Saturday 30 November 2013

A day’s birding at Rutland Water, Rutland - November 30, 2013

Dave and Roger had other commitments today so I set off for Rutland Water on my own.  I saw a couple of Red Kites on route, one near Uppingham and the second just after passing through Preston.

I decided to go to the north arm first and found three Black-necked Grebes almost immediately, which was a surprise as I thought that only two were still present.  The Long-tailed Ducks, as usual, were elusive and although I did eventually have one in flight and then on water I couldn’t find the second.  The ten Barnacle Geese were on the north shore and I had four Dunlin flying with a party of Lapwing before they dropped onto the shoreline.  With the exception of Goldeneye most species of wildfowl still continue to fall, although there were good numbers of Wigeon and Gadwall amongst the mass of Coot in the fishponds.  There were also fourteen Egyptian Geese and a few Cormorants on the bunds within the fishponds.


Feeling a little cold I decided to make tracks to the Egleton Reserve and started to walk to snipe hide on the wet meadow before I had lunch.  Just after passing mallard hide I met Rick who was watching a Sparrowhawk overhead and after a brief chat I decided I would join him in mallard hide as I had arranged to meet Ken in car park just before 12:00.  This proved to be a good decision as we had good views of a Peregrine as it caused some disturbance on lagoon one and a Red Kite over the wet meadow.  There was also four Curlew on one of the islands and these then flew onto the meadow with three coming quite close to the hide and a Water Rail was heard but failed to show.


Red Kite over lagoon one


Curlew alighting on lagoon one meadow


Curlew on lagoon one meadow

Just after I had finished my lunch Ken arrived and after spending some time talking to Malcolm and Steve we headed off to shoveler hide on lagoon three.  There appeared to be very little on the lagoon today but I then found a male and two red-headed Smew in the northeast corner of the lagoon.  There was also five drake Pintail and two Redshanks fed close to the hide.  Malcolm and Rick had joined us in the hide when Ken announced he had a Bittern.  It was sat about half-way up the reeds and only its neck and head were visible at times, which made it difficult to see.  As we watched it a second came up close by and both then showed well on occasions.  I called Steve to let him know that they were showing but he was still in the centre but set off straight away.  Just before he arrived we could only see one of the birds, that then flew, just before Steve entered the hide, and dropped out of sight.  Malcolm then indicated that the second bird was still present and Steve at least managed to see it before it also disappeared.


Egyptian Geese on lagoon three


Redshank on lagoon three

Ken and I then decided to leave and called briefly at sandpiper hide on lagoon four where there were two Shelduck but very little else.  We also called at redshank hide on lagoon two but there was no sign of the Water Vole today, although we did have several Pintail, a Green Sandpiper and another Redshank.

From the centre I counted just twenty-five Pintail and I say just as there had been ninety-two present yesterday.  There was also the only Little Egret of the day and we eventually had five male and two female Goosanders and two Redshanks.

The Barn Owl then came out from the nest box and sat on the shelf.  I decided to walk back along the path to see if I could get a photo but when I arrived at the vantage point it was perched amongst some bushes.  I managed to get a couple of shots off before it flew and settled on a post a little closer but unfortunately it flew again and then disappeared deeper into the trees.  It wasn’t long before it was flying again but made a hasty retreat back into the box when it was harassed by two Jackdaws.  I returned to the centre seeing very little else but the Barn Owl was again sitting outside the box just before I left.


Barn Owl


Jackdaw in the Egleton car park

Tuesday 26 November 2013

A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland - November 26, 2013

I went to Dean’s Lane, which is just north of Beacon Hill and overlooks the Trent Valley.  There had been Brambling and Crossbill reported recently and I was hoping that I might see them.  I did find a single Brambling but there was no sign of any Crossbill.  There were also plenty of Redwings and a few Fieldfares in the area.

From Dean’s Lane I called at Swithland Reservoir where there were still at least six Scaup on the northern section, although they were difficult to count as some at least were constantly diving.  There was also a male and six brown-head Goosanders on the northern section.  One of the Peregrines was sitting in the normal trees and two Ravens and a Grey Wagtail flew over.  There was a party of circa fifty Fieldfare flying over the southern section and eight Redwings were observed near the dam.

