A day at Rutland Water, Rutland - Januray 18, 2014

Roger and I set off for Rutland Water in pretty wet conditions and spent the first couple of hours in the centre overlooking lagoon one.  There were plenty of Pintail still present, five Shelduck and at least four Goosander and the Barn Owl could be seen at the entrance to the nest box but nothing else of note was noted.  There was also a drake and four red-headed Smew we could see distantly on lagoon two.

As the rain eased we started to walk towards lagoon three and found the last meadow covered in Redwing and I counted 200 but there were probably more in the surrounding hedges.  We also found a small party of birds feeding in some alders, which quite difficult to observe but we eventually identified at least three Siskin, four Goldfinch and a single Lesser Redpoll and a Treecreeper was also observed.

After some lunch the weather improved and we walked back to lagoon three.  The meadow was now devoid of any Redwing.  We called at grebe hide on lagoon two where there were more Pintail and a Redshank but we could only find two Smew, a male and a red-head.  The male was not in full plumage and was different to the one seen earlier.

Lagoon three was pretty quiet with six Shelduck and four distant Smew, a male and three red-heads.  The drake was an full adult and presumably they were four of the five we had seen earlier on lagoon two.  There were at least fourteen Snipe roosting on one of the islands that were quiet difficult to see and a Redshank flew in and began feeding close to the hide.  Two Red Kites were observed distantly over Burley Wood but there was little else.

Shelduck on lagoon three

Shelduck on lagoon three

Shelduck on lagoon three

Drake Gadwall over lagoon three

Drake Shoveler over lagoon three

Lapwing over lagoon three

Redshank on  lagoon three

A brief visit to smew hide on lagoon two failed to produce the hoped for Green Sandpiper but we did have a Sparrowhawk and a Peregrine pass over the hide.

On the walk back the Redshank was still present in front of the hide and there were to Shelduck.  We also called in redshank hide on lagoon two and found two Green Sandpipers and a Buzzard on Brown’s Island.

We went back to the centre and spent the rest of the time in the centre but three Curlew were the only additions and they didn’t stay too long before flying off towards Lax Hill.  With the late fading we decided to call it a day.

A day’s birding in Leicestershire - January 16, 2014

Roger and I decided to go to Albert Village Lake today as there had been second-winter Iceland and Glaucous Gulls present yesterday.

When we arrived the light was not too good due to the bright sunshine but there were plenty of gulls on the lake.  Initially all we could find were the five common species until Roger picked up a white-winged gull and suggested it might be n Iceland Gull.  The bird clearly had whitish wings but it didn’t look structurally right to me.  The bill suggested that it might be a first-winter Iceland but I was still a little concerned that it might be a hybrid.  It eventually flew and gained height before heading off to the northwest.  I did manage to get a couple of photos in flight but it was rather distant and they were not perfect and the bird did not return during our stay.

Potential hybrid

We were joined by Allen Peacock and shortly afterwards I found an adult Caspian Gull and then Allen found a second but there were still no sign of either of the white-winged gulls.  Allen walked off towards the far end and shortly afterwards all of the gulls took to flight, leaving very few on the water.  Allen then rejoined us and after a short wait lots of gulls flew off the tip and many came down on the water.  It wasn’t too long after this that Roger found the second-winter Glaucous Gull and then Allen found the second-winter Iceland Gull.  We moved back along the track to get better views of the Iceland and we had both it and the Glaucous together briefly.  I had spoken to Steve who has permission to enter the tip and he informed me that there was not a single gull visible and it was apparent that most were on the lake.

Glaucous Gull

Glaucous Gull

Iceland Gull

We eventually called it a day when all of the gulls took to flight and headed off back to the tip.  We had also seen a Peregrine and a Raven whist observed the gulls.

Roger and I then decided to visit Kelham Bridge as this is one of the few reliable sites for Willow Tit in the county.  After some lunch we walked to the hide and almost immediately we had a Willow Tit on the feeders, eventually seeing two.  A Sparrowhawk was observed as we approached the hide and a Buzzard flew over as we were having lunch.

Willow Tit

Male Chaffinch

Brown Rat

Grey Squirrel

With still some time left in the day we headed for Barrow-upon-Soar sewage works in the hope of seeing the Siberian Chiffchaff.  We soon found two Chiffchaffs in the hedge close to the works but there was no sign of the Siberian Chiffchaff during our brief visit.

It had been a rather successful day seeing both of the white-winged gulls and also another three year ticks.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - January 14, 2014

With reports of two Otters on the River Welland in Market Harborough Dave and I made it our first point of call.  On arrival there was no sign but it wasn’t too long before we found one and shortly afterwards both were seen together.  The river is only a few meters wide and the views were exceptional during our hour long stay.  By about 09:15 we were feeling a little cold and so we decided to go to Rutland Water.

