Northants birds

A pretty mixed bag of weather conditions saw temperatures reaching the high twenties under a continental influence at the start of the week, sparking thunderstorms and heavy showers in some areas. Atlantic weather systems ensured a return to average temperatures by the week’s end as the winds took on a more westerly direction prior to the onset of more unsettled conditions.

The injured Ruddy Shelduck continued to be reported from Pitsford Res until 8th and another drake Garganey was discovered – this time on the scrape at Summer Leys LNR on 4th.

The same also date produced a Great White Egret in flight over Northampton, while a White Stork was watched circling above Old Corby village on 6th before heading off high north-west. The only raptors reported this week were three Ospreys – one west over Pitsford Res on 5th, another over Brampton Lane, Northampton the next day and one drifting over Guilsborough on 8th.

An ephemeral flame from the dying embers of spring – and the undoubted highlight of the week – was the rather smart female Red-necked Phalarope which was discovered at Stanwick GP on the evening of 4th, when it was present around the islands in the A45 Lay-by Pit. Sadly, it had departed by the next morning.

Perhaps confusingly, however, we were dealt a taste of autumn when a Green Sandpiper appeared at Stanwick GP on 7th. This species normally returns toward the end of the month so the early appearance of this individual suggests a failed breeder.

Cool, unseasonal weather continued throughout a week which was dominated by often strong north-easterlies, depressing temperatures, birds and birders alike. With migration all but dried up there were slim pickings – assuming anyone was out looking, of course. In this respect, on the occasions I visited Summer Leys it was devoid of weekend birders. With hides creaking and shutters banging in the wind, the only things missing were the tumbleweeds. While the end of May can deliver exceptional rarities, this year there was none – the hallowed 29th (Sooty Tern 1980, Bridled Tern 1993) passing without incident.

The injured Ruddy Shelduck had little choice but to remain at Pitsford Res, where it was present in the vicinity of the sailing club. One of the two which probably originated from the feral population on continent and overshot the established Dutch summer moulting grounds, it is unlikely ever to make it back. Aside from this, Stanwick’s drake Garganey, still present on the A45 Lay-by Pit on 29th, was the sole representative of scarce wildfowl during the period.

Two Ospreys were seen on 2nd – one flying over Pitsford dam toward Holcot, the other over Earls Barton GP toward Great Doddington. This week’s Peregrines were one at Earls Barton GP on 29th, two there on 2nd and one over Broadholme STW at Ditchford GP on 31st while, sadly, last week’s escaped male Barbary Falcon x Gyrfalcon hybrid was found dead at Felmersham in Bedfordshire.

Numbers of passage waders were understandably low with, aside from local breeders, just one Dunlin at Summer Leys on 29th, four Redshanks flying east over Stanford Res on 2nd and a Common Sandpiper at Ditchford GP on 29th-30th.

On the passerine front, the exciting discovery of three singing male Firecrests was made at an undisclosed locality on 28th and the singing male Common Redstart remained in Badby Wood on the same date.

Although the period was largely dry, winds from the north-west produced some rain on Saturday, followed by a sunny and relatively warm Sunday, after which it became cooler as north-easterlies set in. In comparison with the previous review period this last week has been rather slow in terms of new arrivals. Ospreys at three sites and a couple of Sanderlings appeared to be the highlights – the migration tap not having been completely turned off but simply left dripping …

The injured Ruddy Shelduck remained at Pitsford Res, where it was present in the vicinity of the sailing club and the drake Garganey at Stanwick GP was seen again on 23rd. Another Quail was heard at Harrington AF on 22nd and then it was straight into raptors but, with nothing as glam as a Lam to look at, a handful of local birders connected with Ospreys at Stanwick GP on 22nd, at Hollowell Res on 22nd and 24th-25th and at/near Naseby Res on 24th/26th.

This week’s only Peregrine was an adult at Earls Barton GP on 26th but it’s also worth flagging up that a Barbary Falcon x Gyrfalcon hybrid escaped from an owner at Wellingborough on 23rd and is still on the loose …

 

Little Ringed Plovers were reported only from Stanwick GP and Summer Leys, with both sites also producing single Ringed Plovers on 26th and 27th respectively while a Sanderling accompanied the Stanwick individual. More readily accessible and obligingly showy was a Sanderling on the dam at Pitsford Res on 22nd, providing excellent photo opportunities for those who saw it.

There was just one Dunlin this week, at Summer Leys on 27th, but one which didn’t make it into the last round-up is worth a mention for the locality alone – Shelfley’s Lake, West Hunsbury on 15th May – an odd record for suburban Northampton and surely a first for this tiny, mainly tree-lined site. The only other waders this week were the three to four Redshanks present at Summer Leys throughout.

