Northants birds

With a high pressure system firmly anchored over Scandinavia, producing sustained, strong easterlies for a significant part of the week, things began to build nicely for a surge of migrants from the continent. Throw in the essential ingredients of low cloud and rain, and the perfect combination of weather conditions was set to deliver. And it did …

Five more summer visitors checked in this week – all of them pretty much on cue, although in days gone by, when Tree Pipits maintained a healthy local population, this one is ‘late’ in comparison to the first arrivals that used to occur in March, as well as being a scarcity in itself.

By the end of the third week in April, wildfowl numbers are now predictably low, this week’s offering consisting of a Pink-footed Goose at Stanwick GP from 17th to the week’s end, a disappearing drake Garganey, briefly, at Daventry CP on 16th following a much more obliging drake Common Scoter there the day before.

Also adding to, as well as topping, the Daventry delectables this week were two smart, summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebes, present there, for one day only, on 17th. For anyone not able to connect with them, there was the chance of a second bite of the cherry when two turned up at Pitsford Res, two days later, on 19th. Perhaps the same duo – and clearly a pair, they were displaying there in Moulton Grange Bay for the greater part of the afternoon.

Larger waders were a key component of this week’s aforementioned weather conditions, kicking off with, as above, the year’s first Whimbrel, which flew east over Clifford Hill GP on the evening of 17th. The next day, four flew east together at Stanwick, followed by one on the main Lake there, briefly, on 19th, the same date producing another bird flying north-northeast over Daventry CP. One more put in a characteristically brief appearance at Clifford Hill GP, early on 20th, before departing to the east.

Then came the godwits. An initial rush of Bar-tailed Godwits commenced with an early morning eleven at Stanwick on 18th, followed there the next day by a flock of thirty, straight through, during the afternoon. In fact, this second day saw the biggest movement with thirteen on the ground, briefly, at Summer Leys before departing east, followed there less than an hour later by eleven more short-stayers on the scrape. Before the day was out, two more had pitched down at Clifford Hill GP, where they were still to be found the next morning, the 20th, having been joined by three more. Back over at Stanwick, two different, single birds dropped in on 20th and 21st, while the Clifford Hill five remained until the latter date, representing the only truly lingering birds during the period.

Considerably outnumbered by the last species, Black-tailed Godwits put in appearance at Summer Leys, where five short-stayers were seen on 18th and three lingered at Clifford Hill GP from 19th to 21st, teaming up with the on-site Bar-tailed Godwits.

And then there were Little Gulls … Perhaps not quite the tsunami we may have come to expect based on previous years but impressive numbers nonetheless. With the biggest arrival on day one, the 19th, Clifford Hill took pride of place in stacking up the numbers. An initial late morning arrival of 17 quickly ramped up to at least twenty-four as more birds arrived during the afternoon but all except three moved on in haste. Elsewhere on 19th, twelve flew east at Stanwick GP and groups of three and eleven passed east through Summer Leys. On 20th, Summer Leys had produced at least a further seven by the end of the day, Daventry CP held on to three for 30 minutes, while Clifford Hill, Pitsford and Stanwick mustered one apiece. Producing two, Stanford Res got in on the action on 21st and single birds were again at Stanwick and Summer Leys.

Other gulls were, of course, available and, this week, adult Mediterranean Gulls were not the sole preserve of Stanwick, where two were present between 15th and 19th, being joined by another two, for one day only, on 17th. Two then flew west through Summer Leys on the evening of 18th. The period’s only Caspian Gull was a first-winter at Hollowell Res on 17th.

Hot on the heels of the year’s first Arctic Tern, at Thrapston on 12th, more arrived this week, Summer Leys taking the lion’s share of eight on 17th, when five also moved through Stanford and two visited Clifford Hill. Summer Leys again saw two on 18th, when one was at Stanwick, while singles visited Pitsford on 19th-20th and Boddington Res on 21st.

After last week’s Nene Valley White Stork it, or another, was reported in the Brampton Valley, between Brixworth and Cottesbrooke on 16th.

Meanwhile, raptors were on the up this week with Ospreys seen at Hollowell on 16th, 17th and 18th, Pitsford on 16th and 17th and at Ravensthorpe on 16th and 21st.

Marsh Harriers, too, were very much in evidence with singles at Polebrook AF on 16th, Pitsford on 17th, Stanwick on 17th and 20th, Earls Barton GP’s Quarry Walk on 20th and at nearby Summer Leys the following day. Two Hen Harriers, including an adult male, were seen in flight between Weston and Helmdon on 21st.

