (Northampton) garden on 13th and two males in a Northampton garden on 10th and 13th.

During the first four days of the week there was a flush of Rock Pipits involving singles at Hollowell Res on 9th, Boddington Res on 10th and Clifford Hill GP on 12th and a Scandinavian Rock Pipit was at Stanwick GP on 10th. Bramblings continued to be seen at East Hunsbury (Northampton), Pitsford Res and Harrington AF with a maximum of twelve at the latter site on 14th, while approximately twenty Crossbills were still at Wakerley Great Wood on 9th.

The week continued mainly mild with few new birds being discovered during the period and the first suggestion that some winter visitors were beginning to depart. The eight White-fronted Geese at Clifford Hill GP remained until 2nd as did the five Egyptian Geese in fields by the watersports lake at Ditchford GP until at least 5th. The latter site still held a drake Scaup on 4th but the number of Smew was much lower than in previous weeks with just one ‘redhead’ at Ravensthorpe Res on 2nd and 4th and a pair at Pitsford Res on 5th. Goosanders similarly were recorded in lower numbers and at fewer localities with three at Clifford Hill GP and four at Stortons GP on 2nd, three at Hardingstone GP on 4th and eleven at Thrapston GP on 5th. Higher number of Wigeon at several localities hinted at the beginning of a spring movement of this species.

The Ravensthorpe Bittern remained on the ‘small side’ of the reservoir all week and the Pitsford Great White Egret was still being seen until at least 5th while last week’s Slavonian Grebe remained on the trout lake at Clifford Hill GP until at least 2nd.

Peregrines were seen at Stanwick GP on 2nd, in the Brampton Valley on 5th and at Harrington AF the next day while Merlins – or perhaps the same immature male – appeared at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) on 4th and at Harrington AF on 5th and 6th. A paucity of waders included 58 Golden Plovers at Clifford Hill GP on 2nd, a Redshank at Pitsford Res on 5th with the regular Green Sandpiper at Ecton SF on the same date and a Jack Snipe at the unusual location of Brixworth Sewage Works on 7th.

Juvenile Glaucous Gull, Ditchford GP, 3rd March 2013 (Mike Alibone)

At least two Glaucous Gulls were seen in the first half of the week with a ‘near-adult’ and a juvenile at Ditchford GP on 3rd and a juvenile there the next day and the ‘near-adult’ at nearby Stanwick GP on 6th. Last week’s juvenile Iceland Gull was seen at Sidegate Landfill on 3rd and an adult was on floodwater by the A6 between Irthlingborough and Finedon on the same date with presumably the same individual visiting Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP on 5th. The only Yellow-legged Gull to be reported reported was an adult at Ravensthorpe Res on 2nd.

Two Bearded Tits remained in the Phragmites bed at Ecton SF on 5th and fifteen Chiffchaffs were still along the outflow stream there on the same date, while nine Central European Blackcaps were reported in gardens in Duston (Northampton) Kettering, Northampton (2), Pitsford and Wellingborough with a maximum of three in a Northampton garden on 4th. After a week with none, five Waxwings visited Brixworth CP on 6th and a Stonechat was at Ecton SF on 5th. Bramblings continued to be seen at East Hunsbury (Northampton), Hanging Houghton, Kelmarsh, Stortons GP, Pitsford,

Pitsford Res and Wakerley Great Wood with a maximum of ten at Harrington AF on 6th, while approximately thirty Crossbills were at Wakerley Great Wood on 3rd and between twelve and fifteen were there on 5th.

A largely dry week with ‘spring-like’ weather during the latter half saw a trickle of new arrivals in the County. The eight White-fronted Geese at Clifford Hill GP remained all week, feeding with the resident Greylags and Canadas in the field behind the Premier Inn at the western end of the complex while another, found at Thrapston GP on 24th, was still present on the North Lake there on 27th. Five mobile Egyptian Geese were again in fields by the watersports lake at Ditchford GP on 24th but had seemingly vanished by the next day and the pair of Pintail at Stanwick GP on 24th were again the only ones to be seen during the period. At least one drake Scaup remained on the watersports pit at Ditchford GP on the same date and a hybrid drake Ferruginous Duck x Pochard was discovered at Daventry CP on 26th. Six Smew were still at Pitsford Res on 23rd, while up to the same number remained at Ravensthorpe Res throughout the week and Goosanders were recorded at Blatherwycke Lake, Daventry CP and Stanford Res and at Clifford Hill, Ditchford, Stanwick and Thrapston GPs with a maximum of eighteen at the latter site on 24th.

A Bittern found on the ‘small side’ at Ravensthorpe Res on 23rd and still present on 1st  is likely to have been the same individual present there on 28th January, subsequently

remaining undetected, while the Pitsford Great White Egret was seen again on 25th and 28th. Last week’s Slavonian Grebe remained on the trout lake at Clifford Hill GP until at least 24th but the only Peregrine this week was one at Ditchford GP on 25th.