There was no improvement in the Turtle Dove situation during the period with the two still near Newton Bromswold on 19th and two at Harrington AF on 22nd and 26th, while the latter site produced a late Northern Wheatear on the first of these two dates.

The first two weeks of May proved to be particularly rewarding for migration-watchers, the highlight of which occurred during the period 4th to 9th when high pressure over north-east Europe combined with a central European low produced a prolonged spell of south-easterly winds stretching to the UK. These conditions proved conducive to opening the gates for a significant influx of Black Terns while, at the same time, delivering higher than average numbers of waders, both in terms of quantity and diversity. Summer Leys received the lion’s share – primarily as a result of habitat management through the control of water levels. It was also understandably an exceptional period for the spread and proliferation of bird news across the county, with Twitter now seemingly the principal line of communication for much of this. By contrast, the last week of the period was particularly quiet, despite some bouts of overcast and wet conditions towards the end of it, which looked likely to ground a few more migrants. Is it all over? Only the next two weeks will tell …

A late migrant Pink-footed Goose joined the Greylags at Pitsford Res on 14th and was still present the following day and, after an apparent absence, the Ruddy Shelduck returned to the same site on 18th, sadly trailing an injured left wing.

Seven Garganeys were found, including a pair at Summer Leys LNR on 2nd followed by single drakes there on 5th and 10th and at Stanwick GP on 13th and 20th and Ditchford GP on 15th, while the female Scaup reappeared briefly at Summer Leys on 4th.

The first Quail of the year was heard at Harrington AF on 2nd, followed by another at Welford Res on 8th. Neither of these lingered beyond their discovery date. Also on the move, a Great White Egret flew over Hardwater Crossing at Earls Barton GP on 5th and, at adjacent Summer Leys, four Spoonbills arrived from the south on the morning of 7th, remaining on the scrape there for only forty-five minutes before heading off north-west – much to the delight of the handful of birders on site at the time. This is only the 33rd record for the county, with the May being the peak month of occurrence.

Four Marsh Harriers were logged during the period, including singles flying high north over East Hunsbury (Northampton) and in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton on 30th, one at Earls Barton GP’s Quarry Walk on 1st followed by another over Hardwater Crossing there the following day.

Ospreys were seen at Hollowell Res on 30th, 2nd, 12th-13th and 17th and one visited Ravensthorpe Res on 1st. Aside from the fifteen records of Hobbies – including ten at Quarry Walk on 12th – the only other raptors of note were single Peregrines in Northampton on 5th-6th and at Summer Leys on 5th and 10th.

One of the period’s highlights – for two observers at least – was the second appearance this spring of Common Crane in the Nene Valley with one flying east at Stanwick GP on 2nd. There have been less than twenty county records in total.

The small passage of Avocets this spring continued with another at Summer Leys on 1st but a remarkable run of waders kicked off at the same locality on 5th with the discovery there of a Grey Plover, which had become three by the next day, these birds remaining until 7th, after which two remained until the following day.

More Grey Plovers were found on floodwater at Braunston on 9th, at Stanwick GP on 9th-11th and at Clifford Hill GP on 10th-12th. Little Ringed Plovers were present at four localities, with a maximum of five at Clifford Hill GP on 10th, while Ringed Plover passage ramped up with possibly as many as seventy scattered across six localities between 1st and 18th, including one flock of twenty-four at Clifford Hill GP on 11th. Several of these were identified as belonging to the ‘arctic’ race tundrae, including four at Harrington AF on 3rd, the same number at Braunston on 9th and one at Stanwick GP on 18th, although many more – if not all – were probably of this subspecies.

There were few Whimbrels by comparison, with one lingering at Summer Leys between 30th and 6th followed by five there on 10th, three were at Stanwick GP on the latter date and singles visited Stanford Res on 11th and Clifford Hill GP on 15th. Just one Curlew was reported during the whole of the period – one at Stanford Res on 6th. After the recent record-breaking flock of Black-tailed Godwits at Summer Leys, five there on 30th followed by one on 4th seemed meagre by comparison; one also visited Stanwick GP on 1st. Bar-tailed Godwits have been scarce this spring and, if we disregard the unconfirmed report of a flock of forty-six over Aldwincle on 10th, there was just one at Stanwick GP on the same date with two there the next day and two at Clifford Hill GP on 11th-12th.

Turnstones put on a reasonable show, however, with singles visiting Stanwick GP on 2nd and 9th, two there on 11th and four on 12th, while Summer Leys produced two on 10th, four on 11th and two on 13th-14th. Elsewhere, two visited Pitsford Res on 10th and one was at Clifford Hill GP the following day.

