Sunday 29 April 2012

A day’s birding in Leicestershire and Rutland - April 28, 2012


I was out with Roger and David today and we went to the north arm at Rutland Water where there had been four female Common Scotter yesterday evening.  It was bitingly cold in the northerly wind and there was no sign of the scoter.  We did see a pair of Egyptian Goose escorting two downy young and there were four Little Egrets on the shoreline.  A Whimbrel was observed briefly in flight as it appeared to fly off to the east and there was also a single Oystercatcher and a male Goldeneye present.

We decided to go move Hambleton Wood in the hope of seeing Nightingale.  As we began the walk a Whimbrel was observed as it flew from the near shore further out onto the spit and a Bar-tailed Godwit was with two Oystercatchers.  There were numerous Swallows feeding low of the water and several House Martins and fewer Sand Martin were observed and we did eventually find two Swift over South arm three, Rutland Water.

We reached Hambleton Wood but it was very quiet, probably due to the temperature as was relatively sheltered from the northerly wind.  We reached the area where I had seen a Nightingale on Monday but it was not singing and failed do so during our stay, which was probably close to thirty minutes.  There were several Blackcaps singing and we did hear our first Garden Warbler of the year but we were unable to see it the dense vegetation.  It was now beginning to rain a little and was quite sharp for a while as we walked back through the wood but had stopped as we left the wood.  The forecast had predicted a dry but overcast day, although Roger had seen that there might be a little rain.

We were planning to go to Caster Hanglands in Cambridgeshire to see a potential Iberian Chiffchaff, although there was some doubt over its identity.

We set off to Caster Hanglands but the close we got the heavier the rain became.  When we arrived it was raining very heavily but we decided to wait away.  I checked the weather on my iphone it indicated that it might be another hour or more before there was any chance of dry weather.  We decided to return to Rutland Water.

We went straight to the centre where we located eight Black-tailed Godwits on lagoon one and at least four Little Egret, one on lagoon one and three on the wet meadow.

We made another brief view to the north arm where Tim had tweeted that there were two Common Sandpipers and ten Yellow Wagtails but we couldn’t find any of them.

After some lunch we began walking towards lagoon three.  As we walked past badge hide we heard a Turtle Dove calling but we were unable to find it and it soon stopped calling as well, which was no surprise in the awful weather. Two other birders then informed us that they had seen to Turtle Dove from osprey hide, which is where they had been seen yesterday.  We went to osprey and waited long enough for Ken to join us but there was no sign of the doves.  As we walked outside a Garden Warbler could be heard singing along the path to grebe hide but we were unable to see it.  As we walked back towards lagoon three we saw Malcolm just outside osprey hide and he had been watching a Garden Warbler singing in a nearby bush.  It had now disappeared and despite a shot wait failed to either reappear or sing again.  We all then walked to lagoon three where we had superb summer adult Little Gull and Black Tern amongst the Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns feeding over the water.

With not much else we moved off to plover hide on lagoon four but other than two Avocets added very little.  As we were walking back Norman informed us he had seen a Ruff and three Wheatear from dunlin hide on lagoon four.  I, Ken and Malcolm decided to go and have a look for these, whilst Roger went back to osprey hide for the Turtle Dove and David returned to the centre.

We found another nine Ringed Plover on the shore of the bund but initially could not find the Wheatear but persistence paid off and we eventually had five.  We also saw the Ruff and two Little Ringed Plovers.
As Ken and I started to walk back I had a message from David saying there was a drake Garganey in front of the centre, so I informed Malcolm and increased our pace.  Roger had got back just before us but the Garganey had disappeared in the vegetation close to mallard hide.  I continued to look and saw it swimming in one of the inlets before it disappeared again.  Ken then found a Common Sandpiper, which Roger failed to see as it flew towards us dropping out of sight.  We decided to go to mallard hide where we thought we might see both the Garganey and the Common Sandpiper.

Initially there was no sign of either but then David picked the Garganey up in flight and I got on it just before it dropped back onto the water and out of sight.  David, Roger and I decided to call it a day but we had gone less than 100 meters when Ken called to say him an Malcolm had the Common Sandpiper.  Roger went back for a look but David and continued back to car park.  Roger soon returned and we left for home.

It had not been a bad day despite the weather, although it would be nice to have some bright sunny weather and hear the birds in full song.

A day’s birding in Leicestershire and Rutland - April 17, 2012


I went to Rutland Water where I was informed by a photographer that he had taken some photos of two Turtle Doves from osprey hide.  I walked to osprey in fairly light rain but there was no sign of the Turtle Doves and as the rain increased I decided to move to sandpiper hide on lagoon four.  I entered the hide to find Tim doing his early morning count on lagoon four.  He had seen a number of Dunlin and single Sanderling and Turnstone.  There was no sign of any of the waders but there was a large gathering of Common Terns on one of the islands and I counted thirty-one on the lagoon, although Tim had seen over fifty.  A few Dunlin then appeared on one of the islands but there was still no sign of the Sanderling or Turnstone.  After Tim had departed I found more Dunlin on the top of island four but they kept disappearing down the other side and out of site.  I decided to move to plover hide as I thought they would be showing better from there.  However on arrival I had the same problem but this time they were disappearing down the other side.  I did manage to see eighteen in total but there was still no sign of the Sanderling or Turnstone.  A text from Tim informed me that Steve Lister was watching the Turnstone on the end of island four, a quick check but still no sign.

