A day in West Norfolk - October 14, 2015

Roger picked me up and we then drove to Newton Harcourt to pick up David before collecting Ken at Uppingham.  There had been quite a few good birds in Norfolk this week and we were hoping to connect with a few.  On reaching Kings Lynn we headed towards Cromer hoping that there would be some news before we reached Fakenham so that we could then decide where to head first.  With news of an Isabelline Shrike at Beeston Regis Common we continued towards Cromer and came off the main road heading for Sheringham and then along the coast road to Beeston Regis.  After parking in the layby we walked the short distance to the footpath that headed off over the common.  As soon as got to the footpath we could see several birders not too far away and we were soon getting good views of the first-winter Isabelline Shrike.  It spent most of the time sitting one of two bushes and making the occasional successful sortie after insects.

Isabelline Shrike

Isabelline Shrike

Steve and Terry had joined us on the common but with news of a Blyth’s Reed Warbler still at Wells we headed off but were not too optimistic in seeing it as it was a new UK tick for both Ken and I.  When we arrived in the area birders seemed to be scattered and the bird was obviously not showing and people didn’t seem sure where it had been seen.  As we stood observing an area of scrub we were constantly distracted by Goldfinch that were feeding in the pines and there must have been at least fifty in the small area we could see.  A Woodcock then flashed through the clearing but only Ken and I saw it before it disappeared.  Just after this we heard a whistle several times and it was another birder who was trying to attract people without too much disturbance and we were soon alongside him.  He explained that he thought he had the Blyth’s Reed and indicated where it was.  As I scanned the brambles I could see occasional movement and then had brief views of the bird in question.  As I continued to watch it came out in full view but unfortunately only briefly and then I saw just an occasional movement before I thought it might have flown.  I then found out that David had also had the view I did but Ken had just seen part of bird that cocked its tail before disappearing and Roger had not seen it at all.  It was then relocated some fifty yards away but on reaching the site there was no further sign.  We returned to the original location and it did appear again but on this occasion none of us saw it before yet again it disappeared.  The parking ticket was due to expire soon and so David and I returned to the car for some lunch and were joined shortly afterwards by Ken and Roger who still hadn’t seen it.

A Red-flanked Bluetail at Holkham had now been reported and we agreed that we should make the short journey to Lady Anne’s Drive and walk to the cross roads in Holkham Pines for the bluetail.  As we walked out towards the crossroads Goldcrest appeared to be everywhere and we had a couple of sightings of Redwings.  Several returning birders were indicating that the bluetail had been showing well and we were quite optimistic that we would see it well.  We found a group of birders off the track observing a group of bushes but there was no sign of the bluetail.  We stood there for quite some time seeing very little, a Sparrowhawk and a Treecreeper being the best.  A birder to the right suddenly said there it is low down in the left hand corner.  David, Ken and Roger managed to see it as it dropped lower and I didn’t see it at all.  However a few minutes later it reappeared and this time was clearly visible as it moved through a hawthorn before disappearing again.  David was the first to make a move back towards the car and Roger and I soon followed him, leaving Ken hoping for another view.

As we walked back all we were seeing were more Goldcrest until David called saying that Steve had found another Isabelline Shrike near the Washington Hide.  We quickened our pace and soon joined David and we then had reasonable views of our second Isabelline Shrike of the day.  I called Ken to make him aware and we continued watching the bird first outside the hide and then from within it.  It actually came closer whilst we were in the hide and was clearly more obviously marked than the bird we had seen earlier.  However by the time Ken reached us we had lost the bird but after just a few minutes Ken found it perched some distance away on top of a hawthorn bush.  It did come back down the hedge towards us and we were able again to get some reasonable views.  There were also a few Redwings and Blackbirds feeding in the area along with several Reed Buntings and a Song Thrush.  Two Marsh Harriers were observed over the fields and there were two Pink-footed Geese some distance away.  We eventually went back to the car and headed off home after what had been a very successful day for me, with Blyth’s Reed Warbler added to my UK life list and two Isabelline Shrikes and a Red-flanked Bluetail as well.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - October 13, 2015

