Northants birds

Under the influence of standard westerlies off the Atlantic, the weather remained largely settled before delivering an avalanche of gales and rain at the week’s end. Some fairly standard early autumn fare was on offer throughout the period.

Having clearly developed itchy feet, the first-summer female Ruddy Shelduck flipped from Hollowell Res to Ravensthorpe Res on 3rd and was back at Hollowell on 6th-8th before returning to Ravensthorpe on 9th.

Stanford’s eclipse drake Garganey remained until at least 5th and two of last week’s three on Titchmarsh LNR, at Thrapston GP, were seen again on 4th, while the continued presence of up to three drake Red-crested Pochards at Pitsford Res came as little surprise.

Ringstead GP’s four juvenile Cattle Egrets were still on site mid-week, while the three adults continued to feed with the local herd in the vicinity of Main Lake at nearby Stanwick. After a blank week, a Great Egret at least brought some interest to Summer Leys’ scrape between 7th and 9th, while the escaped Sacred Ibis with a penchant for visiting village gardens, dropped into one briefly at Nether Heyford on 4th.

Back at Pitsford, a Black-necked Grebe was present in Scaldwell Bay for the afternoon of 8th but provided no joy for those searching for it the following day. There have been numerous August records from said bay at Pitsford over the years but they have tended to occur much closer to the month’s end.

This week there were Ospreys aplenty, with Pitsford producing the lion’s share, including two on 3rd, two – if not three – on 5th and singles on 6th, 8th and 9th. Elsewhere, singles visited Thrapston GP on 3rd, Hollowell on 3rd and 8th and the pool at Harrington AF on 6th, the same date upon which a female or juvenile Merlin was at Stanwick GP.

This week’s wader line-up was not as impressive as last week’s but migration continued with 9th producing single Black-tailed Godwits over Daventry CP and at Pitsford, a Whimbrel over Stanwick on 4th, a Turnstone at Summer Leys on 8th and a Ruff at nearby Ditchford GP’s IL&M the following day. Greenshanks showed up at Pitsford on 5th and 9th and also at Summer Leys on the latter date, while single Wood Sandpipers were found at Stanwick GP on 8th and 9th and at Summer Leys on 9th, only one of which stuck around long enough to be seen by observers other than the finder.

More juvenile Mediterranean Gulls appeared this week, three in all, comprising singles at Pitsford on 6th and 9th and at Daventry CP on the latter date. Ravensthorpe Res hung on to its adult Caspian Gull until 4th, while small numbers of Yellow-legged Gulls were found at Daventry, Hollowell, Pitsford, Ravensthorpe Thrapston and Stanwick, with a maximum of seven at the latter site on 4th.

Hot on the heels of the autumn’s first Tree Pipit, at Harrington AF last week, the same site delivered another one six days later, on 8th. These two are both two to three weeks earlier than normal and it’s interesting that coastal watchpoints (e.g. Portland) are also noting early departing migrants of this species. Fewer Common Redstarts were recorded this week, with just one at Harrington AF on 3rd-4th and another hanging on at Twywell Hills & Dales between 5th and 8th, while at least two Whinchats were still at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 3rd and the first Northern Wheatears of the autumn appeared on 9th, with singles at Hollowell and near Pitsford village.

With the previous week’s heat ebbing away, the country became under the influence of something more readily associated with British summertime: rain. The first two days saw plenty of it and the weather system responsible also had a dramatic effect on migrants, with many appearing far earlier than is normal.

While acknowledging the continued presence of the first-summer female Ruddy Shelduck at Hollowell Res, this week there were other ducks on offer to dazzle and delight … perhaps. Stanford’s eclipse drake Garganey remained throughout and this species’ ranks were swelled further by the discovery of first one, then two, then three on Titchmarsh LNR at Thrapston GP before the week was out.

