Occasional, but increasing visitor, and passage migrant which has bred.

Seen increasingly regularly at Fairlands Valley, flying over the town in small numbers and, occasional Birds resting on buildings in the Town Centre. 

The most seen together at Stevenage are, 12 on unrecorded playing fields on 31 July 1981, 13 at Fairlands Valley Lakes on 28 May 2017 and, 20+ at Fairlands Valley Lakes on 22 July 2022.

A pair were seen mating at Fairlands Valley Lakes in May 2016 and, juvenile birds were seen there in July 2019 which may have been locally bred. In 2022 breeding at Stevenage was confirmed when an adult was seen feeding young on the roof of Asda Supermarket, Monkswood Way on 23 June.

A bird that had been ringed in Norfolk was seen at Fairlands Valley Lakes on 9 August 2019 and, a bird ringed as a chick on the Suffolk coast in 2011 was seen at Fairlands Valley Lakes on 9 June 2021 having been previously seen in Leicestershire in 2013 and Cordoba, Spain in 2015.

The 2012 Winter Atlas confirmed their presence from eight of the tetrads covering Stevenage.