Tundra Bean Goose – Northants birds

Seeing out the first full week of January was a host of last year’s leftovers, still on tap for those keen to kick off the New Year with a splash of quality. Perhaps unsurprisingly, wildfowl continued to top the bill, despite temperatures continuing to fall and many local bodies of water becoming ice-bound as a consequence. Being made of sterner stuff, they were clearly not for turning …

Tundra Bean Geese – or more likely one mobile bird – again proved a popular pull following the initial disappearance of the individual that briefly visited Ringstead GP, last week, on 2nd. Within spitting distance, just up the valley, it was Stanwick GP’s turn to deliver the goods on 6th, when one was found in company with ten White-fronted Geese. It remained there, between the northern end of the complex and the southern end of Ringstead over the next three days, the last of which also saw one, or it, during the afternoon at Islip Water Meadows, adjacent to Thrapston GP.

Tundra Bean Goose, Stanwick GP, 6th January 2026 (Steve Fisher)

Tundra Bean Goose, Stanwick GP, 6th January 2026 (Bob Bullock)

Tundra Bean Goose, Stanwick GP, 9th January 2026 (Leslie Fox)

With eight briefly visiting Clifford Hill GP on 3rd and one at Pitsford Res on 5th, Pink-footed Geese were again overshadowed and outnumbered, thus proving hard to catch up with. Based on their current status, this scenario will no doubt change in due course. The same cannot be said for White-fronted Geese, which seem set to see the winter out at a number of localities. Once again, Stanford Res offered up the greatest number with a sizeable flock present there throughout the period, peaking at a maximum of sixty-four on 4th. Elsewhere, fifteen were found at Pitsford on 5th, subsequent counts dropping to eleven on 6th and nine on 7th-8th. Islip Water Meadows also produced fifteen on 9th, Stanwick ten on 3rd, 6th, 7th and 8th, Ringstead nine on 3rd (believed to have originated from Stanwick), Blatherwycke Lake six on 4th, Warmington Lock four on 3rd, Clifford Hill four between 3rd and 5th and Hollowell Res one on 4th.

White-fronted Geese, Stanford Res, 4th January 2026 (Mike Alibone)

White-fronted Geese, Stanwick GP, 6th January 2026 (Bob Bullock)

Keeping up appearances, a Whooper Swan paid a brief visit to Clifford Hill on 3rd.

Adult Whooper Swan, Clifford Hill GP, 3rd January 2026 (Tyler Atkinson)

And last seen on 13th November at Stanford, the now ageing female Ruddy Shelduck popped up again at Hollowell, where it was seen on 6th and 9th.

After its initial appearance at Titchmarsh NR last week, the drake American Wigeon was clearly in no hurry to move on, still to be found there at close of play on 9th, the hubbub surrounding it having died down.

Also in the wider reaches of Thrapston GP, the drake Ring-necked Duck remained settled on Town Lake until at least 8th.

Drake Ring-necked Duck, Thrapston GP, 6th January 2026 (Mike Alibone)

The four Greater Scaups at Stanford also stayed until 4th, after which a single female remained on 5th, while Thrapston’s first-winter drake and female saw another week out on Town Lake.

First-winter drake Greater Scaup, Thrapston GP, 6th January 2026 (Mike Alibone)

And believed to be last week’s individual from Clifford Hill, a drake Smew was found at Pitsford on 3rd after its apparent absence from the aforementioned location on the same date. Further sightings came again from Clifford Hill on 5th and again from Pitsford on 8th. Additionally, a ‘redhead’ Smew gave some birders the runaround at Pitsford between 5th and 7th.

Smew, Pitsford Res, 5th January 2026 (Richard How)

Pitsford was also the site chosen by the first visiting Black-necked Grebe of the year, a species which has produced a noteworthy run of records of late. Found and photographed on 6th, it was still present there at the week’s end.

Black-necked Grebe, Pitsford Res, 8th January 2026 (Mike Alibone)

Few waders are normally up for grabs at this early stage in the new year, so a Black-tailed Godwit at Summer Leys LNR briefly on 6th was unusual, as was an apparent wintering Common Sandpiper found at Pitsford on the same date, the latter still being present at the week’s end. More in keeping with the time of year, however, were single Jack Snipes at Thrapston on 5th and at both Hollowell and in the Brampton Valley between Cottesbrooke and Hanging Houghton on 9th.

And the gull roost at Stanford continued to bear fruit, dishing up two adult Caspian Gulls on 4th and 6th, one of which was the old favourite, German-ringed male ‘XLVH’, more often than not to be found loafing along the muddy shoreline of Naseby Res over the past few autumns. An adult also flew over Hollowell on 9th.