There had been a couple of Bearded Tits heard in the reedbed at Rutland Water yesterday and so I headed straight to the Egleton Reserve, seeing Red Kites over the A47 ay both Tugby and Uppingham.  On arrival in the Egleton car park I set off towards the reedbed on lagoon three, which is an area not normally accessible but Tim had suggested that I go in and try to locate them.  As I approached the area Steve and Terry had given up as the area was pretty wet and wellingtons were essential.  Fortunately I had the foresight to wear mine and was able to get around without too much difficulty.  After walking through most of the assessable area the only bird of note I had seen was a Marsh Tit but there was no sign of the Bearded Tits, although I did hear at least three Cetti’s Warbler.  I was in the reedbed for well over an hour and also spent a good half-hour in Bittern Hide but still with no indication that the Bearded Tits were still present.

I checked out Lagoon Four from Plover Hide but other than four Pintail there was nothing else of note, although I was surprised to see a pair of Egyptian Goose with two small young, which I considered to be quite a late date.  I moved on Smew Hide where there was a single Little Egret and there were seven from Crake Hide and I found six Goldeneye from Lapwing Hide.  Whilst I was scanning the South Arm I noticed Malcolm on the north shore and assumed he was looking for the Red-necked Grebe.  I gave him a call and my assumption was correct but he hadn’t found it and so I checked with Steve to see if he and Terry had seen it but they had also drawn a black but had seen a Rock Pipit on the dam.  I had intended to go to Sykes Lane car park to obtain and annual permit to all the car parks and after calling Malcolm back agreed to meet him in the Egleton car park and we go together to try and find the pipit.

After obtaining the parking permit we walked onto the dam and found several Pied Wagtails and six Meadow Pipits but there was no sign of the Rock Pipit.  We did find two Green Woodpeckers on the fence posts below the dam but saw very little else and armed with my new permit we called at Whitwell.  Steve and Terry had seen a female-type Scaup in the creek and after some searching we located the bird, which was presumably and immature as the white around the base of the bill wasn’t complete but the pale patch on the ear-coverts was obvious.  It was slightly larger than the nearby Tufted Ducks and the head-shape was more rounded without any sign of a tuft.  A probable second bird was then found but it was slightly smaller with no white around the base of the bill and a fainter ear-covert patch but again the head-shape looked good and there was no sign of a tuft.

We called at Barnsdale as we made our way back and found the two Black-necked Grebes in the North Arm and there were a couple of drake Pintail and four Little Egrets in the bay.

We also viewed the North Arm from the end of the cottage road and found the seventeen Barnacle Geese on the north shore, fourteen Pintail and two Curlew off the end of the spit and there were another twelve Little Egrets further down the arm.

After a discussion with Steve and Terry, Malcolm and I decided to go Lyndon as they had seen a Garganey and a Green Sandpiper in Manton Bay and it would also give us another opportunity of finding the Red-necked Grebe.  On reaching Lyndon we set off for Shallow Water Hide but other than a Kestrel near Tufted Duck Hide and a Chiffchaff beyond Wader Scrape Hide we saw very little.  From the hide I soon found the Garganey and a Ruff and Malcolm located the Green Sandpiper.  There was a single Snipe in the direction of Wader Scrape Hide and four more near the fence close to the hide and I counted twenty-seven Pintail in the bay.  We eventually called it a day and walked back to the centre but still didn’t have any luck with the Red-necked Grebe.

We made a brief call to Eyebrook Reservoir on route home and found that the immature Spoonbill was still present along with nine Pintail and there was a Red Kite and two Buzzards soaring over the fields beyond the Leicestershire bank.

An early morning at Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - October 11, 2015

I put the moth trap out last night and trapped and identified fifteen moths covering ten species, two of which, Red-green Carpet and Barred Sallow were new for the garden.

The following were recorded: Light Brown Apple Moth [2]; Garden Rose Tortrix [2]; Red-green Carpet [1]; Silver Y [1]; Barred Sallow [1]; Blair’s Shoulder Knot [1]; Large Yellow Underwing [2]; Lesser Yellow Underwing [1] and Setaceous Hebrew Character [1].

