Northants birds

The relentless, fast moving depressions from the Atlantic continued to batter Britain while local floodwater levels continued to rise in the Nene Valley and elsewhere. The first signs of early spring passage were evident on 10th.

Great weather for ducks, although nothing new was found during the period. Four Pintail were at Pitsford Res on 11th, the same site continuing to host at least two Red-crested Pochards and the drake Scaup until at least 9th, while the Earls Barton Long-tailed Duck had moved to Clifford Hill GP by 10th and the long-staying individual resurfaced at Thrapston GP’s Town Lake on 13th.

All three sawbills were available this week, with a maximum of eight Smew at Pitsford Res on 8th, one at Earls Barton GP on 9th, two at Sywell CP on 12th and five at Ravensthorpe Res the following day, while a Red-breasted Merganser reappeared at Stanford Res between 8th and 12th and Goosanders were again reported from just four localities, with a maximum of thirteen at Stanford Res on 8th.

The wintering juvenile Great Northern Diver remained at Pitsford Res all week as did at least one Great White Egret while two remained at Summer Leys/Earls Barton GP until 8th. Raptors continued to prove scarce with single Merlins at Pitsford Res on 8th and near Sulgrave on 11th and Peregrines were seen at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and Ravensthorpe Res on 8th, Summer Leys on 9th and at Kingsthorpe LNR and Harrington AF on 13th. Scarce waders were limited to single Jack Snipes at, Stanford Res, Pitsford Res and Hollowell Res on 8th and again at the latter site on 13th.

Similarly, scarce gulls comprised adult Mediterranean Gulls at Pitsford Res on 8th, 11th and 14th, an adult and a first-winter in the gull roost at Boddington Res on 8th and 10th and a second-winter at Daventry CP on 9th with an adult Glaucous Gull in the Ise Valley near Wellingborough on 8th. The 10th produced adult Kittiwakes at Stanford Res and Boddington Res – part of a series of early storm-driven migrants inland, on their way back to breeding areas further north.

The only Chiffchaff this week was one at Stortons GP on 10th, while six wintering Central European Blackcaps were in gardens in Northampton, Sywell, Kettering and Wellingborough, a new Mealy Redpoll was found at Daventry CP on 11th and Bramblings were present at Harrington AF, Hanging Houghton, Hollowell Res and Stanwick GP.

The week remained mild as an incessant onslaught of depressions in off the Atlantic brought more rain and gale force winds. Few new birds were found locally.

Escapes maintained the status quo this week with the Ross’s Goose still at Clifford Hill GP on 2nd, the long-staying Bar-headed Goose at Pitsford Res still on 4th and the female Wood Duck on the River Nene in Northampton on 1st. Dapper dabblers were represented only by a drake Mandarin at Kettering Leisure Village Lake on 4th and eight Pintail at Ringstead GP on 6th with twenty over Earls Barton GP on the same date. The only Red-crested Pochards reported this week were single drakes at Ringstead GP on 4th and Ditchford GP on 7th and the only Scaup a drake at Pitsford Res on 3rd and 4th,

while the Long-tailed Duck remained in residence on Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP all week, being joined there by a drake Smew for the same duration. The only other Smew were a ‘redhead’ at Clifford Hill GP on 2nd and three (one drake) at Pitsford Res all week, while Goosanders were reported from four localities, with a maximum of sixteen at Boddington Res on 7th. Unfortunately, the cat was out of the bag with regard to the pair of Ruddy Ducks wintering in Pitsford’s Scaldwell Bay, the government’s special boat squadron was duly despatched and it seems likely that these two met their fate on the afternoon of 4th.

The wintering juvenile Great Northern Diver remained on station at Pitsford Res all week and the same locality continued to host at least one Great White Egret while two remained at Summer Leys/Earls Barton GP throughout the period.

Raptors were again scarce with a male Merlin over fields north of Badby on 7th and single Peregrines at Summer Leys on 2nd, Kingsthorpe LNR on 4th and Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on the same date and again on 7th, while a pair was present at an undisclosed locality throughout the week.