The Golden Plover count at Clifford Hill GP reached a maximum of only c100 on 24th and there was a Redshank there and three at Stanwick GP on the same date.  The regular Green Sandpiper was seen at Ecton SF on 27th and 28th and four Jack Snipe were located at Hollowell Res on 23rd. Two juvenile Glaucous Gulls at Ditchford GP on 24th and a juvenile Iceland Gull at Wellingborough on 1st were the only scarce gulls of the week. Up to three Bearded Tits remained in the Phragmites bed at Ecton SF all week and eight Chiffchaffs were still along the outflow stream there on the same date with at least one Siberian Chiffchaff still there on 24th, 26th, 28th and 1st. Five Central European Blackcaps were reported, all in gardens, this week: a female in Rothwell on

25th, a male in Irthlingborough on 25th and 26th, a male in Northampton and a male and female in Wellingborough all week. A trickle of Bramblings included singles at East Hunsbury (Northampton), Kelmarsh and Pitsford Res and multiples at Harrington AF with a maximum of eight there on 28th. Other finches of interest included several Crossbills at Harlestone Heath on 28th and a Mealy Redpoll at Polebrook on the same date.

The relatively high temperatures in the early part of the week rapidly gave way to a return to cold, wintry – though dry – weather during the latter half, when eight White-fronted Geese were found at Clifford Hill GP on 22nd. Six Egyptian Geese visited

Ditchford GP on 16th and two were discovered close to the River Nene near Barnwell CP the next day. Up to three Shelduck were seen at Clifford Hill GP, Ditchford GP and

White-fronted Geese, Cilfford Hill GP, 22nd February 2013 (Mike Alibone)

  Summer Leys LNR and two Pintail at Stanwick GP on 20th were the only ones to be found during the period, this species having remained quite scarce so far this year. The long-staying Scaup remained at Ditchford GP, where there were two drakes on 19th and seven Smew remained at Ravensthorpe Res on 16th, two were at Earls Barton GP the same day and up to six were at Pitsford Res on 17th and 18th, while Goosanders were present at Summer Leys LNR, Ditchford GP and Clifford Hill GP, with a maximum of fourteen at the latter site on 17th.

Single Bitterns were found at Ditchford GP on 17th and at Earl Barton GP’s Quarry Walk on 20th while the Pitsford Great White Egret was seen on 17th, 18th and 19th. A Slavonian Grebe – perhaps the bird from Pitsford – appeared at Clifford Hill GP on 22nd and a pair of adult Peregrines was discovered at a suitable breeding site on 18th and one was seen over Lings Wood (Northampton) on 21st.

Oystercatchers were more in evidence this week with up to three now back at Clifford Hill GP, Ditchford GP, Stanwick GP and Summer Leys LNR, between seventy and eighty Golden Plovers were at Clifford Hill GP on 22nd and one visited Kingsthorpe LNR (Northampton) on 20th, the same day that there was a Dunlin and 9 Redshanks at Stanwick GP. Another Redshank was at Summer Leys LNR on 17th and a Green Sandpiper was at Ecton SF the same day.

Apart from a third-year Yellow-legged Gull in the roost at Pitsford Res on 20th, rare gulls were confined to the Nene valley with a near-adult Caspian Gull at Ditchford GP on 19th when a juvenile Glaucous Gull was also there, later visiting nearby Stanwick GP on 20th and 22nd with an adult Iceland Gull there on the latter date.

Stoke Bruerne has a track record in producing Ring-necked Parakeets and seven were seen there on 19th with two there next day while four flew over nearby Ashton on 17th. Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers were in evidence at Lings Wood (Northampton) on 16th, 17th, 19th and 21st and at Old Sulehay on the first of these dates while at least two male Bearded Tits continued their winter residence in the Phragmites bed at Ecton SF and up to two more were seen at Earls Barton GP’s Quarry Walk between 17th and 20th. At least ten Chiffchaffs remained at Ecton SF with up to two Siberian Chiffchaffs throughout the week and a total of five Central European Blackcaps visited gardens in Northampton, Weedon and Wellingborough, while four Waxwings remained in Corby on 16th and approximately twelve were seen in Great Brington the following day. Small numbers of Bramblings continued to be seen at the regular sites of Hanging Houghton, Harrington AF, and Kelmarsh with one in East Hunsbury (Northampton) on 16th and a

maximum of at least twelve at Harrington AF on 21st, while single Mealy Redpolls visited garden feeders in Byfield on 17th and Polebrook on 18th.

