Northants birds

Bland and generally flat. Another treacle week in which long-stayers stuck, with not even the sniff of a Sand Martin on the rising temperatures to lift the spring spirits.

A ‘new’ Pink-footed Goose was found at Thrapston GP on 4th and the Ravensthorpe Res individual was present again on 6th, while the three European White-fronted Geese continued to stick it out with the two Ruddy Shelducks at Pitsford Res, now becoming disconcertingly tame on the waterline along the dam.

Eight Barnacle Geese which dropped into Stanwick GP briefly on 28th were surely from feral stock but you never know … Just one Red-crested Pochard was reported this week – a drake at Stanford Res on 1st and the only Smew were five still at Ravensthorpe Res on 28th, falling to three there on 6th, and two – both drakes – at Stanwick GP the following day.

Up to two Great White Egrets remained at Summer Leys LNR all week and singles were at Ditchford GP on 3rd and at Stanwick GP the next day. The only raptor of note was a Peregrine at Hollowell Res on 6th.

Few waders were reported with just one Golden Plover in flight over Ravensthorpe Res on 28th and thirty near Hanging Houghton on 6th, single Common Snipe at Hollowell Res and Stanford Res on the same date with another at Harringworth AF and at least fifteen at Stanwick GP the following day. The first day of March also saw twelve Redshanks at the latter locality, when there was also a Green Sandpiper at Stanford Res, followed by another at Pitsford Res on 2nd and another at Lower Benefield on 4th.

The gull roosts of Pitsford and Boddington Reservoirs produced single adult Mediterranean Gulls on 2nd and 5th respectively and another was at Hollowell Res on 6th, while two adult Yellow-legged Gulls were again at Hollowell Res on 28th and another visited Stanford Res on the same date.

The only Chiffchaff this week was one, also at Stanford Res on 28th, and the only Central European Blackcap, a male, frequented a garden in East Hunsbury (Northampton) until at least 4th. Other wintering passerines included the up to three Stonechats at Hollowell Res, five in the wider Maidwell Vale and one at Pitsford Res and

a male Brambling – scarce this winter – near Burn Coppice (Deenethorpe) on 1st with another flying east over Hollowell Res on 6th.

No drama. This applies to both weather and birds this week, during which everything appears to have come to a painful standstill. Hopefully it’s the calm before the storm. Next week it’s March and that first Wheatear can’t be far away …

The rarely there Pink-footed Goose paid one of its brief visits to Ravensthorpe Res on 25th, while at Pitsford Res the three European White-fronted Geese remained all week, as did the two Ruddy Shelducks and the drake Pintail was still there on 22nd.

Up to five Red-crested Pochards were still being seen at Ringstead GP throughout the period, while the ‘redhead’ Smew at Stortons GP was joined there by a second one from 22nd to 25th, three to five were at Pitsford Res on 23rd with five (three drakes) at Ravensthorpe Res the next day and up to three remained at Stanwick GP to 26th.

Compared to last week, the number of Great White Egrets was down with just one at Ditchford GP on 21st and two at Summer Leys LNR on the same date, followed by singles there on 22nd and 25th. Similarly, raptor records were restricted to single Peregrines at Hanging Houghton on 21st and Higham Ferrers on 26th.

Waders were also at a low ebb with Golden Plovers numbering sixty-five at Kelmarsh on 22nd, seventy-five at Hollowell Res on 25th and approximately one hundred at Hellidon on 27th. In addition to these, two Common Snipe were at Moulton Quarry on 27th and a Curlew visited Stanwick GP on 26th. The week’s rare gulls were limited to two adult Caspian Gulls at Rushton Landfill on 22nd and a Yellow-legged Gull at Stanwick GP on 24th with two at Hollowell Res on 25th.

Wintering Chiffchaff numbers held up with at least twelve along the outflow stream at Ecton SF on 23rd and eleven around Broadholme SWT, Ditchford GP the following day. A male and female Central European Blackcap frequented a garden in Byfield during the week while Stonechats were seen between Deenethorpe and Benefield, at Hollowell Res, Pitsford Res and Blueberry Farm (Maidwell), with a maximum of four at the latter site on 23rd and 25th.