Aside from the arrival of some of the more common summer visitors, scarcer migrant passerine numbers ramped up somewhat during the period. Single male Ring Ouzels put in brief appearances at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 15th and at Polebrook AF the following day. Time for further spring occurrences of this iconic thrush is fast running out …

Not so for Common Redstarts, though, with this week’s quota of bobby dazzlers adding a splash of colour to Blueberry Farm on 15th and 20th, Honey Hill on 15th and at both Lamport and Harrington on 17th.

Northern Wheatears were clearly in evidence during the past seven days and a maximum site count of six at Clifford Hill on 15th was noteworthy. Elsewhere, threes were at Willowbrook Industrial Estate, Corby on 16th, at Harrington on 17th and in the Brampton Valley between Brixworth and Hanging Houghton on the same date. Two were present at Blueberry Farm on 15th and 20th, singles at Pitsford, Hollowell and Honey Hill on 15th and at Deenethorpe and Wappenham on 16th and 17th, respectively.

Last but not least, the first Greenland Wheatear of the spring was found at DIRFT 3 on the last day of the week. There will no doubt be more of these swarthy-looking hulks to come as we move into the latter part of the spring.

Given the veritable rush of quality birds during the past seven days, nobody would ever have believed this was only the second week of April. This time it was the turn of that good old easybirdin’ site, Summer Leys, to produce an outstanding crop of goodies for the delectation of birders, both locally and from further afield. In addition to this, eight more firsts for the year made their presence known at localities across the county.

A belated report of a Ring Ouzel, from the week before the review period, became the forerunner of this week’s birds, which included a male and female at Borough Hill on 11th, followed by single males at Honey Hill on 11th-13th and at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 13th-14th. None of the other arrivals during the period is an early record-breaker but the Pied Flycatcher in Kettering comes close, as well as being a locally sought-after scarcity in itself. The earliest on record in modern times was one at Hazelborough Forest on 7th April 1987.

But as birds continued to arrive, some undertook to depart and this week saw the last of the long-staying female Ring-necked Duck, which was no longer in residence at Ravensthorpe Res after 8th. On its last day, it shared the site with a female Common Scoter – the latter present for one day only.

On the opposite side of the Brampton Valley, a strange case of déjà vu was to unfold on the evening of 10th, when two drake Red-breasted Mergansers were discovered distantly off the sailing club at Pitsford Res. After rapidly moving off into ‘The Narrows’, they disappeared completely as the day drew to a close and were never seen again, echoing the recent behaviour exhibited by the two drakes seen at Daventry CP on 29th March. Pure coincidence maybe, but, given the rarity of these spiky-crested sawbills, it seems much more likely that this duo had been loafing locally, remaining somewhere under the radar for the past twelve days. We’ll never know for sure …

Same time, same place and one would-be merganser observer came across a Black-necked Grebe off ‘The Gorse Bushes’, well south of the causeway. Unfortunately, taking a leaf out of the mergansers’ book, its presence was short-lived and it was nowhere to be found the following morning.

Away from the reservoirs, the Nene Valley was to become the focus for this week’s top tier rarities, all of which conveniently converged on Summer Leys. Kicking off chronologically, the site attracted a smart male Kentish Plover from 11th until the week’s end, during which time it kept its distance on Gull Island.

A truly special wader in many respects, not least for the fact that it was only the 12th record for Northamptonshire but also because it was the first in the county for almost thirty years. In the last century it was simply a scarce annual visitor to the UK but in recent years it has assumed almost vagrant status nationally and, as such, it pulled in birders from far and wide. There were only six records in the UK in 2021.

All but one of the previous county records have come from sites in the Nene Valley and, if we include this latest individual, 75% have occurred in spring.

Only hours after the discovery of the plover, next up came a White Stork. First picked up in flight over Ditchford GP as it moved west along the Nene Valley, early in the afternoon. Some 40 minutes later it entered Summer Leys airspace but, after circling the site, appeared to continue moving west before heading back and making landfall, briefly, on the edge of the reserve’s Main Lake. From here it moved to the bank of the River Nene below Great Doddington.

The following morning it was back at Summer Leys, this time on the Scrape, before once again circling the reserve prior to departing. Its stay over two days allowed a good number of visiting birders to connect with it. It was unringed, which provides no real clue, either way, to its origin.

While reintroduced birds are clearly ringed, wild birds may or may not be and it is said that two collections in Cambridgeshire have a total of at least 5 unringed and free-flying birds. Presumably, this was the same individual seen further down the Nene Valley as it flew south over Thrapston GP, two days later, on the morning of 14th. Origins aside, White Storks have been seen with increasing frequency in Northants during recent years, occurring annually since 2018 and amassing around 25 records in total.