European Otter

On arrival at Rutland Water we made a brief visit to the centre but other than three Shelduck and a female Goosander there was very little on view, although the light was pretty awful as we were looking towards the sun.  We made brief visits to both snipe and fieldfare hides on route but other than another Shelduck and a Little Egret on the wet meadow it was rather quiet.  On arrival on Lax Hill we went into an area to see if we could find a Woodcock but this proved unsuccessful and so we walked back to the centre calling at harrier hide on lagoon one.  Fifteen Curlew flew over while we were in the hide and I counted thirty-seven Pintail and eight Goosander.  The Pintail numbers are quite high for this time of the year as most autumn birds have normally departed by the year end.  A Great Spotted Woodpecker was observed near the centre but another brief call at the centre produced just a single Redshank but very little else.

Curlew over lagoon one

Dave checked the log book in the centre and five Brent Geese had been reported off Whitwell.  After lunch we decided to go to the dam in the hope of seeing the geese.  One of the first birds we saw on arrival was the Black Redstart on the pumping station building and a quick scan of the water produced both the Black-throated and Great Northern Divers, which were quite close together.  A few minutes later Dave picked up five geese in flight and we watched them as they joined a party of geese on the Hambleton Peninsular, distant but definitely the Brent Geese.

We dropped down to the hedgerow where a Siberian Chiffchaff had been reported both yesterday and early this morning.  We observed the area for a good thirty minutes without any sign but it was seen again shortly after we left.

Back on the Egleton Reserve I walked down the service road towards lagoon three as the normal footpath was flooded.  I had a couple of Jays and some nice views of a party of Redwing feeding in the last field, which were accompanied by two Fieldfares and a Song Thrush.

From shoveler hide on lagoon three there were two Redshanks and a Green Sandpiper but very little else was observed, except for a single Snipe in flight and a Green Woodpecker.

A late call to dunlin hide on lagoon four produced a few gulls, mainly Herring and Great Black-backed but we did find a single Caspian Gull before they all flew off towards the main water.

A bit of a mixed day in terms of Rutland Water but with some good birds from the dam and the views of the Otters would make any day really special.

A day in West Norfolk - January 11, 2014

Dave, Roger and I had decided to have a day in West Norfolk and set off from Dave’s just after 06:30.  We picked Ken up at Uppingham and continued to Wolferton in the hope of seeing the reported Golden Pheasants.  We had a couple of Buzzards on route, one near Glaston in Rutland and the second near Wisbech in Norfolk.  As we were approaching Wolferton we had seen a few skeins of Pink-footed Geese flying away from The Wash but little else.  We drove slowly around the triangle a couple of times but there was no sign of the pheasants and so we continued to Hunstanton.

As I was walking from the car to the cliff top shelter at Hunstanton there was a mass of gulls flying over the sea and I picked up a male Peregrine heading off towards Holme, which had probably caused the disturbance.  We had a few Fulmar gliding effortlessly over the edge of the cliffs and we found a couple of Eider on the sea but other than a couple of Great Crested Grebes and a few Shelduck we saw little else.

There had a good number of White-fronted Geese at Holkham yesterday and se we decided to go there before heading back to Titchwell.  We stopped initially at the pull in overlooking the marsh at Burnham Overy Staithe where there were numerous Pink-footed Geese, with several flying over and heading in land, presumable to feed.  There was also a few Brent Geese and we a Marsh Harrier perched on top of a bush and we had two more Marsh Harriers closer to the end of Holkham Pines.

Pink-footed Geese over Burnham Overy Staithe

We continued onto Holkham and found the White-fronted Geese in a field alongside the A149.  I counted a 112, which is the most I have seen here since I had counted 170 on February 17^th in 2002.  There was also a strange looking goose which we initially thought might be a blue-phase Snow Goose, although it didn’t appear quite right and we wrote it off as a hybrid. We also had two more Marsh Harriers over the fresh marsh and there were masses of Wigeon, Teal and Lapwing with an odd Curlew and plenty of Pink-footed Geese.

Two of the White-fronted Geese at Holkham

We stopped again at Burnham Overy Staithe on our way to Choseley and had superb views of a juvenile female Peregrine as it flew from the marsh to the road and passing almost right over us.

Juvenile female Peregrine over Burnham Overy Staithe

Most of the Pink-footed Geese appeared to have departed and other than a small party of Brent Goose and sixty-four Curlews there was little else and so we moved on.