I moved off to lapwing hide where there were numerous Hirundinidae over the water and at least ten Swift.  There was also twenty-seven Common Terns over the water and others more distant unidentifiable.  I did see a single Black Tern rise high and then lost without any further sightings.  Both the Swift and the Black tern were my first for the year.

I did a quick check at crake hide but other than two Shelduck there was little else, although the water had risen considerably since my last visit.  I walked back I saw Steve Lister who informed me there was a Black Tern on lagoon three and that he had seen the Turnstone but not the Sanderling.  I went into Buzzard hide and the Black tern was still perched on one of the tern rafts on lagoon three and there were at least another sixteen Common Terns present.

I continued walking back to sandpiper hide and soon found the Turnstone and had twenty-seven Dunlin.  The Lapwing seen earlier with a newly hatched chick was now escorting three, what an awful day to be introduced to the world.  I also saw an Oystercatcher, ten Avocet, two Little Ringed Plovers, five Ringed Plovers, a Common Sandpiper and at least four Redshanks on the lagoon.

I called at osprey hide on may way back to the centre but there was still no sign of the Turtle Doves although a Golden Plover flew over before heading off east.  A quick look from the centre before lunch produced two nice summer plumage Islandic Black-tailed Godwit.

After lunch after looking for a Bar-tailed Godwit on lagoon one but only finding a winter Black-tailed Godwit I decided to walk back to lagoon four as apparently the Sanderling was still present.  I walked back with Handy Howes and his female protégée seeing a Willow Warbler before we reached sandpiper.  I scanned the back of the lagoon and almost immediately found the summer plumage Sanderling but there was no sign of the Turnstone.  We moved off to lapwing where I identified a distant tern as a potential Arctic and gradually as it became much closer was able to confirm that it was.  We called a buzzard hide and had further views of the Black Tern and then to plover hide on lagoon four where we had further views of the Sanderling but the Turnstone was not seen.  I stayed in plover hide before calling at osprey hide again in the hope of seeing the Turtle Dove but there was no sign.  I had one final look on lagoon one where the three Black-tailed Godwits were now together before leaving.

I made a brief call at Eye Brook Reservoir on the way home where the water has now risen considerably.  Two Common Terns and c.200 Swallow were the only birds of note.

Tuesday 24 April 2012

A day’s birding in Leicestershire and Rutland - April 23, 2012


I went to Rutland Water today and walked to Hambleton Wood as a Nightingale had been reported yesterday.  As I approached the area where the area had been coppiced several years ago to encourage Nightingale I heard a burst of song and it wasn’t too long before I was able to get reasonable views of the bird.  There were plenty of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs singing and I heard a single Willow Warbler but there was no evidence of any other arrivals.  This can be a good area for Garden Warbler but obviously there aren’t too many that have arrived yet.  There were four Whimbrel on the point as I started to walk to Hambleton Wood.
 Jackdaw near the Old Hall
Egyptian Goose near the Old Hall
I walked back to the car and went to the north arm where I spent some time.  There are now very view duck left and I only saw two Goldeneye but there were some distant martins over Burley Wood.  A single Bar-tailed Godwit was observed with two Oystercatcher on the south shore. And there were at least eleven Buzzard over Burley Wood and two Red Kite and single Sparrowhawk were also observed.  A good bird was a single Yellow Wagtail that flew over heading east.  It was only my sixth of the year and I think how common this species was in the not too distant past.
Buzzard over the north arm
After I had some lunch I decided to walk to lagoon four where there had been a Common Sandpiper earlier today.  I went to Dunlin and soon located the Common Sandpiper feeding on one of the closer islands.  There was also six Avocet, with one pair nesting on the closest island, a Little Ringed Plover, three Ringed Plovers, a summer plumage Dunlin and at least four Redshank and there were also more Common Tern present on the lagoon today.  From shoveler hide on lagoon three there were more Common Tern but little else, except a Sedge Warbler singing briefly.  The weather was now deteriorating but id did hear both Sedge and Reed Warblers but neither was prepared to show themselves.
Common Sandpiper over lagoon four
From lapwing I located four Whimbrel on Brown’s Island, which were probably the four I had seen from the Old Hall earlier.
I walked back to the centre calling at redshank hide and then onto mallard hide where I had good views of twenty-nine Islandic Black-tailed Godwits.  They were feeding on the meadow but took to flight on two occasions and the second occasion landed on the islands on lagoon one.  Three quickly returned to the meadow to continue feeding and five more the followed but most remained on the island.  I then noticed the five flying again but the three remained in the meadow, albeit alert.  When I looked for the others on the island they had all disappeared and did not return during my stay.
I called at Eye Brook Reservoir on route home and three Whimbrel flew over as I arrived.  There were six Common Terns present and two Ringed Plovers and a single summer plumage Dunlin.  The water has continued to rise, which had attracted six Little Egrets that were feeding near the inlet.
Spring migration still appears quite slow and hopefully there are still many more migrants to arrive.




