Northants birds

A westerly airstream prevailed, turning northerly at the week’s end with severe gales and flooding devastating parts of east coast Britain while Northamptonshire remained relatively unscathed. A few more winter visitors and scarcities were found in the early part of the week.

Two Egyptian Geese were at Thrapston GP on 2nd with the drake Mandarin Duck still at Wicksteed Park Lake on the same date and single Pintails were at both Stanford Res and Pitsford Res on 30th with ten counted at the latter site on 2nd. Both reservoirs also hosted Red-crested Pochards with a pair at Stanford Res on 30th and at least sixteen at Pitsford on the same date with single-figure counts thereafter. A leucistic female was also at Ravensthorpe Res on 6th. This week’s ducks deluxe, however, were three Long-tailed Ducks found on Mary’s Lake at Earls Barton GP on 30th and remaining until at least 4th, along with last week’s individual at Thrapston GP, which was joined by a second bird on 1st.

Two female or first-winter Common Scoters were a surprise discovery at Ditchford GP on 30th and, on the same date, a ‘redhead’ Smew was again at Clifford Hill GP, while three ‘redheads’ were at Ravensthorpe Res the following day and two at Pitsford Res from 2nd until 4th with four and two drakes there on 6th. Single-figure counts of Goosanders were made at Pitsford Res, Stanford Res and Thrapston GP with the maximum number of eleven coming from Abington Park Lake, Northampton on 6th.

Great White Egrets maintained their high profile with up to three remaining at Pitsford Res all week and further singles at Ditchford GP on 30th-1st and at Summer Leys LNR on

6th, while the Stanford Res Black-necked Grebe performed an encore on 30th after many previous erratic stage appearances at the site over the past couple of months. Four records of Peregrines – Ditchford GP on 30th, Blueberry Farm and Hellidon on 1st and Pitsford Res on 4th – comprised the raptor count for the week.

The wader tally was not unexpectedly low. Five Jack Snipe were found at Hollowell Res on 30th, a Dunlin visited Clifford Hill GP on 6th and the lingering Black-tailed Godwit remained at Pitsford Res all week, while up to two Redshanks also remained there throughout the week with four at Stanwick GP and two at Ditchford GP on 2nd, along with a Green Sandpiper there on 1st and two at Pitsford Res on 2nd.

The first ‘white-winged’ gull of the winter proved to be an adult Iceland Gull, which put in a brief appearance at Ditchford GP on 1st, while up to three Caspian Gulls were also there on 1st and 2nd with another at Stanwick GP on the latter date.

Eight Yellow-legged Gulls were also at Ditchford GP on 30th with four there on 2nd and two at Hollowell Res on 6th when an adult Mediterranean Gull also visited Ravensthorpe Res

Although a Firecrest at Ringstead GP was a good find on 1st, the biggest surprise of the week, however, came in the form of a Yellow-browed Warbler, which was heard calling on three separate occasions on private land with no public access on 6th. Other wintering warblers included two Chiffchaffs at Summer Leys on 30th, three at Ecton SF on 1st plus two at Stanwick GP and one at Ditchford GP on 2nd, while single female Blackcaps were in gardens at both Spratton and Sywell on the same date. The two Stonechats remained at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 3rd when two were also discovered at Sywell CP and Bramblings were seen at Cottesbrooke, East Carlton CP, Fawsley Park and Harrington AF with a maximum of twelve at the latter site on 2nd, while fly-over Crossbills this week were two at Hanging Houghton on 3rd and one at Earls Barton GP on 4th.

A largely dry week with depressed temperatures, overnight frost on 25th and a north to north-westerly airstream saw the arrival of a few more winter visitors.

Two Egyptian Geese were at Ditchford GP on 24th, the floating drake Mandarin Duck was still at Wicksteed Park Lake on 25th and 28th and thirteen Pintail were counted at Pitsford Res on 29th. Pitsford also hosted up to twenty-four Red-crested Pochards at the beginning of the week, while a leucistic female was at Ravensthorpe Res on 27th and a bird considered to be a Red-crested Pochard x Mallard hybrid was found at Pitsford on 25th. Two Scaup appeared – a drake at Ditchford GP and a first-winter at Thrapston GP – both on 24th but the species generating the most interest this week was a female or first-winter Long-tailed Duck found in Pitsford Reservoir’s Walgrave Bay late in the day on 23rd. Unfortunately ‘coal and candlelight’ was no longer on the menu for birders who turned up to see it early the following morning but, as luck would have it, another was discovered on Town Lake at Thrapston GP later in the day – this one staying until at least 28th.