A cold start to the week with intermittent light snow, which rapidly gave way to relatively mild conditions at the week’s end. Twenty-nine Shelduck at Deene Lake on 13th was an exceptionally high total for a single site in the County. Thirteen Smew, including one drake, remained at Ravensthorpe Res on 9th while two were at Thrapston GP on 10th, nine at Pitsford Res on 11th and one at Earls Barton GP on 13th. Single-figure counts of Goosanders were made at Abington Park Lake (Northampton), Clifford Hill GP, Hardingstone GP, Hollowell Res, Pitsford Res, Summer Leys LNR and Wicksteed Park Lake (Kettering) with a maximum of ten at Stanford Res on 9th.

The Pitsford Great White Egret was seen on 9th and 14th and on the latter date it was back on the marsh on the Holcot-Walgrave Road, by the Hannington turn. A Peregrine at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) on 12th was the only raptor of interest this week but there were more waders reported with a Redshank and c1000 Golden Plovers at Clifford Hill GP on 12th and c600 there along with 2 Dunlins on 14th. Singles each of Black-tailed Godwit and Green Sandpiper were at Stanford Res and Ecton SF on 9th and 10th respectively. Another Redshank was  at Pitsford Res on 15th when there were also two Yellow-legged Gulls in the roost there.

The Hanging Houghton ‘Nordic’ Jackdaw was seen there again on 12th and at least twelve Chiffchaffs remained at Ecton SF with up to two Siberian Chiffchaffs throughout the week, as did at least two Bearded Tits. Single male Central European Blackcaps visited gardens in Duston (Northampton), Kettering, Pitsford and Towcester, while 2 males and a female were regularly in a Spratton garden and at least four also visited a garden in Wellingborough. A belated report of a Firecrest heard in a Pitsford garden on 8th attracted would-be observers on subsequent days but it was not relocated, while the long-staying male Stonechat at Hollowell Res was still present on 9th. On 11th, seventeen Waxwings flew over Pitsford Res, eight were in Cottesbrooke the next day and six in nearby Hanging Houghton on 14th, when at least fourteen were in Deanshanger and several were in Corby on 15th. Small numbers of Bramblings continued to be seen at the regular sites of Hanging Houghton, Harrington AF, Kelmarsh, and Pitsford Res but four were near Grimscote on 12th and two in East Hunsbury (Northampton) on the same date, while a Mealy Redpoll visited a Byfield garden on 11th.

A relatively mild week with few new birds of note. A Dark-bellied Brent Goose was a one-day visitor to Ravensthorpe Res on 2nd and two Pintail were seen at Stanwick GP the next day. Ravensthorpe again held the highest number of Smew with up to twelve present there on 2nd, while up to three remained at Pitsford Res and two were seen at Thrapston GP on 4th. Twenty-seven Goosanders at Stanford Res on 2nd beat last week’s highest winter total of twenty-five at Thrapston GP, where there were just sixteen on 4th, while Stanwick GP held eighteen on 3rd and one was at Blatherwycke Lake on 7th.

After an apparent absence last week, the Great White Egret reappeared at Pitsford Res on 3rd, as did the Slavonian Grebe, which was seen there again on 2nd. Single female Peregrines seen at Brackmills (Northampton) on 2nd and at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) on 4th and another at Stortons GP on 8th were the only raptors of note this week.

The first of the spring Oystercatchers returned to Stanwick GP on 7th, where there was approximately thirty Golden Plovers on 4th, sixty in the Brampton Valley on the same date and the same number at Clifford Hill GP on 5th. Five Jack Snipe at Barnes Meadow (Northampton) on 2nd was a high count for this suburban locality, nine Redshanks remained at Stanwick GP all week and a Green Sandpiper was at Ecton SF on 3rd and 4th.

On 3rd, an adult Mediterranean Gull visited Hollowell Res while a first-winter Caspian Gull was at Ditchford GP on 26th January (omitted from last week’s report) and two juvenile Glaucous Gulls visited the gull roost at nearby Stanwick GP on 6th. Two Yellow-legged Gulls were also at Stanwick on 3rd, a second-winter was in the Pitsford Res roost on 4th and two adults were there the following evening and a first-winter Kittiwake was also there on 2nd.

Just one Short-eared Owl was seen at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) on 3rd when a minimum of twenty Chiffchaffs – an unprecedented single locality winter count – was recorded at Ecton SF and up to three Siberian Chiffchaffs were still present there throughout the week.

At least four Bearded Tits were seen again in the Phragmites bed there on 2nd after having maintained a low profile since early January. Single male Central European Blackcaps visited gardens in Northampton at East Hunsbury, Duston and Kingsthorpe and beyond in Barton Seagrave, while a male and two females remained in a Wellingborough garden all week and at least three (2 males) have been present in a Spratton garden throughout the winter. Just one report of Waxwings concerned six in Deanshanger on 8th and the long-staying male Stonechat at Hollowell Res was still present on 2nd.  Single-figure counts of Bramblings were made at East Hunsbury (Northampton), Hanging Houghton, Kelmarsh, and Pitsford Res while up to twenty were at Harrington AF on 3rd and six Crossbills were in the usual location of the car park at Wakerley Great Wood on 2nd.