Sunday 22 April 2012

A day’s birding in Suffolk and Norfolk - April 21, 2012


David, Roger and I set off for Foxhole Covert in Suffolk, picking Ken up on route.  The journey over was pretty uneventful except negotiating some ridiculously narrowing of the road with concrete blocks in Corby.  It was rather daunting, especially as many marks could be seen where they had been scraped by other vehicles.  We made it through in one piece fortunately.  A single Red Kite from the A14 and a Sparrowhawk near Newmarket were the only birds of note on route.
We arrived at Foxhole Covert and parked off the road and no sooner had we got out of the car when two Woodlark dropped onto a grass triangle no more than thirty meters away.  They provided some excellent views and were our only contact and unlike in previous years they were silent.  David then found a single Stone Curlew some distance away and we heard a second calling.  As we scanned for others we located two Wheatear and two Curlew and after some time managed to see eight Stone Curlew.
Woodlark at Foxhole Covert
From Foxhole Covert we moved to Lakenheath Flashes and had rather nice views of Jay along the entrance road.  We walked the short distance to the flash and hearing a Whitethroat singing to the right we managed to find two and hear a third.  As we climbed the bank I heard a Sedge Warbler singing and saw it dive back into the reeds.  David had climbed the back a few minutes before us and informed us that he had seen a drake Garganey and a Barn Owl but neither were showing now.  We did eventually have good views of the Garganey both on the water and in flight but the Barn Owl did not reappear.  We saw four Marsh Harrier, a male and three females and two Sand Martins flew over the flash.  As we were getting ready to depart a Peregrine flew over the car park.
It was now feeling quite cold in the brisk westerly wind and we decided to head straight to the coats and Titchwell.  We ran into some fairly heavy rain as we moved north to the coast but it stopped before we reached Kings Lynn.  We cut across country from Kings Lynn and found three Grey Partridge before we reached Choseley drying barns where we had ten Corn Bunting.
We had lunch before we set off down the footpath to the beach at Titchwell and hoped to see a Spoonbill that had been reported but it appeared to have gone and there was no sign.  There were a few ‘Islandica’ Black-tailed Godwit on the fresh marsh, where we also found a Little Ringed Plover, four summer plumage Spotted Redshank and a moulting Ruff.  There appeared to be fewer Avocets than in recent years and I suspect that the reserve is still recovering from all the work that was completed to protect the fresh marsh from the sea.  The fresh marsh was pretty full and the brackish marsh was still pretty dry and uninviting.  The sea was also remarkably quiet two Sandwich Terns was the highlight and the only bird on the sea was a single Great Crested Grebe.  There were plenty of waders on the shore including good numbers of Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Sanderling and Bar-tailed Godwit and we found two Knot and seven Turnstone.
We started to return to the car park but took shelter in the new Parrinder Hide where we had closer views of the Black-tailed Godwits and Spotted Redshanks.  A Herring Gull also provided some entertainment and it tried to break open an egg, presumably a goose’s, by dropping it onto the ground.  It tried repeatedly but the ground just appeared to soft as the egg landed safely but it did persist and eventually probably had a bit of luck when the egg caught a stone and smashed open, allowing the gull a feast.  A male and female Marsh Harrier were observed over the reed-bed on several occasions.
As the rain ceased we headed back and were rewarded with a Bearded Tit on the edge of the reeds, a drake Red-crested Pochard in flight as it came in from Thornham Marsh and a Short-eared Owl hunting over the grass field to the west of the path.
We decided to call at Snettisham Country Park as there had been some Ring Ouzels present this morning.  We drove along Hunstanton cliff top road on route where we saw four Fulmar.
When we arrived at the country park we walked north and not too far when I saw a male Ring Ouzel flash across the path clearly seeing the white gorget.  We had several more fleeting glimpses of the bird but it never really performed as it always dived into cover.  There was a Grasshopper Warbler calling but only intermittently and it never showed itself.  A Chiffchaff was observed and a second was heard.  We took a quick look over The Wash were there masses of waders with many too distant to attempt to identify but we did see Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin and Bar-tailed Godwit.  A Little Egret flew over as we were preparing to leave.
Roger, David and I made a brief stop at Eye Brook Reservoir after dropping Ken off in Uppingham.  As we drove around to the Leicestershire side of the reservoir a Short-eared Owl was observed in flight close to the bridge and as we got out of the car a Greenshank was observed in flight and on the ground.  We also found four Ringed Plovers and there were circa fourteen Swallow over the water.
Despite migration still appearing to be slow we did manage 106 species between us, which is a pretty good total.

