Northants birds

The two weeks immediately following the winter solstice proved largely mild and dry, cooling down only after the winds swung northerly during the last two days of the period. A fair proportion of the birds present in the run up to Christmas made it into the New Year, the first ‘white-winged’ gull of the winter appeared and a locally sought-after species, usually considered a scarce migrant, ensured the first day of 2019 kicked off with a bit of class.

Bucking the trend of the long-stayers, the adult Bewick’s Swan, which had appeared settled at Pitsford Res after it first arrived on 5th December, did a bunk after the first day of the period, while reports of the similarly ensconced Whooper Swans at the same locality dried up beyond 29th. A first-winter Whooper paid a brief visit to a small lake near Purston, south of Farthinghoe NR, before flying off on the latter date, while the bird of the same age remained at Thrapston GP throughout. The only geese appearing during the period were a Barnacle Goose at Stanwick GP between 1st and 4th and a Pink-footed Goose there again on the latter date. Back at Pitsford, Red-crested Pochard numbers topped fourteen between 31st and 2nd, four were at Stanford Res on 27th with one remaining into the New Year, the drake was still at Hollowell Res on 22nd, two visited Thrapston GP on 30th,one was at Stanwick GP on 28th and another, or the same, at nearby Ringstead GP on 4th. Remaining faithful to Pitsford’s north side, the drake Ring-necked Duck continued its stay at the reservoir throughout the period and a female Scaup was also found there on 26th.

Elsewhere, the first-winter or hybrid Scaup was still at Ditchford GP on 2nd and the first-winter remained at Thrapston GP until at least 22nd. At Pitsford, the elusive drake Smew was seen again on 22nd and 26th, while the two young Great Northern Divers remained until at least 2nd with at least one until 4th.

Up to five Great Egrets continued to be seen at Pitsford, while Thrapston GP hosted four – possibly five – Stanford Res and Summer Leys held three a piece and singles were found at Ditchford GP/Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows, Earls Barton GP, Fawsley Park Lake, Foxholes Fisheries (Crick) and Hollowell Res.

Stanwick’s second-winter male Hen Harrier disappeared over the Christmas period but was back on 1st, visiting nearby Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows the following day before returning to Stanwick on 3rd-4th. The juvenile last seen at Stanford Res on 16th was back on 28th, remaining until at least 1st.

Bit of @StanwickLakes Hen Harrier footage from just now (13:30) Mega pleased to finally catch up with this bird ! #Northantsbirds pic.twitter.com/rwolT2E3HB

— Tom Green (@Green_Tom_) January 3, 2019

On the somewhat narrow wader front, Stanwick produced two Black-tailed Godwits on 28th, while Hollowell Res hung on to its Jack Snipe on 1st and one was found by the River Nene at Burton Latimer Pocket Park on 30th.

Winter is traditionally gulling time and the period gave rise to an adult Mediterranean Gull at Daventry CP on 27th and 31st, the wintering adult Yellow-legged Gull was remained at Pitsford throughout with further adults at Hollowell Res on 22nd and 1st and Daventry CP on 27th and a second-winter was found at the latter site on 31st. There were more Caspian Gulls than the previous species, with a second-winter at Hollowell Res on 22nd and a first-winter and fourth-winter at Daventry CP on 31st but Rushton Landfill produced the most, with a third-winter on 24th, a first-winter and a second-winter on 28th and a first-winter again on 4th. Rushton was also the site which produced the first ‘white-winger’ of the winter, a juvenile Iceland Gull on 28th. However, with the closure of many local landfills (remember Sidegate Lane, Weldon and Welford?) Glaucous and Iceland Gulls are destined to become more difficult to catch up with in the future.

