A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland - May 1, 2014

I called at Eyebrook Reservoir first but it was very quiet just six Shelduck, four Common Terns, two Sand Martins and a Swallow.  There was a Whitethroat near the inlet bridge and I heard Willow Warbler and Blackcap and one of the Little Owls was in the old tree on the approach to the reservoir.

At Rutland Water I went straight to shoveler hide on lagoon three, seeing Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Whitethroat on route.  There was no sign of the Garganey or the male Marsh Harrier but three Swift flew over and there were plenty of Sand Martins feeding over the water as were a few Common Terns.  A single Reed Warbler showed briefly and I found a single immature drake Goldeneye.  Walking to bittern hide I heard the Cetti’s Warbler, a Garden Warbler and at least two Sedge Warblers.  From bittern several more Reed Warblers could be heard and there was a female Mallard with a brood of eight small ducklings.

Feral Barnacle Goose on lagoon three

Drake Shoveler on lagoon three

Swift over lagoon three

I went to plover hide on lagoon four next where I found nine Ringed Plovers and eight summer plumage Dunlin that looked as though they were a migrating flock.  There were at least another five Ringed Plovers scattered around and a single winter plumage Dunlin.  Two Oystercatchers on one of the islands were the only other waders but sixteen Shelduck was a good number on a single lagoon.

I went back to shoveler hide on lagoon three but there was still no sign of the Garganey or Marsh Harrier but I did find a Hobby hunting low over the reeds and an Arctic Tern amongst the now more numerous Common Terns.  I decided to go and take a look from lapwing hide and found the summer plumage Great Northern Diver mid-way out across south arm three.

Record shot of the Great Northern Diver in south arm three

I checked out both crake and smew hides on the way back but neither produced anything special, although a Grey Heron from smew provided a nice photo opportunity.

Grey Heron on lagoon two

From sandpiper hide on lagoon four there was a Little Ringed Plover on island ten but nothing else of note was observed.

After some lunch I called at the centre and started to walk to snipe hide on the wet meadow but finished up in mallard hide for a while as it started to rain.  Other than a couple of Oystercatcher and several Shelduck on the lagoon it was rather quiet, although there were a few Common Terns and plenty of Sand Martins.

As the rain eased a Lesser Whitethroat could be heard and I had brief views from just outside the hide.  I continued on to snipe hide on the wet meadow where there was a single Avocet and a couple of Shelduck.  As I walked back towards the centre, Dave was heading in the opposite direction and we went back into mallard hide for a chat and saw a couple of Wigeon, a Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting.

Dave continued to snipe hide and I went back to the centre and was watching a Marsh Tit on the Egleton feeders when he called to say he had seen a godwit on the wet meadow.  I decided to go and have a look and called him when I was coming out of the wooded area.  He said it was a Bar-tailed Godwit and probably the one that had been present for a few days but he also added that it had disappeared behind some vegetation.  When I arrived at snipe hide it was on view again and was almost certainly the winter plumage bird I had seen on a number of occasions recently but there was now a suggestion of some summer plumage.

I went to the 360° hide with Dave but all we found was another Avocet and several more Shelduck.  He was going to continue to view the other new lagoons but I decided to go back to the northern end of the reserve as the weather appeared to be closing in again.

I got back to car park just before it started to rain a little heavier and the wind increased and after collecting my umbrella I set off to shoveler hide on lagoon three.  There was little bird song now partly due to the time of day but also due to the change in weather.  There was nothing new on lagoon three and despite an extensive search I was unable to locate the Garganey and presumably they were not on the lagoon.

Back a plover hide there were eight summer plumage Dunlin but the only Ringed Plovers I could find were those that scattered around on various islands.  There was a Curlew on island six and it bill shape suggested Whimbrel, although there was clearly no central crown stripe and any supercilium was also weak and unfortunately it was just a Curlew.

I called at bittern hide again and immediately had two Hobbies hunting over the same area where I had seen one this morning.  I called to Dave to let him know but he had already seen them and I joined him shoveler hide to get a better look at the terns over the lagoon.  I counted forty terns over the lagoon but they were all Common and the early Arctic was no longer present.  A final call at sandpiper hide on lagoon four produced nothing and with the weather now pretty dismal I called it a day and Dave went to call at Eyebrook Reservoir.