Which brings us neatly on to the third cherry on the Summer Leys cake: two potentially crowd-pleasing Common Cranes, which, after an initial fly-by and then circling over Great Doddington, dropped in on the Scrape where they remained for the best part of two hours during the afternoon of 12th.

Almost paralleling White Stork in its recent occurrence pattern, Common Crane has produced more records in the county with approximately 33 to date, reintroduction schemes likely having contributed to the recent increase in appearances in the county.

After an apparent absence of records since the hard-hitting winter weather conditions, a Cattle Egret was seen flying west at Ditchford GP on 9th.

Back, then, to waders but again there was still no escaping the Nene Valley. On 9th, an Avocet spent the day at Ditchford GP’s Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows LNR, the same date seeing a Ruff and a Greenshank at Clifford Hill GP – the latter staying until 11th.

One, possibly two, Jack Snipes were found at Pitsford Res on 8th and 9th with one trapped and ringed on the latter date.

On the Larid front, Stanford Res and Daventry CP both notched up their second records of Kittiwake for 2023, when an adult paid a brief visit to the first of these two sites on 10th and two adults lingered off the dam at Daventry the following day.

The same two days saw adult Mediterranean Gulls at Stanwick GP, while late lingering Caspian Gulls took the form of an adult at Hollowell on 12th and two first-winters at DIRFT 3 on 14th. An adult Yellow-legged Gull visited Stanwick on 13th.

Keeping up appearances, single Ospreys were seen in flight over Kelmarsh and Hollowell village on 8th, at Hollowell Res on 9th and Thornby on 13th but the only other raptor of note was a Marsh Harrier which flew high over Sixfields in suburban Northampton on 9th.

A Short-eared Owl flew north at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 12th.

Aside from the incoming passerines already listed, it appears the male Bearded Tit that attracted so much attention at Stanwick back in February, appearing again briefly in March, was relocated in the reedbed there on 9th, although it was not seen subsequently. But hot on the heels of the year’s first Black Redstart last week, on 7th, came an all too brief appearance of a male at Harrington AF on 8th. Rather more obliging, however, were this week’s Common Redstarts, the vast majority of which were males. Kicking the period off, then, was one in a Brigstock garden on 9th, one at Boddington Res on 10th followed by two there the next day, one at Lilbourne Meadows NR on 11th and one at Honey Hill from 11th to 14th. Up to two were at Pitsford between 11th and 13th, one was at Blueberry Farm on 12th-13th with two present there the following day, when one also visited Harrington AF.

Northern Wheatears were also reasonably well-represented by five males at both Clifford Hill GP on 11th and Honey Hill on 14th, two near Great Doddington on 10th and singles at Harrington AF on 8th and 10th, Pitsford from 10th to 13th, Boddington on 11th, Honey Hill on 13th and at Summer Leys and Blueberry Farm on 14th.

Conversely, numbers of White Wagtails have yet to take off, with just single birds seen at Pitsford on 12th and Ravensthorpe on 13th.

Nevertheless, this past week will need an awful lot to beat it …

Set against a very mixed bag of weather conditions, born from a battle between Atlantic low and Scandinavian high pressure systems, spring migration continued apace. Once again, Daventry came to the fore, producing the week’s best birds, while more new summer visitors appeared across the county.

While none of the above is an early record-breaker, the Common Redstart – another of which was found at Burton Latimer on 7th – misses out by only three days and the Cuckoo by five. Further White Wagtails (two males) were seen at DIRFT 3 on 6th.

With wildfowl on the wane, the Pink-footed Goose remained with Greylags at Wicksteed Park, Kettering until at least 6th and the female Ring-necked Duck – having entered its 10th week in the county – was still on site at Ravensthorpe Res throughout. New in, however, was the year’s first Common Scoter, a drake, at Stanford Res on 7th.

Another ‘first’ for 2023 was a smart, summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebe at Daventry Res, for one day only, on 4th. Hopefully, there will be more to come as spring further unfolds.

While last week saw a notable absence of waders, this week saw a minor upturn with two first-summer Black-tailed Godwits spending a day on the Scrape at Summer Leys LNR on 4th and two Jack Snipes at Hollowell Res on 3rd, with at least one still present there on 5th.