Waders hit an all-time low this week with just three Redshanks at Clifford Hill GP on 2nd and a Green Sandpiper at Pineham, Northampton on the same date, while approximately two thousand Lapwings at Stanwick GP on1st was an encouragingly high count.

Similarly, scarce gulls were poorly represented by just two Mediterranean Gulls – an adult and a first-winter – in the gull roost at Boddington Res on 3rd and 7th, a juvenile Glaucous Gull flying over Wellingborough on 1st and an adult in the usual flooded field in the Ise Valley there on 3rd.

The only Chiffchaff this week was one at Pitsford Res on 3rd, while five wintering Central European Blackcaps were in gardens in Northampton, Kettering and Wellingborough, up to two Mealy Redpolls were in alders at Daventry CP between 3rd

and 7th and single-figure counts of Bramblings were made at Summer Leys, in the Brampton Valley and at Harrington AF which hosted the week’s maximum of eight on 1st.

A mild start to the week included an unseasonal thunder & lightning storm on 25th, before turning briefly colder under the influence of an easterly airstream mid-week.

Escapes featured heavily this week with the Ross’s Goose again at Clifford Hill GP on 27th, the long-staying Bar-headed Goose at Pitsford Res still on 31st and the new kid on the block – a female Wood Duck – on the River Nene in Northampton all week.

Otherwise, six Red-crested Pochards were at Stanford Res on 25th, while six remained at Pitsford Res until at least 29th with a Scaup at the same locality on 29th and 31st and the Long-tailed Duck remained at Earls Barton GP on 25th. Smew were reported from three localities, with three at Ravensthorpe Res on 25th, the ‘redhead’ still at Clifford Hill

GP on 26th-27th and up to six at Pitsford Res all week, while a ‘redhead’ Red-breasted Merganser at Stanford Res on 25th was noteworthy and Goosanders were reported from five localities, with a maximum of thirty-five at Clifford Hill GP on 26th.

The wintering juvenile Great Northern Diver was still at Pitsford Res on 31st and it appears that there are at least five Great White Egrets wintering in the county: two at Ditchford GP, one or two at Summer Leys/Earls Barton GP and two at Pitsford Res with one also seen in flight over Stanwick GP on 30th. Raptors were in short supply with just one Peregrine at Pitsford Res on 25th and a Merlin was at Denton the following day.

The week’s waders included the two Oystercatchers at Stanwick GP all week, approximately one thousand Golden Plovers at Clifford Hill GP on 27th with the same number estimated at Stanwick GP on 30th and smaller numbers at three further sites. A count of approximately seventy-eight Common Snipe at Pitsford Res on 25th was one of the highest totals there in recent times, five Dunlins visited Stanwick GP on 30th, where twelve Redshanks were counted the previous day – with two at Pitsford Res on 25th and three at Clifford Hill GP on 27th – and a Green Sandpiper was at Pitsford Res on 25th.

White-winged gulls were again very much in evidence this week but an albino Black-headed Gull at Ditchford GP on 29th was, well, all white. The flooded field between Wellingborough and Sidegate Landfill produced three Caspian Gulls with a first-winter on 25th, an adult on 26th and a second-winter on 28th, while a second-winter was at Stanwick GP on 29th and three were there the following day. The latter site hosted two Yellow-legged Gulls on 30th, while the Wellingborough flood produced two adults on 26th and a second-winter on 28th, the same site hosting an adult Iceland Gull on 26th and a second-winter Glaucous Gull on 25th and an adult on 28th. A different adult – along with a juvenile – visited the pre-roost at Stanwick GP on 29th and a juvenile was there again the following evening.

A Chiffchaff was at Pitsford Res on 25th and two were found at Stanwick GP on 29th, while at least seven wintering Central European Blackcaps were scattered among gardens in Duston, Spratton, Kettering and Wellingborough and six Bramblings remained at Harrington AF during the week.

The week started mild and ended more or less on the same note, with a series of uneventful depressions bringing showers from the west intermittently throughout the period.