Garden Rose Tortrix

Garden Rose Tortrix

Red-green Carpet

Blair's Shoulder Knot

Barred Sallow

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - October 10, 2015

Roger and I headed for Eyebrook Reservoir first today as there had been a Jack Snipe reported from the inlet bridge during the last few days.  We approached the reservoir from the northern end, checking the old oak for Little Owls, as we did so but as is the norm at present we didn’t see any.  We parked just beyond the bridge to view the stream but there was no sign of the Jack Snipe on the areas we could see.  On viewing a feeding flock on the north side of the bridge we found a Chiffchaff, a male Blackcap and a Treecreeper amongst the Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits.  I drove further round and parked on the Rutland bank overlooking the now vast area of mud, whilst Roger chose to walk to checkout areas of the stream we were unable to see from the bridge.  There were eight Golden Plovers amongst the Lapwing n the mud and I also found a juvenile Shelduck and nine Pintail close to the inlet.  Roger then called to say that the Spoonbill was still here and was now visible.  I walked back down the road to join Roger and found the juvenile Spoonbill feeding in the stream.  There were two Little Egrets and a Snipe near the stream and we saw four Red Kites and three Buzzards over the fields on the Leicestershire side.  With still no sign of the Jack Snipe we continued on to the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water.

After parking in the car park we walked the short distance to Teal Hide to view South Arm Three to hopefully find the Red-necked Grebe.  There were plenty of Great Crested Grebes and on the second scan I picked up the Red-necked Grebe amongst several Great Crested Grebes.  Roger then noticed that both Great White Egrets were on the bund across Heron Bay.  Having found our target bird we set off for Shallow Water Hide where there was a Garganey and a Green Sandpiper still yesterday.  As we approached Deep Water Hide we noticed a bird feeding at the side of the track and closer inspection found that there were actually three Lesser Redpolls feeding and a little further on a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over.  Other than a female Kestrel we hadn’t seen a great deal else by the time we had reached Shallow Water Hide.

Female Kestrel

There were three Ruff to the right of the hide and Roger noticed an adult winter Mediterranean Gull on the shore not too far from the hide that remained the whole time we were in the hide.  There were two Redshanks on the far side of the bay and both Great White Egrets were still on Heron Bay bund and I found a Yellow-legged Gull on the Manton Bay Bund.  There were twenty Pintail in the bay and a Red Kite and Buzzard were observed to the west but we couldn't find either the Garganey or the Green Sandpiper.  We saw very little as we walked back to the centre but heard a Chiffchaff when we reached the car park.

Mediterranean Gull

On reaching the car park we had lunch before going to the Bird Watching Centre to view Lagoon One.  There were plenty of birds on the lagoon including a Shelduck, thirteen Pintail, four Dunlin and five Snipe and we found one of the Stonechats towards Harrier Hide and a Buzzard perched on the man-made Osprey platform.

With reports of a Wheatear on Lagoon four we set off towards the northern lagoons but called at Grebe Hide on Lagoon Two first to see one of the Great White Egrets.

Great White Egret

Great White Egret

Great White Egret

As there had been a Peregrine causing havoc on Lagoon Four we went to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three first.  All of the vegetation on the island had been cut and we now had excellent views of most of the lagoon but other than a Pintail, a Little Egret and a Curlew it was pretty quiet with very few birds present.  We moved on to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four and Erik who had joined us found the immature Wheatear on island nine but the only other birds of note were a couple of Shelduck, a Little Egret and a Yellow-legged Gull.

Ken had called to say that there was a female Mandarin at Eyebrook Reservoir and has we hadn’t seen the Jack Snipe we decided to call there on the way home.

On arriving at Eyebrook Reservoir we drove around to the railings on the Leicestershire bank and soon located the female Mandarin on Rutland bank.  We also found a single Dunlin amongst the Lapwing and the number of Golden Plover had risen to twenty-eight.  The immature Spoonbill was still feeding in the stream and we also saw it in flight when something spooked the birds.

Juvenile Spoonbill

We retraced our steps back to the bridge in the hope of finding the Jack Snipe but only managed to find four Snipe.  Andy and Ken joined us as they had been in the plantation but hadn’t seen too much and Andy who had been there for some time and seen the Jack Snipe yesterday hadn’t seen it today.  Ken called it a day and just afterwards the birds around the inlet were spooked by an immature female Peregrine but with still no sign of the target bird Roger and I called it a day.