Pitsford’s two drake Red-crested Pochards were still in situ at the northern end on 1st-2nd but south of the causeway up to five drake Common Scoters were found on 28th – perhaps associated with the adverse weather conditions prevailing on that date.

Looking as if they are now on the verge of vacating their nest at Ringstead GP, the four juvenile Cattle Egrets were showing a little more bravado, crashing around in the bushes of their island home, while the three adults continued to feed at nearby Stanwick. Meanwhile, a Great Egret was present again at Pitsford on 2nd.

Back on the menu for early autumn, this week saw two Marsh Harriers in the county, one of which was mobile around the Brixworth/Brampton Valley area between 27th and 31st, while the other was at Stanford Res on 29th-30th. Meanwhile, single Ospreys continued to visit Hollowell on 27th and Pitsford on 30th and 1st-2nd.

But for birds susceptible to weather not conducive to overland migration, the grim conditions of the first two days resulted in some remarkably early and scarce species appearing this week. Waders were the first to fall foul and beyond a Black-tailed Godwit visiting at Stanwick on 27th and 2nd, single Whimbrels appeared there on 28th, at Pitsford on 30th and at Hollowell on 31st. A Sanderling was found at Summer Leys LNR on 28th, another visited Stanwick on the same date and a Ruff was also at Stanwick on the following day. Chief prize among this week’s waders, though, were two juvenile Spotted Redshanks, both of which were incredibly short staying. One dropped into Summer Leys on the evening of 30th and the other was discovered at Stanwick, early in the morning of 1st, before apparently moving on in haste.

A sprinkling of Greenshanks included singles at both Summer Leys and Ditchford IL&M on 28th, one at Ravensthorpe Res on 31st and at nearby Hollowell on 1st-2nd. A Wood Sandpiper was discovered at Thrapston GP on 27th. While the date is not unusual, the isolation of the record is, as it occurred during an enormous nationwide influx, which included treble-figure counts on the east coast and many birds penetrating far inland. There should have been many more in Northants but it was not to be. Although not in the same league, also noteworthy is the unusually high number of Common Sandpipers which passed through during the week, with Hollowell producing a remarkable twenty on 1st.

And so to the other weather-related arrivals – more specifically, Arctic Terns. Made up of small groups, at least forty of them came through between 28th and 31st, with all but two of these on 28th. What is amazing, however, is that this number included several juveniles, which do not normally occur before September at the earliest. In fact, the occurrence of juvenile Arctic Terns in Northamptonshire in July is probably unprecedented. Location totals for 28th comprise seventeen at Thrapston GP, eleven at Stanford Res, five at Stanwick, at least three at Clifford Hill GP and two at Pitsford. Single juveniles were at Pitsford on 30th and Summer Leys on 31st. Early Black Terns appeared at the same time and on 28th included one at Summer Leys and two at Stanwick, followed by one at the latter locality the next day.

The first juvenile Mediterranean Gull of the autumn was found at Summer Leys on 29th, while numbers of Yellow-legged Gulls continued to rise, with site maxima of ten at Stanwick, five at both Pitsford and Ravensthorpe and singles at Thrapston and Hollowell. This early autumn build-up also came with added Caspian Gulls – a third-summer at Stanwick and an adult at Ravensthorpe on 30th, followed by a first-summer at the latter site on 2nd.

Aside from the autumn’s first Tree Pipit, at Harrington AF on 2nd, there have already been higher than usual numbers of migrant Common Redstarts so far in July and even more were added to the tally during the period. It’s difficult to know if their occurrence was weather-related but it must have at least been an influencing factor to some degree. Up to two were in the Brampton Valley/Blueberry Farm area throughout the week, two were at Upper Boddington on 30th, up to three were at Twywell Hills & Dales on 1st-2nd, a juvenile male was at Yardley Chase between 28th and 1st and singles were at Summer Leys on 29th and at Harrington AF between 29th and 31st.

The Brampton Valley/Blueberry Farm area also produced up to two Whinchats between 28th and 2nd and four Common Crossbills – presumably fly-overs – on the latter date.