The wandering escaped Ross’s Goose visited Clifford Hill GP on 20th and nearby Hardingstone GP on 22nd, while two Egyptian Geese remained at Ditchford GP on the same date and another was at Barnwell CP on 19th, when the first three Shelducks of ‘spring’ returned to Summer Leys LNR. The only Pintail this week were two at Stanwick GP on 22nd and the same site produced a striking bird considered to be a hybrid drake Baikal Teal x Eurasian Teal  on the same date. Four Red-crested Pochards visited Summer Leys on 20th, the drake Scaup remained at Ditchford GP until at least 22nd as did single Long-tailed Ducks at Thrapston GP until 19th and Earls Barton GP until 24th. The three reports of Smew this week consisted of five at Pitsford Res on 18th, one at Clifford Hill GP on 20th and two at Ditchford GP on 22nd and Goosanders were reported from six localities, with a maximum of seventeen at Hardingstone GP on 22nd.

The wintering juvenile Great Northern Diver was still at Pitsford Res on 22nd but it has now become difficult to assess how many Great White Egrets are now wintering in the county, with just one reported from Pitsford between 18th and 22nd, singles at Summer Leys LNR on 19th, 21st and 24th with two there on 20th and two at nearby Ditchford GP on 18th, 22nd and 24th with one there on 19th. Breaking the Peregrine monopoly, a Merlin was seen at Thrapston GP on 19th but Peregrines continued to outnumber with singles at Brixworth on 18th, Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 20th, 22nd and 24th and at Ditchford GP on 22nd.

The week’s few waders included two Oystercatchers at Stanwick GP on 22nd, Golden Plovers at four sites, with a maximum exceeding five hundred at Summer Leys on 20th, a Green Sandpiper at Ditchford GP on 18th and 22nd and up to eleven Redshanks at Stanwick GP all week. A count of approximately one thousand Lapwings at Ditchford GP on 24th was noteworthy.

Scarce gulls were at a low ebb this week with an adult Mediterranean Gull visiting Daventry CP on 24th, single adult Caspian Gulls at Stanwick GP on 22nd and near Sidegate Landfill on 24th, a juvenile Glaucous Gull visited Broadholme Sewage Works (Ditchford GP) on 24th and adult Yellow-legged Gulls were in the same area on 22nd and 24th. A probable juvenile Kumlien’s Gull at Ditchford GP on 22nd will be only the second county record if it is eventually pinned down and the identification confirmed.

Last week’s Great Grey Shrike remained near Lowick until at least 23rd and ten Chiffchaffs were counted at Ditchford GP on 22nd, while wintering Central European Blackcaps included two in a Wellingborough garden and singles in Irthlingborough and Northampton all week.  The ‘Eastern’ Lesser Whitethroat, discovered in a Northampton garden last week, continued to visit feeders there intermittently until 22nd. Its subspecific identity has yet to be resolved, with some authorities favouring Central Asian halimodendri while others suggesting blythi as a possible candidate.

An unconfirmed report of two Waxwings in a car park on Northampton’s Lodge Farm Industrial Estate on 24th remains just that, while the two wintering Stonechats continued their winter residence at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell all week, a Water Pipit was again at Ditchford GP on 24th and six Bramblings were at Harrington AF on 19th with one at Hanging Houghton on 22nd.

The weather for the past week was largely dry with overnight frost at the beginning of the period, although temperatures lifted as the week progressed, so much so that two Peacock butterflies were on the wing at Thrapston Gravel Pits on 16th. Attracting a host of rare gulls, the Ditchford/Sidegate area was firmly back in the limelight this week and an unseasonal Lesser Whitethroat in a Northampton garden generated both interest and debate at the week’s end.