A day’s birding at Rutland Water, Rutland - April 20, 2012


I went to the north arm at Rutland Water first as a Bar-tailed Godwit had been reported earlier.  A Little Egret was located and three Buzzards were observed over Burley Wood but the only waders present were four Oystercatcher.  Two House Martins were observed over the north arm and only three Goldeneye remained.
It all looked very quiet on lagoon one on the Egleton Reserved so after lunch I walked to snipe hide as a Whitethroat had been reported.  There was no sign of the Whitethroat but I did see a distant Red Kite over Burley Wood and circa thirty Sand Martin over lagoon two.  I walked back to the centre calling in mallard hide where there were twenty-four Black-tailed Godwits feeding to the right on the edge of the lagoon.  There were all ‘Islandica’ and in summer plumage and the winter plumage Bar-tailed Godwit was with them.
 Black-tailed Godwits on lagoon one
Black-tailed and single Bar-tailed Godwits over lagoon one
Having had some good views of the godwits and the rain easing I set off for lagoon three where I had two superb adult summer Little Gulls and two first-year birds.  I then moved to plover hide on lagoon four where I saw four Avocets, two Little Ringed Plovers, four Ringed Plover, a Green Sandpiper and four Redshanks.  As the next shower departed a set of back to the centre and heard a Grasshopper Warbler and saw it briefly just before the path to shoveler hide.
The number of Common Terns had increased and I counted thirty-five with birds in the north arm and lagoons one, three and four.
 Great Crested Grebe on lagoon four
 Pair of Gadwall alighting on lagoon three
 Male Sparrowhawk over lagoon four
Avocet on lagoon four


Wednesday 18 April 2012

A day’s birding in Leicestershire and Rutland - April 18, 2012


I started at the Egleton Reserve at Rutland Water today and whilst the weather forecast was not too good I had high hopes as the winds were south-easterly with periods of rain.
After signing in at the Bird Watching Centre and the rain ceasing I decided to go to lagoon four and managed to get to sandpiper hide without getting too wet.  The lagoon appeared to be fairly quiet but there were two avocets to the left with one appearing to be sitting on eggs and I noticed two more towards the back right.  It began to rain quite heavy so I stayed put for a while and was rewarded with two Arctic Terns flying from the west over the lagoon and heading off towards lagoon three and possibly south arm three.  These were my first of the year and one of the species I was hoping for.  There were at least four Ringed Plover with one appearing to be sitting on a nest and I also found two Little Ringed Plovers an Oystercatcher and two Redshanks.
With the rain easing I headed off to lapwing hide where I found four Arctic Terns over south arm three but the rain was coming into the hide at right angles making very difficult to use a scope or binoculars for any length of time as they got soaked.  I walked back to crake hide where it was much more pleasant as the wind was blowing from behind the hide.  There was a single Little Egret at the lagoon sluice and five Ruff were feeding at the edge of south arm three.
I them moved on to smew hide on lagoon two and buzzard and shoveler hide on lagoon three.  There was nothing of note visible form smew but there were at least ten Common Terns feeding over lagoon three and two Avocets were feeding to the right over shoveler hide.  I moved off to plover hide on lagoon four and the two Avocets from lagoon three flew onto lagoon four but other than two more Oystercatchers I saw nothing else.
I walked back to the centre and drove to the north arm where I had an early lunch before walking out to the point.  Initially there appeared to be very little accepts a couple of Common Terns but I then noticed a first-year Little Gull, quickly followed by a superb summer adult and a second first-year bird.  I also found another six Arctic Terns.
The rain had now eased and I decided to go back to the centre and walk in the opposite direction.  I called at snipe hide where I saw two more Little Egrets on lagoon one and a single Avocet in the wet meadow.  I continued walking towards Lax Hill and flushed a Short-eared Owl from the ditch alongside the footpath.  I checked the south arm from fieldfare hide but there was nothing of note so I continued to gadwall hide and soon found a Whimbrel that had been present for a few days.  It was with a Curlew, which provided a good opportunity to observed both species together.  Whilst I was in gadwall the heavens opened but as the rain eased I continued walking to Lax Hill calling at goldeneye and robin hides before moving on to wigeon hide where I was able to see the Ospreys in Manton Bay.  There was also two more Little Egrets present and five Pochards, which are now quite scarce on the reserve.
There were three Oystercatchers and a Ringed Plover visible from the new pintail hide and from harrier hide there was a Short-eared Owl visible, which was roosting in the grass.  A Sparrowhawk also provided some excellent views.
A final check from the centre of lagoon one failed to produce anything else and I decided to call it at day.
I called at Eye Brook Reservoir on route home but cut the stay short due to heavy rain.  There was a single summer plumage Dunlin and c.100 Swallow present and amongst the Swallow I found two Sand Martins and six House Martins and I also heard a Yellow Wagtail calling.
Whilst the weather had perhaps not produced the number of migrants I was hoping for, it had still been a good day with eight-four species recorded.

