David, Roger and I visited
Eyebrook Reservoir first today and approached the reservoir from the
south. We parked near the entrance to
the fishing lodge but there were few passerines in evidence today but we did
see four Red Kites and five Buzzards. We
moved round to the island coral and found a Dunlin and five Ruff along the
south west shore but there was nothing else of note and so we moved on to the
fence to view the inlet. There were
noticeable fewer birds, particularly gulls, but we did find ten Ringed Plovers,
five Dunlin, eight Ruff and three Greenshanks and there was also a Shelduck and
four Pintail on the water. There had
been four Black Terns present yesterday and fortunately one was still present
today and we observed both in flight and settled on an exposed mound. We had another Red Kite pass over the inlet
and I picked up a Hobby as it flew off fast to the north after disturbing the
birds at the inflow. Stopping again at
the bridge it was pretty quiet although a Kingfisher was observed.
With little else we moved off
to Lyndon hoping that a Little Gull present yesterday was still present. The centre was still open but this was to be
the last weekend now the Ospreys have departed.
We observed the feeders in front where there was a constant flow of Blue
and Great Tits and we also had a Willow/Marsh Tit which didn’t stay too long,
although both David and I thought it was a Willow Tit. In the small bush near
the feeders we had a couple of Chiffchaffs and two Tree Sparrows. We walked the short distance to Teal hide to
view the south arm but there was no sign of yesterday’s Little Gull. I did find one of the Great White Egrets on
the Manton bay bud and four Pintail flew over.
Our nest port of call was
Dickinson’s Bay where we hoped to find the Red-necked Grebe. We walked down through the gate and initially
went to view the north arm, in what was rather poor light. As we scanned it wasn’t very long before
Roger thought he might have the grebe and David and I were soon scoping the
bird. The bird was with a Great Crested
Grebe and it certainly looked smaller in the awful light and the silhouette
also looked promising. The light did
improve slightly but was never brilliant but on a couple of occasions I could
make out the white cheeks and the black crown and was satisfied that it was in
fact the Red-necked Grebe. David and I
moved through the second gate to view Dickinson’s Bay, whilst Roger remained
trying to get a better view of the grebe.
There wasn’t too much in the bay except for three Pintail and three
Little Egrets but whilst watching a Buzzard over Burley I also found a Hobby
that was joined by a second and there was also a Red Kite. David had also found the five Barnacle Geese
on the north shore of the north arm.
Roger had now joined us but he hadn’t seen the Red-necked any better and
after watching it diver had been unable to relocate it. A third Hobby was then seen to the south west
as it hunted over the woodland to the north of the reserve. As we went back the light seemed a little
better but a further scan failed to produce the Red-necked Grebe but I did find
the two Black-necked Grebes amongst a party of Tufted Ducks. When we reached the car a party of birds were
moving the through the area and they were mainly Long-tailed and Blue Tits but
we also found a Great Tit, a Coal Tit and a Treecreeper.
A visit to the Old Hall
produced very little as there were very few birds and certainly nothing of
note. After some lunch in the Egleton
car park we went into the centre and viewed lagoon one. There were plenty of birds on the lagoon that
included a single Pintail, six Red-crested Pochard, four Little Egrets, a Ruff,
a Black-tailed Godwit and a Greenshank and there were two more Hobbies over
Brown’s Island.
We eventual moved on to
Shoveler hide on lagoon three where there three Green Sandpipers to the left of
the hide. A Yellow-legged Gull was
observed on one of the platforms before it flew and joined the birds roosting
on one of the islands and a Buzzard and another Hobby were observed over the
reedbed area. David then picked up a
juvenile Peregrine coming over the lagoon from the east, which caused some
disturbance as it passed over heading for lagoon four. The only other bird of note was a Reed
Warbler just in front of the hide.
Greylag Geese over lagoon three
From Shoveler we went to
Lapwing hide to view lagoon two and south arm three both were fairly quiet with
just a couple of Green Sandpipers on lagoon two and two Goldeneye and a distant
Ruff in flight in the south arm. As we
were scanning the south arm a Vulcan flew over heading south west.
Vulcan
There were five Little Egrets
visible from crake hide but the only other bird of interest was a Little
Grebe. We made our way back and
continued on to Dunlin hide on lagoon four, seeing a Kestrel as we approached
the hide. From the hide we found a
Shelduck, eighteen Pintail, eleven Ringed Plovers, five Dunlin and six
Yellow-legged Gulls and I counted ninety-five Egyptian Geese before we called it
a day and headed back to the car park.
Little Egrets from crake hide
Little Egret from crake hide
We drove back home via
Eyebrook Reservoir where seven Reed Buntings were the highlight and yet again
the Little Owls failed to perform.
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