Topping the bill on the Larid front – and unmatched for sheer summer elegance – were two adult Mediterranean Gulls at Stanwick GP, on and off, between 5th and 7th. They have bred there in the past but they have also turned up in spring and subsequently moved on …

The week’s quota of Caspian Gulls included a second-summer and a first-winter at DIRFT 3 on 2nd, with a first-winter present there on 6th. A first-winter also visited Ravensthorpe Res on 5th. Yellow-legged Gulls included the lingering adult which continued to patrol the dam/sailing club area at Pitsford Res until at least 4th, while a second-winter visited Wicksteed Park Lake on 3rd.

An unconfirmed report of a White Stork flying east over Oundle during the afternoon of 6th remained just that, with attempts to track it down amounting to nothing and there were no further sightings.

Sightings of Ospreys, however, continued to dominate all things raptorial throughout the period and included singles at Hollowell on 1st, 3rd and 6th, one at Kelmarsh on 4th and further singles over Daventry CP and Lilbourne Meadows NR on 6th. Meanwhile, the Nene Valley played short-term host to one or more Marsh Harriers, with singles over both Irthlingborough and Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh LNR on 3rd, followed by a third-year male at Summer Leys on 7th.

The 7th also saw the southern periphery of Daventry producing the area’s second scarcity of the week – a Black Redstart – unfortunately at a site with ‘no public access’ (as is the current vernacular for ‘you can’t go and see it’). Other commoner relatives were also available, although with a rather meagre offering of two Northern Wheatears at the northern end of nearby Borough Hill on the same date.

As we exited the wettest March since 1981, many local birders were left high and dry in a period which narrowly avoided becoming a largely lacklustre week. Lifted only by the brief appearances of two Red-breasted Mergansers and a couple of Water Pipits, the last seven days saw continuing pro-migrant south-westerlies deliver three more firsts for the summer.

None of the above arrivals comes overly close to the record holders but the House Martin beats last year’s firsts, found at four localities simultaneously, by nine days. Before the week was out, another four House Martins appeared at Deene Lake on 30th.

There was clear evidence that wildfowl numbers had taken a tumble this week and, brushing swiftly aside seven C-list Barnacle Geese flying west at Summer Leys LNR on 28th and one at Stanwick on 30th, two Whooper Swans flying north-west over Stanford Res on 26th had better credentials from a wildness perspective. At Ravensthorpe, the long-staying and largely forgotten female Ring-necked Duck remained until at least 30th but it was two dapper drake Red-breasted Mergansers at Daventry CP on 29th that stole the limelight and received the most attention.

Arriving on site late in the afternoon and, with a number of birders quick off the mark, these birds sparked a mini-twitch as a result of their rarity in the county in recent years. They were nowhere to be seen the following morning – which just adds weight to the old adage ‘if you snooze, you lose’ … A quick look at past records reveals just how rare they have become in the county.

Once classified locally as a ‘scarce but annual winter visitor’, Northamptonshire occurrences are now in free fall, with records by no means annual and well down in numbers. This is a far cry from this species’ status in the last century, when an atypical bumper year in 1996 produced fourteen records and included an incredible flock of thirty-six at Hollowell Res on 13th September.

Daventry also produced this week’s crop of rare gulls, albeit a small one. The second-winter ‘Viking Gull’ (Glaucous x Herring Gull hybrid) put in a brief appearance again on 27th, the same date on which two first-winter Caspian Gulls and a third-winter Yellow-legged Gull were also at the same location, while another first-winter Caspian was present there on 29th. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was off the sailing club at Pitsford Res, also on 27th.

On the raptor front, single Ospreys were seen over Welford on 25th, at Pitsford on 29th and 30th and at Hollowell on the last of these dates.

The Brampton Valley produced the week’s only record of Stonechats, two being present there on 27th, when there was also a Northern Wheatear in the same area. Two other localities also harboured single Northern Wheatears – Willowbrook Industrial Estate, Corby on 27th and Harrington AF on 29th.

And, finally, to another Northamptonshire scarcity: Water Pipit. Although appearing with some regularity, you can usually count the number of annual records on less than one hand and they are rarely easy to catch up with.

This week saw one on the dam at Ravensthorpe Res on 29th and one – possibly two – remained distant and elusive in waterside sedges on Stanwick’s Main Lake during the afternoon of 31st. It’s not too late for one or two more …

A relentless and blustery south-westerly airstream continued throughout the period, providing conditions conducive to spring migration for many species. Few would dispute that the Nene Valley was the place to be this week and, undoubtedly, the highlight for many was a hugely impressive flock of Black-tailed Godwits which descended on Summer Leys, while a new Ring-necked Duck was found at Ringstead. And then there were the new summer visitors …

On the face of it, some of these dates may seem to be a little early but none of them is anywhere near record-breaking – the earliest Yellow Wagtail, for instance, was on 9th March 2014 and the other three are all between eight and ten days later than the previous record holders. The week also produced further singles of Garganey at Summer Leys on 23rd, Yellow Wagtail near Lamport on 21st and Swallow at Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh LNR on 24th.

