Latest Reports of Birds in Northamptonshire

Welcome to the bird news page of the Northamptonshire Bird Club. This page aims to provide up to date news of all interesting birds as, and when, they occur in Northamptonshire. For further information on the Northamptonshire Bird Club visit the home page here or to keep in touch with county birding join the BirdingNorthants e-group here http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/birdingnorthants/

We will endeavour to update this news page regularly but cannot necessarily commit to any specified update frequency. News and information may be received from a variety of sources and it is published in good faith. The Northamptonshire Bird Club will not in any way be held responsible for incorrect or inaccurate information which may appear here or for any inconvenience caused as a result.

All reports remain unauthenticated until acceptance by the Northamptonshire Bird Report (Northants Birds) Records Committee. Records are added in chronological order so be sure to scroll down the whole table for the full detail.

Any observers are welcome to email their sightings, corrections or updates to northantsbirds@ntlworld.com and are encouraged to supply as much information as possible (directions to site, time of observation, grid reference, etc). For the more uncommon species, observers may also like to ‘cc’ their email reports to the national Birdguides information service at sightings@birdguides.com and to Rare Bird Alert at admin@rarebirdalert.co.uk.

Please seek landowners' permission to enter private land and respect the interests of both the bird and the landowners' property.

Symbols used within the news table:

E Presumed escape L Negative news U Unconfirmed report

Last update: Sunday 07 February 2010 20.25

Date

Species

Location details

Time

07 Feb	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two still on the point between Scaldwell and Walgrave Bays, also Great Northern Diver near Catwalk Bay	mid-PM
07 Feb	Short-eared Owl	Harrington AF – two still present early afternoon	12.30
07 Feb	Bittern	Stortons GP – one still this morning	AM
07 Feb	Smew	Ravensthorpe Res – two (a pair) on the small side today, also Cetti’s Warbler, 2 Willow Tits and 6+ Siskins there
07 Feb	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two still north of the causeway, in Walgrave Bay this morning, also 2 drake Smew, 3 Goosanders, 4 Pintail, 2 Redshanks and an adult Yellow-legged Gull there; two Ravens and 3 Woodcock at nearby Blueberry Farm, Maidwell	10.30
07 Feb	Mediterranean Gull	Earls Barton GP – an adult on Summer Leys’ Gull Island this morning until 11.15, when it flew east, also 3 Pintail, 3 Goosanders, ‘redhead’ Smew (on Mary’s Lake), Little Egret, adult Caspian Gull (on Gull Island), 2 Redshank and 2 Dunlin there	11.15
07 Feb	Bewick’s Swan	Woodford Halse – two over, east, this morning	09.45
05 Feb	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two still north of the causeway early afternoon	early-PM
01 Feb	Red-crested Pochard	Thrapston GP – 30+ on the main lake this morning, also 2 Little Egrets on Titchmarsh Reserve	AM
01 Feb	Black-tailed Godwit	Stanwick GP – one on the main lake this morning, also 2 Pintail there	AM
31 Jan	Smew	Thrapston GP – drake on Town Lake this afternoon	PM
31 Jan	Glaucous Gull	Ditchford GP – the second-winter plus albino Herring Gull, juvenile Glaucous-type hybrid, adult Caspian Gull and 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls west of Ditchford Lane early afternoon	early-PM
31 Jan	White-fronted Goose	Pitsford Res – adult with mixed goose flock north of Pintail Bay early afternoon	12.20
31 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two still in Scaldwell Bay this morning, also Great Northern Diver still south of causeway on the western side near the gorse bushes, 2 Smew, Dunlin and Stonechat there	AM
31 Jan	Caspian Gull	Earls Barton GP – an adult on Summer Leys’ Gull Island this morning, also 3 Pintail, c25 Goldeneye, ‘redhead’ Smew (on Mary’s Lake), Redshank, 2 Water Rails showing exceptionally well at the feeding station and Chiffchaff there	11.30
31 Jan	Bearded Tit	Stortons GP – male still present on the south side of the reedbed near the information board this morning	15.00
30 Jan	Glaucous Gull	Stanwick GP – the second-winter from Ditchford GP came into the pre-roost late afternoon, also 11 Goosanders there	16.40
30 Jan	Merlin	Harrington AF – one near the bunkers this afternoon	15.00
30 Jan	Ring-necked Parakeet	Great Billing – one in tall trees by the churchyard early afternoon	13.30
30 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two in Walgrave Bay early afternoon, also 4 Smew, 4 Goosanders and Oystercatcher there	12.30
30 Jan	Short-eared Owl	Harrington AF – two around the bunkers this morning	AM
30 Jan	Glaucous Gull	Ditchford GP – second-winter west of Ditchford Lane this morning	AM
30 Jan	Great Northern Diver	Pitsford Res – still south of causeway this morning, also Redshank, 5 Dunlin and Stonechat there	10.30
30 Jan	Blackcap	Towcester – a female in a private garden this morning	AM
28 Jan	Egyptian Goose	Blatherwycke Lake – two present plus 45+ Mandarin Ducks
27 Jan	Caspian Gull	Clifford Hill GP – adult again plus 8 Dunlin and 7 Black-tailed Godwits over west mid-morning	13.00
26 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two north of the causeway still	10.30
26 Jan	Short-eared Owl	Harrington AF – three in grass past the last bunker, plus 2 Mandarin Ducks, Pintail and a Stonechat there
26 Jan	Pink-footed Goose	Hollowell Res – one with Canada Geese this afternoon	13.30
25 Jan	Short-eared Owl	Harrington AF – one this afternoon on the east side of the concrete track, behind the slurry heap at approx SP773785	15.30
25 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two north of the causeway between Holcot and Walgrave Bays, also Great Northern Diver and Pink-footed Goose in Pintail Bay plus 6 Smew (2 drakes), 2 Goosanders, 2 Little Egrets, 4 Redshanks and a Stonechat there	AM
24 Jan	Red-crested Pochard	Stanwick GP – a pair this afternoon, also 2 Little Egrets, 9 Goosanders and 2 Redshank there	PM
24 Jan	Smew	Ditchford GP – two drakes, also Egyptian Goose
24 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two in Holcot Bay this afternoon, also Great Northern Diver still south of causeway near Catwalk Bay, 6 Red-crested Pochards in the mouth of Walgrave Bay, 4 Goosanders and 2 Redshanks there	PM
24 Jan	Short-eared Owl	Harrington AF – one this morning	AM
24 Jan	Blackcap	Towcester – a female in a private garden this morning	AM
23 Jan	Blackcap	Wellingborough – female in Bassetts Park	AM
23 Jan	Smew	Ditchford GP – four (3 drakes) this afternoon, also 2 Goosanders and a Peregrine there	AM
23 Jan	Short-eared Owl	Harrington AF – two still this morning	AM