Only one site produced any Ruff and that was Summer Leys, where up to four were present between 4th and 13th, including a rather black-looking male.

The waders continued with the first of the few migrant Sanderlings being found on Pitsford Res dam on 10th, followed the next day by two at Stanwick GP and singles at Clifford Hill GP and Summer Leys. On 12th one remained at Stanwick and another was there on 16th and a different individual arrived two days later on 18th.

Dunlins were also on the move with a total of at least seventy-four birds spread across six sites and records almost daily until 16th. Double-figure counts came from Summer Leys, where there were ten on 4th, Clifford Hill GP, with twelve on 10th and Stanford Res, where thirteen were counted the following day.

At least sixty Common Sandpipers were recorded across fourteen localities with a maximum of nine at Clifford Hill GP on 11th, while a rather late Green Sandpiper was found at Ditchford GP’s Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve on 7th. One or two Spotted Redshanks were reported over the three-day period 6th to 8th at Summer Leys, with the same site holding up to two Greenshanks between 1st and 8th. Other Greenshanks were at Braunston on 10th, at Stanwick between 10th and 17th (with a maximum of six on 13th) and at Ditchford GP, where four were present on 14th-15th. The scrape at Summer Leys produced another Wood Sandpiper from 6th to 8th, while another visited Stanwick briefly on the latter date.

Aside from potential breeders, Redshanks were also on the move with at least twelve at Summer Leys on 6th, followed by singles at Daventry CP and Braunston on 10th, Pitsford Res and Clifford Hill GP on 11th, six at Stanwick GP on 13th and up to six – possibly eight – at Summer Leys on 20th.

Arguably the most prominent feature of this spring has been the notable influx of Black Terns into the country – primarily as a result of the prolonged south-easterlies during the first week of the month. Records came from nine localities over a ten-day period with well over a hundred birds being logged.

Little Terns, too, were a nice addition to the mix with two arriving at Summer Leys on 10th, another there on 11th and one at Stanwick GP the following day.

Good numbers of Arctic Terns were also on the move at the same time, with Stanwick GP seeing twenty-seven over on 10th and around forty through on 11th; one was also there on 13th. Elsewhere, two visited Daventry CP on 3rd with singles there on 10th and 12th, seven on 11th and six there on 13th and at Clifford Hill GP there were two on 12th, four on 13th-14th and one on 18th.

After all the Little Gulls last month it is surprising that only one was seen during the review period – a first-summer at Stanwick GP on 30th. Stanwick also produced an adult Mediterranean Gull on 11th and two adults the following day, which were doubtless those seen there at the end of last month. Where had they been throughout the intervening period? The only other gull of note was a second calendar year Yellow-legged Gull, which flew over Harrington Airfield on 2nd.

The Turtle Dove situation is currently dire. Just four local records reflect the shocking demise of this species both nationally and in Europe. Singles were purring at Polebrook AF on 8th (but subsequent searches drew a blank) and Old Sulehay on 9th, one flew north over Stanwick on 11th and two were near Newton Bromswold on 15th. A Short-eared Owl was hunting over waterside vegetation at Pitsford Res on 11th before disappearing over adjacent fields, after a relatively poor winter for this species.

Migrant passerines included a short-staying, singing Wood Warbler at Earls Barton GP on 1st, the long-staying, singing male Ring Ouzel at Harrington AF, where it remained until 3rd and two more were found at Borough Hill on 30th, while the last migrant Common Redstarts included single females at Boddington Res, Fawsley Park and Long Buckby – all on 30th and a singing male appeared to be holding territory at Badby Wood from 8th to 15th. Northern Wheatear passage continued quite strongly into the first week of May, with 30th producing singles at Long Buckby and Earls Barton GP and ten at Borough Hill; four were at Clifford Hill GP on 1st with ten there the following day and, at Harrington AF, three to five were present on 2nd, nine on 3rd, seven on 4th and two on 5th, while a male Greenland Wheatear was in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton on 2nd. There were, however, few Whinchats, with the Earls Barton GP bird from last month being joined by a second on 30th, one of which remained until 2nd, singles were at Blueberry Farm and Long Buckby on 30th and, on 4th, one was at Eastcote and two visited Harrington AF. Similarly, there were few White Wagtails with the total of four being made up of singles at Stanwick on 2nd and 11th, Pitsford Res on 3rd and Harrington AF on 5th.

Seven Crossbills flying over Denton Wood on 17th rounded off one of the busiest spring periods locally for a long time.