Rock Pipit – Northants birds

An ‘omega block’ saw high pressure stationed over the country for much of the week, with virtually no wind, some light rain and predominantly dull and murky conditions, resulting in the much welcomed arrival of some ‘must see’ species …

Rubber-stamping the autumn/winter period, the first Pink-footed Geese were incoming when a skein of five was seen flying north-east over Lilbourne Meadows NR on 17th. Last week’s five Whooper Swans remained at Clifford Hill GP into the early part of the morning of the first day of the period, while two more flew east along the Nene Valley at Ditchford GP on 17th.

The early part of the week saw an arrival of Common Scoters, with four at Clifford Hill and two at Thrapston GP’s Town Lake on 13th, followed by one at Hollowell Res the next day – the latter remaining until 16th.

Common Scoter, Hollowell Res, 16th October 2025 (Jon Cook)

Other wildfowl were also available in the shape of Red-crested Pochards, five of which appeared at Hollowell on 12th, six at Stanford Res on 13th and one at Ravensthorpe Res on 14th, while two remained at Daventry CP from 13th until the week’s end.

Drake Red-crested Pochards, Daventry CP, 15th October 2025 (Gary Pullan)

Looking at waders, one in particular continued to delight and that was Hollowell’s crisp, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, still in residence at close of play on 17th.

Juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Hollowell Res, 14th October 2025 (Jon Cook)

Not a million miles away, a Grey Plover was reported at Pitsford Res on 16th, the same site having produced a Ruff the day before, while one of the latter remained from last week at Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh NR until 13th. Pitsford also delivered a Greenshank on 14th, while the long-lingering bird was still present at Earls Barton GP’s New Workings (North) the next day. And following the season’s first, last week, a Jack Snipe remained at Summer Leys LNR from 11th until 13th and another was found at Ditchford on 17th.

It wouldn’t be October without, at some point, a decent surge in Mediterranean Gulls and this week experienced just that, with Hollowell producing an adult and a first-winter on 12th and, presumably, the same first-winter again present on 14th. Elsewhere, an adult turned up in Stanford’s gull roost on 13th, followed there by a second-winter on 16th, another second-winter was a brief visitor to Earls Barton GP’s Mary’s Lake on 13th and Titchmarsh produced an adult on 15th.

Adult Mediterranean Gull, Stanford Res, 13th October 2025 (Chris Hubbard)

Caspian Gulls were also out there to be found, five localities producing birds this week which included an adult at Stanford on 12th, two adults at Naseby Res on 13th with one there on 16th, single adults at Pitsford on 13th and 16th, at Ravensthorpe Res on 13th and at Earls Barton GP on 15th. And the highest number of Yellow-legged Gulls occurred at the favoured locality of Pitsford, where five were present in the gull roost on 16th, with two there on 13th, 14th and 17th. Elsewhere, three adults were at Earls Barton GP’s Mary’s Lake on 15th following one there on 13th and singles visited Hollowell on 12th and both Naseby and Thrapston on 13th.

Adult Yellow-legged Gull, Pitsford Res, 17th October 2025 (Mike Alibone)

Meanwhile, last week’s Glossy Ibises were this week’s Glossy Ibises – three remaining at Summer Leys, two dropping in daily at Stanford and one at Titchmarsh. No longer the centre of attention as they were in days gone by …

Glossy Ibises, Summer Leys LNR, 14th October 2025 (Leslie Fox)

Juvenile Glossy Ibises, Summer Leys LNR, 14th October 2025 (Leslie Fox)

Up for grabs and stealing the limelight this week, however, was an immature Spoonbill found north of the Causeway at Pitsford late in the afternoon of 15th, remaining until early afternoon on 17th. One was also reported flying west over the Brampton Valley toward Cottesbrooke on 16th. Earlier this year there had been four records – all in the Nene Valley and all of which were fairly short-stayers.

Immature Spoonbill, Pitsford Res, 16th October 2025 (Tony Stanford)

Two Bitterns were again present at Stanford and, again, they were predominantly seen on the Leicestershire side of the reservoir.

Bittern, Stanford Res, 14th October 2025 (Barry Silverman)

The week’s raptors were thin on the ground – and in the air, for that matter – with single Marsh Harriers at Titchmarsh on 11th and in the Brampton Valley between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton on 14th and 17th. A male Hen Harrier flew north-east over Harrington AF on 16th.