Greylag Goose over Eyebrook Reservoir

An afternoon at Shady Lane Arboretum, Evington, Leicestershire - October 9, 2010

Following a report of a Yellow-browed Warbler calling at the arboretum this morning David and I paid a visit in the hope we might see it.  Colin Towe had heard it call about six times earlier today but didn’t see it and he and Chris were back this afternoon for another go.  David and I might have heard it call once but it wasn’t seen during our visit.  Whilst we were there I saw a couple of Buzzards, a Goldcrest, a Treecreeper and a Grey Wagtail flew over.

A day in West Norfolk - October 8, 2015

David, Roger and I set off to Norfolk again today and as usual we were picking Ken up at Uppingham.  With the exception of a Red Kite as we approached the A1 junction we had seen very little by the time we reached Choseley but did find ten Grey Partridges near the barns.  There was no sign of any Corn Buntings and so we continued on to Titchwell where there had been a Pectoral Sandpiper and a Yellow-browed Warbler yesterday.

After parking we spent about an hour in the area of the car park looking for the Yellow-browed Warbler but without success.  There were plenty of birds feeding in the bushes around the car park and we had at least three Blackcaps and several Siskin flew over and Jays were also quite active.  Nine Black-tailed Godwits flew over the car park and there was a single Ruff in the field to the east of the car park.  A Marsh Harrier was also observed to the north as it headed east.

Black-tailed Godwit

We eventually made to the centre and established that the Pectoral Sandpiper had been seen from the end of the Autumn Trail and so we set off in that direction.  There was still no sign of the Yellow-browed Warbler as we walked along the Fen Trail but on reaching Patsy’s reedbed we found five Red-crested Pochard on the pool along with a Ruff and a Black-tailed Godwit.  We viewed the pools again from the eastern end and found eight Ruff and three Black-tailed Godwits and another eleven Red-crested Pochard flew over the reedbed with two dropping onto the pool whilst the others eventually came down further away.

Red-crested Pochard

Red-crested Pochard

We continued along the Autumn Trail hearing a Water Rail and several Bearded Tits before reaching the end of the trail.  There was no sign of the Pectoral Sandpiper but as usual there was a good selection of birds on the Freshwater Marsh that included Pintail, Avocet, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Ruff, Snipe and Redshank.  After some time scanning the lagoon we retraced our steps back to the Fen Trail and as we approached the West Bank I checked the phone to find that the Yellow-browed Warbler had been reported and apparently close to where we were.  There was no sign of any birders but we then spent further time trying to seek out the bird.  We did locate the tit flock and were able to follow them as they moved through the area but most of the time we could only hear them and we only saw Goldcrest, Blue Tit and Long-tailed Tits.  They eventually just vanished and so we continued to the West Bank and went to take another look at the Freshwater Marsh.  As we were scanning the marsh a party of Bar-tailed Godwits dropped in and looking at them more closely we also found a single Knot.  We also located two Turnstones and a Yellow-legged Gull with a Spotted Redshank flying over and a Grey Wagtail was on Thornham Pool.

Black-tailed Godwit on the Tidal Pool

Brent Geese cover Thornham Marsh

We returned to the car park for some lunch before going back to the west bank and walking out to the beach.  Other than three Little Egrets and a few Curlew we added little but a party of c.250 Pink-footed Geese flew east high over the sea.  On reaching the beach there was c.100 Oystercatcher on the beach and twenty-nine Sanderling flying along the shore but there was little else.  We did see five Gannets over the sea, a Great Crested Grebe flying west and a single Common Scoter on the sea.  As we walked back to the centre David picked up a Sparrowhawk flying over Thornham Marsh.

As there had been further rumours of the Yellow-browed Warbler calling around the Fen Trail we made one last effort but got the same result and with another report of another at Brancaster we decided we go there before going home.