I eventually decided to move on to Rutland Water and after some lunch met Ken in the car park.  We went in the centre where we found six male Goosanders and I counted fifty Pintail.  I then saw two waders drop in that I thought were Grey Plover and a quick scan of the large island confirmed my initial identification.  They didn’t stay too long and after looking for a single Curlew for a brief time we were unable to find them.  The male Stonechat was then found some distance away as it fed in the area in front of mallard hide.

I had spoke to Tim to find out if there had been any further sightings of Woodcock as I still needed it for the year.  He said there hadn’t but suggested that we looked at the area close to goldeneye hide.  Ken and I decided it would be a good idea and Nigel decided to join us.  When we arrived at Lax Hill, Tim was there and he escorted us into an area that is not public access.  We hadn’t walked too far when a Woodcock flushed from the vegetation at the side of the path, success at last with this illusive species.

After spending some time in Robin hide where we had nice views of a Great Spotted Woodpecker on the feeders, Ken and I then continued over Lax Hill and went to heron hide overlooking Heron Bay and the south arm towards Manton Bay.  There were hundreds, if not thousands, of gulls in south arm two that were mainly Common Gulls, although there were also a few Black-headed Gulls.  I picked up a bird that was clearly different and we agreed that it had white primaries but it was facing away most of the time and its head was on its back.  It didn’t look right for a Mediterranean Gull and eventually it picked its head up briefly and we could see that it was in fact an aberrant Black-headed Gull.

We walked back to the centre where we found seven male and two brown-headed Goosanders, nine Curlews and a Redshank.  A Barn Owl was also seen as it came out of the nest box near lagoon two.  It flew a short distance to a tree where it sat for quite some time before returning to the nest box.  This was my first sighting of Barn Owl on the reserve since May 9th after what appears to have been a poor summer for the species.


Not a totally successful day but one with several highlights including a year tick.

Sunday 24 November 2013

A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland - November 23, 2013

I was out with Roger today and despite some initial debate about visiting Frampton Marsh we decided to stay local.

We headed off initially to Eyebrook Reservoir and stopped close to Blaston on route where we had few winter thrushes and found a Willow Tit and a Treecreeper alongside a small stream.  This was the first time we had seen Willow Tit at Blaston and was a welcome find considering the current state of Willow Tits within the counties.  We continued on to Eyebrook Reservoir, seeing a Red Kite just the other side of Blaston and on arrival at Eyebrook Reservoir found the two Little Owls in the old oak.  A stop at the bridge produced a couple of Siskin and several Bullfinches, including a stunning male.  The water level had dropped slightly and although there were not too many Lapwings present, nineteen Dunlin was a welcome sight as they have been very thin on the ground this winter.  The two Ruddy Shelduck and a single Shelduck were also observed and a Little Egret was roosting alongside the stream.  Two Red Kites were drifting low over a distant hedgerow and a Buzzard was observed perched in the same area.  There were masses of ducks on the water but the light made it very difficult to observe those to the south of Stoke Dry.

With the light being poor we moved off to Edith Weston at Rutland Water in the hope of connecting with the Green-winged Teal that has now been present for over a week.  We saw a second Buzzard perched as we approached Wing and after parking at Edith Weston and walking the short distance to the sailing club bay we were soon scoping the drake Green-winged Teal.  There was a party of Canada Geese on the shore and other wildfowl included a couple of Egyptian Geese and several Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck and Goldeneye.  There was also a single Little Grebe, numerous Lapwings on the pontoon and a single Redshank close to the Teal.

We walked back to the car and then drove the short distance to the dam where we found a female Common Scoter and a female Red-breasted Merganser.  An adult Yellow-legged Gull was also observed feeding on dead bird in the water.  We then drove to the north arm and after finding the two Black-necked Grebes fairly quickly we spent a good thirty minutes searching for the Long-tailed Ducks.  Roger eventually found one some distance away near the fisherman's’ car park.  I was pretty sure we eventually had both birds, although we were never able to find them both at the same time.  The ten Barnacle Geese were present on the north shore and a single female Goosander was in the fishponds.