With no dramatic Atlantic systems on the horizon, calm and uneventful was the order of the week as far as the weather was concerned. In fact it was positively spring-like for a couple of days, all of which did little to usher in any stunningly new arrivals.

At Pitsford Res the three European White-fronted Geese remained all week, as did the two Ruddy Shelducks and a single drake Pintail was also present on 18th.

The two female Red-crested Pochards were still at Stanford Res on 15th at least with five again at Ringstead GP two days later and the long-staying first-winter drake Scaup seemed settled at Ravensthorpe Res on 14th-15th. The female Ring-necked Duck was back at Billing GP on 14th, although access restrictions and difficult viewing conditions at this site may mean it was present beyond this date. At least one Smew remained at Ravensthorpe Res on 17th, up to four were at Stanwick GP all week and three were at Pitsford Res on 14th.

In the Nene Valley, Great White Egrets were present all week, being recorded in ones, twos and threes from Thrapston GP, Ditchford GP and Summer Leys LNR respectively but movement of individuals between sites made it almost impossible to assess just how many birds were present – until 20th, that is, when a record five were together at the latter of the three locations. With one still at Pitsford Res on 15th and 17th it is highly likely there were at least six in the county this week.

Another poor week for raptors saw single Merlins at Stanford Res on 15th and again at Deenethorpe AF on the same date, while a Peregrine at Higham Ferrers was the only one reported during the period.

Waders were again in short supply with just six Golden Plovers over Ravensthorpe Res on 14th, fifteen at Harrington AF on the same date with 65 there and 300 at Summer Leys on 20th, while the same date saw one or two Jack Snipe at Barnes Meadow (Northampton) and one at Hollowell Res. Single-figure counts of Common Snipe came from Barnes Meadow, Moulton Quarry and Summer Leys but 15+ were at Stanwick GP on 20th, nine Redshanks were still at Stanwick GP on 15th and one visited Summer Leys LNR on 19th while a Green Sandpiper was also at Stanwick GP on 14th.

An unconfirmed report of an adult Iceland Gull in the roost at Pitsford Res on 19th remained exactly that (it would be the first of this species at this locality for many years), while the only Yellow-legged Gull was an adult at Stanford Res on 14th. A Common Gull showing characteristics of the race heinei was present in the Pitsford roost on 20th.

Up at Deenethorpe the Great Grey Shrike continued to be seen at Burn Coppice until at least 17th, although it appears to have taken up a position further away from the road, becoming more difficult to see well. Rumours of argy-bargy with the landowner have recently emerged so pursuing it across the fields is probably not the best course of action to take in attempting to obtain better views … The outflow stream at Ecton SF continues to hold good numbers of wintering Chiffchaffs with ten counted there on 14th, although the chances of their being joined by a tristis are now looking very slim indeed; elsewhere, single Chiffchaffs were at Stanford Res on 14th and Stanwick GP the following day. Other wintering passerines of note were single female Central European Blackcaps in gardens in East Hunsbury (Northampton) throughout and three Stonechats at Hollowell Res on 14th, two at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell) on the same date, with four there on 20th, and two at Thrapston GP on 27th.

A slow moving high pressure system resulted in calm conditions throughout much of the week with an almost stationary blanket of cloud for the latter half. Signs of early spring were evident in the return of Oystercatchers to favoured Nene Valley locations and a number of species in full song.

A solitary Pink-footed Goose visited Ravensthorpe Res on 9th, while the three European White-fronted Geese remained all week at Pitsford Res, where the two Ruddy Shelducks were also present until at least 9th. Two Pintails visited Summer Leys LNR on 7th-8th and the two female Red-crested Pochards were still at Stanford Res at the same time, while single drakes remained at Hardingstone GP to 7th and Wicksteed Park Lake to 10th, with three again at Ringstead GP on 13th. The long-staying first-winter drake Scaup continued to commute between Ravensthorpe Res and Hollowell Res throughout the week but most noteworthy was the surprise reappearance of the female Ring-necked Duck – this time at Clifford Hill GP – on 11th. It is likely, of course, that it had been commuting between here and its much favoured locality of Billing GP during its apparent absence. Meanwhile, three Smew remained at Ravensthorpe Res, three at Stanwick GP and one at Stortons GP, with three or four at Pitsford Res on 13th.