The details of the sighting were a little confusing and after going right out the golf club without success we returned to the village and walked along the beach footpath, when the instructions suddenly made perfect sense.  We realised that the bird had been seen in the hedge alongside the footpath and so agreed to invest the remainder of our time searching for it.  We heard a Green Woodpecker and I found a Coal Tit but it wasn’t looking too good when David felt he had heard it and a few minutes later he and Roger had brief views of it at the top of a tree.  Ken and I had failed to connect during its brief appearance and there was no sign of it although several birds came out of the tree.  David then said he was going back to the car and wanted to leave in about fifteen minutes but as he turned to go another bird flew out of the tree and I watched it as it landed in a small apple tree.  I scanned the area of the tree the bird had entered and bingo it was the boy and both Ken and I had reasonable views before it flew off further down the track.

Having felt that Ken and I were going to dip out walking back to the car we were all feeling a lot better and we still had time for a coffee before setting off home.

A day at Rutland Water, Rutland - October 6, 2015

This morning I decided I would go straight to the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water and it was dry when I arrived after some fairly heavy overnight rain.  I checked the feeders, which were almost empty but there were still six Tree Sparrows and a Coal Tit making regular visits and there were circa fifty Goldfinches feeding on the thistles behind the feeders.

I set off towards Shallow Water Hide hoping that a Garganey that Steve had found on Friday might still be there.  As I walked along the path there were quite a few birds in the hedges and bushes but there was nothing of note.  On reaching the hide I started to scan the wildfowl and counted thirty Pintail amongst the more numerous Wigeon, Gadwall and Shoveler with smaller numbers of Teal, Mallard and Tufted Duck but there was no sign of the Garganey.  There were also a couple of Little Egrets in the bay and I also found five Ruff and four Snipe and one of the Great White Egret more distantly in South Arm Two.  I scanned through the wildfowl on a number of occasions but still didn’t find the Garganey but I did find a single Green Sandpiper on my last scan before heading back to the centre.

Snipe

Drake Teal

Little Grebe

Having very little on the walk back I went to the North Arm and viewed it from the end of the cottage road.  There were eight Little Egrets scattered around the North Arm with another eight in the fishponds.  The seventeen Barnacle Geese were in their normal location on the north shore and I counted twenty-five Pintail in the arm and another three in the fishponds.  Over Burley Wood there was a small party of House Martin that appeared to have moved off before I departed and bird of prey wise I saw just a single Red Kite and a Buzzard and also had a brief view of a Kingfisher as it flew into the fishponds.

After making a short visit to the Volunteers Training Centre I drove to the Egleton car park seeing a Sparrowhawk as I had my lunch.  I then called Steve to see if he and Terry had anything to report and I wasn’t too surprised when he said they had located the Garganey in Manton Bay.  As there might not be too many opportunities to see Garganey again this year I decided to return to Lyndon and Shallow Water Hide.

When I arrived at the Lyndon car park the weather was a little more threatening and so armed with an umbrella I set off back to Shallow Water Hide.  As I was approaching Deep Water Hide three Swallows flew over and there were a couple of Chiffchaffs briefly on the wires behind the hide.  I met Steve and Terry just afterwards and after short chat and armed with further information on the Garganey I continued on to the hide.  They had seen the bird towards Wader Scrape Hide but on opening the flap there were very few birds and I then noticed a tractor that was obviously being used to cut the vegetation.  I feared that it might have been disturbed but on scanning the area found the bird where Steve and Terry had seen it.  As I was watching the bird the grass cutting continued and the bird did flush and flew towards the hide and I was able to confirm that it was a female and when it landed quite close to the hide it emerged onto the bank I could see that it was a juvenile.  It flew again as the tractor approached the hide but this time flew over the far side and I lost it.  A Redshank was also observed before I started to walk back to the centre.

Seeing very little on the walk to the car I went straight back to Egleton and to the Bird Watching centre to view Lagoon One.  There were plenty of birds on the lagoon but Steve and Terry hadn’t seen much of note but I did see two juvenile Shelduck, five more Pintail and four Curlew.  When a threatening black cloud had passed we decided to move onto the northern lagoons.

