Wednesday 10 July 2013

A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland - July 9, 2013

I called at Eye Brook Reservoir first this morning although it was rather quiet with just a single Little Ringed Plover and Green Sandpiper present in terms of waders.  There were twenty-two Common Terns and a single Yellow-legged Gull was also observed.  There was only one adult Shelduck present with the two young, which are now well grown but not yet fledged.  Seven Swift were found amongst a party of circa forty Sand Martin and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over.  The only warblers observed were two Whitethroats with a third being heard.

From Eye Brook Reservoir I went straight to the Egleton car park at Rutland Water and walked to lagoon three.  There had been quite a few waders present yesterday evening including three Ruff and seventeen Green Sandpipers but there was no sign of the Ruff and I could only find seven Green Sandpipers.  There were four Curlew, unusual on this lagoon, and two Greenshanks and a Snipe was also observed briefly.  Like at Eye Brook Reservoir only one adult Shelduck remained with the two young that are at a similar stage to those at Eye Brook Reservoir.  There were two Little Egrets initially but they both flew off to the west and a juvenile Yellow Wagtail was observed in flight before it perched on top of the small reed-bed and then disappeared.


Curlew on lagoon three

I walked to plover hide on lagoon four were there was a second brood of Ringed Plovers on the northern edge of island four.  One of the adults was continuously harassing the two Little Ringed Plovers that were nesting close by and were seen to leave the nest on numerous occasions.  Hopefully with the hot weather this will not have be detrimental to their success.  The three first-summer Little Gulls were observed on the far side of the lagoon amongst a small party of Black-headed Gulls.  Two distant Buzzard were observed to the south of Oakham but there was little esle of note and I returned to the car park for some lunch.


Brown Hawker

Ken arrived just after I finished my lunch and we walked back to shoveler hide on lagoon three, calling at redshank and grebe hides on lagoon two to check for the Kingfisher but with same result as earlier.
The Curlew, Green Sandpiper and Greenshanks were all still present on lagoon three and two Black Terns were observed over the water.  An Osprey also flew over and a second was observed over the north arm as the first headed in that direction.


Cormorant over lagoon three


Egyptian Goose on lagoon three


Oystercatcher over lagoon three


Lapwing chick on lagoon three


Curlew on lagoon three


Curlew on lagoon three


Greenshank on lagoon three


Greenshank on lagoon three

A further check from smew hide failed to produce the Kingfisher but we did have brief views of a Water Rail from bittern hide on lagoon three.


Water Rail from bittern hide


Moorhen chick from bittern hide


Common Tern from bittern hide

Our final port of call was sandpiper hide on lagoon four that produced further views of the three first-summer Little Gulls and a distant buzzard over Burley Wood but nothing else of note.

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