23 Jan	Smew	Ravensthorpe Res – a pair this morning, also adult Yellow-legged Gull, Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Willow Tit and 2 Lesser Redpolls there	AM
23 Jan	Great White Egret	Stanford Res – one reported this morning	AM
23 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – one in Scaldwell Bay this morning	AM
21 Jan	Short-eared Owl	Harrington AF – two this morning	AM
21 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – one in Scaldwell Bay this morning, also Great Northern Diver off Pintail Bay, 2 Goosanders, Little Egret and Redshank there	AM
20 Jan	Great Northern Diver	Pitsford Res – still off Pintail Bay this mornig, also Pink-footed Goose there	AM
19 Jan	Ring-billed Gull U	Ravensthorpe Res – unconfirmed report of a second-winter on the ice early afternoon	early-PM
19 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – one north of the causeway, also Great Northern Diver off Pintail Bay plus Pink-footed Goose and Egyptian Goose in Pintail Bay	AM
18 Jan	Pink-footed Goose	Pitsford Res – one with Canada Geese and Greylags in Pintail Bay this afternoon, also Little Egret, 1-2 Redshank and Chiffchaff there	16.20
18 Jan	Glaucous Gull	Ditchford GP – second-winter again west of Ditchford Lane this afternoon, also Little Egret, 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls, albino Herring Gull and a Green Sandpiper there	PM
18 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two in Walgrave Bay this morning	AM
17 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two again north of the causeway this afternoon, also Great Northern Diver between Pintail Bay and the gorse bushes (visible from the dam) 22 Red-crested Pochards, at least 11 Smew (5 drakes), Goosander, 2 Redshanks, 3 Dunlin, adult Yellow-legged Gull and adult Caspian Gull on the ice north of the causeway and a Stonechat	PM
17 Jan	Caspian Gull	Clifford Hill GP – adult again plus Little Egret	AM
17 Jan	Merlin	Harrington AF – male this morning plus 2 Short-eared Owls	AM
17 Jan	Whooper Swan	Stanwick GP – one found long dead this morning, also a pair of Smew, 5 Goosander, Ruff, 2 Redshank and 4 Cetti’s Warblers there	AM
16 Jan	Bittern	Stortons GP – one in flight over the reedbed this afternoon	16.15
16 Jan	Great Northern Diver	Pitsford Res – again off the yacht club, also 5 Smew in a hole in the ice at the mouth of the Walgrave Bay and a Yellow-legged Gull there
16 Jan	Whooper Swan	Clifford Hill GP – one still on the river and female Scaup still on the trout lake	14.00
15 Jan	Great Northern Diver	Pitsford Res – one still near Pintail Bay, also 5 Red-crested Pochards (3 drakes), 5 Smew (3 drakes), and a Yellow-legged Gull there	PM
15 Jan	Glaucous Gull	Ditchford GP – a second-winter west of Ditchford Lane this afternoon, also first-winter Caspian Gull, 2 adult and a first-winter Yellow-legged Gull, Peregrine and 2 Oystercatchers this afternoon	PM
14 Jan	Smew	Stanwick GP – a pair this afternoon	PM
14 Jan	Caspian Gull	Clifford Hill GP – adult on the main barrage lake plus 2 drake Smew, also female Scaup on trout lake; Whooper Swan and 8 Goosanders on the river and a juvenile Peregrine there	14.00
13 Jan	Great Northern Diver	Pitsford Res – one again near Pintail Bay, also 2 Pintail, 28 Red-crested Pochards, 7 Smew, 2 Goosanders, 2 Ruddy Ducks, Woodcock, Dunlin, 2+ Redshank, Yellow-legged Gull, Stonechat and Chiffchaff there
13 Jan	Blackcap	Boughton – a female in a private garden	15.28
13 Jan	Kumlien’s Gull !	Sidegate Landfill – a second-winter on the tip today
11 Jan	Great Northern Diver	Pitsford Res – one near the sailing club today
11 Jan	Red-crested Pochard	Ditchford GP – a pair on the Nene upstream of the Kings Meadow Lane river bridge between Higham Ferrers and Irthlingborough this afternoon SP954698, viewable from the bridge	13.00
11 Jan	Bittern	Stortons GP – one still at midday, also 8 Goosanders on Sixfields Lake	12.00
11 Jan	Red-crested Pochard	Clifford Hill GP – female plus 2 drake Smew, several Goldeneye and 7+ Goosander on the river opposite the Holiday Inn Hotel at the Bedford Road end	12.00
10 Jan	Mediterranean Gull	Lowick – an adult at Lowick composting site this afternoon	15.00
10 Jan	Glaucous Gull	Ditchford GP – a third-winter on the ice of one of the newer pits between Irthlingborough and the old railway track this afternoon, also adult Whooper Swan on the main pit between Higham Ferrers and the old railway line, 3 Goosanders, adult Peregrine, adult Caspian Gull, first-winter Yellow-legged Gull, Redshank and 2 Woodcock there
10 Jan	Bittern	Stortons GP – one seen only in flight this afternoon	14.30
10 Jan	Bittern	Thrapston GP – one fishing in a small ice free section of marsh in the reeds to the right of the Palmer Hide at the Aldwincle end this morning	AM
10 Jan	Caspian Gull	Clifford Hill GP – adult on the trout lake along with female Scaup; two female Red-crested Pochards, 4 Goldeneye and 7 Goosander on the river opposite the Holiday Inn Hotel at the Bedford Road end	11.10
09 Jan	Great White Egret L	Pitsford Res – no sign of any today; 25 Red-crested Pochards (22 between Yacht Bay and Pintail Bay), 4 Smew (three drakes), 3 Goosanders, 4 Woodcock, c6 Redshanks, 5 Dunlin, Curlew, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, adult Yellow-legged Gull, Stonechat, Chiffchaff and 10 Lesser Redpolls there