Monday 16 April 2012

A day’s birding in Leicestershire and Rutland - April 16, 2012


Three Ring Ouzels had been present yesterday at Timberwood Hill and were reported again this morning, so I decided that is where I should start this morning.
When I arrived I walked down the bridleway and find another birder and his wife looking for the birds but they had not seen them.  He did say he thought he had two Wheatears on the fence and I looked and confirmed that what they were.  I looked further left and noticed more Wheatear, in fact there were nine, and then found the three male Ring Ouzels feeding amongst the grass close to the dry stone wall.  I was able to get good views through the scope but suddenly I could only see one but found a second in a small tree.  The third bird then flew up into the tree and the Wheatear also dispersed.  Despite waiting another forty minutes only three Wheatears were seen intermittently and there were no further signs of the Ring Ouzel.  I had been lucky, although I did find out as I was leaving two were being seen from the layby on the main road but much further away.
I moved off to Cossington Meadows and after some lunch walked north from the main road along the dirt road to Hobley Lake.  I then walked back via Moor Pool, the River Soar and Plover Meadow.  It was initially very quiet along the dirt road but there were a few birds on the pools in the northern part of the reserve including two Oystercatchers and several Redshanks and I did see a Little Egret in a ditch.  A Sparrowhawk was also observed over the lake and a Sand Martin and Swallow flew over.  I also saw a Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler and heard several Blackcaps as I walked back and there were two more Redshanks and a Little Ringed Plover on the pool in Plover Meadow.
I decided to go to Eye Brook Reservoir to finish off but on arrival it appeared very quiet although it was quite pleasant in the warm sunshine.  There were two Oystercatchers, two Ringed Plovers and three White Wagtail and single Sand Martin; seven Swallows and two House Martins were observed.  I had seen the Little Owl in the old oak as I arrived and as I was leaving a Short-eared Owl flew over the road and did see it over a field before it disappeared.

Little Owl at Slawston

Sunday 15 April 2012

A day’s birding in Leicestershire and Rutland - April 14, 2012


David, Roger and I were out for the day today and decided to visit Robin-a-Tiptoe, which is hill on the northeast edge of Leicestershire that can be good for Ring Ouzel and Wheatear.  We did find two Wheatears, a male and female, but there was no sign of any Ring Ouzel.  We also had twelve Sand Martin and ten Meadow Pipit flying northwest over the hill.
We moved off to the north arm at Rutland Water from here where we walked to the point from the Manager’s cottage.  There were plenty of Sand Martin over the water and we did manage to pick up a few Swallow and a single House Martin amongst them.  The water level had risen quite considerably but most of the winter wildfowl have now departed and there was little of note present.  There was a Red Kite, two Sparrowhawk and two Buzzards over Burley Wood.
Male Kestrel in the north arm at Rutland Water
We signed in at the Bird Watching Centre and then walked to lagoon four, although yesterday’s Black-winged Stilt and flown off yesterday evening and was apparently found in Lincolnshire today.  We called at redshank hide on lagoon two on route as there had been a Sedge Warbler singing there yesterday but there was no sign today.  We did see a male Sparrowhawk at the base of the manmade Sand Martin nest site.  We wondered if it was perhaps waiting for an easy meal but the Sand Martin were keeping well away.
Lagoon four appeared quieter this morning but we soon located Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover and there were five Avocets and a single Ruff and at least five Redshanks.  We also found a single Golden Plover, which is quite a good bird here in April.  As we walked towards we heard a Sedge Warbler singing and then saw it singing from the top of a bramble patch.  We heard two more Sedge Warbler, one from shoveler hide on lagoon three and the other from crake hide but neither were seen.
This afternoon we were going to have an official opening of Pintail Hide, which had been erected in memory of one of our birding friends but before that we had lunch and spent some time in the Bird Watching Centre overlooking lagoon one.  A nice summer plumage Black-tailed Godwit flew in as we were looking for a goose David had seen but had disappeared behind an island.  Roger eventually saw the bird, which turned out to be a dark-bellied Brent Goose, an excellent bird in the Counties.  A female Marsh Harrier was observed as it flew low over lagoon two before rising quickly and appearing to move off and an Osprey was observed rather distantly over the north arm.
 Drake Shelduck from crake hide at Rutland Water
 Female Pheasant from crake hide at Rutland Water
Chiffchaff on the summer trail behind lagoon two at Rutland Water
It was now time to go to Pintail Hide for the opening, which was entered by some of John’s old friends and the Reserve Manager, Tim Appleton.  We had savouries, cakes and a shot of John’s favourite whiskey.  We saw very little else of note during the rest of the afternoon, other than further views of the Brent Goose.
 The gathering at Pintail Hide
Shots lined and ready for the toast
 The new Pintail Hide on lagoon six at Rutland Water
The view from Pintail Hide overlooking lagoon six
with lagoon one and the Bird Watching Centre in the distance