Great White Egrets were again absent from the latter site but singles were seen on and off all week at Summer Leys LNR and Ditchford GP with all reports perhaps just relating to a single mobile individual.

Raptors again maintained a low profile with just one Merlin again at Deenethorpe AF on 8th and twos of Peregrine at Rushden on 9th and Ditchford GP on 12th with one also at Pitsford Res the following day.

Apart from five at Stanford Res on 9th and three over Pitsford Res on 13th, a count of just two hundred at Sywell CP on 9th constituted the only other record and the maximum figure for Golden Plover this week; where are they all this winter? The only Jack Snipe were found at Hollowell Res, Pitsford Res and Barnes Meadow (Northampton), where the highest count was five or six on 7th, while Common Snipe were found at Stanwick GP, Summer Leys LNR, Hollowell Res, Stanford Res and Pitsford Res, with a top total of fifty-nine at the latter locality on 13th. Just one Redshank was at Summer Leys LNR on 7th-8th while nine were counted at Stanwick GP the following day and a Curlew at Ditchford GP on 12th hinted of better things to come.

Scare larids included a first-winter Mediterranean Gull at Pitsford Res on 13th, adult Caspian Gulls at Stanford Res on 7th and at Ditchford GP on 12th – the latter accompanied by a first-winter the next day, while the same site held two Yellow-legged Gulls and this species was also seen at Hollowell Res and Stanwick GP.  Now present for six weeks, the Great Grey Shrike at Burn Coppice, Deenethorpe continued to be seen

daily, there was just one report of Chiffchaffs near Brixworth on 8th, while three Central European Blackcaps were in a garden in Raunds and one in a Thrapston garden on 9th.

This week’s wintering Stonechats included one at Pitsford Res, two at Hollowell Res and up to four at Blueberry Farm (Maidwell).

A very uneventful week weatherwise with odd, settling snow flurries which didn’t linger and cold easterlies to finish.

The four Pink-footed Geese were still at Blatherwycke Lake on 31st and another visited Stanwick GP the next day while the three European White-fronted Geese continued to be seen at Pitsford Res until at least 1st. Back on the scene this week were the two Ruddy Shelducks at the same locality after an apparent prolonged absence and a drake Pintail visited Summer leys LNR on 5th. The two female Red-crested Pochards were still at Stanford Res on 1st and single drakes were at Wicksteed Park Lake on 31st to 6th and Hardingstone GP on 2nd.

The long-staying first-winter drake Scaup continued to move erratically between Ravensthorpe Res and Hollowell Res all week. The early part of the week saw four Smew still present at Ravensthorpe Res and four were also at Pitsford Res and Stanwick GP, the latter being joined by a fifth on 2nd, while the lone ‘redhead’ remained at Stortons GP all week.

This week’s catch of Great White Egrets comprised three at Summer Leys LNR on 31st with one there on 5th-6th and another – or one of the same – at Ditchford GP on 1st

and few raptors were reported with just single Merlins at Pitsford Res on 1st and Deenethorpe on 6th and Peregrines at Daventry on 2nd and Higham Ferrers on 4th.

Small numbers of Golden Plovers were reported and the only Jack Snipe were two at Hollowell Res on 2nd and two Pitsford Res on 4th, while less than double-figure counts of Common Snipe came from Stanwick GP, Stanford Res, Pitsford Res and Brixworth. Four Redshanks were at Stanwick GP on 31st and 6 were at Ditchford GP on 4th-5th  along with three Green Sandpipers.

