Northants birds

A largely dry and settled week with the highest temperatures of the year to date brought little in the way of new birds to the County, apart from a last-minute flyover White Stork …

A White Stork flying high over Sywell Airfield at 16.30 on 5th was seen by just one lucky observer. Otherwise, a Peregrine drifted over Geddington on 29th, four Black-tailed Godwits visited Summer Leys on the same day and another was there on 4th while a Greenshank – the first of the autumn – was at Thrapston GP on 29th.  The only other passage waders were species only to be expected with a Green Sandpiper at Thrapston GP on 30th and two at Stanwick GP on 2nd and a Common Sandpiper there on the same date along with four Yellow-legged Gulls.

An unseasonally blustery start to the week gave way to a mixed bag of weather including sunshine and showers, the latter from moisture-heavy air emanating from the western Atlantic at the week’s end. Local birding was unsurprisingly slow.

A male Marsh Harrier flying east over the A14/A6 Junction at Rothwell on 27th, an Osprey fishing at Welford Res on 24th and two Peregrines at a site in the north of the County were the only raptors of note this week. Single Black-tailed Godwits visited Stanwick GP on 22nd, Hollowell Res on 23rd, Clifford Hill GP on 25th and Summer Leys LNR on 28th and the only other passage waders during the period were a Curlew at Stanwick GP on 28th and two Green Sandpipers there on 22nd with one there again on 24th. Between three hundred and four hundred loafing large gulls were at the latter site in the early part of the week, being joined there by a near-adult Caspian Gull, up to eight Yellow-legged Gulls and an out of season Common Gull on 24th-25th with four Yellow-legged Gulls there again on 28th. Similarly unseasonal was a Siskin, again at Stanwick, on 25th and two juveniles – perhaps indicative of local breeding – on a garden feeder at Old Stratford on 26th.

The weather was mixed with variable light winds as we entered a lean week in which potential headline birds came no closer than being possibles or near misses.

Two Garganeys were present at Summer Leys LNR on 18th while the drake Red-crested Pochard remained there until at least 16th. A Black Kite drifting west over Peterborough early in the evening of 16th was clearly destined not to be found in Northants, or was it? A report of a ‘possible’ over Broughton early the next day was not positively identified by the observer and a ‘ninety-nine percenter’ was (back?) in the Peterborough area, at Norman Cross – just 5 km east of the Northants county border – early on 18th. While hopeful of connecting with the Peterborough Black Kite over Irthlingborough on 16th, one optimistic sky-scanner picked up what was most likely a female Red-footed Falcon heading high north-west but this, too, looks like being another one that got away …  A reminder that autumn is just around the corner came in the shape of Green Sandpipers at Summer Leys on 18th and at Stanwick GP on 19th, while single Curlews visited Clifford Hill GP on 17th and Chacombe on 18th and four were found at a suitable breeding site on the first of these two dates.

The high pressure system in place over the UK gave way to an Atlantic low, bringing more unsettled conditions and the early summer lull continued throughout the week.

A drake Garganey lingered at Summer Leys LNR from 9th to 14th, being joined there by what is assumed to be last week’s drake Red-crested Pochard from Stanwick GP from

12th to 14th, while the female Goldeneye at adjacent Earls Barton GP’s Mary’s Lake was still present on 8th. News of an adult Night Heron was released toward the end of its two-week stay on a private lake at Stoke Albany, emerging via a convoluted route and not in time for birders to catch up with it before it was last seen on 7th. This is only the ninth Night Heron to be recorded in Northants and it would have proved popular with local birders had it stayed longer, the previous record having been twenty-three years ago in 1990! Raptors of note this week were a Marsh Harrier flying north-east at Long Buckby on 9th and single Ospreys at Thrapston GP on 8th and over Sidegate Landfill on 14th, while passage waders included single Black-tailed Godwits at Summer Leys on 9th and 12th and at Stanwick GP on 10th and a Curlew at the latter locality on 8th. Rooftop breeding of Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls appears to have taken off in the County in recent years and the non-breeding population of immature large gulls is similarly increasing with loafing Nene Valley flocks attracting  a first-summer Caspian Gull to Stanwick GP on 9th and up to seven Yellow-legged Gulls at the same site between 8th and 10th.

With a high pressure system sitting over the UK all week the weather remained warm and dry and conditions calm. One or two new birds were discovered to keep the interest engine running …

This week’s ducks deluxe comprised the drake Red-crested Pochard still present at Stanwick GP on 2nd and 3rd and the female Goldeneye still at Earls Barton GP – reportedly with an injured wing – on 1st. The first of what will hopefully be a Juneful of Quail was heard singing late in the evening at Glapthorn on 5th and two Black-necked Grebes paid a surprise visit to Daventry CP on 7th, showing well close to the overflow there during the afternoon. The only raptor of note was an adult Peregrine over Thrapston GP on 3rd and the only passage wader a Greenshank at Summer Leys on 3rd

and 4th while up to two second-summer Yellow-legged Gulls loitered at Stanwick GP on the same dates. Scarce passerines were restricted to a couple from the chat end of the systematic list, namely a Black Redstart in an Oundle garden briefly on 4th and a

Whinchat at Wollaston on 1st.

 

A warm, dry start to the week again gave way to unsettled conditions with westerly and northerly elements to the airstream bringing few new birds to the County.