Female or first-winter Long-tailed Duck, Thrapston GP, 26th November 2013 (Mike Alibone). A slight difference in head pattern – the Thrapston individual had more extensively dark forehead and lores – confirmed this was a different individual to the bird at Pitsford.

These were the first in Northants for seven years and formed part of an inland mini-influx which saw others in Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire. The first Smew of the winter also appeared this week with a ‘redhead’ at Clifford Hill GP on 23rd and a drake at Pitsford Res on 25th-26th.

Smew, Clifford Hill GP, 23rd November 2013 (Mike Alibone)

Goosanders were reported from seven localities but struggled to reach double figures with the maximum count of just eleven coming from Pitsford Res on 25th. Great White Egrets were again very much in evidence this week with up to three, possibly four, remaining at Pitsford Res and singles at both Thrapston GP and Stanwick GP on 24th and flying west at Summer Leys on 25th and west over Geddington on 27th, while a Black-necked Grebe was found at Pitsford Res on 25th.

Reports of raptors this week were few and far between, being restricted to a juvenile Marsh Harrier at Blatherwycke Lake on 23rd and a Peregrine at Pitsford Res on 25th and, apart from two Green Sandpipers at Ditchford GP on 24th, all of this week’s notable waders were also found at Pitsford Res. These included a Grey Plover on 25th, a Dunlin on 29th, the lingering Black-tailed Godwit until at least 25th, up to five Redshanks throughout the week and the potentially wintering Common Sandpiper again on 25th.

Scarce gulls included an adult Caspian Gull at Thrapston GP on 24th and first-winter at Ditchford GP on the same date, while another adult visited Rushton Landfill the following day. Less rare were a second-winter Yellow-legged Gull at Ditchford GP on 24th and up to two adults at Pitsford Res between 25th and 29th.

Wintering warblers included single Chiffchaffs at Thrapston GP on 23rd, Pitsford Res on 25th and Harrington AF on 27th, while four were counted at Ditchford GP on 24th and three were at Ecton SF on 28th. The same site produced a Siberian Chiffchaff, seen and sound-recorded there on the same date, while a Blackcap was at Thrapston GP also on 28th and the two Stonechats remained at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell all week. Single-figure counts of Bramblings came from Blueberry Farm, Brampton Valley, Brixworth CP, Harrington AF and Kelmarsh and the only Crossbills this week were two or three at Gamboro Plantation near Cottesbrooke on 26th.

Westerly winds swung northerly during the week, bringing colder temperatures and a mixture of sunshine and showers.

A herd of twenty-four Bewick’s Swans – an impressive number by today’s standards – arrived at Clifford Hill GP prior to dusk in the afternoon on 21st but they had moved on by first light the following morning.

Bewick’s Swans, part of a herd of twenty-four at Clifford Hill GP, 21st November 2013 (Mike Alibone)

Blatherwycke Lake on continued to host a Barnacle Goose, an Egyptian Goose and four Mandarin Ducks were counted there on 19th while two more Egyptian Geese were at Thrapston GP on 17th and, in Kettering, the drake Mandarin was again present at Wicksteed Park Lake on the same date. The only Pintail reported this week were five at Pitsford Res on 16th and the same site held up to twelve Red-crested Pochards throughout the period. Much rarer, however, was one of the highlights of the year – Northamptonshire’s fourth-ever Ring-necked Duck, a female, at Stanwick GP. Found mid-afternoon on 20th, it remained until dusk and appeared to go to roost on the islands in the A45 Lay-by Pit but it could not be relocated the following day. This is the first in Northants for almost a quarter of a century. How long before the next one? Causing less of a stir were single female Scaup at Ditchford GP and Blatherwycke Lake on 21st and 22nd respectively.

A Bittern was evidently still at Stortons GP and put in a brief appearance there on 22nd while Great White Egrets continued to enjoy a run on records with singles at Thrapston GP on 16th and Blatherwycke Lake on 19th while up to three remained at Pitsford Res throughout the week and there may have been as many as four present there on 18th.