A day’s birding in Leicestershire and Rutland - April 13, 2012


I decided to go to Warren Hills today to see if there were any Ring Ouzels.  As I arrived another birder was leaving indicating that he had only seen a Wheatear.  There was very little in the top fields but there were clearly more Willow Warbler present today.  I eventually reached the bottom of the hill where I saw two Wheatears and my first Cuckoo of the year.  Roger had now joined me but had failed to see the Cuckoo but had heard it calling.  A Sparrowhawk and Raven where observed soaring to the west. We walked back to the cars seeing a few Buzzards over the woods and I picked up the Cuckoo in flight, which Roger managed to get on to.
 Male Yellowhammer at Warren Hills
 Male Kestrel at Warren Hills
Male Kestrel at Warren Hills
Roger and I made a brief visit to Charnwood Lodge Nature Reserve but found very little.
Roger was now going home and I decided to go to Swithland Reservoir for my lunch.  As I was driving to Swithland Reservoir there was a tweet from Rutland Water indicating that there was a Black-winged Stilt on lagoon four.
I spoke to Tim the reserve manager as I was arriving and he advised me to drive to dunlin hide as the bird was on the first island giving good photo opportunities.  When I got to dunlin hide the stilt had moved back to island five and was now some distance away.  It did return to the close island and I managed to get several good shots of the bird.  This was only the third record for Leicestershire and Rutland, the others both being of two birds, where in 1945 at Eye Brook Reservoir and 1987 at Orton-on-the-Hill.  I did not visit any other part of the reserve but did see two Oystercatcher, four Avocet, four Little Ringed Plover, two Ringed Plover, a Dunlin, two Ruff, two Curlew and four Redshank and there was also two Common Tern bathing.








Black-winged Stil on lagoon four at Rutland Water
I made a brief stop at Eye Brook Reservoir on route home where there were two Yellow Wagtails and at least six White Wagtails.




Wednesday 11 April 2012

A day’s birding in Leicestershire - April 11, 2012


Dave, Roger and I had decided to go birding in the Charnwood area today.
We called at Watermead Country Park first to hopefully see a Whooper Swan and Red-crested Pochard.  Both had been present for some time now and Roger had seen both of them yesterday.  When we arrived there was the normal mass of swans close to where people feed them and where the Whooper normally is.  We scanned the swans several times but could only find Mutes.  We walked all the way around the lagoon but the Whooper could not be found although we did locate the male Red-crested Pochard.
We eventually moved off to Beacon Hill and walked from the car park to the summit.  We had hoped to see early migrants but there was little evidence of any migration, although Dave did find a Wheatear, which Roger and I failed to locate.
Warren Hills was our next port of call, which is another location where it is possible to find migrants but like Beacon Hill there was little evidence of migration.
We decide to visit Swithland Reservoir where we had our fist shower of the day, which was quiet heavy.  Just before the rain arrived the wind increased and we had two Sparrowhawk, five Buzzards and a Peregrine fly over.  There was little of note on the water but I did see three Sand Martins and a Swallow passed over the dam.  Two Grey Wagtail also flew over.  Roger also located a Green Sandpiper on the southern side.
We made a very brief call at Cropston Reservoir where there were a number of martins feeding low over the water.  They were mainly Sand Martin but we did locate at least two Swallow.

Monday 9 April 2012

An afternoon’s birding at Eye Brook Reservoir, Leicestershire and Rutland - April 9, 2012


It had been raining most of the day but appeared to be clearing so I decided to go to Eye Brook Reservoir.  The rain still persisted but intermittently and was dry for a while at the reservoir but I eventually called it a day as the rain seemed to settle in more.
There was very little at the southern end of the reservoir, just two Oystercatcher, but when I arrived at the southern end another birder said that he had seen some Redshanks and thought one was a Spotted Redshank.  However some idiots had walked inside the confines of the reservoir and had flushed everything and there was now very little.
A Red Kite appeared over the fields on the Rutland Water but a single Swallow was the only other bird of note.  The walkers, a guy with his wife and three kids then appeared.  One of the birders informed them quite politely that it was an SSI site and then they should not be inside the fence.  They didn’t care, in fact the kids just laughed, and they continued walking around the reservoir.
Shortly after they had passed a number of Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit appeared and there were three White Wagtails amongst the party.  There was also a large flock of Linnets feeding on the ground.  A wader then flew in and it was a Spotted Redshank being joined by three Redshanks.  A Ringed Plover was then found and then a Little Ringed Plover.  The rain was now increasing and I decided to drive around the other side and as I turned right towards the Rutland back a party of C.100 Fieldfare flew over.  There was nothing new on the Rutland bank but I called Ken to inform him of the Spotted Redshank as he was at Rutland Water.
He was juts outside Uppingham and so I decided to return to the Leicestershire bank and wait for him.  When I got to the other side there was another women with two children inside the fence and there was no sign of the waders.  I got my scope out and started looking at the wagtails again as they were still present.  A Yellow Wagtail the appeared and sat preening in full view but as Ken pulled it another wagtail flushed it.  I informed Ken what had happened and we both continue to scan seeing the three White Wagtails.  I then found the Little Ringed Plover and Ringed Plover and shortly afterwards Ken re-found the Yellow Wagtail.  Whilst he was looking at the wagtail I noticed a wader fly back in and it was the Spotted Redshank.  It was now starting to rain and so we both departed.

