Rod's Birding: A day’s birding at Rutland Water, Rutland

Friday 21 February 2014

A day’s birding at Rutland Water, Rutland - February 20, 2014

I spent the whole day on the Egleton Reserve initially in the centre sheltering from the rain. There were circa eight Golden Plovers on the long island and a single drake Pintail was observed. As the rain eased a Peregrine scattered the Golden Plover and Lapwing, a Sparrowhawk was seen at the same time and a single Egyptian Goose and a Little Egret could be seen on the wet meadow. There was also seven Shelduck on the lagoon and ten Snipe flew around before coming down on the long island.

When the rain stopped I had a quick look at the feeding station and there was a nice pair of Lesser Redpoll on the Niger feeders but a claimed Willow Tit failed to reappear and was possibly a Marsh Tit.

Female Lesser Redpoll at the feeders

Male Lesser Redpoll at the feeders

I walked to sandpiper hide on lagoon four where there were another six Shelduck, two Oystercatcher and four Ringed Plovers but very little else. From shoveler hide on lagoon three other than another four Shelduck there was nothing of note, although I did see three distant Buzzards.

A walk to lapwing hide and visiting both smew and crake hides produced very little and nothing of note but there were many of the screening panels down following the recent gales. There were four Ringed Plover from plover hide on lagoon four that were probably different to those seen earlier. There was very little on lagoon two from either grebe or redshank hides on lagoons as there was a working party repairing the Sand Martin building. I had further views of the female Lesser Redpoll on e feeders before I had some lunch.

Mute Swan on lagoon three

Female Shoveler on lagoon three

Male Shoveler on lagoon three

Female Goldeneye on lagoon three

Male Goldeneye on lagoon three

Female Pheasant on lagoon three

Moorhen on lagoon three

Lapwing over lagoon three

Adult winter Common Gull over lagoon three

Jackdaw in the car park

After lunch I walked towards Lax Hill, initially calling at snipe hide on the wet meadow. There was a distant Buzzard and a Red Kite flew over but little else.

Cormorant over the wet meadow

Drake Wigeon over the wet meadow

Pair of Wigeon over the wet meadow

Red Kite over the wet meadow

From snipe hide I went to the 360° hide on lagoon five where there was another Shelduck and a Redshank and from pintail hide I found two more Ringed Plovers on lagoon six and there was another Redshank from tern hide on lagoon six. Harrier hide failed to produce anything of note and from mallard hide during the late afternoon I found single a single Oystercatcher and a Curlew and there were two male and a female Pintail on lagoon one.

Rather a quiet day but I didn’t visit anywhere else except the Egleton Reserve.