Rod's Birding: A day in Leicestershire & Rutland

I called at Eyebrook Reservoir on route to Rutland Water where I had three Shelduck, two of which were escorting seven young. A single Little Egret was observed and I saw at least three Common Terns but couldn’t see any of the young on the rafts.

After parking in the Egleton car park I set off to Snipe hide on the Wet Meadow seeing a male and young Great Spotted Woodpecker close to the Bird Watching Centre. Just after coming out of the wooded area alongside lagoon one I had views of a Garden Warbler but saw little else before I reached Snipe hide. With just a single Shelduck of note on the flash I soon moved on to harrier hide. There was a single Avocet feeding but I couldn’t see either the second bird or the young. I then heard an Avocet call and saw the second bird mobbing a Black-headed Gull and shortly afterwards the three young appeared on the island.

Woodpigeon from harrier hide

I had seen two Redshanks as I walked alongside lagoon six before going to harrier hide and on calling at tern hide on lagoon six they were still present. They had been quite vocal as I went by lagoon six and were still calling and flying repeatedly when I first entered tern hide. They then both landed on at the far end of the island in front of the hide and then moved to the next island, whilst continuing to call. Two chicks then appeared on the end of the first island and swam across the water between the islands to join the adults. There were a couple of Black-headed Gulls they passed, which didn’t show any interest but they finished up passing either side of one of them and the adult nearest appeared confused as to what to do. Both of the adults then walked away from the gulls and one chick followed them almost on the shoreline and then I saw the second doing the same but a little deeper in the vegetation. There were also three Oystercatchers and a Mute Swan with four young on the lagoon.

As I continued on towards Shelduck hide on lagoon five there was a Whitethroat in the hedge alongside lagoon eight where the Mute Swan was escorting eight cygnets, one having disappeared, and three more Oystercatchers.

I viewed lagoon seven from the ramp to Shelduck hide but all I could find were a pair of Shelduck escorting a single duckling. All I could see of note from Shelduck hide was a pair of Oystercatcher. As I walked back towards the 360 hide I saw a couple of Chiffchaff feeding towards the end of the hedgerow and from the 360 hide there was still at least four Common Terns and a Great Crested Grebe with two striped young.

Great Crested Grebe with young

As I walked back in the direction of snipe hide I saw a second Whitethroat and a Red Kite passed overhead. There were two Sedge Warblers as I walked back towards the cycle track but very little else before I was back at the centre.

Goldfinch near the 360 hide

From the centre I viewed lagoon one where there were plenty of wildfowl and Coot but the only things of note was a Great Crested Grebe escorting a single young bird and a Little Egret flying over.

Whilst having lunch Mike Chester and Brian Moore arrived and after a chat regarding Brian’s successful trip for the Cretzchmar’s Bunting on Bardsey I went to Shoveler hide on lagoon three with Mike, where we were soon joined by Brian. There was a Black-tailed Godwit feeding in the shallows to the left of the hide and a Green Sandpiper was on the island directly in front of the hide. There was also a couple of Oystercatchers that flew off on to lagoon four and I picked up three Curlews as they flew in from the east and appeared to drop on to lagoon four. Mike left but Brian and I stayed quite some time, despite being invaded by a party of school children.

There were up to twenty-eight terns feeding over the water and we had distant views of Red Kite and several Buzzards and a Hobby was a little more obliging coming quite close on one occasions. Reed Warblers were constantly on view just in front of the hide and one allowed me to get pretty nice shots.

Grey Heron on lagoon three

Little Egret over lagoon three

Reed Warbler

We did eventually leave the hide and met Erik as we did who had just come from sandpiper hide on lagoon four. He decided to come back with us and we found an Oystercatcher escorting the now well grown young bird, three Little Ringed Plovers, eleven Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin. Erik then found an adult Mediterranean Gull on island ten spit and so I phoned both Steve and Terry who were now back on site after visiting Frampton. Terry arrived in plenty of time to see the bird but Steve saw it from the ramp to the hide as it flew off to the south. Another Curlew then came in but there was no sign of the three seen earlier.

Mediterranean Gull over lagoon four

We then had an invitation to visit the new Volunteer’s Training Centre and Sarah gave us an escorted tour. The views from the viewing gallery of lagoon four without any natural barriers gave a totally different perspective and its immense size was realised for the first time.

We were talking to Lloyd as we were departing when Osprey 51 passed overhead with a rather large fish with the head already eaten.