Rod's Birding: A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland

I visited Eyebrook Reservoir first this morning walking to the dam from the southern entrance. It is one of the few reliable places in the counties now to see Tree Sparrow and I saw at least ten during the walk. On reaching the dam I continued to the overflow, which had stopped flowing since my last visit and I found a pair of Grey Wagtails on a raised section of the overflow. I walked back over the dam, something I have not done for many years but saw very little. I had further views of Tree Sparrows as I walked to the road. There were two Ruddy Shelduck in the field next to the road but they then flew onto the reservoir.

Ruddy Shelduck

Female Goldeneye from the dam

Stock Dove

Male Greenfinch

I then checked out the Little Owl site seeing one bird perched in the old oak and then went back to the bridge over the inlet. There was no sign of either the Bittern or Willow Tits today but the Kingfisher did oblige on several occasions and there was also a drake Goosander on the stream. The water had risen slightly as they had stopped taking water off and there was no sign of any the Dunlin present on the 1^st.

Drake Goosander

I eventually headed off to the north arm at Rutland Water where I soon found four Black-necked Grebes and three Long-tailed Ducks. Two Oystercatchers and a Redshank were observed on the far shore and at least six Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk were observed over Burley Wood.

On reaching the Egleton Reserve I had a quick look from the centre and found a pair of Pintail and three Curlew on lagoon one. There were nine Shelduck on the lagoon and a Little Egret was observed feeding along the edges.

There had been a text indicating that the Great Northern Diver was in south arm three and so I set off for lapwing hide.

On reaching lapwing hide I scanned south arm three and initially had no joy with the diver but eventually picked it up way beyond the island markers in south arm one. I walked back to shoveler hide on lagoon three but could only find a Shelduck and five Snipe of note on the lagoon and soon moved onto plover hide on lagoon four. One of the first birds I noticed was the red-headed Smew that was roosting on island three before it was disturbed by two Mute Swans. Scanning the islands I found a pair of Oystercatcher and five Ringed Plover and then saw a Green Sandpiper in flight and watched in land on the edge of the northern bund. It eventually flew back towards the hide and landed on the bund just to the left of the hide.

Red-headed Smew on island three

Red-headed Smew

Oystercatcher over lagoon four

Oystercatcher on island three

Green Sandpiper on lagoon four bund

After a quick visit to bittern hide and seeing nothing of note I moved on to sandpiper hide on lagoon four. From here I was able to see that there were ten Shelduck on the lagoon and five Dunlin were located on island five. I heard Curlew calling and eventually noticed them on island eight and eventually counted sixteen. I also had further views of the Smew, a Ringed Plover and the Green Sandpiper. A distant Red Kite was also noted over Burley Wood.

I walked back to the centre looking for a party of Siskin apparently feeding near grebe hide but they had moved on. I did find three in the alders near to redshank hide and then had some nice views of a Jay as it fed in one the meadows.

There were a few birds at the feeding station with a Marsh Tit making a brief appearance and there were also two Reed Buntings.

I went back into the centre and had some nice views of a Barn Owl as it came out of the nest box and then flew around lagoon two before heading off towards Brown’s Island being pursued by several gulls and then a Buzzard. The last I saw of the owl was as it disappeared into the wooded area on Brown’s Island still being pursued by the Buzzard and neither reappeared and I called it a day. I also had brief views of a Peregrine.