Static wildfowl included the (probably resident) Barnacle Goose at Blatherwycke Lake until at least 13th and the two Egyptian Geese at Ditchford GP on 15th, while up to eleven Mandarin Ducks were counted at Blatherwycke Lake. A probable Marbled Duck evaded positive identification – and, most likely, recapture – at Stanwick GP on 13th. The only Pintail were at Stanwick GP, with one there on 16th and three the following day, while the two Red-crested Pochards remained at Ringstead GP on 12th, the drake Scaup was at Ditchford GP all week with another at Pitsford Res on 11th and

single Long-tailed Ducks remained on Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP until 12th with the Thrapston GP bird reported again on Town Lake on 16th. Up to three Smew, including one drake, were present at Pitsford Res, while two (one drake) remained at Ravensthorpe Res all week and a ‘redhead’ was seen at Clifford Hill GP on 14th.

The wintering juvenile Great Northern Diver remained at Pitsford Res throughout the period and the Bittern at Stortons GP was seen only on 12th, while up to two Great White Egrets remained at Pitsford Res, two were also seen regularly at Earls Barton GP/Summer Leys LNR and one visited Ditchford GP on 12th.

As with last week, the only scarce raptors reported were all Peregrines with singles in the Barnes Meadow area of Northampton on 11th and 13th, Earls Barton GP on 11th, Ditchford GP on 14th, Summer Leys on 16th and Harrington AF on 17th.

On the wader front, the solitary, early returning Oystercatcher remained at Stanwick GP all week, while sizeable Golden Plover flocks were c.1000 at Stanwick GP on 17th, c.500 in the Welland Valley at Gretton on 13th and 241 on levelled building land at Pineham, Northampton also on 17th. Two Jack Snipes were found at Hollowell Res on 11th and another was at Pitsford Res on 13th, a Black-tailed Godwit put in an appearance at Stanwick GP on 15th, while up to thirteen Redshanks were there all week.

Laridophiles were on to a good thing this week with Ditchford GP and Sidegate Landfill finally producing good numbers of scarce gulls, many of which regularly visited a flooded field between Wellingborough and the landfill. Three Caspian Gulls (an adult, ringed fourth-winter and a second-winter) were there on 12th with two adults at nearby Stanwick GP on 11th, 13th and 17th, being joined by a second-winter on the latter date. Yellow-legged Gulls were thinly spread, with single adults at Stanwick GP on 11th, 13th and 17th, a near-adult at Pitsford Res on 12th and an adult at Rushton Landfill with another at Finedon and a second-winter near Wellingborough also on 12th and an adult at Ravensthorpe Res on 16th. A second-winter Iceland Gull visited Ditchford GP on 11th and a first-winter was found at Finedon the following day, being seen in the Wellingborough area throughout the week and at Stanwick GP on 17th. Three Glaucous Gulls (an adult, juvenile and second-winter) visited the flooded field near Wellingborough on 11th and 12th with just a juvenile there on 15th and an adult at Stanwick GP on 17th.

No mass accumulation of gulls would be complete without the spectre of hybrids and the Wellingborough site attracted an adult Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrid on 11th-12th and examples of both juvenile and second-winter Herring x Glaucous Gull hybrids on the same dates. Elsewhere an adult gull considered to be a Yellow-legged x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrid visited Pitsford Res on 12th.

A Great Grey Shrike was an unexpected find near Lowick on 17th while last week’s Bearded Tits were still at Stortons GP on 11th and 12th with the male – originally ringed there last autumn – being retrapped on the latter date. Single Chiffchaffs were present at Stanford Res on 11th, Ditchford GP on 12th and Pitsford Res on 13th, while at least two were at Stanwick GP on 16th and  up to nine were at Ecton SF during the same period, the same site hosting a Siberian Chiffchaff on 11th-12th.

Wintering Central European Blackcaps included two singles in gardens in Wellingborough on 15th and two in a Northampton garden all week

but potentially more interesting was a Lesser Whitethroat discovered in a Northampton garden on 17th, possibly having been seen there two weeks previously. As well as this being likely to constitute the first winter record of this species in Northants its racial identity is yet to be resolved, with ‘Siberian’ blythi being mooted as a possible candidate. The two wintering Stonechats were still in residence at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 16th and Bramblings were seen at just three localities, with a maximum of approximately thirty at East Carlton CP on 16th and a Hawfinch was reported at Fermyn Woods CP on 12th.