Now, following due systematic process, there was little change to the week’s wildfowl, which saw the Pink-footed Goose remaining throughout with Greylags at Wicksteed Park, Kettering and the female Ruddy Shelduck still at Winwick Pools on 20th.

Similarly lingering was the female Red-crested Pochard at Summer Leys until at least 23rd, while the long-staying female Ring-necked Duck again chose to alternate between Hollowell and Ravensthorpe Reservoirs and was still present at the latter site on the last day of the week. Meanwhile, in the east of the county, another female Ring-necked Duck was discovered at Ringstead GP on 23rd, this bird highly likely to be the individual seen at nearby Thrapston GP on 27th-28th January – its whereabouts during the intervening period remaining unknown.

With no reports this week, the Ravensthorpe & Hollowell female Greater Scaup appears to have upped and gone but the first-winter drake saw another full week out at Billing GP.

A little further down the Nene Valley, a riot of Black-tailed Godwits caused a bit of a stir, ultimately proving a popular draw, at Summer Leys on 21st and 22nd. An exceptional flock of 163 dropped in on the Scrape there, mid-morning, on the first of these two dates and was still present at first light the following day. The flock then fragmented with groups moving off until the last had departed by very early morning – only to be replaced, almost three hours later, by the arrival of a new flock of up to thirty birds. While Pitsford Res cobbled together a mere three on 21st, it still holds the record for producing the most birds in one day – in excess of three hundred passing through on 28th April 2017.

With numbers of winter gulls fast dwindling, local scarcities were few and far between. Most notable was an adult Mediterranean Gull appearing intermittently at Summer Leys on 19th-20th, followed by a first-summer there, albeit only briefly, on 22nd.

The only Caspian Gulls making an appearance this week were a first-winter and second-winter at Daventry CP on 18th and a first-winter paying a short visit to Titchmarsh LNR’s Aldwincle Lake on 22nd.

On the raptor front, single Ospreys seen in two site-sensitive areas in the north of the county on 21st were not completely unexpected but a White-tailed Eagle over Hollowell and Ravensthorpe Reservoirs on 19th was a different kettle of fish entirely. This bird was radio-tagged ‘G547’, a second-winter female from the Isle of Wight reintroduction scheme, which has spent most of the last year in northern Scotland and, through tracking, is now said to be heading purposefully south. Before hitting Hollowell it had flown more than 217 km from the Yorkshire Dales during the day, choosing to roost at Ravensthorpe, where it was still present early the following morning.

It’s astonishing how these flying barn doors routinely slip through the county without being seen, raising the obvious question … what else are we missing?

And talking of things missing, there appears to have been a big clear out of Stonechats this week with the only birds seen being two at Priors Hall, Corby on 19th.

Hot on the heels of the first spring wave last week, Northern Wheatears were on the up with five together at Willowbrook Industrial Estate, Corby on 23rd, twos at Polebrook AF on 19th and in the Brampton Valley on 20th, plus singles at the latter locality on 21st, 22nd and 24th and one at Hinton AF on 18th.

Despite the tussle between two opposing weather systems and the toing and froing of a cold northerly airstream, the period shaped up nicely into a classic mid-March week for spring migrants.

In this respect, Summer Leys LNR held good to its name, producing three firsts for the year, two of which were true summer visitors.

Aside from the above, other sites quickly followed suit, with Sand Martins in particular appearing on three further consecutive days, numbers of which included five at Wicksteed Park Lake on 14th, two at Kislingbury GP and seven at Pitsford Res on 15th, followed by forty at the latter site – plus singles at Lilbourne Meadows NR and Summer Leys – on 16th. DIRFT 3 also produced three Little Ringed Plovers on the last of these dates and another visited Summer Leys on 17th. And then there were Northern Wheatears, listed above but broken down into singles at two sites in the Brampton Valley, two at Harrington AF and one at Summer Leys. Last but not least, an Osprey was thrown in for good measure on the final day of the week.

Bouncing back to basics now, wildfowl of potentially questionable origin included the Upton CP Barnacle Goose, remaining until 12th, the Pink-footed Goose with Greylags at, and around, Wicksteed Park, Kettering until at least 15th and the female Ruddy Shelduck still at Winwick Pools, also on 15th.