We called at Sandpiper Hide overlooking Lagoon Four to find there were far fewer gulls, which might have been due to the rising water levels.  There also appeared to be very little else but Terry found an adult Shelduck and Steve found three Golden Plovers on one of the islands but there was no sign of any Ringed Plover or Dunlin.  Whilst we were in the hide the heavens opened and the rain was so heavy that we had to close the flaps and move to the back of the hide in order to keep dry.  Despite having the flaps closed the hide selves still managed to get very wet as did the seats and with nothing new we moved on Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three.

As we walked down the track to the hide a Cetti’s Warbler called and Terry and I had brief views as it flitted through one of the bushes.  There were very few birds on lagoon three as there had clearly been a working party cutting the vegetation and after a short while we moved on to Lapwing Hide to view South Arm Three and Lagoon Two.  There were a few Tufted Duck and Great Crested Grebe on South Arm Three but nothing unusual was with them.  A Great White Egret was feeding on Lagoon Two and just after Terry had departed I found a Greenshank, which he then returned to see.  I moved off to Crake Hide, whilst Steve returned to Shoveler Hide but on seeing very little from Crake I also went back to Shoveler Hide.

Tim was in the hide with Steve when I arrived and shortly afterwards Tim Mac and Lloyd appeared and with seconds of sitting down Tim Mac picked up the Bittern in the reeds.  I got onto just as it flew and watched as it circled over the water defecating as it did so before returning and perching in the reeds.  Its head was visible for a few minutes before it dropped lower and out of sight and was not seen again.  Lloyd then picked up a party of circa thirty Siskin in flight and saw them land in the alders close to ringing hut and I was able to see them through the scope as they moved within the trees.

Tim Mac and Lloyd went off to view lagoon four and Steve went to the reedbed with Tim and I was left in the hide alone for a few minutes before I called it a day and headed off to the car park.

An early morning at Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - October 4, 2015

I put the trap out last night but caught and identified just twelve moths of seven species, two of which were new for the year, Blair’s Shoulder Knot and Beaded Chestnut.

The following were recorded: Light Brown Apple Moth [1]; Silver Y [1]; Beaded Chestnut [2]; Lunar Underwing [1]; Blair’s Shoulder Knot [4]; Large Yellow Underwing [2] and Setaceous Hebrew Character [1].

A day in West Norfolk - October 3, 2015

David, Roger and I left Newton Harcourt just after 06:00 and headed for Uppingham where we were picking up Ken before continuing to Norfolk.  There had been a severe weather warning of fog in the East Midlands that extended to The Wash but it was clear when we left and we had a Barn Owl just after passing through Great Glen.  There was still no sign of any fog when we reached Uppingham and picked up Ken and other than a little mist between Peterborough and Wisbech it was a good journey.  Our original intention was to go to Holkham as there had been five Yellow-browed Warblers and two Firecrests reported yesterday but late news yesterday of a Marsh Sandpiper at Cley and a Blyth’s Pipit at Stiffkey could alter all that.  On reaching Kings Lynn we decided to head for Fakenham, which would then give us the option of heading for any of the sights depending on the latest news.  The first tweet indicated that the Blyth’s Pipit had been present but had flown off north and as there was no news on the Marsh Sandpiper we headed for Holkham.

After parking at Holkham we set off towards Washington Hide seeing a Marsh Harrier and Kestrel before we reached the end of the road.  Ken was speaking to Tony who informed him that two Cranes had flown over Salthouse and were heading this way.  I said that they wouldn’t have reached here yet but a few second later David, who had gone on ahead, shouted Cranes and we saw that they had gone over Lady Anne’s Drive and were continuing west.  Apparently we then established that Tony had been at Stiffkey and not Salthouse when Ken spoke to him.  Having watched he Cranes go a considerable distance we continued along the path towards Washington Hide seeing a Jay and hearing numerous Goldcrest before reaching the pool of water on the left.  There were four Little Grebes on the pool and we saw another Marsh Harrier and a Buzzard beyond the pool.  On reaching the hide there was a party of passerines feeding in the trees, which was made up of mainly Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tit and there was nothing unusual but we did see a Great White Egret on a pool overlooked by the hide.  We walked the short distance along a boardwalk to view the sea and saw six Common Scoter and ten Gannets and there was also thirteen Ringed Plovers on the beach.  We retraced our steps back to the path and continued along the track towards the cross roads but there was no sign of the intended targets and so we continued on to the western end of the pines.  We had established that the Cranes had come down on the marshes between the end of the pines and Burnham Overy Staithe and had reasonable views once out of the pines.  We also had a couple of Blackcaps and two Song Thrushes close to where we stood and another party of passerines appeared but were again mainly Long-tailed Tits, with a few Goldcrest and Blue Tits and a single Chiffchaff.  We the saw the Cranes in flight again and watched as they circled and gained height before appearing to head off to the south.