In what many birders no doubt would regard as a more hospitable environment, the grasslands of Neville’s Lodge near Finedon produced a Short-eared Owl on Christmas Day, followed by two there on 4th. One was also seen at Stanford Res on 27th. Bird of the week, however, must surely be the Woodlark found on a BTO survey of farmland near Woodford on New Year’s Day. This species is by no means annual in the county and there has not been a twitchable one for many years. Also potentially rare but all too readily dismissed as ‘just a sub’, is Nordic Jackdaw, one of which put in a brief appearance at Daventry CP on 3rd. After a surge of interest back in the early 2000s, when they became all the rage, records of this eastern European form, monedula, seem, perplexingly, to elicit little attention these days. Ah well, c’est la vie …

No dramatic changes in weather served to shift the balance on the birding front as we slipped ever more deeply into the festive season. Cold easterlies and northerlies quickly gave way to bouts of wet and windy southerlies and westerlies at the end of the period, which ended quietly on the shortest day of the year.

As the week came to a close, the adult Bewick’s Swan remained in place at Pitsford Res, along with the eleven Whooper Swans, while the first-winter Whooper at Thrapston GP similarly showed no signs of upping and going.

Also apparently rooted were the Pink-footed Goose and the six White-fronted Geese at Stanwick GP and Red-crested Pochard numbers bounced back to sixteen at Pitsford Res on 17th and 21st and 17th also saw two at Thrapston GP, while the lone drake was still at Hollowell Res and a female visited Ditchford GP – both on 16th. On the latter date a first-winter Scaup was at Pitsford Res and the first-winter or hybrid was still at Ditchford GP before relocating next door to Stanwick the following day and the first-winter remained all week at Thrapston GP. Back at Pitsford, the drake Ring-necked Duck remained until at least 20th and the drake Smew reappeared on 19th, followed by a ‘redhead’ there the next day.

At the opposite end of Pitsford, two Great Northern Divers continued their residence throughout the week, both being seen on 16th and 21st.

This was the first blank week for Cattle Egrets since the beginning of October. We’ve enjoyed an amazing run of records of these cheeky little frog-gobblers and given their recently acquired national resident status, the next one is surely not too far away. Up to four Great White Egrets continued to be seen at Pitsford, while Stanford Res and Stanwick continued to host three each, Thrapston held two and Ringstead GP and Summer Leys produced singles during the period.

Stanwick’s male Hen Harrier, now seen closely enough to age as a second-winter, has arguably stolen the celebrity crown from the Pitsford Ring-necked Duck and although tricky to catch up with, continued to be seen almost daily throughout the week. The juvenile at Stanford Res returned this week for an encore on 16th and on the same date, a male Merlin was a surprise bonus for the harrier-watchers back at Stanwick.

Pitsford continued to host last week’s Ruff until at least 17th and Hollowell Res produced a Jack Snipe, as well as two adult Yellow-legged Gulls on 16th, while the wintering adult Yellow-legged Gull was still at Pitsford until at least 19th. Down in the extreme south-west of the county, the not so lowly cattle sheds at Chacombe continued to attract masses of gulls including still, on 16th, the adult Caspian Gull first seen there on 25th November. Three more Caspians – two adults and a first-winter – were located at Rushton Landfill on 20th.

Under the influence of a predominantly south-easterly airstream, the past week remained dry with daytime temperatures gradually falling from the highest of 11 ºC on 8th to the lowest of 1ºC at the week’s end. Much of the previous week’s fare stayed put, providing plenty of opportunities for birders to play catch-up with any birds missed during the preceding period. Again, the spotlight was firmly on Pitsford as the place to be.

Seemingly now settled at Pitsford Res, the adult Bewick’s Swan remained throughout the week, as did the eleven Whooper Swans, now in their seventh week on site. Also staying put was the first-winter on Elinor Trout Lake at Thrapston GP, while another visited Stanford Res briefly on 14th.

Stanwick GP continued to play host to all of this week’s geese – the Pink-footed Goose on 9th, six White-fronted Geese on 14th and the Barnacle Goose until at least 11th, while the female Ruddy Shelduck remained north of the causeway at Pitsford Res until at least 11th. The drake wigeon resembling an American Wigeon x Eurasian Wigeon hybrid came under the spotlight this week and is now considered most likely to be a hybrid between Eurasian Wigeon and Gadwall.