Raptors this week were limited to a ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier near Lyveden New Bield on 19th with a Merlin there on the same date plus singles at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 18th and 20th and the only Peregrine was a female near Hanging Houghton on 22nd.

Eight hundred Golden Plovers were roosting at Clifford Hill GP on 21st and there were smaller numbers at three other localities while up to two Dunlins appear to be wintering at both Pitsford Res and Stanwick GP as perhaps are single Black-tailed Godwits at the same two localities. Similarly, up to four Redshanks were at these localities during the week while Pitsford Res produced a Green Sandpiper on 16th and 17th along with a late Common Sandpiper on the latter date.

Scarce gulls were limited to an adult Mediterranean Gull at Daventry CP on 18th, an adult Caspian Gull Stanwick GP on 19th, being joined there by a second-winter on 21st and up to five Yellow-legged Gulls there on the same dates while single adults of this species were at Pitsford Res on 16th-18th and at Boddington Res on 19th.

A Short-eared Owl was discovered close to East Carlton CP on 19th and the two Bearded Tits remained at Stortons GP until at least 17th, when they were trapped and ringed. Wintering warblers included two Chiffchaffs at Thrapston GP on 16th, singles at Pitsford Res on 17th and 18th and two at Daventry CP on the latter date, while a Blackcap was at East Carlton CP on 19th. The same site produced two Stonechats at the same time while the ‘Blueberry two’ remained until at least 20th. East Carlton CP also produced 10+ Bramblings on 19th and single-figure counts came from Blueberry Farm, Cottesbrooke, Fineshade Wood and Harrington AF but the only Crossbills this week were six flying over Harlestone Heath on 21st.

A cool and blustery start to the week and, with the winds remaining largely westerly, few new birds were found locally.

Two Barnacle Geese attracting the usual caveat ‘of unknown origin’ (but obviously feral) were found this week, with one at Stanford Res on 4th-6th and another at Blatherwycke Lake on 4th and twenty-two Mandarin Ducks were counted at the latter locality on the same date. The Pitsford Res Pintail count had risen and peaked at thirteen on 6th and one remained at Ravensthorpe Res until at least 5th, while both sites continued to hold Red-crested Pochards with twelve at Pitsford on 6th-8th and four at Ravensthorpe on 5th, with two there the following day. Up to three Great White Egrets remained mobile at Pitsford throughout the week while a Black-necked Grebe was seen again at Stanford Res on 2nd.

Raptors were thin on the ground (and in the air) with single Merlins continuing to be seen at Harrington AF and at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell during the week and ‘new’ ones at Ditchford GP on 4th and Wappenham on 6th while the only Peregrines were singles at Blueberry Farm on 2nd and at Stanford Res on 7th.

The autumn’s highest count so far of Golden Plovers was made at Stanwick GP with approximately eight hundred there on 7th-8th, while the same site continued to host a Black-tailed Godwit throughout the week. Green Sandpipers were present at four localities including Pitsford Res, where there were two all week, Ravensthorpe Res with one on 3rd and at College Farm, Blakesley and Sywell CP, where singles were present on 7th.

Adult Mediterranean Gulls visited the roosts at Pitsford Res on 3rd and Stanford Res on 7th and the latter site held an adult Caspian Gull on 2nd, while four – two adults and two first-winters – were at Stanwick GP on 4th with one or two adults there on 7th-8th. Once again the elusive adult Azorean Yellow-legged Gull materialised on the main lake there on 4th and 6th, evading would-be observers on subsequent evenings. Observations of ‘standard’ Yellow-legged Gulls were restricted to just a third-year at Pitsford Res on 3rd and an adult at Ravensthorpe Res on 5th.

A Short-eared Owl was again at Blueberry Farm on 3rd while the two Bearded Tits found last week at Stortons GP were present all week and a first-winter Ring Ouzel – perhaps the same as last month’s individual – was (re)discovered at Harrington AF on 8th. At Blueberry Farm, the two Stonechats remained all week while five localities produced Bramblings with a maximum count of between ten and fourteen at Harrington AF on 2nd, and four Crossbills were counted at both Wakerley Great Wood and over Hanging Houghton on 4th and two were at both Harrington Airfield and Harlestone Heath on 6th.