Monday 2 July 2012

An afternoon at Rutland Water, Rutland - July 2, 2012


I decided to go to Rutland Water this afternoon despite the weather as a Spoonbill that had arrived yesterday was still present.

As I drove over Manton Bridge and Osprey was hovering close to the road, which was a good start.  I signed in at the centre and was lucky as one of the wardens gave me a lift around to snipe hide, which overlooks the wet meadow where the Spoonbill had been.

The bird was still there but spent most of the time in typical Spoonbill standing motionless with its bill resting on its back.  It did however preen on several occasions showing its mainly pale pinkish bill and it also had some black tips on the flight feathers indicating that it was a juvenile.

I spent quite some time overlooking the small flash just outside snipe hide where I also located two Green Sandpipers and a Common Sandpiper.  Three Ringed Plovers flew in from over lagoon one and settled briefly before flying high to the south.  There were also three Teal, seven Shoveler and two Pochard with a few Gadwall and Mallard present on the water and two Oystercatcher flew over.

I eventually walked back towards the centre calling at mallard hide where I saw a second Osprey high over south arm three and two Black-tailed Godwits resting on the edge of lagoon one.

I continued past the centre and went to sandpiper hide on lagoon four where I located an Oystercatcher, another Ringed Plover, six Curlew, a Common Sandpiper and a single Yellow-legged Gull.  As I looked over towards lagoon three I saw a female-type Marsh Harrier over the reed-bed.

It had not been a bad afternoon considering the weather with a Spoonbill and a Marsh Harrier and few waders.

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