Whatever its genetic composition, it’s still an unusual and striking-looking bird. Red-crested Pochard numbers had fallen this week to a maximum of just four at Pitsford Res on 8th, when the lone drake was also seen at Hollowell Res. Over at Thrapston, the first-winter Scaup was still present on 13th and the genetic purity of the female – perhaps a first-winter – at Ditchford GP was the subject of some discussion on 8th. After initially proving elusive, Pitsford’s drake Ring-necked Duck finally gave itself up to photographers – even to the point of showing off its ring. Remaining principally in Scaldwell Bay, it still occasionally proved tricky to get to grips with.

Also in Scaldwell Bay, a dapper drake Smew – the first of the winter – was discovered on 10th but it was nowhere to be seen beyond 11th.

At the opposite end of Pitsford, the juvenile Great Northern Diver remained throughout the week, often appearing close to the dam.

Bitterns have been scarce so far during the autumn and early winter period and in line with sporadic occurrences, Stanwick produced another drop-in at dusk on 11th. Rarer, though far easier to see, were the two Cattle Egrets at the same locality, while Pitsford also attracted one, albeit briefly, on 12th. Seen well with a small herd of cows below the dam, this constitutes a ‘first’ for the reservoir. Elegant, though somewhat less exciting, up to four Great White Egrets continued to be seen at the same site, while Stanford Res and Stanwick mustered three a piece, Thrapston hosted two and Ditchford GP, Earls Barton GP, Hollowell Res, Ravensthorpe Res and Summer Leys produced singles during the period.

Harriers were the only raptors of note this week and these included last week’s male Hen Harrier, ranging over farmland at the north-eastern extremity of Stanwick GP on 10th, 11th and 13th and a Marsh Harrier over Summer Leys LNR on 13th.

Pitsford continued to host last week’s Ruff until 8th, as well as an adult Yellow-legged Gull and two adult Yellow-legged Gulls were at Hollowell Res, also on 8th.

A ‘new’ Short-eared Owl was discovered at the north-eastern end of Stanwick GP on 11th and the two Bearded Tits were still present at a site with no public access on the same date, while a single Crossbill flew east at Ditchford GP on 14th.

The last week of autumn saw a continuation of northerly and easterly winds accompanied by low temperatures until the middle part, when south-westerlies helped raise the temperatures to a high of 14ºC on 28th, as well as delivering prolonged heavy rain. Rare and scarce wildfowl topped the bill during the period.

Six Bewick’s Swans, two adults and four first-winters, paid a brief visit to Thrapston GP’s North Lake on 25th before departing east during the afternoon. These are the only ones to be recorded in the county so far this year. The only Whooper Swans this week were the eleven, seemingly still settled all week, north of the causeway, at Pitsford Res and the first-winter still at Thrapston GP on 30th. In the Nene Valley, five White-fronted Geese flew west over Ditchford GP on 25th and just to the east, a Pink-footed Goose was found at Stanwick GP on 28th, while the Barnacle Goose was still present there on the same date. The mobile female Ruddy Shelduck was still at Pitsford Res on 25th, while over to the west, the drake American Wigeon x Eurasian Wigeon hybrid, last seen at Daventry CP on 16th, resurfaced at Ravensthorpe Res on 27th. Back at Pitsford, the week’s highest site total of Red-crested Pochards fell from eighteen last week to thirteen on 24th. Elsewhere, two were at Stanford Res all week and one remained at Hollowell Res throughout, while the first-winter Scaup also remained all week at Thrapston GP.

Following last week’s mystery report of a drake Ring-necked Duck on Town Lake at Thrapston on 18th, one appeared in Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Res on the afternoon of 25th. At first posing awkwardly for photos, it quickly became camera-shy, subsequently appearing to do a bunk. Making it into the record books as Northamptonshire’s sixth, it was present just long enough for one or two locals to catch up with it but it wasn’t seen for the remaining part of the week.