Downsizing to diving ducks, last week’s female Red-crested Pochard continued to occupy the Main Lake at Summer Leys until mid-week and, attracting far less attention than it did some weeks back, the female Ring-necked Duck was still present at Ravensthorpe Res until 15th. Having apparently developed itchy feet though, for the first time, it clearly cast site faithfulness to the wind and had moved to nearby Hollowell Res by the week’s end.

The long-staying female Greater Scaup, however, remained at Ravensthorpe throughout, while the first-winter drake was still on site at Billing GP until at least 16th. It, or another, visited nearby Clifford Hill GP on 12th.

In addition to the aforementioned Little Ringed Plovers, a wider passage of waders this week included a trickle of Curlews, Ringed Plovers and Dunlins but unquestionably topping the bill were the three Avocets that dropped in to Summer Leys for a mere ten minutes on the morning of 14th. Having quickly departed to the west, searches at locations further up the Nene Valley unfortunately proved fruitless.

Three sites produced Black-tailed Godwits, with five at Summer Leys, briefly, on 13th, two at Lilbourne Meadows on 16th and the same number at Ditchford GP the following day. The latter site also produced a Jack Snipe on 15th and one was also at Pitsford Res on the previous day.

To gulls and the second-winter ‘Viking Gull’ (Glaucous x Herring hybrid) again visited Daventry CP on 14th – noteworthy but perhaps not measuring high enough on the laridometer to elicit any significant level of interest for most. It appears the same bird has recently been seen in the gull roost at Draycote, just over the border in Warwickshire. More run-of-the-mill fare appeared in the shape of Caspian Gulls, which included a first-winter at Stanford Res on 11th, a second-winter at Wicksteed Park Lake, Kettering on 12th and a bird of the same age on the same date at DIRFT 3. An adult also visited Stanwick on 14th, while Daventry pulled in a second-winter on 15th and a first-winter on 17th.

Meanwhile, the wintering adult Yellow-legged Gull remained at Pitsford throughout the period.

Scarce raptors were few and far between but Summer Leys did conjure up a transient Marsh Harrier, albeit very briefly, on 12th. Back over in the Brampton Valley, and the last day of the week produced not one but two Merlins – a male at the southern end, close to Brampton View Care Village, and a female/immature near Boughton Crossing.

Back on the menu, for one day only, was Stanwick’s male Bearded Tit, in precisely the same location as previously, on 15th. Its whereabouts over the preceding two weeks remains a mystery …

Aside from certain summer visitors already mentioned, other passerines were limited to two Siberian Chiffchaffs hanging on at Ecton SF until at least 12th and a widespread brace of Stonechats, most – if not all of which – appeared to be migrants.

At least three Stonechats were at Pitsford between 12th and 14th, twos were at Stanford Res on 12th, Clifford Hill GP from 12th to 16th, Kislingbury GP on 15th and possibly three in the Brampton Valley between 12th and 17th. Elsewhere, singles were at Sywell CP from 12th to 16th, Boughton on 12th and Ditchford GP on 15th.

Spring was put well and truly on hold this week as winter came back with a vengeance. Biting northerlies from the Arctic brought temperatues down and, from mid-week, significant snowfall transformed the landscape, culminating on the last day of the period in 50 mph gales and blizzard conditions, courtesy of ‘Storm Larisa’.

Although many of last week’s birds remained in place, a sprinkling of migrants was evident – not least of which was a herd of fifteen Bewick’s Swans that arrived at Summer Leys LNR on 6th, sparking a mini-twitch before their departure to the east an hour or so after first light the following morning.

Although it’s tempting to believe these birds were from Slimbridge, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust have confirmed they do not recognise them and they did not winter there. The UK winter population of Bewick’s decreased by 88% between 1993/94 and 2018/19 (BTO) and, as such, this species is Red-listed nationally in the UK Birds of Conservation Concern. This figure is reflected in Northamptonshire’s records which, since the turn of the century, now average only 3 per annum. There was none in 2022.

Other wildfowl were available, of course, their ‘wildness’ open to debate in some cases. Falling squarely into the latter category, a Barnacle Goose joined Canadas at Upton CP on 8th, while the Pink-footed Goose remained with Greylags at Wicksteed Park, Kettering until at least 9th.

