I had asked to join the
Rutland Team on their annual bird race and we met at Tim’s cottage in the dark
and rain at 04:00. As it was raining
quite heavy Tim suggested that we drive to the Nightingale sight near Greetham
and on arrival it was still raining and was quite dark but the Nightingale
could be heard clearly from the road. The
first birds was on the list at around 04:20 and without getting wet. We headed back to Rutland Water and as we
entered the reserve from the service road no further birds had been added. However birds now came thick and fast with
Song Thrush, Blackbird, Blackcap, Wren, Cuckoo, Mallard, Reed Bunting, Sedge
Warbler, Greylag Goose, Black-headed Gull, Reed Warbler, Coot and Garden
Warbler all being added before we made our way down the path to shoveler hide
on lagoon three. It was just after 04:55
as we entered the hide and then there was a surge of more new birds: Common
Tern, Carrion Crow, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Pochard,
Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Gadwall, Grey Heron; Cormorant;
Whitethroat, Robin, Barnacle Goose, Shoveler and Little Grebe. At Cetti’s Warbler burst into song at 05:14
and the total reached thirty-two.
Egyptian Goose and Sand Martin quickly followed and then Lloyd picked up
a drake Mandarin as it dropped onto the lagoon, number thirty five, and a good
bird for the day. Shelduck and
Woodpigeon were the last two to be added before we left the hide with the total
on thirty-seven.
As we walked around to
sandpiper hide on lagoon four Jackdaw and Chiffchaff were added. Once in the hide Common Gull, Wigeon, Little
Egret, Lapwing, Little Gull, Dunlin, Pied Wagtail, Ringed Plover and Great
Black-backed Gull were quickly added but then the paced slowed slightly with
the time at 05:38. The next new birds
were Little Ringed Plover at 05:45 and Oystercatcher 05:50 and it was now
raining quite hard again. Terry and I
then picked up a Turnstone as it appeared to drop in at 05:54. Blue Tit was added at 06:00 as the total rose
to fifty-three after two hours. Lloyd
then found a Sanderling at the back of the lagoon at 06:03 and Starling,
Collared Dove and Linnet were all added at 06:07. Tim then picked up an Osprey 06:11 and I heard
a Chaffinch at 06:15, which was surprising late getting on the list. Swift was added at 06:17, Hobby at 06:20;
Goldfinch at 06:25, Buzzard 06:28, Raven at 06:30 and Red Kite at 06:33 and we
were on sixty-five as we left the hide.
Magpie, Long-tailed Tit, Bullfinch and Pheasant were then added as we
moved down the ramp to the vehicle and Willow Warbler followed at 06:49.
We called at the yard at the
back of lagoon four where we had a female Wheatear, number seventy at 06:55.
After hearing what was
possibly a Curlew we climbed the bund to view lagoon four. As we scanned the lagoon Terry found what he
thought was a Whimbrel, which Tim confirmed through a scope and it was added at
07:08. I then noticed two adult Herring
Gulls and the total had reached seventy-three as we walked back down the bank.
The north arm was our next
port of call and Mistle Thrush was added at 07:20, although I missed it,
although saw one later at Luffenham airfield.
Terry then found the Glossy Ibis on the north shore but it took some
time before everyone had seen it.
Swallow was then added and followed by Peregrine at 07:30, which was an
immature and provided excellent views as it flew over the north arm and
fishponds and the final addition in the north arm was Great Tit at 07:32.
We walked through the woodland
to the cottage and added Great Spotted Woodpecker, Treecreeper, Coal Tit and
Tawny Owl before we reached the vehicle.
The total was now on eight-one but I had missed both the Coal Tit and
Tawny Owl and failed to get either during the rest of the day.
As we drove slowly down Church
Lane towards Egleton we added Dunnock, Skylark, Yellowhammer and Rook and the
total stood at eighty-five at 08:07.
House Sparrow was added in Egleton and on reaching snipe hide on the wet
meadow Avocet, Redshank and Common Sandpiper were all added at 08:18 and the
total stood at eight-nine. Stock Dove
and House Martin were also added before we left the hide. We then toured around the new lagoons but it
was 09:15 before Sparrowhawk was added, forty-five minutes after House Martin,
and the total moved on to ninety-two.
Lloyd then received a phone
call informing him of a Little Tern on lagoon four and on entering sandpiper
hide we added it to the list at 09:20.
It was resting on one of the spits but it disappeared not too long after
we had seen it and it was a good bird to get.
Chris convinced us to take another on lagoon three as he felt there
ought to be an Arctic Tern amongst the Common Terns. We hadn’t been in the hide too long before he
announced that he had one, I was also looking at the same bird and number
ninety-four was added at 09:39.
We now left the reserve and
added Kestrel as we climbed the hill on the Stanford Road heading for
Barnsdale. There was no sign of the
expected Nuthatch in Barnsdale but we did add Goldcrest and the total edged closer
to 100, reaching ninety-six. Our next
new bird was Kingfisher at Empingham at 10:30 but it was missed by all except
Lloyd and Chris. The rest of us set off
towards the pumping station, hoping to catch up with the Kingfisher, which we
didn’t see but a Grey Wagtail was seen, which was number ninety-eight at 10:43. At visit to the dam produced species
ninety-nine as Yellow Wagtail was added at 10:55, which I missed but caught up
with later.
A visit to Luffenham airfield
produced Meadow Pipit and Red-legged Partridge with Meadow Pipit being the one
hundredth species for the day at 11:06.
A drive along the track from Sailing Club Bay to the Lyndon Centre
produced a Nuthatch in Berrybut Spinney.
At the Lyndon Centre there was Greenfinch and Tree Sparrow on the
feeders and a Willow Tit was seen rather well from the path to teal hide.
We the left the reserve and
headed east towards Stanford visiting a farm just north of the road. We then made a safari type drive around the
farm seeing two splendid Grey Partridges, a species that has become increasing
difficult to find in the counties and Feral Pigeon was also added.
A visit to Cottesmore airfield
failed to produce the hoped for Curlew but a visit to Merry’s Meadow did the
trick and species number 108 was added at 14:00. Jay was then heard in Greetham Near Wood, species
number 109 at 14:24 and a Sparrowhawk carrying food was also observed. A potential Little Owl nest box was then
checked but was empty although Tim and Chris found a bird sitting on a beam in
an adjacent barn, taking us onto 111 at 17:01.
A visit to Tunneley Wood failed to produce anything new and we returned
to the Egleton Reserve.
A Lesser Whitethroat (17:01)
and Marsh Tit (17:28) were added in woodland at the southern edge of the
reserve but our next new bird was a Barn Owl, which was not seen until 18:49
but moved the total onto 113. A reported
possible Grasshopper Warbler near harrier hide didn’t materialise but on
returning to the centre we had nice views of two Marsh Tits on the feeders.
The weather had been quite
pleasant with plenty of sun following the early morning rain but was now
becoming overcast and much colder and so we returned to the wet meadow hoping
for a Snipe. However we had an eleventh
hour surprise in the form of a pair of Garganey as well as a Snipe and the
total moved on to 115 by 19:02. Our
final bird of the day was a first-year Yellow-legged Gull on lagoon four at
20:00, taking the final tally onto 116.
My personal tally was 113,
which was my highest ever daily total for Leicestershire & Rutland and all
of these were recorded in Rutland. A
long but a very enjoyable day’s birding with some rather nice surprises.
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