Sandwiched between an unusual kink in the North Atlantic Jetstream and a high pressure system to the east, winds for the majority of the week emanated from North Africa and the UK enjoyed its potentially hottest day on record, on 25th, when Northampton hit a sweltering 36°C. Although it appeared to have little local influence on migrants, it no doubt contributed significantly to the continued evaporation at local reservoirs, exposing more muddy margins for waders, ahead of the slowly unfolding autumn passage.

But it was already déjà vu in many respects, with not a great deal of change to the birdscape this week. Still enjoying the company of local Canada Geese, the first-summer female Ruddy Shelduck remained at Hollowell Res, while an eclipse drake Garganey, which arrived at Stanford Res on 23rd, was still present at the week’s end. Pitsford’s two drake Red-crested Pochards once again became three on 24th and another drake was found at Ringstead GP on 21st, remaining there also until 24th.

Cattle Egrets maintained their prominence in the Nene Valley, the trio of adults undertaking multiple commutes daily between their highly favoured herd of cows at Stanwick GP and their nest – this week proven to contain four juveniles – at nearby Ringstead GP. Somewhat overshadowed (and rightly so), two Great Egrets were at Pitsford Res on 23rd, with at least one still present the following day.

Now mucking in with free-range chickens in a large country garden in north Northants, last week’s Sacred Ibis was said to be enjoying domestic hens’ food, cream crackers, toast and sea sticks – the latter sourced from Heron Foods, no less! Despite the laudable efforts made by the landowner to locate the collection it has clearly escaped from, none of the many contacted has stepped forward to reclaim it. Still present at the week’s end, it looks like it will be around for some time to come but for anyone with this species on his or her bucket list, the nearest truly wild population is in Mauritania.

With no records last week, single Ospreys put in brief appearances at Hollowell on 21st-22nd and Pitsford on 22nd.

Set against a backcloth of small numbers of commoner species, wader passage ebbed somewhat during the period, with just two Black-tailed Godwits visiting Stanwick on 23rd and a Greenshank at Stanford Res on 26th.

Meanwhile, as is usual for late summer, numbers of Yellow-legged Gulls began to increase, with up to five at Pitsford and ones and twos regularly at Hollowell, Ravensthorpe and Stanwick.

Passerines of note this week again featured Common Redstarts, with two at Harrington AF on 24th-26th plus one in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton on 25th and a female Common Crossbill at Ravensthorpe on 26th.

With national weather conditions nothing to shout about, the influence on local migrants was seemingly minimal. Wader passage ramped up somewhat and despite being mid-summer, it was the white stuff that dominated the news this week ….

Not surprisingly, the first-summer female Ruddy Shelduck stayed put at Hollowell Res all week and the two Red-crested Pochards, ensconced in Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Res, remained until at least 16th.

News that Cattle Egrets have bred successfully in the county for the first time became widespread in recent days. Two, possibly three, well-grown young are being raised in a nest attended diligently by the same trio of adults which has been present at Stanwick GP regularly throughout spring and early summer. More details here. Meanwhile, the period’s token Great Egret reappeared at Pitsford Res on 16th but causing rather more excitement, an adult and three immature Spoonbills flew over Stanwick without stopping, late in the afternoon of the 17th, before presumably the same quartet was relocated at Rutland Water the following morning.

Rounding off the white stuff and presumably of little interest to most local birders, a roaming Sacred Ibis, photographed at Clipston on 3rd July, was again caught on camera as it flew high over both Ravensthorpe Res and Long Buckby on 16th, appearing two days later in a large garden at the latter location. Although a likely escape, a large feral population is established in France and this species breeds no further away than Brittany.

The heat was turned up a little on this week’s wader passage when three Avocets were found at Clifford Hill GP on 14th and a Whimbrel appeared at Stanwick the following day, while transient Black-tailed Godwits included one at Stanwick on 14th, ahead of three there on 16th, followed by three at Ravensthorpe Res on 18th and two in flight at the same locality on 19th.