After some lunch in the Egleton car park we went straight to shoveler hide on lagoon three.  Ken and Eric were already in the hide but had not had any luck with either Smew or Bittern.  Roger then found two Smew right at the back of the lagoon and one was clearly either a moulting non-breeding male or a first-winter male as it was showing a significant amount of white in its plumage.  There was also nine drake Pintail but despite a lengthy stay the Bitterns remained out of sight.

We called at redshank hide on route back to the car park as Roger and Ken had not yet seen a Water Vole at Rutland Water.  We initially saw a Water Rail that was feeding on some decaying vegetation and as it had done on my two previous visits the vole appeared but tonight it didn’t stay too long.  I left Roger and Ken in the hide and went to take a look on lagoon one before we departed.  As I scanned lagoon one I found dozen Pintail, three Curlews and a Redshank and a Marsh Tit was heard calling.  Roger and the Ken arrived but the vole had not reappeared but we then had brief views of the Marsh Tit before we returned to the car park.

We had seen seventy-seven species today that included several scarce county species and my third sighting of Water Vole in my last three visits.  It would appear that the voles are a bit like busses, not seeing any and then three arrive in quick succession.  It had been a very good and enjoyable day’s birding.

A day’s birding at Rutland Water, Rutland - November 22, 2013

With a good forecast Dave and I decided to go to Rutland Water and went to the north arm first.  We soon found the two Black-necked Grebe but the Long-tailed Ducks as usual proved a little more elusive.  Dave found the first-winter and I found the adult female but they were not together today and it surprising how difficult these birds can be to find.  Just a couple of the Barnacle Geese were in evidence today and there was also a couple of Redshank on the shore and a nice male Goosander in the fishponds with a Red Kite flying directly overhead.  A Grey Wagtail was observed on the roof of the cottage as we drove away.


Egyptian Goose over the north arm


Red Kite over the north arm


Red Kite over the north arm

After some lunch we made a quick visit to the centre where we found the male Stonechat.  We then walked to shoveler hide on lagoon three where we found a single red-headed Smew our first of the winter and counted ten male Pintail but the Bitterns did not venture out during our visit.  We returned to the centre and found a male and four female Goosander and another male was visible on lagoon two.  There was another thirty Pintail visible on lagoon one and a couple of Curlew and two Redshank were also observed.  A Water Rail also appeared briefly to the left of the centre.

We decided to visit redshank hide on lagoon two to see if the Water Vole I had seen earlier in the week would oblige.  We soon had our second Water Rail of the day and it wasn’t too long before the Water Vole was observed.  Today it provided more prolonged views as it sourced roots of plants that were exposed following some recent work.  It would climb up a steep bank to take the roosts and then return to water level to devour them.  It eventually dropped into the water and disappeared.  There were several parties of Starling passing over and at one point a rather large flock appeared to get quite excited and we picked up a Peregrine that was flying amongst them with a captured bird in its talons as it flew off with it prize.

Wednesday 20 November 2013


I went to the Lyndon Reserve first this morning and walked to shallow water hide at the western end of the reserve.  It was fairly quiet with a Sparrowhawk observed as I drove down the hill to the entrance and then four Fieldfare, twenty-four Redwings and a Lesser Redpoll as I walked to the hide.  From the hide there was a single Shelduck, a pair of Pintail and a Little Egret and a Buzzard was observed to the west of the reserve.  On the walk back I had two Lesser Redpolls but nothing else of real note.


Probable first-winter Shoveler from tufted duck hide


Two male Shoveler from tufted duck hide

Having received a tweet regarding two Long-tailed Ducks in the north arm I set off for there but after about thirty minutes I still hadn’t found them.  I called Steve who I presumed, correctly, had found them and following his advice went to Barnsdale to look back into the north arm.  I found the two birds almost immediately but they were very distant and appeared much closer to where I had been previously.  I returned to my original position at the end of the north arm and found the two birds immediately.  It was remarkable to see how I missed them previously but they can be difficult particularly if they are feeding.  As I watched them they took to flight and came a lot closer and provided good views through the scope.  It was clear that one was an adult winter female, whilst the other was probably a first-winter female as it was much drabber.  They were constantly diving but I managed to find them frequently with the help of a nearby Goldeneye but I glanced away for a minute and when I looked back the Goldeneye had moved and I was unable to find either of the Long-tailed Ducks again.  A party of Tufted Duck flew in whilst I was searching and contained and single female Scaup.