Cranes over Burnham Overy Staithe

As we walked back to the car we established that both Firecrest and Yellow-browed Warbler had been seen but were unable to locate them and were disappointed that we hadn’t managed to connect with either.  There was also a report of the Marsh Sandpiper dropping onto the North Scrape at Cley but Tony, who had joined us, was casting doubt on the identity.  Apparently the identity hadn’t been confirmed by local birders and the suspicion was that it was a juvenile Greenshank and with no further news on reaching the car we headed for Titchwell.

On reaching Titchwell we had our lunch before setting off down the west bank to the sea.  We had seen another Jay whilst we had our lunch and found a couple of Stonechats before we reached Thornham Pool.  There was a Ruff, a snipe and a Redshank on the pool, which is still pretty dry, and two Dunlin dropped in.  We also had frustrating views of a pipit towards the back of the pool, which I thought was a Rock Pipit, although we hadn’t seen it well enough to rule out Water Pipit.  We continued along the bank and after hearing Bearded Tits we had nice views of a juvenile and a male at the top of the reeds and when they flew they were joined by a third individual.  There were plenty of birds on the Freshwater Marsh, which included three Pintail, an Avocet, c.120 Golden Plover, a Grey Plover, circa sixty Knot, nine Dunlin, two Ruff, thirteen Black-tailed Godwits, 100 Bar-tailed Godwits and a Yellow-legged Gull.

Ruff

Ruff

Ruff

Ruff

There was a Little Egret, a Ringed Plover, four Grey Plover, twenty-two Dunlin, eight Black-tailed Godwit, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Greenshank, numerous Redshanks and a Turnstone on Volunteer Marsh.  The Tidal Marsh produced more waders with some still roosting following the high tide, which included three Grey Plover, a Knot, ten Dunlin, six Black-tailed Godwits and twenty-eight Turnstones.

On reaching the beach the tide had gone out some distance but the flat calm sea made it ideal for seeing any birds on the surface and we found a Common Scoter, seven Red-throated Divers, a Black-throated Diver and several Great Crested Grebes.  A Gannet flew west and there were two sizeable flocks of Knot on the beach and five Sanderling were observed in flight.

As we reached Volunteer Marsh on the way back a Peregrine flew over and causing some disturbance but it didn’t hang around and the birds soon settled back onto the lagoons.  We saw nothing additional as we made our way back and found out that the pipit we had seen earlier on Thornham Pool was in fact a Rock Pipit.

A brief stop at Choseley drying barns before we headed off home produced nothing of note.  We were a little disappointed in not connecting with any of the targets but had enjoyed a good day birding in beautiful weather and had recorded ninety-three species.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - October 1, 2015

David, Roger and I were out locally today and arrived at Eyebrook Reservoir from the southern end and stopped by the gate near the fishing lodge entrance.  We had seen a Red Kite and a Kestrel as we drove along the Stockerston Lane towards the southern turn for Eyebrook Reservoir but saw very little from the stop at the gate.  We then drove a little further and found two Little Egrets in the southern bay and there was a Chiffchaff in the hedge running northwest from the reservoir.  We checked the old oak but found there was no sign of the Little Owls and returned to the reservoir and parked near the bridge.  As we got out of the car we saw a couple of thrushes headed off to the north that we suspect might have been Redwing and a Siskin was also heard.  We then heard a Redwing call and saw to more thrushes heading north and then the Siskin called again and this time flew over our heads and headed off to the north.  In one of the bushes close to the bridge we found male and female-type Blackcaps and there was a Little Egret in the stream.  We drove further along the Rutland bank and parked in a gateway that overlooks a narrow strip of set-aside but unlike our previous visit it appeared bird-less, other than three Swallows flying over.  Moving a little further along the road to view the inlet we found just a single Ruff amongst the more numerous Lapwings.  There was also a single juvenile Shelduck, five Pintail and three Goldeneye on the reservoir.  David then said rather casually I have a good county year-tick before clarifying he had found a Spoonbill.  It was feeding in the stream but then disappeared as there was a bush that was obstructing our view.  Before we considered moving our position it flew out of the stream and came down amongst the gulls resting at the inlet and we were able to see that it was a juvenile bird.  It was only my second record for Eyebrook Reservoir, the first being on July 12^th, 1982, which was my first county record.