German-ringed adult male Caspian Gull, Stanford Res, 4th January 2026 (Chris Hubbard)

The above roost also produced an adult Yellow-legged Gull on 5th, while further sightings were confined to Pitsford, where one was seen on 5th-7th and 9th.

The week’s cold snap seems likely to have had an adverse effect on Glossy Ibis, numbers of which were down to two seen in flight over Summer Leys on 4th – Stanford’s puddle by the Settling Pond there having frozen solid, rendering it unattractive to the hitherto reliable one or two that have visited the site almost daily in recent weeks.

On the 8th, a Bittern was seen in flight at Ravensthorpe Res – not for the first time but previous sightings there have been few and far between.

Back in the Nene Valley and Summer Leys bagged a Cattle Egret on 5th, a bird whose numbers appear to have dropped considerably over the past year.

And carving up the week’s Marsh Harriers between them, Summer Leys/Earls Barton GP and Titchmarsh produced single birds on 3rd, 4th, 5th and 9th – one at the former locality was the wandering young male, wing-tagged ‘J4’.

In the nether reaches of Finedon, Neville’s Lodge had the honour of producing the first Short-eared Owl of the year, on 3rd.

In a wider context than normal, Merlins were to be found this week in the Brampton Valley on 4th and 8th, at Summer Leys on 5th and at Stanwick on 7th.

And the week’s top passerines kicked off with a Siberian Chiffchaff at Duston’s New Sandy Lane Attenuation Pond on 7th-8th, following what was presumably the same bird being present there in December last year.

Siberian Chiffchaff, Duston, 26th December 2025 (Nigel Muddiman)

Wintering Stonechats were present at Pitsford, where there was a maximum of six on 5th, followed by two on 8th, two were in the Brampton Valley on 4th and singles were present at Clifford Hill on 3rd, at both Earls Barton GP and Upton CP on 6th and at Hollowell on 9th.

Male Stonechat, Earls Barton GP, 6th January 2026 (Leslie Fox)

And while 2025 proved to be a good year for Crossbills, the new year looks set to continue in the same vein, with at least ten at Fineshade Wood on 6th and 8th, up to eight at Gamboro Plantation east of Cottesbrooke between 3rd and 8th, six at Salcey Forest and four at Wakerley Great Wood on 4th and one at Harlestone Firs on 5th.

Meanwhile, the fields along the footpath between Deanshanger and Wicken continued as the only site in the county currently to deliver Corn Buntings, nine being present there on 6th.

With temperatures dropping to well below zero in eastern Europe there’s a lot to be said for taking advantage of this week’s easterly airflow and heading west to make the most of less inclement conditions. And with many birds doing just that, things lined up nicely, with some startling results to boot …

So it came to pass as Christmas Eve unfolded, a veritable Goose fest began to take shape, with a significant influx of Tundra Bean and White-fronted Geese into the UK. The week, it seems, belonged to wildfowl … and we weren’t left out.

It’s been a good while since Northamptonshire has been blessed with the presence of a Tundra Bean Goose – almost seventeen years in fact, when one joined the local Greylags at Ditchford GP for one day only, on 19th January 2009. Fast forward to the present day and Pitsford Res did the honours, delivering at least four on 24th which became part of a line up of four grey goose species north of the causeway there in the early afternoon. They didn’t stay long though, departing to the south less than two hours after being found. But they were not alone, the 26th producing another, single individual at Blatherwycke Lake during the afternoon of that date.

Tundra Bean Goose, Blatherwycke Lake, 26th December 2025 (James Underwood)

Taking a back seat in terms of comparative rarity, but not to be sniffed at, White-fronted Geese made their presence strongly felt, beginning with the arrival of an awesome flock of fifty-six at Stanford Res on 24th. This was followed by a total of thirty-one flying north-east over Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows NR in small groups during a fifteen-minute period on the same date, on which a dozen appeared at Blatherwycke and seven were also found at Pitsford, at least four of which remained on 25th. More were to come on the latter date, Clifford Hill GP producing eleven, while Stanford retained its fifty-six through to the 26th and the final day of the period also saw twenty-one at Ringstead GP, fourteen at Blatherwycke, at least six at Clifford Hill and two at Hollowell Res.