I eventually gave up and went to the Egleton Reserve why I had lunch before going to the centre.  There appeared to be fewer birds on lagoon one today but I eventually found twenty-five Pintail, a female Goosander, two Little Egrets, four Curlew and the male and female Stonechats.


Great Tit at the Egleton feeding station

I then walked to shoveler hide on lagoon three with Nigel where we stayed for quite some time.  There was very little on the water, with nine Pintail being the best but we did see two distant Red Kites and several Buzzard.  Steve and Terry joined us in the hide but decided to go on to lapwing hide.  Not too long after they had departed Nigel said he had a Bittern and I glanced across confirming a Bittern was out on the edge of the reeds.  However it wasn’t what Nigel had seen but he was pleased that a Bittern had appeared.  As we were watching it a second bird appeared about half way up the reeds and just sat there enjoying the sun.  I called Steve and him and Terry returned but only saw the bird perched in the reeds, which sat there for almost an hour before climbing down and disappearing.  A Green Sandpiper also paid a brief visit, staying only a very short time before flying off.


Green Sandpiper on lagoon three

I left shoveler hide shortly after the Bittern had disappeared and started to make my way back to the car park.  As I walked back I decided to pay a quick visit to redshank hide on lagoon two.  As I scanned there were a few wildfowl and several Moorhen but little else.  I noticed some ripples in the water to my left but on looking from where they had come from there was nothing and I assumed that it was probably a fish.  As I was thinking of leaving I noticed the ripples again but there was still nothing and I felt my initial assumption that it was a fish was correct.  As I continued to look a small brown head appeared and then a Water Vole got out of the water on to the bank before running out of sight.  Several hundred of these mammals have been released over the last two years but this was my first sighting of one, which was a magical end to the day.

An afternoon at Swithland Reservoir, Leicestershire - November 18, 2013

Dave and I went to Swithland Reservoir this afternoon as there had been a report of six Scaup.  We went to the dam along Kinchley Lane first and soon found the six juveniles feeding near a couple of Goldeneye.  They were constantly diving and initially it was quiet difficult to see that there was actually six but eventually they were all sat on the surface and we were able to watch them preening.  There was also four female Goosander, which are not regular visitors to this water, the two Peregrines were perched in their normal roost tree and a Grey Wagtail flew in and began feeding on the dam.  On the southern side of the reservoir there were more wildfowl and we found a single drake Mandarin close to Brazil Island.

Sunday 17 November 2013

A day’s birding at Rutland Water, Rutland - November 16, 2013

I was on my own today heading for Rutland Water, seeing a Buzzard close to Tugby on route.

I initially went to the car park at Lyndon where there had been Siskin and Lesser Redpoll during the week but there was no sign today.  There were plenty of winter thrushes in evidence with close to two hundred with Fieldfare out numbering Redwing slightly.  There was also a Song Thrush in full song, which was surprising and it was my first record of this species for almost a month.  They appear to be coming increasingly scarce and can now be quite a difficult bird to find locally, until they start singing.


Red Kite


Song Thrush

I moved onto the north arm where I found the juvenile Shag on the bund with Cormorants and a single Black-necked Grebe close to the southern shore.  There was little else of note with the ten Barnacle Geese, a single Pintail and male Goosander being the best.

On reaching the Egleton Reserve I initially had a look from the centre where I counted fifty-four Pintail and saw three Little Egrets, two Curlew and the male Stonechat.

I went onto redshank hide on lagoon two where I had a Water Rail and two Green Sandpipers.
I the returned to the car park for lunch and met up with Ken.

After I had finished my lunch we walked to shoveler hide on lagoon three, which was extremely quiet with very few duck today, seven Pintail being the best.  A Buzzard was observed over the wood and a Raven flew over, giving good views as it soared above the hide before heading off to the north.

A walk to crake and lapwing hides produced very little and the water could be seen to have risen considerably again.

We also visited bittern and plover hides but saw nothing new and decided to return to the centre and lagoon one.  A Buzzard sitting on the manmade Osprey nest, a Kestrel and two female Goosanders were the only birds of note.