Back at Summer Leys, the female Red-crested Pochard was still present on 5th, after which a drake was found adjacent to the reserve, at Earls Barton GP’s Mary’s Lake, on the last day of the period. Also remaining in situ were the female Ring-necked Duck and the female Greater Scaup at Ravensthorpe Res, until 10th and 6th, respectively. In the Nene Valley, the drake Greater Scaup also saw the week out at Billing GP.

Waders on offer were at a premium with the first Black-tailed Godwit of the year dropping in briefly to Summer Leys on 7th and the week’s only Jack Snipe was found at Stortons GP on 8th.

Gulls, too, were somewhat thin on the ground. An adult Mediterranean Gull joined the roost at Stanford Res on 6th and 7th and the number of Caspian Gulls was also rather diminished with a third-winter at DIRFT 3 on 5th and an adult at Hollowell Res on 6th, followed by three adults there the next day. At Pitsford Res, the wintering adult Yellow-legged Gull remained all week.

Also in short supply – perhaps understandably – were passerines, which were propped up on the rarity front by the continuing presence of Siberian Chiffchaffs along the outflow stream at Ecton SF. Two were seen on 7th and at least one remained on 10th.

There was also some movement of Stonechats during the week. Stanford held one at the beginning of the period and a further two arrived there near the week’s end. Elsewhere, Earls Barton GP’s New Workings (South) held at least 6 on 7th, Sywell CP produced four – possibly six – on 9th, four were at Hollowell on 6th-7th, two were at Earls Barton Lock on 10th and one at Hartwell on 7th.

With the wind primarily from the north-east and, although the movement of some species was clearly evident, there was not even a sniff of any long-awaited and much anticipated spring migrants this week. Still, having now stepped into meteorological spring, there is much to look forward to and, with just about everything still in place from the week before, plenty to look back on and revisit.   

With the grey goose barrel having almost run dry, three Pink-footed Geese came to the fore, although only one of them was truly new – that one being found at Blatherwycke Lake on 28th. Aside from this, the bird with Greylags at Lilbourne Meadows NR reappeared on 27th-28th, as did the one-eyed individual at Wicksteed Park, where it was still present on 2nd.

The female Ruddy Shelduck remained at Winwick Pools throughout the week and so, too, did the female Red-crested Pochard at Summer Leys LNR and the female Ring-necked Duck at Ravensthorpe Res.

Emulating the above American, the female Greater Scaup also saw out another week at the same site, while a new bird – this one a first-winter drake – was discovered at Billing GP on 1st, remaining there until the end of the period.

Last week’s two Smews at Blatherwycke just made it into the new week but were not reported again after 25th.

Scarce waders continued to be in short supply and 25th was clearly ‘Jack Snipe day’, when single birds were seen at both Hollowell and Pitsford Reservoirs.

But on the Larid front, Caspian Gulls again loomed large with last week’s Summer Leys first-winter spilling over into day one of the period, Hollowell holding firm with two adults on 25th and again on 2nd-3rd and a second-winter plus a third-winter dropping in to DIRFT 3 on 27th. As far as Yellow-legged Gulls were concerned, there was a little more on offer than of late, with the usual adult loitering in the vicinity of Pitsford’s Sailing Club on 25th and 27th, a second-winter at Wicksteed Park Lake on 2nd and a first-winter at Hollowell on 3rd.

Potential head-scratcher of the week, though, was a second-winter ‘Viking Gull’ at Daventry CP on 3rd. The way things are going, this Glaucous x Herring Gull hybrid seems likely to be the closest we’ll get this year to getting to grips with a Glaucous Gull proper, given the lack of numbers in the UK over the outgoing winter. Add to this the winding down and closure, this year, of Northamptonshire’s last remaining landfill site raises the question of what this spells for future appearances of ‘white-winged’ gulls in the county … they will be at a premium!

So, too, are passerines currently. No longer under the spotlight and retreating into the shadows was Stanwick’s male Bearded Tit, seen all too briefly this week only on 26th and 28th. Stonechats, though, were seemingly on the move, with Hollowell producing the highest count of five on 2nd-3rd, followed by four at Earls Barton GP on the first of these two dates, while Pitsford netted two on 25th and singles were at Lilbourne Meadows and Kettering on 28th and at Stanford Res from 28th until the week’s end.

There was no drama this week as far as the weather was concerned and, come to that, the same statement applies equally to the status of the county’s birds for the same period. Once again, it was the flamboyant, bold as brass, male Bearded Tit which held sway at Stanwick, pulling the punters and wooing watchers and photographers alike as the week rolled out …

As we near the end of February, it’s turned out to be a locally lean winter for grey geese. Apart from three White-fronts at Stanford Res on 2nd December last year, plus a smattering of odd Pink-footed Geese, there’s been no real sniff of any. This week, one of the latter species joined the Greylag flock at Lilbourne Meadows NR on 19th but was not present subsequently.