White-fronted Geese, Stanford Res, 24th December 2025 (Chris Hubbard)

White-fronted Geese, Irthlingborough Lake & Meadows NR, 24th December 2025 (Tony Vials)

White-fronted Geese, Stanford Res, 25th December 2025 (Chris Hubbard)

Considered pretty much standard fare these days and completely outnumbered, Pink-footed Geese mustered three at Pitsford on 24th and at least one at Summer Leys LNR on the same date.

More birds in from the east constituting a pleasant surprise were four Bewick’s Swans found at Ringstead on 26th. Unsurprisingly, these were the first of their kind in the county for 2025, the numbers visiting Britain having tumbled in recent years following a significant population decline between 1995 and 2020, along with many now choosing to winter in mainland Europe.

Adult Bewick’s Swans, Ringstead GP, 26th December 2025 (Bob Bullock)

And it’s been almost seven weeks without a local Red-crested Pochard, their absence being broken by two at Kislingbury GP on 23rd. More desirable ducks were on offer during the period, though, with the first-winter drake and female Greater Scaups remaining at Thrapston GP until at least 24th, while three new females were discovered at Stanford on the latter date.

Female Greater Scaups, Stanford Res, 24th December 2025 (Chris Hubbard)

Better still, a drake Smew appeared at Clifford Hill on 22nd, being seen again there on 26th. Single drake Red-breasted Mergansers – another much sought-after sawbill, locally – paid the briefest of visits to Clifford Hill also on 22nd and to Ravensthorpe Res the following day.

Drake Red-breasted Merganser, Ravensthorpe Res, 23rd December 2025 (Jon Cook)

With no consistent reports of the Pitsford Black-necked Grebe since 15th December, it seems likely that its visit there has come to an end. Step forward Blatherwycke, where one was located on 21st and was still to be found there at the week’s end.

This week also proved good for Mediterranean Gulls, with 22nd producing an adult at Daventry CP, followed the next day by an adult at Pitsford and two first-winters at Stanford and then by an adult at Clifford Hill on 26th.

Adult Mediterranean Gull, Daventry CP, 22nd December 2025 (Gary Pullan)

The period’s Caspian Gull quota comprised a first-winter in the roost at Stanford on 22nd, followed by an adult there the next evening and single adults at both Daventry and Naseby Res, also on 22nd. The same two days accounted for the week’s Yellow-legged Gulls, with two adults in the Stanford roost on 22nd and one on 23rd, the latter date producing a first-winter at Clifford Hill and two adults at Pitsford.

As for Glossy Ibises … Notching up another week, the Wellingborough Embankment duo extended their stay, while one continued to be a regular visitor to the settling pond at Stanford throughout the period.

Glossy Ibis, Stanford Res, 21st December 2025 (Barry Silverman)

A Cattle Egret was reported in a flooded field at Little Irchester on 21st.

And as we continue to enjoy the presence of wintering Marsh Harriers in the county, another wing-tagged individual made it to the Nene Valley this week. Enter yellow ‘FL’ photographed at Titchmarsh NR on 20th. Research by the photographer, below, reveals it to be a first-year female, ringed and tagged on 13th June 2025 near Carlton Marshes, Suffolk, a bird which has subsequently been seen at the following locations in Norfolk: Salthouse on 7th October, Cley NWT on 15th and 25th October and Titchwell RSPB on 4th November.

First-year female Marsh Harrier ‘FL’, Titchmarsh NR, 20th December 2025 (Julie Roe)

Last week’s orange-tagged ‘J4’ was again present at Summer Leys, also on 20th, while sightings of individuals presumably without tags included singles at both Titchmarsh and Ditchford GP on 24th and at Summer Leys on 25th.

The Brampton Valley ‘ringtail’ Hen Harrier was again seen in the area between Cottesbrooke, Hanging Houghton and Blueberry Farm on 20th, as was a Short-eared Owl on 20th and 22nd, with another west of the A14, near Kettering Golf Course on 23rd.

The period’s passerines of note kicked off with a Siberian Chiffchaff at Daventry CP on 22nd – possibly the same individual as that seen there on 21st November.

There were fewer Stonechats on offer, this week’s birds consisting of one at Clifford Hill on 22nd-23rd, two in the Brampton Valley on 22nd and two at Neville’s Lodge, Finedon on 26th.

And is Cottesbrooke now on the radar for Hawfinches in non-invasion years? One was present there on 22nd. Crossbills, too, were to be found not far away from the latter site, with two or three at Gamboro Plantation on 20th, while seven were mobile around Harlestone Firs on 21st.

Last week’s hefty total of fifteen Corn Buntings between Deanshanger and Wicken couldn’t be matched. Just two were to be found in the same locality on 21st.