It had been a rather quiet day, particularly when compared to yesterday and the rather dull and colder weather hadn’t made it any better.  It is clear that the rising water levels due to pumping have had an adverse effect on the number of ducks, particularly Wigeon and Tufted Duck.

A day’s birding in West Norfolk - November 15, 2013

Dave, Roger and I had decided to have a day out in Norfolk today and after meeting at Dave’s we set off for Titchwell with planning on to Holt later if there was news of the Parrot Crossbills.

Dawn was just breaking as we set off and a Buzzard near Uppingham was our first notable bird of the day and there was also a Red Kite seen as we approached the A1 junction.  There had been reports of Cranes alongside the A47 recently between Thorny Toll and Guyhirn and to our surprise we had three in flight just as we passed the Chill Out cafe.  We saw little else until we had a party of Pink-footed Geese near Great Bircham with another flock just afterwards and then a single bird close to the road.

As we approached Choseley drying barns there were even more Pink-footed Geese, which we estimated in access of 2000.  Partridges in a roadside field turned out to be Red-legged and we saw very little at the barns, with just a few Pied Wagtails and a few Chaffinch.  We discussed the lack of birds as we continued on to Titchwell when we spotted more partridges and this time there were eight Grey Partridges and then I spotted another group that turned out to be another fourteen Greys.  Further down the lane we stopped again to look into another field and Roger noticed a bird in the hedgerow, which turned out to be a Corn Bunting and then we found a second.  This was a good spot as we were losing hope of seeing them here again as there had been so few birds at the barns during my last few visits and thought that they might have disappeared from this site.

After parking and checking the log book in the visitors’ centre we moved off down the path towards the sea.  Thornham Pool had been drained and there had been several Rock Pipits of the Scandinavian race and two Water Pipits present over the last few days.  There were over eighty Ruff feeding on the mud, with a few Dunlin and Redshank and a single Black-tailed Godwit.  We saw several pipits, all rather distant and also very mobile.  This, combined with bright sunlight was making identification of them quite difficult.  There were clearly either Rock or Water pipits and despite several claims of Water Pipit I felt we had only seen Rock.  I then picked a bird up at the back of the pool and got Dave and Roger onto it.  I felt it was a Water Pipit and they agreed before it too quickly disappeared.  We then had much better views of a it or another closer to us and we were able to discuss the differences and we all agreed all of the earlier sightings were of Rock Pipit.  We eventually had at least five Rock Pipits and just the one Water Pipit.  A single Sparrowhawk was observed as it flew over the reed-bed and two Water Rails were observed on the pool.


Long-tailed Tit


Female Marsh Harrier over the path


Female Marsh Harrier over the path

We continued along the path towards the sea, seeing a couple of Avocet and c.250 Golden Plover on the fresh marsh and a single Grey Plover on Thornham Marsh.  There was also a good number of Pintail on the fresh marsh and I counted ninety-eight during the visit.  On reaching the Volunteer Marsh it was mainly mud as the tide was out but there numerous Redshank and several Black-tailed Godwits and a single Bar-tailed Godwit.

We eventually reached the beach with tide well out and therefore plenty of feeding areas for waders.  We added Oystercatcher, Knot, Sanderling and Turnstone for the day and there were plenty more Bar-tailed Godwits and a few Grey Plover as well as Curlew and Redshank.  There appeared to be very little on the sea at first but we did eventually found several Great Crested Grebes, a single Eider and three Common Scoters and had several Red-throated Divers.  As we continued scanning I picked up what I thought was a smaller grebe but although we all got on it we were unable to identify it.  We decided to walk closer but on reaching a suitable point all we could find were Great Crested Grebes.  We did have better views of the Eider, Dave picked up a diver in flight that was clearly not a Red-throated and probably a Black-throated Diver and a single Long-tailed Duck flew west.  We also found at least fifteen Red-breasted Mergansers feeding in the area of rough water and Roger then found are elusive grebe.  It was still rather distant and tended to face away from us most of the time but we eventually agree that it was a Slavonian Grebe.  Roger then picked four Gannets fling towards us, which were to be our only one ones of the day.

We returned back along the path seeing a Peregrine over the fresh marsh.  There was a report of a Shore Lark on Thornham Pool but when we got there no one knew anything about it and it certainly was not visible.  Another birder then informed that a Short-eared Owl had been performing well and a quick scan of the marsh and we had some excellent views of it hunting in the bright sunlight.