Summer Leys LNR produced two Ruffs on 17th and more unusually, a very short-staying Little Stint on The Slips there on 14th. Back at Stanwick, single Greenshanks were present on 15th and 17th and two visited Hollowell on 18th.

Thrapston GP has been quiet of late – until the appearance of a Little Tern on Aldwincle Lake for just fifteen minutes on 17th. This is the second record for the site this year, following a similarly short-staying individual on 25th April. Larids this week were restricted to sightings of Yellow-legged Gulls, including the first juvenile of the autumn at Ravensthorpe Res on 19th. Additionally, single adults were at Thrapston on 16th, Stanwick and Ravensthorpe on 16th and at Hollowell and Daventry Res on 19th. Multiples – all on 17th – included two adults on ploughed land at Little Addington, two at Thrapston and four at Stanwick.

Again, the only passerines making it into this week’s report were Common Redstarts, with records including one at Hanging Houghton on 13th, two at Harrington AF on 18th and a juvenile again at Denton Wood on the same date.

A more temperate period followed the previous week’s hot air and humidity as the wind mix became light northerly and westerly. Long-staying Cattle Egrets remained in the Nene Valley, while wader passage continued to trickle along and included increasing numbers of more common species.

Seemingly in for the long haul, the first-summer female Ruddy Shelduck remained at Hollowell Res all week, and the first Garganey of the autumn appeared at Stanwick GP on 6th-7th. The two Red-crested Pochards at Pitsford Res remained until at least 10th, being joined there by another on 8th, while birders at Stanford Res enjoyed an afternoon stopover by four drake Common Scoters on the same date. These birds are part of the annual, post-breeding moult migration, which initially involves largely adult drakes and immatures moving to traditionally favoured coastal localities, such as the east coast of Scotland, Carmarthen Bay and west coastal France, where they are joined by females and juveniles from mid-August (BTO Migration Atlas, 2002).

Two Bitterns were found this week – one at Stortons GP on 6th and the other at Summer Leys two days later, on 9th. Both gave only the standard flight views typically associated with this species as birds quickly move for one patch of reeds to another. Further east along the valley, up to two Cattle Egrets remained at Stanwick throughout the period, while a Great Egret took up temporary residence in Pitsford’s Scaldwell Bay between 8th and 10th.

Another lean week for Ospreys produced singles flying east over the A43 near Deenethorpe, north of Corby on 7th, over Thrapston GP on 8th and over Deene Lake on 9th.

Set against a backcloth of more common waders, e.g. returning Green and Common Sandpipers (six of the latter were at Hollowell Res on 12th), Black-tailed Godwits continued to be seen – their numbers including up to twelve at Summer Leys on 7th, one at Stanwick on 9th and two at Ditchford GP on 10th. A Ruff visited Stanwick on 11th and a Greenshank was at the same locality on 10th.

Another autumn ‘first’ was an adult Mediterranean Gull at Hollowell Res on 9th and the adult Yellow-legged Gull present there last week moved to nearby Ravensthorpe Res, where it remained until at least 9th. Elsewhere, singles visited Stanwick on 6th, Daventry Res on 8th-9th and Pitsford on 10th, with two at the latter site the following day.

Following last week’s adult and a juvenile Common Redstarts near Badby, a juvenile appeared at Denton Wood in Yardley Chase on 11th. Its rather fresh, unmoulted juvenile plumage, coupled with the relatively early arrival date, gives rise to speculation that it had fledged locally. This species has occasionally bred in the county and, although there have been summer females with active brood patches there are no records of proven breeding this century.

As Southern England basked in 34°C on the first day of the period, Northampton hit 30°C ahead of an overnight drop as cooler air moved in from the Atlantic, sweeping away the humidity and setting a dry and bright scene for the remainder of the week. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it ‘first’ for Northamptonshire caught locals off guard, leaving them somewhat dazed, but is it really all over … ?

