Little Gull – Northants birds

After the driest March since 1961, April continued in the same vein, kicking in with a lingering spell of high pressure and a hearty dose of easterlies. These near-perfect conditions resulted in a decent number of migrants, including a hefty passage of Little Gulls and another dollop of firsts for the year.

The week’s new-in summer visitors kicked off with a smart male Common Redstart on day 2, followed by a Ring Ouzel on day 6 and Common Tern on the final day of the week.

Otherwise, it was a week of unsurprisingly diminishing returns as far as wildfowl were concerned, with the long-staying Pink-footed Goose still in the Cogenhoe Mill/Earls Barton GP area until at least 3rd, the drake Red-crested Pochard still in the same vicinity on the River Nene until 1st and the first-winter female Greater Scaup hanging on at Blatherwycke Lake until at least 29th.

Pink-footed Goose, Earls Barton GP, 3rd April 2025 (Leslie Fox)

Drake Red-crested Pochard, Earls Barton GP, 1st April 2025 (Leslie Fox)

After two flyover records in the first half of March, Common Cranes were again on the radar this week as a group of four flew south over Whitfield, in the deep south of the county, on the last day of the period. One on the ground would surely prove itself extremely popular …

In terms of number of species, the week’s waders widened out to include the year’s first Grey Plover at Clifford Hill GP, for one day only, on 3rd. Avocets were again to be found at three Nene Valley localities, Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh NR delivering two on 30th while, on 3rd, two visited Clifford Hill GP and Earls Barton GP dished up six.

Avocets, Earls Barton GP, 3rd April 2025 (Leslie Fox)

Black-tailed Godwits were the sole preserve of Summer Leys LNR, where one lingered from last week until 30th, the number then swelling to four there from 31st until the week’s end on 4th.

Black-tailed Godwits, Summer Leys LNR, 2nd April 2025 (Mark Tyrrell)

Just one Jack Snipe made it into April, still on site at Hollowell Res on 1st.

Following the previous mini-run of Little Gulls on 21st-22nd March, two appeared at Thrapston GP’s Town Lake on 31st, ahead of three at Pitsford on 3rd, preceding a build-up of numbers across 8 localities the following day. The latter saw site maxima of at least thirty-four at Stanford Res, at least nineteen at Summer Leys, fourteen at Clifford Hill, thirteen at Earls Barton, nine at Stanwick GP, seven at Daventry CP, three at Pitsford and two flying north-east over Irthlingborough. All in all, a great start to April for this diminutive, much admired, pocket rocket of a gull.

Adult Little Gull, Stanford Res, 4th April 2025 (Chris Hubbard)

Little Gulls, Summer Leys LNR, 4th April 2025 (Alan Coles)

Other gulls were, of course, available – only if you were at Pitsford, that is, where a third-winter Caspian Gull was present on 31st, as were up to two Yellow-legged Gulls throughout the period.

And another first for the year was inbound this week in the shape of Common Tern, four of which got themselves noticed at Ditchford GP on 4th.

Still hanging on in there was the juvenile Great Northern Diver, which saw another week out at Pitsford.

Copy that for the Summer Leys Glossy Ibis …

Up to five Cattle Egrets were still to be found at Stanwick GP between 29th and 1st, while one put in an appearance by the River Nene at Cogenhoe Mill on the latter date.

The week’s Ospreys were to be seen at five localities and included two over Deene Lake on 29th, singles at Summer Leys on 29th and 4th and at Thrapston on 30th, Hollowell on 31st and Pitsford on 3rd.

Male Osprey, Summer Leys LNR, 4th April 2025 (Andy Howell)

The only Marsh Harriers, however, were at Summer Leys on 31st and 2nd.

The Northern Treecreeper, last photographed at Summer Leys on 20th, was reported there again on 30th-31st.

Returning once more to firsts for the year, a male Ring Ouzel was clearly ‘old hat’ for a local patch watcher at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 3rd and the first Common Redstart to break cover was a male at nearby Hanging Houghton on 30th, with the second one not far behind it at good old Blueberry Farm again the following day. These were followed by two more males – one in the Nene Valley near Great Doddington and the other at Harrington AF – both on 4th.

Other migrant passerines of note included single Northern Wheatears at Clifford Hill on 29th and 31st with two there on 30th, singles at Harrington on 29th and 31st with two there on 4th, one at Earls Barton on 29th and two at Blueberry Farm on 31st and one there on 3rd.