Brent Goose over the fresh marsh


Brent Goose over the fresh marsh


Brent Goose over the fresh marsh


Brent Goose over the fresh marsh


Female Shoveler on the fresh marsh


Short-eared Owl over Thornham Marsh


Short-eared Owl over Thornham Marsh


One of many Starling migrating west

Whilst having lunch there was a report of a single Parrot Crossbill at Holme but as it was now approaching 14:00 we decided to stay at Titchwell.

We walked back down the path having further views of the Short-eared Owl before continuing down as far as Volunteer Marsh.  As we walked back I found a Spotted Redshank roosting at the back of the fresh marsh and Dave found an adult Yellow-legged Gull amongst the gulls on the fresh marsh.
During the afternoon visit we saw at least five Marsh Harriers, a single ring-tailed Hen Harrier and a Buzzard.  A second Sparrowhawk was also observed perched on the chimney of the old building on Thornham Marsh before it flew towards Thornham Village.  Several birders had miss identified it as a Merlin, which was not totally surprising as one might have expected a Merlin to be more likely to take up such a position.  A Bearded Tit was also seen very briefly as it dropped into the reeds and a Red Kite was seen towards Choseley.

At least three Cetti’s Warblers were heard during the visit on numerous occasions but not surprisingly we didn’t see any of them.

We finally decided to call it a day and reflected on what had been an excellent day’s birding.

Wednesday 13 November 2013

A day’s birding at Rutland Water, Rutland - November 12, 2013


I went to Rutland Water today and had three parties of winter thrushes on route, which were mainly Fieldfare.

On arriving at Rutland Water I went to mallard hide on lagoon one and found the three adult Bewick’s Swans that had arrived yesterday close to the centre.  I counted forty-nine Pintail on the lagoon but there were fewer wildfowl overall on the water.  I continued onto snipe hide on the wet meadow where I found a single Curlew and saw five more land in meadow on the edge of lagoon one but there was little else of note except for a single Little Egret.


Curlew feeding on the wet meadow


Greylag Geese over the wet meadow


Drake Wigeon alighting on the wet meadow flash

I continued on to harrier hide and had brief view of a single Lesser Redpoll close to the hide and there was a single Redshank on lagoon one.

I moved on calling at fieldfare hide on route and robin hide on Lax Hill but there nothing of note except for a Curlew from fieldfare hide.  I walked over Lax Hill and continued towards the new lagoons but the viewing into the Manton Bay was poor due to the sun and there was little on the lagoons due to work being carried out.  I made a brief call again at snipe hide but there was very little now but a nice male Sparrowhawk flew just in front of the hide.

I walked back to the centre and with news of a male Green-winged Teal in the Sailing Club Bay I decided to go and take a look.  It was feeding on the shore of the bay with a few Teal and even though it was quite distant it was easy to pick out.  There was also a single Redshank feeding on the shore and a couple of Goldeneye and several Little Grebes in the bay.

I met Ken when I got back to the car park, seeing a flock of Golden Plover as I had my lunch.  We went to the centre viewing area but the Bewick’s had disappeared behind the large island although we did see them eventually.  A bonus was the male Stonechat, which was observed perched on some bushes towards snipe hide.

Ken and I then walked to shoveler hide on lagoon three where we found a number of Red-crested Pochard and eventually counted thirty-one.  There were far fewer ducks today with perhaps Red-crested Pochard being the most numerous but we did find three drake Pintail.  We had very brief views of the Bittern, I saw a Water Rail briefly and there were six Redshanks on the lagoon just before we left for dunlin hide on lagoon four.


Grey Heron over lagoon three


Grey Heron alighting on lagoon three


Golden Plover over lagoon three


Some of the Red-crested Pochard on lagoon three


Redshank on lagoon three


Redshank on lagoon three

Ken decided to return to the centre but Dave arrived for the gull roost as he had come over to twitch the Green-winged Teal.  There were a small number of gulls assembled at the pre-roost gathering which gradually swelled and we found a single adult Caspian Gull and a second-year Yellow-legged Gull.