Sunday 8 April 2012

A day’s birding in Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire & Leicestershire - April 7, 2012


Today Dave, Ken, Roger and I set of Elsham in Lincolnshire to hopefully see a Thayer’s Gull that had been present from the 3rd.  When we arrived there were a few birders scanning a field where there were gulls roosting but Thayer’s was not with them.  There were more birders scattered around the area and there were plenty of gulls but there was no sign of the Thayer’s.  An Iceland Gull was observed in flight but all of us failed to get on it and eventually we decided to call it quits and head off to Blacktoft Sands.  The juvenile Thayer’s was only reported once all day when it apparently flew over.
When we arrived at Blacktoft Sands we had lunch before going to the centre.  There was a second-year Little Gull feeding over one of the lagoons close to the centre and we saw at least seven Marsh Harriers and two Avocet.  We decided to walk east going to the furthest hide, Singleton Hide.
From here we had some superb views of Marsh Harriers, particularly a second-year male.  We also found a Red Kite and three Sparrowhawk soaring in the distance.  Dave then saw a Bittern flying low over the reeds and we all managed to get on it and watch it fly a considerable distance and at some height before dropping down close to the river.  Ken then found a single male Bearded Tit, which performed well on the edge of the first reed bed; distant but still nice views.
We eventually returned to the centre where we had a second Bittern, closer this time but not for so long.
Dave wanted to go to Swithland Reservoir as he had not seen the Black-necked Grebe and Kittiwake yesterday and both were reported as present today.
Second-year male Marsh Harrier
Second-year male Marsh Harrier
Second-year male Marsh Harrier
Second-year male Marsh Harrier
Second-year male Marsh Harrier
Second-year male Marsh Harrier
Second-year male Marsh Harrier
Second-year male Marsh Harrier
It did not take too long to find both the Black-necked Grebe and Kittiwake at Swithland Reservoir and we also had a pair of Mandarin, a Peregrine, a Raven and three Swallows during our short stay.
Pair of Mandarin at Swithland Reservoir





Friday 6 April 2012

A late morning and early afternoon birding in Leicestershire - April 6, 2012


I had been looking after the grandchildren at my daughter’s this morning and had decided to visit Cropston Reservoir and Swithland Reservoir in the hope of seeing Mandarin and Peregrine.

I arrived at Cropston Reservoir and soon had two pairs of Mandarin but with little else in the cool wind I moved off to Swithland Reservoir.

The car in front of me pulled up on the road overlooking the reservoir and it was Roger who had been birding in Swithland Wood.  We looked over the water but there was nothing of note and so we decided to go to Kinchley Lane where I was hoping to see the Peregrine.  We pulled up at the railings where we located an Oystercatcher and another birder informed us that that there was a summer plumage Black-necked Grebe further down.  We drove part of the way to the dam where there is a good vantage point overlooking the reservoir and we were soon observing the grebe not too far out.  Although the light was pretty poor it was still a smart looking bird and I managed to get a couple of record shots of the bird.  There were also plenty of martins over the water and whilst were Sand Martin we did pick out at least one Swallow and a House Martin.  Whilst scanning through the birds I noticed a rather smart looking gull and the water and on a closer look realised that it was an adult Kittiwake, which is quite an unusual bird in the counties and my first since 2008.  They are annual, particularly at this time, but don’t usually stay very long.

I eventually moved off to the dam and the female Peregrine was perched in the usual tree.  The male returned a little later but they then both disappeared for a while before the female eventually returned.  As I was watching a couple of Buzzard another birder cried out Osprey.  It was initially coming towards us but veered off to the west and out of sight.  It was quite cold standing around on the dam and I eventually decided to call it a day as I was beginning to feel it.

It had been a productive morning and one of the best at Swithland Reservoir for some time.

