It was about 07:30 when I
entered the car park at Egleton and my plan was to cover the southern half of
the reserve during the morning. Just as
I was about to set off Steve Lister arrived and a chat delayed my departure for
a few minutes but I was soon on my way to snipe hide. I had nice views of a single Chiffchaff on
route and Blackcap and Sedge Warbler were heard and I had brief views of a
Garden Warbler just before snipe hide.
There was a single Redshank on the wet meadow flash but it soon flew and
joined two others in the wet meadow.
There were two Shelduck on the wet meadow but little else of note.
I walked to harrier hide again
hearing more Sedge Warbler and Garden Warbler and my first Willow Warbler of
the day before I reached the hide. The
Black-headed Gull on lagoon six had obviously been disturbed and were flying
around calling as were a pair of Tufted Duck.
Female Tufted Duck over lagoon six
Adult Black-headed Gulls over lagoon six
There was very little from
harrier hide so I continued to fieldfare and again had more warblers.
It appeared very quiet at
fieldfare until a Black-headed Gull and an Oystercatcher started calling and I
then noticed an Osprey approaching. It
began hovering over the water and then plunged down but regrettably hit the
water behind a single tree on the bank before emerging with a rather large
roach and gaining height and flying off over the top of the hide. It was in fact 5R, which is the male Osprey
breeding in Manton Bay. Although
disappointing I didn’t actually see it catch the fish I did manage to get some
rather nice photos of it. Once it had
gone tranquillity returned and I moved off to goldeneye hide on Lax Hill.
Osprey 5R fishing near fieldfare hide
Whilst walking to Lax Hill I
had a text informing me that there was a female Garganey on lagoon three and a
Black Tern on lagoon four.
From goldeneye hide I saw
seven Common Terns feeding over the water, four Egyptian Geese and two Shelduck
and quite a few Greylag and Canada Geese.
There was noting of note as I walked over the top of Lax Hill and
dropped down to Heron Bay. It was still
very quiet particularly on the water although a single female Mallard was
observed escorting eight tiny young across the bay and four Common Terns were
feeding in the northern corner. A Sedge
Warbler also provided some nice views just outside the hide but I was unable to
get any shots due the light and vegetation.
A quick look from kingfisher hide onto lagoon eight produced three
Shelduck, two Oystercatcher and single Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers.
Female Mallard and brood of eight in Heron Bay
First-summer Black-headed Gull on lagoon eight
Juvenile Robin on track to mallard hide
I was now heading back towards
the centre and checked out both lagoons five and seven. There were fifteen Common Terns on seven and
single Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers on five.
Ken then called to say he
would be on site by 10:30 so I walked back to the centre where I met him and
his friend Alex. As they were
approaching the centre a Sparrowhawk flew into a tree before heading off north
over the meadows.
We walked to shoveler hide on
lagoon three where I located the female Garganey just to the left of the
hide. Ken then picked up a first-summer
Little Gull and Alex then found the Black Tern.
Having been successful in shoveler we moved off to plover hide on lagoon
four. As we walking away from shoveler
hide Alex picked up a Peregrine approaching from the west. It was a juvenile and came over close enough
to get a few shots off.
Female Garganey on lagoon three
Juvenile Peregrine near lagoon three
We continued onto plover
stopping briefly to try and see two Garden Warbler that were singing close to
bittern hide, without success.
Once in plover hide I soon
located the report Turnstone but it soon disappeared from view and was not seen
again. We did manage to find three
Ringed Plovers on the lagoon along with four Oystercatcher and several
Shelduck.
As we began to walk back to
the centre for lunch Alex found what he thought as a Hobby, which Ken and I confirmed
but then I noticed a second and a third and eventually we had six feeding over
the meadows and lagoon two area. We saw
some of them several times as we walked back along the summer trail for lunch
but eventually made it back to the car park.
During our lunchtime break we
had several further vies of the Hobbies and a single Buzzard was observed just
north of the car park.
We decided to go to grebe hide
on lagoon two where I was able to get several shots of Hobby as three continued
to feed over the lagoon. When we came
out of grebe hide a Whitethroat we had heard inside appeared to be singing
right above our heads but it could not be seen, although it eventually appeared
at the top of a dead bush briefly.
Hobby over lagoon two
I then called at osprey hide,
whilst Ken and Alex went to sandpiper hide.
I had brief views of another Whitethroat and a Blackcap but it was
otherwise quiet and I moved off to smew hide where I was joined by Ken and Alex
again.
There was an amazing number of
damselflies around the hide, mainly Azure but I did managed to find a single
Large Red Damselfly. There was also
Garden and Cetti’s Warblers singing nearby and we did eventually see to Garden
Warblers and I had further views of Garden Warbler and Sedge Warbler after Ken
and Alex had departed and I also saw the Cetti’s very briefly.
Garden Warbler from smew hide
Whilst perhaps not being the
best day I ever had at Rutland Water there was a good selection of birds and
some had provided excellent photo opportunities.
On the way home I made a very
brief stop at Eye Brook Reservoir and was rewarded with an Avocet.
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