Gulls provided some interest this week in the shape of an adult Ring-billed x Lesser Black-backed hybrid in the Boddington Res gull roost on 2nd, otherwise a first-winter. Mediterranean Gull visited the Pitsford roost on 31st and an adult Glaucous Gull was found the Ditchford GP’s famous Viaduct Pit the next day. Caspian Gulls continued to be seen at Stanwick GP with an adult on 31st followed by a first-winter next day and the usual ones and twos of adult Yellow-legged Gulls lingered at both the latter locality and at Hollowell Res.

Continuing to draw a trickle of admirers, the Great Grey Shrike at Burn Coppice, Deenethorpe remained and appeared to be joined by another on 4th.

There were fewer reports of Chiffchaffs this week with just one or two at Brixworth on 2nd and three at Ditchford GP on 4th, while single Central European Blackcaps were in gardens at Wootton on 31st and Byfield on 2nd and the only Stonechats were three at Hollowell Res on 2nd. Bramblings, however, came to the fore with singles in gardens in Wooton and Hanging Houghton and two at Harrington Airfield on 2nd.

This week presented as a tale of two halves, with a relatively mild and dry beginning giving way in the end to something rather more cold and wet. When the west wind blows, it blows – this one via Greenland, dumping significant snow ‘up north’ while Northamptonshire received only a dusting, nevertheless raising hopes of something new appearing … somewhere.

In the Stanford on Avon area the three Pink-footed Geese border-hopped from Leicestershire to visit Stanford Res on 24th-25th and the Blatherwycke four were still present with the Greylag flock on 25th. Also remaining were the three European White-fronted Geese at Pitsford Res until at least 29th. Back at Stanford Res, the two female Red-crested Pochards were still in residence on 25th and five were still at Ringstead GP on 28th, while the long-staying first-winter drake Scaup yo-yoed between Ravensthorpe Res and Hollowell Res all week.

The four Smew – including two drakes – were still present at Ravensthorpe Res on 26th as were the four at Stanwick GP all week, during which two were also present at Pitsford Res.

Single Great White Egrets were reported from Pitsford Res on 25th and Ditchford GP on 30th, while up to three were seen on and off throughout the week at Summer Leys LNR. This is a poor showing in comparison to recent weeks and will no doubt see the county slip from the national ratings for this species for the period!

Similarly, it was a poor week for both raptors and waders with a Merlin just inside Northants at Turtle Bridge on the River Welland on 27th and another at Blueberry Farm on 30th and single Peregrines were at Ditchford GP on 24th and Higham Ferrers on 29th. A meagre thirty Golden Plovers visited Stanford Res on 24th and fifteen were over Blueberry Farm on 30th, the only Jack Snipe were two at Pitsford Res on 29th and two at Hollowell Res the following day, while this week’s only reported Common Snipe comprised four at Cransley Res on 24th. At least eight Redshanks remained at Stanwick GP, four at Ditchford GP along with two Green Sandpipers and a Green Sandpiper was also at Ecton SF on 25th. An adult Mediterranean Gull was at Hollowell Res on 30th, Caspian Gulls were found at three sites with single adults at Stanford Res and Ditchford GP on 24th and at Stanwick GP on 24th and 27th, with a first-winter at the latter site on the first of these two dates. Stanwick also played host to two adult Yellow-legged Gulls on 24th, another adult was at Stanford Res on the same date followed by two adults at Hollowell Res on 27th.

Although at times it proved elusive, the Great Grey Shrike at Burn Coppice, Deenethorpe was still present to at least 25th. Smaller wintering passerines included thirteen Chiffchaffs at Ecton SF on 24th and singles at Thrapston GP on 26th, Northampton on 27th and Stanwick GP on 29th, while single Central European Blackcaps were in two Northampton gardens on 25th and in a Raunds garden on 29th. Stonechats were seen this week at Blueberry Farm, Burn Coppice, Ditchford GP and at Hollowell Res, with a maximum of four at the first of these sites on 30th.

A ‘Nordic’ Jackdaw appeared at Hanging Houghton on 28th, although individuals showing characteristics of this race appear to attract little attention these days after enjoying a number of years in vogue nationally.