Choseley drying barns had new signs erected since our last visit that made it very clear that it was important to keep to the footpath.  The yard in front of the barns was also neat and tidy and there were no birds present, except for a single Robin.  We did see a single Marsh Harrier and found a few Red-legged Partridges and Skylarks, a couple of Yellowhammers and a single Reed Bunting along the excess road but there was no sign of any Grey Partridges or Corn Buntings today.

As we approached Titchwell Dave spotted a Barn Owl at the side of the road but after parking up it was a few minutes before the rest of us saw the bird before it flew off towards the eastern edge of the reserve.

After some lunch we went to the centre and saw a single Brambling close to some feeders erecting within the woodland.  As we walked down the western path towards the sea the debris was still clearly visible on the top of the bank following the surge storm in December and we could see the wind farm from the path, which were unable to do before the storm.  There were eight Ruff, a couple of Redshanks and a Turnstone on the drained Thornham pool.  On the fresh marsh there were at least a 1000 Golden Plover and numerous Lapwings and a party of nineteen Avocets were observed roosting close to one of the islands.  There was also six Dunlin, a few more Ruff, a single Snipe and several Black-tailed Godwits and Redshank and a single Marsh Harrier was observed over the reedbed.

There were more waders on Volunteer Marsh mainly Redshanks but there was also a few more Black-tailed Godwits.  The last tidal lagoon held more Black-tailed Godwits, three Bar-tailed Godwits and several Redshanks and a single Little Grebe was observed.

On reaching the beach the full extent of the storm was apparent with almost all of the sand dunes gone and the boardwalk destroyed.  We positioned ourselves in front of the only surviving piece of dune left and began scanning the sea and beach.  The tide was quite high and there were few waders along the shore except for a few Oystercatchers but we did eventually find a couple of Sanderling and few Turnstone.    A small party of circa forty Knot flew east and then a party of ten Bar-tailed Godwits flew west.  We soon found a party of seven female-type Velvet Scoters just off shore and there were several thousand Common Scoter further out.  Dave picked up a Red-throated Diver close in but it was some time before I managed to see it as it was on the surface infrequently and then only briefly before it dived again.  I did pick up two others flying west further out and noticed a male and female Red-breasted Mergansers drop in amongst a party of Goldeneye just off shore.  Ken then picked up an adult Kittiwake flying west and Roger found another female Red-breasted Merganser flying west.

We eventually moved back along the path finding a single Grey Plover on the tidal pool and a Knot on volunteer marsh but we couldn’t find any of the reported Spotted Redshanks, although we did see twelve Pintail on the fresh marsh and Roger picked up a Barn Owl, which was almost certainly the bird we had seen earlier.

We finally got back to the car and set off across country to Kings Lynn still hoping to find Grey Partridge but all we found more Red-legged Partridges seeing very little else.

A day’s birding in Rutland, Lincolnshire & Cambridgeshire - January 4, 2014

Dave, Roger and I were out again but today the weather forecast was not good and it was already raining when Roger picked me up.  We went to Dave’s who was driving and we set off for Rutland Water.

A brief visit to Barnsdale Avenue produced nothing of note and we went to the Bird Watching Centre at Rutland Water.  It was still raining and so we sat in the centre observing lagoons one and two for a couple of hours.  There were still plenty of Pintail on the lagoon one and there were twenty-six Golden Plovers and a couple of Dunlin amongst the flock of Lapwings on the large island.  They were rather nervous and took to flight on several occasions and we did pick a male and female Sparrowhawks during two of these panics.  A Buzzard was also observed on Brown’s Island and there were five Shelduck on the two lagoons and a couple of Little Egrets.  With the rain still falling we decided to call it a day and moved off to Deeping lakes in Lincolnshire in the hope of seeing a Glossy Ibis.

When we arrived it was still raining heavy and there was no sign of the ibis and we found out that it had flown off earlier.  It apparently had done this before but returned to roost in some nearby trees.  A local considered that it might have gone to Maxey Pits but as this was rather out of the way and there was no conclusive proof of it doing so we decided to head off to Eldernell in Cambridgeshire and comeback later.

We saw a couple of Whooper Swans before we reached Thorney and as we approached Eldernell we found four adult and five juvenile Bewick’s Swan in a roadside fields and a little further on circa sixty Whooper Swans also in a roadside field.

As we arrived at the Eldernell car park the rain had almost stopped and did so for a short time whilst we were there.  There was a Buzzard sat on post not too far away and I saw a second over the far side of the wash and also picked up a nice male Marsh Harrier to the east.  Dave then noticed a harrier drop into the field just to the east of the car park, which turned out to be a ring-tailed Hen Harrier.  It then took to flight and flew to the west giving excellent views through the scope.  A Barn Owl was then seen in the same field and this flew even closer before crossing the stream and disappearing.  Dave then picked up a Short-eared Owl well to the east and we eventually had a couple although they were always distant.  The Barn Owl then made another appearance just before we departed and made our way back Deeping Lakes.  We had been at Eldernell for just under an hour and had seen some really good birds.

