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

I was helping with a wildfowl count at Rutland Water today but decided to call at Eyebrook Reservoir before going to Rutland Water.

I had a Red Kite flying extremely low actually in the village at Blaston on route but other than two pairs of Red-legged Partridges there was nothing else of note.

On arrival at Eyebrook Reservoir it began to rain and was quite heavy for a while. I scanned the inlet from the car and picked up a Ringed Plover but there was very little else, other than single Common, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls. As the rain eased the Great Black-backed Gull flew off to the north and a few minutes later both the Common and Lesser Black-backed Gulls had departed and there was no sign of the Ringed Plover. There were four Shelduck close to the inlet, six Common Terns over the water and a pair of Red-legged Partridge on the Rutland shore. A Whitethroat had been singing constantly and had seen it twice at some distance but it suddenly appeared much closer and managed to get a couple of nice photos.

Whitethroat

I eventually moved off to Rutland Water and met Tim near his cottage and was assigned south arm three and lagoon four to count. I started in the south arm but other than a number of Mute Swans there was just a few Canada Geese, Gadwall, Mallard, Great Crested Grebe and Coot. There were numerous gulls and terns feeding over the southwest corner of the arm, mainly Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns, although I did find three Black Terns as well.

I drove round to the Egleton Reserve and walked down the service road to dunlin hide on lagoon four. It was generally quiet with just a few Mute Swans, a single Egyptian Goose, a couple of Shelduck and a few Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck and Great Crested Grebes. A single Little Egret was observed and there were at least eight Ringed Plovers, four Oystercatchers and a Redshank. I walked around to plover hide, which still overlooks lagoon four and found a second Redshank and a Curlew flew over.

As I couldn’t find anything else on lagoon four I went to lapwing hide to have a closer look at the feeding gulls and terns in south arm three. I soon located a Black Terns and eventually had four, although there was nothing else amongst the Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns.

It was now approaching lunchtime and so I started to make my way back to the centre calling at shoveler hide on lagoon three on route. There were thirteen Shelduck present on the lagoon and I also found a couple of male Pochard and another Little Egret fed to the left of the hide.

Reed Warbler

After handing in my count figures and having my lunch I made my way back towards lapwing hide to hopefully get some shots of the Black Terns. As I was approaching the path to lapwing hide I met Nigel who informed me that he had just had five Sanderling on lagoon four. I went back to sandpiper hide and found the birds some distance away close to island one and there was also a Greenshank on island seven. I then had three Osprey flying over the north arm and three Buzzards and a Red Kite over Burley Wood. A final look at the Sanderling and there were now six.

On reaching lapwing hide whilst the light was a little better than earlier it was almost impossible to get good shots of the Black Terns. They were tending to keep to the right of the hide, which is where the light was at its worst and it wasn’t easy getting them in focus as they were constantly moving around feeding. Having taken numerous shots, most of which I threw out I went back to shoveler hide on lagoon three. The four Black Terns were now hawking over the lagoon and I saw a single Buzzard over the wood on the northern edge. A final check on lagoon four before departing produced a seventh Sanderling and another Curlew.