And in the grey area of the spectrum, two White Wagtails were found at Earls Barton GP on 29th, followed by singles at Lower Barnwell Lock on 30th and Hollowell on 31st.

February, now done and dusted, ended cleanly on the last day of the review period. But even before the first day of meteorological spring was upon us, the county notched up two new spring migrants for the year – well ahead of when we would normally expect to see them …

Aside from these, all of the winter wildfowl appeared to remain settled throughout the week and, although the Pink-footed Goose in the vicinity of Cogenhoe Mill was reported only on day one, the seven White-fronted Geese in the same area were seen almost daily. Away to the north, the county’s other two wintering whitefronts saw another week out at Ravensthorpe Res.

Pink-footed Goose and White-fronted Goose, Cogenhoe Mill, 22nd February 2025 (James Underwood)

White-fronted Geese, Cogenhoe Mill, 24th February 2025 (William Miller)

White-fronted Geese, Earls Barton GP, 27th February 2025 (Leslie Fox)

A mere stone’s throw away from the latter locality, the long-standing female Ruddy Shelduck was still present at Winwick Pools on 27th and, as the week progressed, it appears we became awash with Red-crested Pochards. Two made a short stopover at Ravensthorpe on 24th, the same date on which two were also seen at Clifford Hill GP and a drake appeared on the River Nene between Cogenhoe and Whiston on 25th, moving to Earls Barton GP on 27th. Meanwhile, the long-staying female remained at Daventry CP until at least 26th.

Drake Red-crested Pochard, Earls Barton GP, 27th February 2025 (Leslie Fox)

With no sign last week of the drake Ring-necked Duck at Thrapston GP – or anywhere else, for that matter – it was back there at Heronry Lake on the last day of the period. Further up the Nene Valley, the year’s third Greater Scaup, an advanced first-winter drake, was found at Summer Leys LNR on 23rd before relocating to adjacent Mary’s Lake on 25th, where it remained until at least the following day. Further north, the first-winter female remained at Blatherwycke Lake until at least 23rd.

First-winter drake Greater Scaup, Summer Leys LNR, 23rd February 2025 (Mike Alibone)

The drake Smew chose to bide its time all week at Clifford Hill GP.

Fronting this week’s waders was a first for the year in the shape of a very early migrant Avocet at Summer Leys, first thing on 26th. But its stay was brief, moving on in haste as soon as the rainclouds lifted … Aside from this, two Jack Snipes were at Barnes Meadow NR on 22nd followed by up to two at Hollowell Res between 25th and 27th, while the wintering Common Sandpiper once more raised its head at Earls Barton GP’s New Workings (South) on the last of these two dates.

Another early bird – and the second new one for the year this week – was an adult Little Gull that clearly found Ravensthorpe to its liking, making an extended stay of five days between 23rd and 27th, during which it proved a popular draw.

Adult Little Gull, Ravensthorpe Res, 23rd February 2025 (Jon Cook)

Adult Little Gull, Ravensthorpe Res, 23rd February 2025 (Bob Bullock)

Adult Little Gull, Ravensthorpe Res, 24th February 2025 (Jon Cook)

Adult Little Gull, Ravensthorpe Res, 25th February 2025 (Phil West)

Otherwise, scarce larids were well down in numbers with just two adult Mediterranean Gulls appearing in the gull roost at Boddington Res on 28th – another sure sign of spring movement – and a first-winter Caspian Gull at Hollowell Res on 25th.

Adult Mediterranean Gull, Boddington Res, 28th February 2025 (John Friendship-Taylor)

Meanwhile, the Summer Leys Glossy Ibis extended its five-month stay by another week …

Glossy Ibis, Summer Leys LNR, 28th February 2025 (Leslie Fox)

A Cattle Egret also appeared at Summer Leys on 23rd and three were again in the vicinity of Stanwick GP’s North Lake two days later, on 25th.

With nothing to shout about on the raptor front, single Short-eared Owls – most likely just the one – were again on private land near Blueberry Farm, Maidwell on 22nd-23rd and at the adjacent site that is the Brampton Valley, between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton, on 27th-28th, where a Merlin was also reported on 27th.

And it was left to Stonechats to prop up this week’s passerines, with Earls Barton producing the highest count of six on 27th, while Hollowell mustered five, Borough Hill two and Harrington AF one.