Barn Owl

The Glossy Ibis was back when we arrived at Deeping Lakes and we were able to watch for thirty minutes before we set off for home.  A Green Woodpecker was also observed as it fed actively on the ground.

A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland - January 2, 2014

I was out with Dave and Roger today and we went to Eyebrook Reservoir first in the hope of finding the female Ring-necked Duck.  The bird had been reported in the bay to the south of island yesterday but there was no sign this morning.  We did find a single drake Smew and there were two more drakes towards the plantation and a red-head in the bay to the north of the island.  We drove to the Little Owl site that is just north of the reservoir seeing both birds enjoying the morning sunshine.  We returned to the reservoir where we found four Dunlin and a Snipe and a Little Egret flew over at the inlet. We were thinking of leaving when Roger received a call informing him that the Ring-necked Duck was at the fishing lodge.  We drove back around the reservoir and walked the short distance to the lodge.  We found the bird amongst a small group of Tufted Ducks and were able to watch it a fairly close range.

Female Ring-necked Duck

We were also rewarded with a Kingfisher as it flew by just a few yards of shore and two Red Kites were observed to the north.

We finally decided to leave Eyebrook Reservoir and head for the dam at Rutland Water.  We walked down to the pumping station but there was no immediate sign of the Black Redstart that had been present since last year.  I walked further and onto the dam where I found an adult Yellow-legged Gull and a distant diver, which I assumed would be the Great Northern Diver but did think that it looked a little on the small side.  Shortly afterwards the Great Northern Diver was seen quite close to the dam but there was no sign of the diver that I had seen close to Whitwell.  A group of other birders then picked it up and so we decided to go to Whitwell to check it out.  After a fairly short time Roger picked it up and we were able to confirm that it was a Black-throated Diver and probably the bird seen on Christmas Day but not since.  He called the other birders to inform them of our findings only to be told they were now watching the Black Redstart.  We drove back to the pumping station and were soon watching the redstart, initially near the building but then on the rocks.

It was turning out to be quite a good day and we had hopes of finding a Long-tailed Duck and Black-necked Grebe in the north arm.  Whilst we were having lunch several birders were leaving and one had seen a Black-necked Grebe but they hadn’t seen a Long-tailed Duck.  When we walked down to the point Dave soon found a Black-necked Grebe, which beginning to show signs of summer plumage and it wasn’t too long before we also had two of the Long-tailed Ducks.  Roger then picked up three more Black-necked Grebes and we then found the third Long-tailed Duck.  The ten Barnacle Geese were on the north shore and two males and three female Goosanders were observed close to the bund.  While searching for the ducks and grebes we also found a Curlew and a couple of Redshanks and two Buzzards were observed over Burley Wood.

On the Egleton Reserve we were unable to find the two Stonechats that had been present all morning but I counted seventeen Pintail and there were circa seventy Golden Plovers with the Lapwing and ten Curlew on the meadow.  A visit to grebe hide on lagoon two failed to produce the Stonechats but there were another ten Pintail and a Little Egret.

From shoveler hide on lagoon three there were another three Pintail and a drake and three red-headed Smew and two Redshanks arrived during our visit and from buzzard hide we nice views of a Water Rail.  Three Green Woodpeckers were also observed from shoveler hide.

With the light beginning to go we called at sandpiper hide on lagoon four where there were quite a few larger gulls, mainly Herring and Great Black-backed Gull but we did find an adult Caspian Gull and a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

A morning’s birding in Leicestershire - January 1, 2014

The forecast was not good today but Roger and I headed for Swithland Reservoir in the hope that the Black-throated Diver was still present.  There was some light rain when we arrived at the dam but the diver was close in near the tower and provided some nice views before it flew towards the centre of the reservoir.  We also located a single Scaup, a brown-headed Goosander and a couple of Little Egrets.

From the causeway on the southern end of the reservoir we added a few more year ticks, a Great Spotted Woodpecker being the best with a second heard drumming.

A short drive to southern edge of Swithland Wood and then a short walk into the wood produced two roosting Tawny Owls and fourteen Siskin.  We also added Nuthatch and Treecreeper.

A brief stop at Cropston Reservoir was totally unproductive and with heavier rain settling in we went back to Roger’s in the hope that his wintering Blackcap would appear.  There were quite a few birds in his garden including a Redwing briefly but the Blackcap failed to appear whilst I was there but he did see it later in the day.