It had been a very pleasant day, although the temperature was dropping quite quickly as we walked back to the car park, with a good selection of birds that included a county year tick in terms of the Bewick’s Swans.

Sunday 10 November 2013

A day’s birding in Lincolnshire - November 9, 2013

Dave, Ken and I went to Lincolnshire today for a change and initially went to Cut End at the mouth of the River Witham.  It was fairly calm during our stay and we had timed or arrival to coincide with the high tide.


There were two other birders present on arrival and they informed us that a party of Bewick’s Swan had flown up stream and that they had also seen several Gannets and a Slavonian Grebe.  We didn’t expect to see the Bewick’s but we didn’t see any Gannets and couldn’t find the Slavonian Grebe either.  We did see a Red-breasted Merganser, four Red-throated Divers and a Merlin and there were a few Grey Plover, Dunlin and Turnstone and plenty of Curlew and Redshanks.  As the tide receded we walked back to the car and set off to Frampton but called at the Pilgrim Fathers Memorial, which was a small granite obelisk mounted on a granite block.


Brent Goose at Cut End


Brent Geese at Cut End


Brent Geese over the River Witham

On arriving at Frampton we had some lunch and then went to the 360° hide where there were masses of wildfowl, which were mainly Wigeon but there was also Teal, Mallard, Pintail, Shoveler and a few Shelduck.  Waders were few but there was a very late Wood Sandpiper and we also found a Jack Snipe, which was feeding on one the islands.  I counted fifteen Snipe and found three Black-tailed Godwits amongst the ducks and there was a single Bar-tailed Godwit amongst a small group of Curlew feeding on one of the grassy areas and two Oystercatchers and a Marsh Harrier flew over.


Brent Geese alighting at Frampton Marsh


Wigeon over Frampton Marsh


Pintail at Frampton Marsh

There were fewer birds from Reedbed Hide and again mainly duck, predominantly Wigeon with just two Pintail and a single Shoveler, although there were plenty of Teal and a few Gadwall.  I also saw a single Ringed Plover in flight but it dropped behind one of the islands and although we heard it calling as we walked back to centre we didn’t see it again.  There was also a flock of Pink-footed Geese that were seen in flight to the south but they came down, landing out of sight.

We decided to go to the sea wall before we departed and we had three more Marsh Harriers over the salt marsh and a few Little Egrets and presumably masses of Knot in flight over the Wash.  There were nine Black-tailed Godwits feeding in one of the grass fields and a Dunlin was observed on one of the flooded area.  As we got back to the car a we heard a call, which was a repeated chit, and a small wader flew over that we identified as a Little Stint.

With the light fading and the temperature falling we decided to call it a day and headed off home.

A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland - November 7, 2013

As the forecast was good for today I decided to go out locally and made my way to Eye Brook Reservoir first, having a Sparrowhawk flash by the car near Blaston on route.

The Little Owl obliged as I approached Eyebrook Reservoir but on reaching the reservoir there was a shoot taking place and the birds were very restless.  I did see the two Ruddy Shelduck and a couple of Little Egrets but little else, although two Red Kites were observed flying over the shooting area.


With the high level of disturbance at Eyebrook Reservoir, I decided to move on to Rutland Water.  On reaching the car park I went off towards harrier hide hoping to find a Stonechat that has been present a few weeks now.  I called at mallard hide first where I found the first Goosanders of the winter, which were two female-types.  I also counted twenty-eight Pintail, which were mainly feeding on the large island where there were also four Curlews.  Moving onto snipe hide on the wet meadow I was able to see that there were actually three Goosanders on lagoon one but there was little else and still no sign of the Stonechats.  I reached harrier hide and whilst there were plenty of duck on the lagoon most were some distance away and the area close to the hide was deserted and there was still no sign of the Stonechats.  Fieldfare hide, which overlooks south arm three, was also very quiet and I decided to return to the centre.  On walking back I had some nice views of two Buzzards that were soaring over the footpath near snipe hide but it is worrying how little else I saw.  Passerines in particular appear to be very thin on the ground, even at the centre feeding station.






Buzzards near snipe hide

On reaching the centre I had another scan for the Stonechats but with the same result, although a male and female were seen a little later.