The weekly Short-eared Owl report came from Blueberry Farm, Maidwell, while single Merlins were at Stanwick GP on 12th and Harrington on 12th-13th.

Another year, another Yellow-browed Warbler – this time not in a mist net, although it might as well have been as it was both heard and seen fleetingly with a mobile tit flock at Daventry CP on 13th, after which there was no further sign. Also wrapped up in a tit flock, a Firecrest was flagged up at Summer Leys on 15th. The autumn’s second Ring Ouzel was ultra brief, and like the last one, seen at Harrington AF, on 13th.

But what’s going on with Black Redstarts this year? One at Rectory Farm, Old on 13th was inaccessible, blocked by the ‘private site’ caveat and therefore out of bounds. The six previous records this year – two in winter and four in spring – have all been one-day birds and, like this one, they have been unavailable to the masses. The 2025 clock continues to tick but time is running out …

There were, however, Stonechats aplenty. Blueberry Farm, Brampton Valley, Clifford Hill, Ditchford, Harrington, Hollowell, Lilbourne Meadows, Pitsford and Upton CP all produced birds with top counts on the last day of the period, when six were in the Brampton Valley and the same number at Hollowell. Northern Wheatears were, this week, down to just the one, this being at Hollowell on 17th.

In the wake of one last week and two the week before – all exclusive to Daventry CP – a rush of Rock Pipits ensued, allowing other localities to get in on the action. First up was one at Boddington and three at Hollowell on 12th, followed on 14th by another at Boddington and two again at Daventry. One was then found at the unusual locality of the Brampton Valley on 16th and one – possibly two – appeared at Hollowell on 17th. Representing a welcome return, these are the highest numbers to be recorded in the county in recent years and formed part of a sizeable inland movement across the UK, including an impressive fifteen at Farmoor Res in Oxfordshire on 14th.

Rock Pipit, Boddington Res, 12th October 2025 (Mike Alibone)

The week’s Crossbills comprised five at Ashton Wold on 11th and, on 16th, three over Penvale Park, East Hunsbury, Northampton and two at Hollowell.

And a species still proving not so easy to catch up with locally at present, a Corn Bunting was again in the Brampton Valley on 15th.

An Azores high pressure system brought settled and relatively warm conditions up from the deep south west for the first half of the week, after which things deteriorated somewhat. It was anything but settled on the birding front, however, with three new birds for the year, including a top-class wader, the likes of which have not been seen in the county for nigh on a quarter of a century …

We can quickly dispense with the week’s ducks at this point – just the two malingering drake Red-crested Pochards shooting the breeze at Daventry CP throughout the period.

And so on to the bird which ultimately turned into a crowd-puller … It had been all quiet on the wader front until, that is, the 30th, when things began to look up along the northern shoreline of Clifford Hill GP’s Main Barrage Lake. Enter an unidentified Pluvialis sp. Grey Plover? No. Golden Plover? No. Turns out the bird in question was a pretty obvious American Golden Plover … and only the fourth for Northamptonshire to boot. With somewhat itchy feet it appeared unsettled, prone to taking long flights but ultimately returning and remaining until the middle of the following morning, after which it flew high south and was gone.

Juvenile American Golden Plover, Clifford Hill GP, 30th September 2025 (Mike Alibone)

Juvenile American Golden Plover, Clifford Hill GP, 30th September 2025 (Bob Bullock)

Juvenile American Golden Plover, Clifford Hill GP, 30th September 2025 (Jim Dunkley)

But not gone for good, however, providing a second bite of the cherry for those who had failed to connect with it as, two days later, on 2nd, there it was, bold as brass in Pitsford Reservoir’s Scaldwell Bay, remaining there to see the week out.

Juvenile American Golden Plover, Pitsford Res, 2nd October 2025 (Mike Alibone)

The last record of American Golden Plover was at Summer Leys LNR, from 13th to 17th May 2001 and, prior to that, one was near Welford in October 1992, quickly following the county’s first at Pitsford in October 1991.

But this was not the end as far as American waders were concerned as, on 2nd, a fine, stripy juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper dropped in to Hollowell Res, again still present at the week’s end.

Juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Hollowell Res, 2nd October 2025 (Jon Cook)

Juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Hollowell Res, 2nd October 2025 (Bob Bullock)

And the best of the rest was the lingering Little Stint at Pitsford, chalking up a week’s stay there until 28th. The period’s only Black-tailed Godwit was also at Pitsford on 27th, the same site continuing to hold three Ruffs throughout the week. Elsewhere, single birds were at Boddington Res on 27th, Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh NR on 27th and 1st and at Hollowell on 30th.

Juvenile Ruff, Pitsford Res, 28th September 2025 (Mike Alibone)

Juvenile Ruffs, Pitsford Res, 29th September 2025 (Tony Stanford)

Juvenile Ruff, Pitsford Res, 30th September 2025 (Wayne Weedon)

Titchmarsh also produced two Greenshanks on 1st, while one remained at Earls Barton GP’s New Workings (North) on 2nd.

Greenshank, Earls Barton GP, 2nd October 2025 (Leslie Fox)

The week’s gulls were restricted to a first-winter Mediterranean Gull at Boddington on 29th, while the usual German-ringed adult male Caspian Gull was present at Naseby Res on 30th, visiting Hollowell on 1st and returning to Naseby on 3rd, when it was accompanied by another adult. A first-winter visited Earls Barton GP’s Mary’s Lake on 2nd, the latter site also producing an adult Yellow-legged Gull on 1st-2nd, while single adults were present at Pitsford on 28th and in the roost at Stanford Res on 2nd.

Adult Yellow-legged Gull, Pitsford Res, 28th September 2025 (Mike Alibone)

In this grand year for Glossy Ibises, they continued to mark their presence at three localities throughout the week. Producing the only multiples, the top site was Stanford, where four were seen in flight over their favoured Settling Pond area on 3rd. Up to two continued to drop in there, early in the morning, on a daily basis. Summer Leys continued to hang on to its long-stayer, throughout, while one of last week’s Titchmarsh individuals remained loyal to the site all week.

Glossy Ibises, Stanford Res, 30th September 2025 (Chris Hubbard)

Glossy Ibis, Summer Leys LNR, 1st October 2025 (Mike Alibone)

Four localities accounted for the period’s Bitterns, with single birds at Stanwick GP and Titchmarsh on 27th, Summer Leys on 3rd and Stanford virtually daily, although present on the Leicestershire side of the reservoir in the majority of instances.

The number of raptors continued to diminish. Single Ospreys were seen at Pitsford on 28th-29th and 2nd and at Hollowell on 29th.

Juvenile Osprey, Pitsford Res, 29th September 2025 (Tony Stanford)

And only one day saw Marsh Harriers, singles of which were logged at both Harrington AF and Summer Leys on 30th, the first of these two sites laying claim to a Short-eared Owl on 27th and 29th.

Following one over suburban Northampton on 8th September, the second and third Merlins of the autumn were logged this week, with a male at Duston on 1st and a female in the Brampton Valley between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton the following day.

And on the passerine front, the autumn’s first Ring Ouzel was reported from Harrington on 27th, the same site producing one of the week’s two Common Redstarts on 29th, the same date on which the other was trapped and ringed at Stanford Res. Similarly, Whinchats were down to just two sightings, both in the Brampton Valley where there was one on 29th and two on 2nd. Moving in to replace them, however, were more Stonechats, numbers of which have been steadily increasing as we move deeper into autumn. The top locality was the Brampton Valley, where there were ten on 2nd – pipping Hollowell by one, the latter site producing nine on 29th. Across the wider region, top counts consisted of four at Pitsford on 27th and the same number at Sammocks Hill, Old Sulehay on 30th, two at Harrington between 27th and 30th, two at Earls Barton GP’s New Workings (South) on 2nd and singles at Boddington on 29th and Summer Leys on 3rd.

Stonechat, Pitsford Res, 28th September 2025 (Mike Alibone)

Northern Wheatears continued to move through in small numbers, singles being found on 28th at Clifford Hill, Harrington and Hollowell, followed by one in the Brampton Valley on 29th.

Northern Wheatear, Hollowell Res, 28th September 2025 (Jon Cook)

And to round off on a higher note, two Rock Pipits – the first of the year – dropped in briefly at Daventry CP on 29th.

Rock Pipit, Daventry CP, 29th September 2025 (Gary Pullan)

With lower numbers now passing through the county in recent years, this species has become much more difficult to connect with, although October is traditionally the month …