My wife Pam and myself had a very enjoyable weekend with our daughter and three granddaughters in Little Addington, Northamptonshire, we arrived late afternoon of 11th April and stayed until mid-afternoon on the 13th. The drive to Northamptonshire, and indeed our return was quite smooth although we did meet some obligatory roadworks.
12 April
It is very rare for me to sleep in but on the morning of the 12th I awoke at 0845 (I am usually up long before sunrise) and eventually left our daughters at about 0945 for a mornings birding in the River Nene valley near Great Addington, the path is along the route of the former Nene valley railway which passes through Stanwick Lakes. It was nice to meet people and share my birding day with them, it also goes without saying that I also made fuss of many beautiful dogs, which I also have a passion for.
The habitat comprises numerous lakes, wet meadows, marsh, mature hedgerows alongside the path, and reedbeds.
Summer visitors were present in good numbers with Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs being the most frequently encountered species. Cetti's Warblers were heard in song all along the route, it is wonderful how this noisy bird has spread throughout England since they first arrived on our shores just over 50 years ago. A single Willow Warbler was in song in typical breeding habitat.
I remember from a previous visit how Mute Swans gathered on a field close to the River Nene, once again, the field was productive with 75+ birds resting on the ground or grazing. Also present was a pair of Gadwall and overhead a single Little Egret was seen.
Late afternoon, I took my daughters beautiful Golden Retriever, Lola, for a walk along footpaths over rolling farmland. My intention was to search for Wheatear on open land.
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| Rolling farmland near Little Addington 12 April |
I had walked from the path in the above picture down to the low point here, the country here is wide open with great vistas, however, one thing this country would benefit from is more hedgerows along track-sides and field boundaries.
The bare field in the middle left of the picture looked good for Wheatear, the land had recently been turned, this indicated to me that invertebrates may be visible to tired and hungry migrants. I walked the length of this field, checking as regular intervals for birds, and on cue the distinctive white rump of a bird immediately alerted me and checking through binoculars revealed as I suspected a 1st summer male Wheatear, the bird was typically alert and upright in its carriage, and it often ran fast over the land when it had presumably spotted an invertebrate meal.
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| 1st summer male Wheatear 12 April. |
13 April
This morning I was up at around 0430 with a plan to visit the Nene Way and Stanwick Lakes. My route began at Little Addington, crossing the Irthlingborough Road, and then descending down the long path to the River Nene.
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| Looking east over rolling Northamptonshire countryside at dawn 13 April |
It was quite evident that the rolling landscape here in Northamptonshire is quite stunning with huge panoramic views, however, as I had written earlier, the vast openness of arable land would clearly benefit from more hedgerows, this would surely prevent soil erosion during high winds, and of course it would be a great boost for wildlife.
Once I reached the beautiful River Nene, I turned and walked towards Stanwick Lakes, I soon reached a lovely area of Bramble, Hawthorn, and Willow scrub where early morning birdsong was clearly evident. This area of scrub held two singing Whitethroats, singing Blackcap and Chiffchaff, singing Willow Warbler, and two singing Cetti's Warblers, one of which sang in the open from a Hawthorn, a great sight for what is otherwise a very secretive bird. One Willow Warbler sang from the opposite side of the river as did a male Sedge Warbler. A wet meadow over the river held a single feeding Cattle Egret. At least two pairs of Reed Buntings were seen in suitable breeding habitat alongside the river.
Walking back along the track to Little Addington, the weather had warmed up with bright sunshine. As I made the ascent I once again was conscious of the possibility of passage Wheatear. As I made the climb I watched the track ahead of me as well as the short trimmed hedgerow, as I neared the top of this climb I saw a bird fly onto the hedge, the conspicuous white rump was a giveaway, this was a stunning 1st summer male Wheatear. Some wonderful views were had of this migrant as it searched the ground for invertebrate prey, whilst always remaining alert and upright in its carriage. What a great way to end my walk.
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| 1st summer male Wheatear was initially seen well on the hedge 13 April |
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| Wheatear near Little Addington. Typically in upright carriage 13 April. |
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| 1st summer male Wheatear 13 April. A stunning, alert bird. |
My wife Pam and myself had a great time visiting our family in Northamptonshire, as always we always felt very welcomed. We departed at about 1500 and allowing for roadworks, finally arrived back home in Norfolk at about 1715. It is always special returning to beautiful Norfolk.
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