I went to the north arm where I had my lunch before going to the point.  Tim then called to ask where I was and say in that the Bittern had been showing well on lagoon three this morning.  I did go and check the north arm before going back to the reserve.  There were masses of wildfowl in the north mainly Wigeon and Gadwall but also Teal, Mallard and Shoveler as well as five male and three female Red-crested Pochard.  Two of the Black-necked Grebes were visible close to the north shore but I couldn't find the third but the ten Barnacle Geese were visible on the north shore.

Once back at Egleton I set off to shoveler hide on lagoon three to hopefully see the Bittern.  There is work going on at present and hides to the east are all closed.  With plenty of sunshine I was fairly optimistic of seeing the Bittern, particularly as another birder indicated it had been showing on and off all morning and was on view less than ten minutes ago.  Sarah, who is an Assistant Reserve Office, entered the hide and apologised as they were going to do some skimming on one of the islands.  I moved off after a few minutes to lagoon four, which was exceptionally quiet, before returning to shoveler hide after they had finished the work.  I was still in the hide when Colin and Chris arrived, who were also keen to see the Bittern.  As the light was beginning to fade I called it a day and was about to leave the hide when Colin announced that the Bittern was showing.  I quickly put my scope back up and was able to watch the bird for at least five minutes before it flew over the reed-bed and dropped into cover.  It was an excellent end to the day.


Little Egret on lagoon three


Adult Common Gull over lagoon four

Wednesday 6 November 2013

A day birding in Leicestershire & Rutland - November 5, 2013

I was out on my own today in what initially were pretty poor conditions.  I went to Eye Brook Reservoir first and went into the hide to look for the female Ring-necked Duck.  There were plenty of duck that were fairly close to the hide and on the third scan I found the Ring-necked Duck and also two juvenile Goosanders.

There was a good selection of commoner wildfowl but Wigeon and Tufted Duck predominated, although there was also a nice number of Pochard.  A Little Egret was on the island and there were several Cormorants scattered around.  I had also seen thirty Red-legged Partridges as I approached the hide, which is a good indication that significant numbers had been released.  Birding elsewhere around the reservoir was difficult due to the weather and seeing just another Little Egret and a Red Kite I decided to go to Rutland Water.

When I arrived in the car park at Egleton the heavens opened and I stayed in the car for while until the rain eased before heading to the Bird Watching Centre.  As it was still raining, heavily at times, I made a brief visit to the feeding station where a male Sparrowhawk made a brief visit. I remained in the viewing area and counted twenty-six Pintail on the lagoon and found twelve Snipe and four Curlew.  I eventually went back to the car for lunch just as the rain ceased and the sky cleared and there was now bright sunlight.


Ken arrived whilst I was having my lunch and afterwards we set off towards lagoon three, seeing a juvenile female Sparrowhawk on route. However the wind had increased significantly and the clouds had returned, although we had no further rain.  Initially we went to crake hide where we had a drake Pintail, three Little Egrets and three Redshanks and a Munjac provided some nice views in one of the brief sunny spells.


Juvenile female Sparrowhawk over the Egleton Meadows


Little Egret from crake hide


Little Egret from crake hide


Little Egret from crake hide


Little Egret from crake hide


Redshank from crake hide


Redshank from crake hide


Munjac from crake hide


Munjac from crake hide

From crake hide we visited lapwing hide but found very little, another drake Pintail, three Goldeneye and a distant Red Kite being the best.

We went into shoveler hide on lagoon three where there were fewer birds today.  There were nine Red-crested Pochard, including six males that looked superb in the brief spells of sunlight and three Pintail but little else.  Whilst in the hide I received a text that there was a Shag at the dam.  We decided to go for it as it was a county year tick and the last one I had seen in the counties was at Rutland Water in November 2007.

When we arrived at the dam we saw Bob who had seen it distantly from the pumping station.  We walked to the pumping station and found the bird still about half-way along the dam.  As it was rather distant and appeared to be quite close to the dam we decided that we would walk along the dam to get closer.  When we thought we were quite close we looked over the dam and immediately found a Great Crested Grebe that the Shag had been close to but there was no sign of the Shag.  Despite an extensive search we were unable to find although it was seen on the island in south arm three briefly before it flew off with a Cormorant down towards Manton Bay.