Ruddy Shelduck – Northants birds

An Azores high pressure system ushered in a south-westerly airstream, sealing an extension to the ongoing heatwave and, for many attending Global Birdfair at the week’s end, making for a decidedly uncomfortable experience. Roasting aside, there were still birds to be found, with peak activity in the early mornings before temperatures climbed and many passerines sought cover …

A slightly better week for ducks saw the reappearance of an old faithful at Winwick Pools on 5th with the returning female Ruddy Shelduck back for her eleventh consecutive year. A contentious individual with opinions divided on whether it is of captive origin or whether it originates from the ever-growing feral European population, the majority of which moves north to The Netherlands to moult in early summer, with some overshooting to the UK. As a species its status has been under review by the British Ornithologists Union Records Committee since 2021 with a view to making a decision on whether it should be admitted to the British List under Category C5 (a vagrant naturalised species from outside Britain) in addition to its existing status in Categories B, D, and E. The wait for a decision goes on …

Female Ruddy Shelduck, Winwick Pools, 5th July 2026 (James Urwin)

There were no raised eyebrows or any such analysis required, of course, for Red-crested Pochard, five drakes of which were found at Ravensthorpe Res, also on 5th, when the long-staying drake was also present at Earls Barton GP’s New Workings (South).

Just the one Quail remained in the Brampton Valley – the daily male near Blueberry Farm still in song at the week’s end.

And waders were represented by a trickle of Black-tailed Godwits, with Pitsford Res producing one on 4th, four on 6th and seven on 9th, while one paid a visit to Clifford Hill GP on 8th, and a Greenshank was present at Stanwick GP on 4th.

The majority of the week’s quota of Yellow-legged Gulls were at Pitsford, where there was one on 5th, three on 7th and five on 8th, while one was found at Thrapston GP on 6th.

A Cattle Egret was an unusual site record for Stanford Res on 4th.

Cattle Egret, Stanford Res, 4th July 2026 (Chris Hubbard)

Pitsford played host to single Ospreys on 5th and 9th, while one flew over Hollowell village on the latter date. Other raptors included a lingering juvenile Marsh Harrier at Stanford on 9th-10th and another at Harrington AF on 10th.

Juvenile Marsh Harrier, Stanford Res, 9th July 2026 (Chris Hubbard)

And representing returning passerines, a run of Common Redstarts consisted of an adult male at Lilbourne Meadows NR between 7th and 9th, two juveniles at Clifford Hill GP also from 7th to 9th, three at Harrington on 9th with at least two still the following day and singles at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell and in the Brampton Valley between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton on 9th.

Juvenile Common Redstart, Clifford Hill GP, 5th July 2026 (Tyler Atkinson)

Juvenile Common Redstart, Clifford Hill GP, 6th July 2026 (Tyler Atkinson)

Juvenile Common Redstart, Clifford Hill GP, 9th July 2026 (Tony Stanford)

Moving south, the first Northern Wheatear of the autumn – a juvenile – appeared at Clifford Hill on 5th and, up in the north-easterly reaches of the county, a Hawfinch was reported at Fermyn Woods CP on 8th and at least two Crossbills were at Wakerley Great Wood on 7th.

Mid-July is not renowned for its delivery of the rare and the scarce – this is, after all, Northamptonshire … But as the weather warmed up so, to some extent, did the birds with the county’s two scarcest – though regular – migrant terns appearing on the same day.

Now looking like a fixed feature of forthcoming weekly Newsrounds, the female Ruddy Shelduck took a break from its favoured location of Winwick Pools to visit Stanford Res on 15th but it was back at Winwick three days later.

Female Ruddy Shelduck, Stanford Res, 15th July 2024 (Chris Hubbard)

The only other duck of note, though, was a female Common Scoter, which dropped into Thrapston GP’s Titchmarsh LNR on 16th.

This week’s passage of notable waders was again limited to the same three species as the week prior, with lower numbers of Black-tailed Godwits restricted to Stanwick GP, where there were eight on 16th and two on 17th. Stanwick also produced a Wood Sandpiper on 16th, while a single Greenshank remained at Lilbourne Meadows NR until at least 18th.

Pitsford Res held on to its regular adult Yellow-legged Gull all week, while 17th saw a Sandwich Tern pay the briefest of visits to Stanford and, following last week’s Clifford Hill duo, yet another Little Tern appeared fleetingly at Earls Barton GP’s Mary’s Lake on the same day. The largest of the two is only the fourth this year, while its diminutive cousin has six previous records in 2024 to date.

In the Nene Valley, the number of juvenile Cattle Egrets jumped from two to four at this year’s new breeding site on 13th.

Following a week with, surprisingly, no reports, Ospreys staged a bid for a comeback, with the reservoirs of Pitsford and Stanford producing the most sightings. Two were at the first of these localities on 14th, followed by singles there on 15th, 16th and 19th, while one visited the latter site on multiple occasions between 15th and 18th. Elsewhere, one was found at Ravensthorpe Res on 14th and one flew high east over Summer Leys LNR on 19th.

Osprey, Stanford Res, 17th July 2024 (Barry Silverman)

And on the passerine front, Common Redstarts continued to be seen in the usual hotspots for this species. Up to two were at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell between 13th and 18th, a male remained at Woodford Halse NR, where it was seen on 14th-15th, Lilbourne Meadows held on to a male between 14th and 19th and single females were found at Stanford on 14th and at Ramsden Corner Plantation NR near Upper Stowe on 17th.