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.
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