Friday 27 March 2015

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - March 26, 2015

I decided to go out today as there had been quite a lot of rain overnight and early morning and I was hoping that it would have brought down some Sand Martins and maybe other migrants.  It was still raining when I left for Eyebrook Reservoir but I did see a single Red Kite as approached the reservoir and there were two more over the northern end of the reservoir.  When I reached the northern end of the reservoir it had all but stopped raining and from the corral I found a couple of Oystercatcher and a Redshank and there were also eight Shelduck.  I drove around to the Rutland bank and joined Graham as we scanned I found another two Redshank and Graham found two Ringed Plover types on the Leicestershire shore, with one turning out to be a Little Ringed Plover.  With the weather appearing to close in again I headed off to Rutland Water.

On arrival in the north arm there was very little with just two Shelduck and a Little Egret of note and the only raptor was a single Red Kite over Burley Wood.  Whilst I was in the north arm the wind increased significantly and it felt very cold in the now strong westerly wind.

I went to Egleton and after some lunch visited the Bird Watching Centre to view lagoon one.  Whilst I was scanning the lagoon Tim offered to give me a lift to lagoon seven, which I accepted.  Whilst I waited for Tim a Dunlin and a Snipe flew over and there were two Oystercatchers on one of the exposed areas of the long island.

When we got round to Shelduck I went a stood on the bund with Tim overlooking lagoon seven where we saw six Shelduck, two Pintail, three Ringed Plovers, six Dunlin and two Redshank.  Tim then went back for his lunch and I went into Shelduck hide to look over lagoon five where I saw three more Shelduck and an Oystercatcher.  I called at Snipe hide on the Wet Meadow on route back to the centre where there were sixteen Shelduck, a Pintail and a Curlew and I could see another two Pintail on lagoon one.


On reaching the centre I continued on to sandpiper hide on lagoon four where there were four Shelduck, a Pintail, four Ringed Plovers, a Dunlin and a Redshank.  Although it was now bright and sunny the wind was now very strong and gusting quite a bit and so I decided to call it a day and headed off home.

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