Just two Cattle Egrets continued to be seen daily at the north-east end of the Stanwick GP complex, while up to two Great White Egrets continued to be seen there, with the same number at Stanford Res. Elsewhere, Pitsford continued to host up to four and singles were seen at Ditchford GP, Hollowell Res, Ravensthorpe Res and Summer Leys LNR.

Stanford Res continued its monopoly on harriers with the juvenile Hen Harrier still present until at least 29th and last week’s Marsh Harrier was again seen there on 24th.

The wader trade picked up with the first-winter Black-tailed Godwit still at Pitsford Res and a Ruff was discovered there on 24th, both birds remaining throughout, while a fly-through Spotted Redshank was seen there on 26th.

Single adult Mediterranean Gulls were at both Hollowell Res and Pitsford Res on 26th, although it is likely the same individual accounted for both observations, while an adult Caspian Gull was found near Middleton Cheney on 25th, being relocated later in the day at nearby Chacombe.

A second-winter Caspian Gull visited Daventry CP on 30th. Yellow-legged Gulls continued to be logged in small numbers, with three near Middleton Cheney on 25th and the same number again at Hollowell Res the following day, while singles were at Chacombe on 25th and Pitsford Res throughout the week.

The Borough Hill Short-eared Owl remained throughout the week, another was seen at Harrington AF on 28th and the first wintering Firecrest was discovered near the feeding station at Pitsford Res the following day. The only Bramblings reported were one at Pitsford Res on 26th, two at Hanging Houghton on 24th and up to eight in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton all week.

The wind throughout the week took a prolonged easterly slant and temperatures fell accordingly, a high of 10°C on 17th had slipped down to a low of just 4°C on 20th.

Two new Whooper Swans appeared this week, a lone adult at Earls Barton GP on 21st, followed by another youngster joining the Pitsford eleven on 22nd, while the first-year remained at Thrapston GP throughout the period.

Last week’s Barnacle Goose revisited Stanwick GP on 19th and the mobile female Ruddy Shelduck dropped into Pitsford Res on 21st, the latter site again accounting for the highest total of Red-crested Pochards, which topped eighteen on the same date.

Elsewhere, four were at Stanford Res on 17th, with just one remaining until 21st, one remained at Hollowell Res all week and singles were at Clifford Hill GP on 17th and Thrapston GP on 23rd, where the first-winter Scaup also remained all week.

And so to this week’s puzzle: the adult drake Ring-necked Duck reported on Town Lake at Thrapston on the morning of 18th. Local observers were on site within an hour or two of the national news broadcast, diligently scanning the lake, along with all the other lakes in the complex. It was nowhere to be seen. The source is a mystery … but Thrapston has history. So, more ‘fake news’ then or, if you prefer a rather more British approach to the phraseology, ‘patent twaddle’. Nuff said. At least we know the one remaining Velvet Scoter, last seen there on 17th, was genuine and contributed to the county chalking up a ‘two-scoter week’ with two Common Scoters at Stanford Res on 19th.

On the raptor front, Stanford Res continued to maintain its monopoly on harriers with the juvenile Hen Harrier still present until at least 18th and a Marsh Harrier there on 22nd-23rd.

The only wader of note this week was the first-winter Black-tailed Godwit at Pitsford Res, remaining throughout, while the usual adult Yellow-legged Gull also remained there throughout the period, three were at Hollowell Res on 17th, followed by two on 21st.

Short-eared Owls were more widespread this week, being reported from no less than five localities. Two were at Stanford Res on 17th and singles were seen at Weldon on 18th, Stanwick GP on 21st, Pitsford Res on 22nd and Borough Hill on 23rd. The only Brambling reported was one at Pitsford Res on 22nd.

Maintaining temperatures some 5°C higher than they should have been, the wind this week again blew southerly and then south-westerly, before swinging south-easterly during the last two days of the period. Making the news this week were two birds which, in all likelihood, nobody ever saw, although we know at least one of them was there …

The eleven Whooper Swans remained at Pitsford Res all week and look settled for the winter. New arrivals during the period were three adults, arriving at Stanford Res on 13th before hurriedly departing to the north-east the same day and a lone first-winter, which was discovered at Thrapston GP on 16th.

