A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland - April 10, 2014

Dave, Roger and I had agreed to go out again today and decided to stay local as there was nothing of note close by.  We set off towards Rutland Water but decided to call at Robin-a-Tip-Toe, which is a hill in east Leicestershire that can be good for Ring Ouzel and Wheatear.  The area can only be viewed from the road at several vantage points all of which failed to produce any migrants.  A stop at Launde did produce a Chiffchaff, two Willow Warblers, a Blackcap and a Nuthatch.

We arrived at Rutland Water and went straight to the north arm where we quickly found the three Long-tailed Ducks and the single female Red-breasted Merganser.  There were also fifty plus hirundines high over the north shore but they all appeared to be Sand Martin.  At least three Red Kites, three Sparrowhawks, eight Buzzards and a single Osprey were observed over Burley Wood and a single Oystercatcher was observed in flight in the fishponds.

We eventually moved on to the dam but it was very quiet with no sign of any migrants.  I had received a text informing me that the Pied-billed Grebe was still present and so we continued on the Sailing Club Bay where we had some good views of the bird.  A single House Martin was observed briefly and a Sand Martin flew over.

Adult summer Pied-billed Grebe

On reaching the Egleton Reserve we had lunch before going to the centre to view lagoon one and whilst having lunch Roger noticed an Osprey over lagoon one.  There was initially four Curfew and two Redshank visible on the long island and Roger then noticed two nice summer plumage Black-tailed Godwits and four more Curlew arrived.

Having exhausted lagoon one we moved off to plover hide on lagoon four where we found four Avocets, two Little Ringed Plovers, six Ringed Plovers, three Dunlin, a Green Sandpiper and at least three Redshanks.  Two Curlew also flew in but may well have been two from the eight seen on lagoon one and a Common Tern was observed bathing.  Bittern and shoveler hides were visited but lagoon three was fairly quiet although a second Common Tern was observed and a Buzzard and Osprey were over the wooded area and a Sedge Warbler was heard.

Pair of Pochard on lagoon three

From sandpiper hide on lagoon four there were two Oystercatchers on island two but nothing else new was sighted.  With a report of three male Red-breasted Mergansers in the north arm we decided to pay a quick visit before heading off to Eyebrook Reservoir.  The three Long-tailed Ducks were still present but there was no sign of the mergansers and so we moved off to Eyebrook Reservoir.

The two Little Owls were in the old oak as we approached the reservoir and there were about fifty hirundines over the water at the shallow end but they were all Sand Martins.  We moved off to the southern end as there had been a report of a Wheatear and a Yellow Wagtail.  We soon found, not one but two, Yellow Wagtails feeding on the grass bank and also a White Wagtail and then Dave picked up the Wheatear, which was a female.

It had been quiet a good day with further views of the rather nice Pied-billed Grebe and a nice selection of migrants, with Sand Martin, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap in good numbers.