While the first-summer female Ruddy Shelduck remained at Hollowell Res, two Red-crested Pochards were at Pitsford Res on 3rd-4th and the peripatetic, post-captive female Bufflehead was once again back in the county, visiting Sixfields Lake at Stortons GP on 29th. It then decided to ‘do’ neighbouring Buckinghamshire, appearing at  Floodplain Forest NR, Old Wolverton on 2nd – just across the county line.

The run of largely unavailable Common Quails continued with one barely audible individual reported from Harrington AF on 1st. It’s now looking like a tricky year for this species.

Meanwhile, Stanwick GP’s two Cattle Egrets stuck around to feed by the main lake until at least 4th but another long-legged, largely white, wetland bird in the shape of a Sacred Ibis made headlines at Clipston on 3rd, as it sat around on a house roof, eyeing up the local chickens. An escape most likely but a wanderer from the established French feral population cannot be ruled out.

In a lean week for Ospreys, one flew over Deene Lake on 2nd and another was at Pitsford Res, early on 5th.

Wader passage continued to trickle along with Summer Leys monopolising Black-tailed Godwits, the site producing one on 29th, four and a further eleven on 30th, 2 on 1st and thirty-five on 2nd.

Double-figure flock sizes are no longer unusual – a far cry from when this species was an ‘irregular passage migrant’ in the 1970s, when there were just two or three records per year. Were all those birds islandica or did we get any limosa, during an era when they were more abundant in Europe? There have been large and well-documented declines in the mainland European breeding population of the nominate subspecies of between 50-60% (BirdLife International 2015). For example, in the Netherlands the population decreased dramatically from 120,000-135,000 pairs in 1969 potentially to 33,000 pairs in 2015. The population of islandica, in contrast, has been increasing dramatically over the past few decades, although this increase may be levelling out and this subpopulation represents a relatively small part of the global population. A recent analysis based on published literature, survey data and expert opinions from throughout the species range suggests that, overall, the global population may have declined at a mean rate of approximately 23% over 25 years leading up to 2015 (BirdLife International 2019). Also at Summer Leys, a male Ruff appeared on 5th.

Moving on to Larids, single Yellow-legged Gulls appeared at Hollowell Res on 2nd and at Stanwick GP on 3rd, ahead of the now established late summer build-up.

On the passerine front, there were 2 Common Redstarts – an adult and a juvenile – at  Arbury Hill, west of Badby, on 2nd. But making the most noise this week, a little gem pulled from a ringer’s net in Pitsford’s Walgrave Bay on 4th was quickly logged as the county’s first Red-breasted Flycatcher – a moulting adult female. Well, we didn’t see that one coming! The anticipated mass turnout for this Northamptonshire ‘first’ simply didn’t materialise and the resulting, incomprehensible lack of observer coverage subsequent to the event surely played a significant part in its not being relocated. A quick scamper through the literature reveals that July records are not unprecedented and Sharrock (Scarce Migrant Birds in Britain and Ireland, 1974) identifies an occurrence window between late April and early July and classifies these as spring migrants, with all records from mid-August onwards categorised, quite rightly, as scarce autumn visitors. Adults moult on, or close to, their breeding grounds between July and September, suggesting this is a non-breeder. Is it still out there … somewhere …?

After a dry start, the week went through a short dull and damp phase before becoming rather bright and breezy. Local winds remained mainly north/north-easterly while, nationally, a more southerly vector kicked in. Migration was expectedly slow for the masses, evidenced only by a handful of returning waders, while this week’s highlights, an audible European Bee-eater and a visible Spoonbill presented to just two lucky observers.

The first-summer female Ruddy Shelduck remained at Hollowell Res all week while, ducking and diving, three Red-crested Pochards appeared at Clifford Hill GP on 22nd during a period understandably quiet for wildfowl.