Now for the first of those two intangible birds. Belated news concerns the curious case of the Greenland White-fronted Goose, which dropped into a field near Aynho, under the cover of darkness, for just two hours on 27th October. A radio-tagged female, originally bound for Wexford, went well off course to the Dutch coast, before successfully re-orientating west across the UK, which included a short stop-off in Northants. Read the full story here. The appropriate radio telemetry, had it been available live online to the masses, would no doubt have had a good number of us reaching for those infra-red bins – well, maybe. This is only the 5th county record of this potential species, the last being in 2009. Back down to earth, the two adult White-fronted Geese remained at Sywell CP all week and a Barnacle Goose visited Stanwick GP on 12th. The top count of Red-crested Pochards was ten at Pitsford Res on 14th, followed by seven at Stanford Res on the previous day.

Elsewhere, up to three were seen at Hollowell Res and one was at Stanwick GP during the period. The six first-winter Velvet Scoters remained on Thrapston GP’s Town Lake until 11th, after which only one remained until the end of the week, as did the first-winter Scaup there and the drake American Wigeon x Eurasian Wigeon hybrid at Daventry CP.

Three Cattle Egrets, happily ensconced at Stanwick, continued to entertain and remained all week, having moved to a smaller, more constrained cow field adjacent to the North Lake at the Ringstead end of the complex.

Great White Egrets continued to be seen regularly, with Pitsford and Stanwick recording three a piece, Ravensthorpe Res held two and singles were also seen at Clifford Hill GP, Earls Barton GP, Hollowell Res, Stanford Res, Summer Leys LNR and Thrapston GP.

On the raptor front, a Marsh Harrier flew south at Stanwick GP on 11th and the ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier – aged as a juvenile – was seen on and off all week at Stanford Res. Though last week’s Rough-legged Buzzard near Apethorpe ultimately proved to be a Common Buzzard incognito, another was reported near Aldwincle on 11th. Said to be watched for fifteen minutes in the Brancey Bridge area, no one has stepped forward to take responsibility for the sighting and the origin of the report is vague, to say the least. Ah well, fake news it is, then. “Another glass of Tempranillo, Donald?” “Don’t mind if I do, Buddy!”

So, moving swiftly on to waders … a Black-tailed Godwit appeared at Pitsford Res on 12th and was still present on 14th and another appeared at Summer Leys, also on 12th. The late autumn lingering Common Sandpiper remained at Stanwick until at least 11th but it was joined by another one just prior to dusk on 10th, although this second individual had vanished by the following morning. Surprisingly, another Common Sandpiper was found at Hollowell Res on 16th. All three are very late occurrences and anyone coming across an Actitis sandpiper here in November is surely in with a 50:50 chance of it being a Spotted Sandpiper. While surrounding counties have enjoyed multiple records, Northamptonshire awaits its first …

Two Mediterranean Gulls – both of them first-winters – were found this week, one in the Pitsford gull roost on 14th and the other two days later at Daventry CP. The usual adult Yellow-legged Gulls were to be found at Pitsford and Hollowell, with three at the latter site on 16th, although a first-winter was in the Pitsford gull roost on 14th and a fourth-winter visited Daventry CP on 16th.

Two Short-eared Owls were found on 11th, hunting the grassy summit of Borough Hill, where they remained all week, while last week’s two Bearded Reedlings at Stanwick performed a short encore on 10th before apparently disappearing for good. Single Bramblings were seen at Hollowell on 10th and Stanwick on 12th, a female Crossbill was found at Fineshade Wood on 13th and eight more visited Ditchford GP briefly on 16th before flying toward nearby Irchester CP. Also on 13th, a single Hawfinch was heard calling at Brixworth CP.