09 Jan	Blackcap	Kettering – a female in a private garden
09 Jan	Blackcap	Towcester – a male in a private garden
09 Jan	Whooper Swan	Ditchford GP – three west of Ditchford Lane, on the narrow pit by the river (between the fishing lake and the ski pit) early afternoon	12.30
09 Jan	Scaup	Clifford Hill GP – female on the trout lake still, also drake Pintail, two drake Smew and Goosander on the river and a Curlew there briefly	late-AM
09 Jan	Whooper Swan	Earls Barton GP – seven at Summer Leys this morning	AM
09 Jan	Whooper Swan	Stanwick GP – three flew NE along the R. Nene valley this morning	10.30
08 Jan	Bittern	Stanwick GP – one showing in a tree on the A45 Lay-by Pit, east of the ‘causeway’ late afternoon, also 5 Cetti’s Warblers there	late-PM
08 Jan	Smew	Earls Barton GP – a drake on Summer Leys	15.30
08 Jan	Bittern	Stortons GP – one showing well on the ice in the reedbed as viewed from the river side this afternoon, also Bearded Tit still there	PM
08 Jan	Red-crested Pochard	Pitsford Res – six (5 drakes) near the gorse bushes south of the causeway, also 4 Smew (3 drakes) and 2 Redshanks there	PM
06 Jan	Bittern	Sywell CP – one on ice ‘in front of a small reedbed’, also 4 ‘redhead’ Smew, Woodcock, 2 Stonechats and 20 Siskins there	PM
06 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two still north of the causeway and 4 Smew (1 drake) in the mouth of Moulton Grange Bay
05 Jan	Ring-necked Parakeet	Northampton – two flew over Abington Park toward Weston Favell
05 Jan	Glaucous Gull	Earls Barton GP – one flew into a hole in the ice in front of Summer Leys’ Rotary Hide this afternoon before flying off again toward Mary’s lake	15.00
05 Jan	Blackcap	Desborough – a male in a private garden this afternoon	13.15
05 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two still north of the causeway this afternoon	12.30
05 Jan	Bittern	Stanford Res – two flushed from the inlet pool today, also Peregrine and 2 Ravens there	12.00
04 Jan	Bittern	Stanwick GP – one flew into the reedbed late afternoon, also two ‘redhead’ Smew still on the main lake	16.30
04 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two still north of the causeway, also 3 Red-crested Pochards and 4 Smew between the dam and the causeway
04 Jan	Smew	Clifford Hill GP – two drakes on main barrage lake, also female Scaup on trout lake
04 Jan	Bittern	Stortons GP – two showing well on the ice at the Hanson plant end of the reedbed between 10.00 and 12.00 this morning	12.00
03 Jan	Smew	Stanwick GP – two ‘redheads’ on the main lake, also 3 Cetti’s Warblers and a Chiffchaff there	mid-PM
03 Jan	Caspian Gull	Ditchford GP – an adult plus 3 Yellow-legged Gulls this afternoon, also albino Herring Gull and Green Sandpiper there	PM
03 Jan	Bittern	Thrapston GP – one on the bank of the River Nene adjacent to the Heronry this afternoon, flew to the field of Miscanthus grass on far side of the river	13.20
03 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two still north of the causeway this morning, also 3 Red-crested Pochards 4+ Smew, 5 Goosander, Ruff (in flight between causeway and feeding station) 11 Dunlin, 5+ Redshank and Stonechat there	AM
03 Jan	Short-eared Owl	Stanwick GP – one this morning	AM
02 Jan	Caspian Gull	Pitsford Res – adult in the gull roost off the dam this evening	late-PM
02 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – update – two north of the causeway, one at the mouth of Walgrave Bay the other in the mouth of Holcot Bay, also 3 Smew (2 drakes), 4 Red-crested Pochards (3 drakes), 3 Redshank, 7 Dunlin and adult Yellow-legged Gull there	AM
02 Jan	Smew	Clifford Hill GP – two drakes	AM
02 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – one still north of the causeway this morning in Walgrave Bay, also ‘redhead’ Smew, Redshank and adult Yellow-legged Gull near the causeway	AM
02 Jan	Bearded Tit	Stortons GP – ringed male again in reeds by the boardwalk, 70 m from the entrance gate opposite the Hanson plant this morning	10.55
02 Jan	Pink-footed Goose	Raventhorpe Res – one again until 09.30 only, also adult Yellow-legged Gull, Cetti's Warbler showing well by "Tall Willows" on west bank. Chiffchaff, Willow Tit and 4 Siskins there	09.30
01 Jan	Bittern	Stortons GP – one in flight this afternoon dropped into reeds near the eastern end	16.10
01 Jan	Ring-necked Parakeet	Northampton – one flew over Weston Favell	15.30
01 Jan	Great White Egret	Pitsford Res – two still north of the causeway this afternoon, both between the mouths of Holcot and Walgrave Bays, also 6 Smew (3 drakes), 3 Goosander, 7 Redshank, 9 Dunlin and 2 Jack Snipe there	13.00
01 Jan	Smew	Clifford Hill GP – drake present, also Little Egret there	AM
01 Jan	Iceland Gull	Sidegate Landfill – the Ditchford juvenile again this morning with gulls in a field north-west of the landfill, from the Finedon-Wellingborough road	11.00
01 Jan	Marsh Harrier	Stanwick GP – a female through east	10.00
01 Jan	Blackcap	Great Billing – a pair in a private garden this morning and three, possibly including these individuals, in a nearby garden	AM
01 Jan	Red-crested Pochard	Kislingbury GP – a pair this morning	09.00