Summer adult Black-necked Grebe


Thursday 5 April 2012

A afternoon’s birding in Leicestershire and Rutland - April 5, 2012


Dave and I headed off to Eye Brook Reservoir and had good views of the Little Owl at Slawston where it sat in a tree hole.
Little Owl
Yellowhammer near Slawston
We arrived at the eastern end of Eye Brook Reservoir but it was fairly quiet with juts a Redshank southwest corner.  When we got to the inlet at the northern end the water level had come up considerable after yesterday’s rain.  There were two Oystercatchers on the Rutland Bank and we eventually had five in flight.  There was also two Buzzards soaring to the south of Holyoaks Farm.  We could see several Swallow flying in front of the plantation and to get a better view we drove around to the Rutland bank.  As we drove along the back Dave picked up a bird of prey, ‘saying what this, is it a kite’, I saw the bird and leapt out of the car as he pulled suspecting it might be a Marsh Harrier.  It was a female and she soon gained height and headed of to the east.  There were also two more Buzzards towards Great Merrible Wood and there were five Swallows present and although Dave thought he had a martin we could not locate it.
Female Marsh Harrier
Swallow
We moved on to the north arm at Rutland Water in search of the Long-tailed Duck but without success.  There were two Barnacle Geese and three Buzzard over Burley Wood but little else.
My annual permit for the reserve was due and after paying it and scanning lagoon one where we had a few Shoveler and a single Redshank we walked to plover hide on lagoon four.  There was a Red Kite to the north as we entered the hide and we soon found five Avocets and two Redshanks but couldn’t find either Ringed Plover or Ruff that had been seen earlier.
We went into shoveler hide on lagoon three and I found a Green Sandpiper roosting on the edge of one of the islands and Dave then said he might have the Long-tailed Duck, which was roosting in the far left corner of the lagoon.  We scoped the bird and confirmed that it was the female Long-tailed Duck.  We walked to lapwing hide and Dave almost immediately picked up the Long-tailed Duck again but now in south arm three.  It had obviously flown with a party of birds off lagoon three.  We searched for a female Scaup I had seen on Monday but there was no sign, so we returned to the centre.
We arrived at the centre to have brief views of a Barn Owl before it flew off over the trees close to harrier hide.  I then picked up a Short-eared Owl, which over the next fifteen minutes provided some good views and the Barn Owl returned briefly.





Tuesday 3 April 2012

A day’s birding in Leicestershire and Rutland - April 2, 2012

I went to Eye Brook Reservoir today as there had been a summer plumage Slavonia Grebe present yesterday but there was no sign this morning nor during a late afternoon visit. It was rather quiet with two pairs of Shelduck and two Redshanks being the highlights on the reservoir and a Little Ringed Plover flew over before climbing high and heading off north. The Little Owl was visible in the old oak.

From Eye Brook Reservoir I went to the Egleton Reserve at Rutland Water and after signing in walked to lagoon four, visiting sandpiper hide. There were five Avocets, six Ringed Plovers and at least four Redshanks. I then walked to lapwing hide where I saw nothing of note in very poor light. I called at crake hide on the way back where Ken Chamberlain pointed out a Curlew and informed me that he had, had two Little Ringed Plover and a Ruff on lagoon four. I decided that I would call at plover hide on lagoon four in the hope of finding the Little Ringed Plovers and Ruff. As I went by smew hide a Green Sandpiper called but I could not find it on lagoon three or four and there was no sign of either the Little Ringed Plovers or the Ruff. I then went to Dunlin hide on lagoon four where I had some good views of two of the Avocets observing them mate. I Sparrowhawk also caused some disturbance as it flew over the water and briefly perched on one of the islands. I called at both grebe hide and the Bird Watching Centre before having lunch but other than a number of Shoveler on lagoon one there was little else.

I went to the north arm for my lunch where the two Barnacle Geese of unknown origin were still present and there were a few pairs of Shelduck. There were at least eight Buzzards and two Sparrowhawk over Burley Wood and I had seen a Red Kite over the wood earlier. A trip to the Old Hall aloud distant views of the pair of Osprey in Manton Bay and a third bird carrying a fish was observed high overhead and was probably trying to attract a female.

I returned to the Bird Watching Centre where I had brief views of a Short-eared Owl but there was still no sign of a Black-tailed Godwit reported earlier. I decided to go back to lapwing hide as the light would now be better and there was perhaps a chance of finding a Scaup or the Long-tailed Duck. When I arrived another birder informed me that there were six Ruff feeding on the bund to the left and shortly afterwards I found a female Scaup but the Long-tailed Duck failed to put in an appearance. Time was no pressing as I wanted to call again at Eye Brook Reservoir to see if the Slavonian Grebe had appeared but there was still no sign and possibly even less than this morning, except for two rather pristine adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Great Crested Grebe on lagoon four at Rutland Water
Juvenile Cormorant over lagoon four at Rutland Water
Grey Heron over lagoon three at Rutland Water
Canada Goose on lagoon three at Rutland Water
Shelduck over lagoon four at Rutland Water
Pair of Gadwall on lagoon three at Rutland Water
Drake Teal from lapwing hide at Rutland Water
Pair of Tufted Duck on lagoon four at Rutland Water
Osprey with fish over the Old Hall at Rutland Water
Oystercatcher over lagoon four at Rutland Water
Avocet on lagoon four at Rutland Water
Female Avocet inviting the male to mate on lagoon four at Rutland Water
Avocet mating on lagoon four at Rutland Water
Redshank over lagoon four at Rutland Water
Redshank alighting on lagoon four at Rutland Water
Ruff in south arm three at Rutland Water
First-winter Great Black-backed Gull over south arm three at Rutland Water
First-winter Herring & Great Black-backed Gulls in south arm three at Rutland Water
Adult summer Black-headed Gull in south arm three at Rutland Water
Adult summer Black-headed Gull in south arm three at Rutland Water
Great Tit at the Egleton feeding station, Rutland Water