A largely southerly airstream throughout the week kept temperatures above average, peaking at 15ºC on 5th-6th. Wildfowl numbers continued to build and most of last week’s rare fare remained settled and on show. Additionally, for the second week running, a handful of new arrivals included another species which was the first this century in Northamptonshire …

The flow of Whooper Swans over the past weeks appears now to have halted but it has left us with eleven (nine adults and two first-winters) at Pitsford Res, present north of the causeway for nigh on two weeks. Hopefully they will remain for the foreseeable future. Similarly ensconced, the two adult White-fronted Geese remained at Sywell CP and the female Ruddy Shelduck was still at Ravensthorpe Res on 4th.

Red-crested Pochards were widespread with this week’s highest count of six at Stanford Res on 9th. Elsewhere, between one and three were seen at Daventry CP, Hollowell Res, Stanwick GP, Thrapston GP and Wicksteed Park Lake and the first-winter Scaup remained at Thrapston GP all week.

Held over by popular demand, the six first-winter Velvet Scoters remained on Thrapston GP’s Town Lake for a second week, still showing well there on 9th. Conversely, of interest but of limited appeal, a very distinctive drake American Wigeon x Eurasian Wigeon hybrid visited Daventry CP on 7th.

Last week’s Bittern was again seen on the A45 Lay-by Pit at Stanwick on 3rd but the site’s main attraction continued to be Cattle Egrets – last week’s two having doubled to four by the end of the week. Great White Egrets were reported from eight localities including Clifford Hill GP, Ditchford GP, Hollowell Res, Pitsford Res, Ravensthorpe Res, Stanford Res, Stanwick GP, Summer Leys LNR and Thrapston GP with Pitsford again boasting the highest count of five on 6th.

Raptors were limited to the ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier, remaining elusive at Stanford Res between 3rd and 5th and a Rough-legged Buzzard reported on roadkill along the relatively short stretch of road between Apethorpe and Woodnewton on 9th. Should the latter be proven to remain, it is likely to become a more popular attraction than the six smart scoters down the road. Despite occasional reports, the last accepted record, only the third this century, was in October 2014 and as always, it was a fly-over. There has never been a twitchable Rough-leg in Northants …

Save the odd Jack Snipe – of which there was one at Stanwick on 6th – it’s normally all over for waders until spring but both the Black-tailed Godwit at Daventry CP and the Common Sandpiper at Stanwick remained until 7th and 9th respectively, while a late and fleeting Spotted Redshank at the latter site was a surprise on 6th.

On the gull front it was more of the usual fare, with single adult Yellow-legged Gulls at Hollowell, Pitsford and Daventry and a third-winter at the latter locality on 5th, while a first-winter Caspian Gull was at Hollowell on 3rd and 5th and a third-winter visited Stanwick on the last of these two dates.

Another Short-eared Owl was found at Harrington AF on 3rd but bird of the week – at least for one observer – was the Hooded Crow which flew south-west over Pury Hill, Alderton on 7th. The species was formerly a more regular, though scarce, winter visitor to Northants but its appearance in the south, east and central parts of the UK is now much less frequent than it was during the last century. In fact, this is the first in the county since 1999. Others were seen inland during the period in Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and East, South and West Yorkshire. More readily accessible and guaranteed to delight, however, were two Bearded Reedlings, which were discovered at Stanwick on 4th and did the decent thing of posing well for photos until at least 6th.

The only Brambling this week was one at Harrington AF on 3rd.

The period started with northerly winds, rain and temperatures significantly depressed, while the first frosts since last spring served to remind that it is now late autumn. Many a glove came on as BST slipped mercilessly into GMT, plunging the late afternoons into near-darkness and curtailing any after-work birding activity for those of us still having to earn a crust. Surprisingly, wildfowl well and truly stole the show this week, which saw the arrival of one species not seen in Northamptonshire for nearly a quarter of a century …

So, they just keep coming. Smashing all previous records for autumn occurrences in Northants, Whooper Swans continued to pile in … and some lingered. The 27th saw two adults at Thrapston GP and two further adults at Pitsford Res, the number at the latter location doubling by close of play, with all four remaining throughout the following day. On 29th, they were joined by another adult and two first-winters during the morning and then by four more adults during the afternoon, giving eleven birds in total – all of which remained throughout the week. Elsewhere, during late morning on 28th, twelve – including two first-winters – arrived at Earls Barton GP’s Mary’s Lake and on 29th an adult was found at Daventry CP.