Just down the road, the female Ruddy Shelduck remained at Winwick Pools on 20th and, seemingly now in it for the long haul, the females of Ring-necked Duck and Greater Scaup both chalked up another week at Ravensthorpe Res. Static, too, was the long-staying drake Red-crested Pochard at Stanford, while a ‘new’ male was found at Daventry CP on 20th and a female spent 22nd-23rd on the Main Lake at Summer Leys.

Also new in on 18th were two Smews – a drake and a ‘redhead’ – at Blatherwycke Lake, where they remained throughout the period.

Winter waders were limited to Jack Snipe, two of which were at Hollowell Res on 20th with at least one still there on 24th, while one was also seen at Pitsford Res on the same two dates.

Numbers of scarce gulls remained fairly steady with Caspian Gull being the dominant species. An adult paid a brief visit to Boddington Res on 20th, the same date seeing a trio, comprising an adult, a ‘near-adult’ and a second-winter, at Hollowell Res, while an adult and a second-winter were there on 24th. Four – two adults, a second-winter and a first-winter – were at DIRFT 3 on 22nd and a first-winter visited Summer Leys on 24th.

The regular wintering adult Yellow-legged Gull remained in the vicinity of the sailing club at Pitsford until at least 22nd. A teaser and potential pitfall for any would-be ‘white-winged’ gull finders was a strikingly conspicuous, leucistic Lesser Black-backed (or possibly Herring) Gull, bearing a passing resemblance to a second-winter Iceland Gull, at DIRFT 3 on 22nd.

Other odds and sods this week were a Merlin in the Brampton Valley, below Hanging Houghton, on 18th and a Bittern in flight at the western end of Stanwick GP on 21st.

But the true star of Stanwick was, for the second week running, the male Bearded Tit, positively sizzling in the late winter sunshine as it continued, unabated, to pull in an avalanche of admirers until 23rd, when two birds were reportedly present.

Somewhat overshadowed, and in an arguably less appealing setting, was the single Siberian Chiffchaff that lingered throughout the period along the sewage outflow stream at Ecton SF. Elsewhere, Stonechats were seen at four sites, with trios at Earls Barton GP, Hollowell and Pitsford and two near Walgrave.

With little rain, and winds chiefly from the south-west, local temperatures reached a balmy 15°C at the week’s end. The local birdscape remained largely unchanged, although the discovery of the year’s first Bearded Tits, headed up by an exceptionally showy male, proved to be a popular draw throughout the period.

Wildfowl continued in very much the same vein as last week with, in the north-west of the county, the female Ruddy Shelduck still at Winwick Pools on 11th and the drake Red-crested Pochard seeing another week out at Stanford Res. Another drake was found at Pitsford Res on 15th. Not so far away, Ravensthorpe’s female Ring-necked Duck remained faithful to the location, moving into its fourth week on site at the end of the period. The same could not be said for the female Greater Scaup in the same area as it alternated between Hollowell and Ravensthorpe but it was still present at the latter site at the week’s end. Blatherwycke Lake’s drake, found on 10th, remained until at least 12th.

After wildfowl, and in the absence of any notable waders, gulls rule the wetlands. This week’s pick of the crop includes the first-winter Mediterranean Gull again in the roost at Stanford on 12th and 13th and an adult at Daventry CP, briefly, on 17th.

Stanford also produced an adult Caspian Gull on 13th, two adults and a near-adult were at Hollowell on the same date, a first-winter was at DIRFT 3 on 16th and two first-winters were at Daventry CP the following day.

Daventry also held a first-winter Yellow-legged Gull on 17th, while the regular wintering adult was still at Pitsford on 14th and 15th.

The first Short-eared Owl of 2023 was seen between Canons Ashby and Eydon on 12th. There have been very few about over the current winter period with the last being seen at Daventry CP on 15th December 2022.

Similarly, the first Bearded Tits of the year appeared at Stanwick GP on 11th. Two were present until 13th, after which a particularly showy male remained on site, wooing the crowds and revealing itself as a true exhibitionist, until the week’s end.

At the rather more subtle end of the scale, further up the Nene Valley, two Siberian Chiffchaffs remained at Ecton SF until at least 13th, while Stonechat numbers appeared to fall away to just two at Ditchford GP on 12th and the same number at Earls Barton GP on 15th-17th.