Following the Common Quail at Mears Ashby and Sywell on 15th, two were heard again at the first of these two localities on 23rd and one on 24th but their uncharacteristic reticence, shortly after discovery, made them immensely difficult to nail. One was also heard briefly near Kentle Wood, Daventry on 22nd before the locality fell silent. Local birders wanting to catch up with this species, this year, clearly need to be quick, quick, quick off the mark …

Stanwick GP’s two Cattle Egrets moved from its northern extremity to the main lake between 24th and 26th and at least one remained on 27th. Arguably better, though, was this week’s star bird, a Spoonbill which, unfortunately harassed by local Black-headed Gulls, failed in its attempt to alight on the scrape at Summer Leys LNR on 22nd and headed off high west instead. Of late, Spoonbill has been a much more difficult species to catch up with locally than Cattle Egret. Clearly rarer in terms of number of records, the latter has now provided many more available ‘bird-days’ than Spoonbill, which tends to be short-staying and highly transitory, with many fly-over records. One notable exception was a flock of eight, which remained in the shallows at Pitsford Res between 29th September and 14th October 1984, in the good old days, when the section north of the causeway featured mud, mud, glorious mud.

With regular Hollowell observers apparently AWOL this week, there were no reports of Ospreys from this site during the period. Instead, examples of this adept aerial angler were seen at both Pitsford Res and Thrapston GP on 22nd and at Biggin Lake, Oundle on 27th.

Among small numbers of returning Common and Green Sandpipers, this week, was a Grey Plover, found at Ravensthorpe Res on 26th and four Black-tailed Godwits in flight over Summer Leys on the same date, while another Black-tailed Godwit was on the scrape at the latter site on 28th.

Totally eclipsing the Spoonbill in terms of sheer rarity, a European Bee-eater was heard calling three times in flight over Byfield on 28th, remaining frustratingly invisible to the finder. This would represent only the 4th for Northamptonshire, following accepted records in 1995, when 2 were at Ditchford GP on 5th May, in 1997 when one was at Oundle Cemetery on 13th May and in 2003, when one was near Badby on 31st May.

Not quite as colourful were two male Common Redstarts – one at Moreton Pinkney on 22nd and the other at Lamport on 26th. More to come as we move into July – the gateway to autumn.

As we entered the summer lull, a westerly to south-westerly airstream initially brought a heady mix of mid-twenties temperatures and dry sunny conditions, later followed by sunshine and showers. ‘Storm Miguel’, a swirling low pressure system moving north from Iberia, brought rain on gathering south-easterlies at the very end of a not too species-rich period.

Last week’s newly arrived Ruddy Shelduck moved from Ravensthorpe Res and remained settled at nearby Hollowell Res throughout the period. Might it remain into the summer to moult and become temporarily flightless, as others have done in previous years?

In the first Great Egret-free week of 2019, remaining throughout were the three Cattle Egrets at the northern end of Stanwick GP, mirroring the small flocks currently residing in north Norfolk.

Coming to the fore, Ospreys were reported from five localities, with Hollowell – highest in the reliability stakes – producing birds on 31st, 1st, 2nd and 5th, followed by singles at Biggin Lake (Oundle) on 1st, Thrapston GP on 2nd, flying north over Irthlingborough on 3rd and at Pitsford Res on 5th.

The only migrant wader this week was a Grey Plover, found at Hollowell on 7th.

Further scarce migrants appeared in the shape of two Little Terns, surprisingly suburban, at Wicksteed Park Lake (Kettering) on 31st. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they did not linger and neither did the first-summer Arctic Tern, which appeared at Summer Leys on 1st.

An adult Yellow-legged Gull kept the larids afloat this week, with an adult mobile between Hollowell and Ravensthorpe on 5th.

Somewhat unseasonal for Northamptonshire, a Short-eared Owl was observed between Grendon and Easton Maudit on 6th, moving on after a brief interaction with a hunting Barn Owl.