Last week’s Pink-footed Goose was seen again at Stanwick GP on 29th and 1st, while the two adult White-fronted Geese at Sywell CP remained throughout the period and the female Ruddy Shelduck moved back from Hollowell Res to Ravensthorpe Res, where it was seen on 28th and 30th.

Red-crested Pochards featured heavily this week, particularly at Pitsford Res, where up to seventeen were present from 27th until the week’s end. Elsewhere, two were at Daventry CP on 29th and 30th with two at Thrapston GP on the latter date and singles were at Stanford Res on 28th and 2nd and Stanwick GP between 31st and 2nd. With winter fast approaching, Scaup were also getting in on the act with a first-winter at Thrapston GP from 28th until the week’s end and one at Pitsford Res on 1st, where a female Ferruginous Duck x Pochard hybrid provided an interesting distraction in Scaldwell Bay on 27th-28th.

Indisputably, however, this week’s star birds were the eight Velvet Scoters discovered on Thrapston GP’s Town Lake, late in the morning of 28th. Two had departed by the following day but the remaining six continued to delight local observers throughout the period, sometimes being pushed close to the shoreline by yachts from the sailing club at the south-western end of the lake.

Although all appeared to be first-winters, it is possible to sex at least one as a male, based on its emerging bill pattern. This is the 21st record for Northants and the first since 1995, the last prior to which was in 1988 – the 1980s enjoying records in five out of ten years, with November being the peak month for arrivals.

Nene Valley locations continued to provide the focus for more interesting birding, with Stanwick producing a Bittern on its A45 Lay-by Pit on 30th, while continuing to host the two the two Cattle Egrets until at least 31st. The same locality also held a Great White Egret from 27th to 29th and reports of singles seen intermittently came from Clifford Hill GP, Summer Leys LNR, Thrapston GP, Hollowell Res, Ravensthorpe Res, Stanford Res and Sywell CP but Pitsford claimed the lion’s share, with possibly as many as six on 27th and certainly at least four on 2nd.

And so to reports of raptors – or Hen Harriers, to be more precise … and both on the same day, 2nd, when a ‘ringtail’ was at Stanford Res just after midday, followed by a male at Harrington AF just before dusk.

But it was the west of the county that scored points once again with another flock of Common Cranes – this time eight, flying west over Fawsley Park on 27th and like the five reported over Shutlanger on 2nd, not obligingly hanging around for photographs as did the ‘Daventry six’ on 27th September. Assuming acceptance of all these, of course, this latest flock constitutes about the twenty-fifth record for the county.

In the wake of this autumn’s wader passage, Black-tailed Godwits continued to put in appearances in the Nene Valley at Stanwick on 28th and Summer Leys on 31st and the lingering, though fidgety, adult, still at Daventry CP on 30th, was seen again on 2nd. Noteworthy for its unusually long, late stay, the Common Sandpiper at Stanwick made it into November and was still present there on 2nd while, just up the valley, a Jack Snipe was found at Summer Leys on 27th.

There was little to write home about on the gull front, with an adult Mediterranean Gull visiting Daventry CP on 1st and single adult Yellow-legged Gulls at Pitsford Res on 28th-29th and Hollowell Res on 29th, while a third-winter Caspian Gull also visited Hollowell on 30th.

Again this week, another ‘heard only’ Yellow-browed Warbler was reported – this time from a residential road in Corby on 28th and there were more Bramblings on the move, with Stanwick producing one on 28th, followed by five there the next day, when one was also seen at Daventry CP. Single flyover Crossbills were seen and heard over Pitsford on 27th and Kingsthorpe, Northampton on 30th.