A drake Garganey at Clifford Hill GP on 31st and a drake Red-crested Pochard at Stanwick GP on 30th were the only ducks of note but a female Goldeneye at Earls Barton GP on 31st was fashionably late. Bird of the week this week, however, was without doubt an adult Gannet, which was seen in flight twice within fifteen minutes at Summer Leys LNR on 29th and over nearby Wellingborough shortly afterwards. This appears to be the 31st record for Northamptonshire with previous records this century in 2001, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Hardly a week goes by without an Osprey or two being seen and this one was no exception with singles over Thrapston GP on 26th and Summer Leys on 30th, while the only Peregrine reported was one at Desborough on 25th. Waders continued to be thin on the ground, which is only to be expected in late May. Two Ringed Plovers visited Summer Leys on 27th, two Dunlins were there on 29th with one there on 31st and single Common Sandpipers were also at this locality on 25th and at Daventry CP on 28th. Summer Leys also produced a Greenshank on the latter date and another, or the same, was there on 31st with one at Thrapston GP on 30th. The only relatively uncommon gull this week was a second-summer Yellow-legged Gull at Stanwick GP on 27th but a second-summer Common Gull at Summer Leys on 31st was unseasonal while a Black Tern – locally scarce this spring – was at Daventry CP on 28th.

Migration slowed to a mere trickle, almost drying up, during another unsettled week of average and below average temperatures coupled with periodic heavy showers on the back of a largely westerly airstream.

Six drake Mandarin Ducks were counted at Blatherwycke Lake – the long established location for this species – on 21st, a drake Garganey visited Stanwick GP on 20th and a female Common Scoter at Daventry CP on 22nd became the only one to have made it to the County so far this year. On 18th there were unconfirmed reports of Honey Buzzards over Woodford Halse and Islip, the Nene Valley produced a wandering Osprey at Thrapston GP on 20th and at nearby Oundle on 22nd and another at Chadstone on 23rd and two Peregrines were circling over Collingtree Park (Northampton) on 18th with another pair at a breeding site all week. Few waders were found during the period with three ‘Tundra’ Ringed Plovers at Stanwick GP on 23rd, a Black-tailed Godwit at Summer Leys briefly on 19th,

Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit, Summer Leys LNR, 19th May 2013 (Mike Alibone)

a Whimbrel at Clifford Hill GP on the same date and two at Summer Leys LNR on 21st being the only birds of note. An Arctic Tern appeared at Thrapston GP on 22nd followed by two at Stanwick GP the following day.

An unsettled week, dominated by a westerly airstream brought more migrant waders to the Nene Valley gravel pits and the first (overdue) Black Terns of the year to Pitsford Reservoir.

Few raptors were found during the week, those of note being a male Marsh Harrier in the Brampton Valley on 16th with a ‘cream-crown’ over Harrington AF on 17th, an Osprey over Thrapston GP on 13th, and a Peregrine at Trafford Marsh on 11th.

On the wader front, in contrast to previous weeks, Ringed Plovers appeared in good numbers at several Nene Valley locations with fourteen at Clifford Hill GP on 13th, four there the next day, one at Stanwick GP on 13th with six there the next day and two there on 15th and six at Summer Leys LNR on the same date. Most, if not all, of these were likely to have been of the northern race tundrae. More Sanderlings appeared this week with two at Stanwick GP on 14th and one there on 15th, one at Daventry CP also on 15th and five or six at Summer Leys on the same date, while a Temminck’s Stint paid a disappointingly brief visit to Stanwick GP on 13th. Dunlins were up on last week with singles at Summer Leys on 11th, 12th and 14th with fifteen there on 15th and three or four on 17th, one at Pitsford Res on 13th, two at Stanwick GP on 12th to 14th with three there the next day and eight at Clifford Hill GP on 13th with ten there the next day. A Bar-tailed Godwit visited Summer Leys briefly on 15th, three Whimbrels were at the adjacent Mary’s Lake on 12th, four visited Clifford Hill GP the following day and one was at

Whimbrel, Earls Barton GP 12th May 2013 (Mike Alibone)

Boddington Res on 15th. Single Common Sandpipers visited Summer Leys on 11th-12th and 16th, Stanwick GP on 12th and Clifford Hill GP on 16th and a Turnstone was at Summer Leys on 15th.

Loafing non-breeding gulls are becoming an increasingly common sight as we go into the summer months but the only scarcity falling into this category was a second-summer Yellow-legged at Summer Leys on 12th and an adult at Stanwick GP on 13th while an adult Little Gull visited Thrapston GP on the same date and a first-summer was at Boddington Res the next day. A Little Tern flew through Summer Leys on 14th, the first Black Terns appeared at Pitsford Res with two there on 15th and three on 16th and Arctic Terns this week comprised one at Daventry CP, two at Boddington Res and two or three at Pitsford Res – all on 15th.

A singing male Firecrest in roadside trees west of Scaldwell was a nice surprise for a passing birder on a bike on 17th, a female Redstart was trapped and ringed in a Greens Norton garden on 16th, two Whinchats were at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 13th while singles were at Harrington AF on 15th and 17th and three Northern Wheatears were in the Brampton Valley on 14th with one there on 16th and singles visited Harrington AF on 15th and Clifford Hill GP on 16th.