Juvenile Spoonbill alighting amongst the Black-headed Gulls

Juvenile Spponbill

A Red Kite flew over the field behind us and headed over the reservoir to the Leicestershire side where it joined two other Red Kites and two Buzzards that were soaring over a distant hill top.

We left Eyebrook Reservoir and headed for the fisherman’s car park on the Hambleton Road to see if we could find either the Red-necked or Black-necked Grebes.  On arrival there was a Buzzard over the car park and after walking back to the road we scanned the north arm and found the two Black-necked Grebes in Dickinson’s Bay but we were unable to find the Red-necked Grebe.  We then drove along the road by the cottage and after parking we scanned the fishponds and found a couple of male Scaup and a Yellow-legged Gull flew over.  Walking through the gate to view the north arm the seventeen Barnacle Geese and a Curlew were on the north shore and there were five Pintail in the bay to the south of the spit, with at least fourteen Little Egrets scattered around.

As I had seen a Rock Pipit at the dam on Tuesday, David was keen to go and have a look.  We parked near the style west of the dam and then walked the short distance to the pumping station to view the dam.  There were clearly fewer birds on the dam today but David did get on a Grey Wagtail just before it flew off and disappeared.  We continued scanning and then I heard a Grey Wagtail calling and it flew just below us before turning and flying back towards the rocks and disappeared.  Roger hadn't seen it and so we hung about a bit longer when I thought I could hear on again when Roger actually picked it up just before it appeared to land amongst the rocks.  I had also picked up a bird but it flew off high to the east before turning and disappearing and despite trying find the bird that had apparently landed on the dam it wasn’t seen again.  We eventually left the dam and heard for the Lyndon Centre where we thought we would have our lunch overlooking the feeders.

There were plenty of Blue and Great Tits visiting the feeders and eventually at least six Tree Sparrows were present.  David heard a Willow Tit call on a couple of occasions but it didn’t come in but just afterwards a Marsh Tit called, which did pay a brief visit as did a Coal Tit.  I then noticed a Buzzard soaring towards Manton Bay and David picked up a second bird, which turned out to be a juvenile Marsh Harrier.  There was also some disturbance with most of the Lapwings on the bunds near Manton Bay getting up and David found what he thought was a Peregrine flying below the flock.  He managed to get it in his scope, whilst Roger and I followed it with our bins, but he felt that the facial pattern was not sufficiently bold and that it also looked long-tailed.  Just after this it disappeared and we were unsure of its identity and wonder if it could have been a falcon Steve had seen recently, which was either a Saker or hybrid.

We finally decided it was time to get to the Egleton Reserve and after parking made our way to the Bird Watching Centre to view Lagoon One.  There were plenty of birds on the lagoon and we almost immediately noticed that both of the Great White Egrets were present at the back.  By far the majority of the duck were Wigeon but there were also smaller numbers of Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Pochard and Tufted Duck and also a single Pintail.  There were seven Curlew on the long island and a Greenshank and Redshank towards the back of the lagoon.  David also managed to locate one of the Stonechats at the back of the lagoon and a Buzzard was observed on Brown’s Island.

We eventually moved off to the northern lagoons and initially went into Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four but with most of gulls out of sight and no sign of any waders we moved onto Dunlin Hide to get a different view.  We hadn’t been in the hide too long when David said that the Peregrine was present and it was actually on the exposed area leading away from island seven, which was not its normal position.  When I viewed it through the scope it was clearly and adult, although there was some brown feathering on the upperparts perhaps suggesting it was a second year bird.  It was still a large bird and probably a female but clearly different from the juvenile I have been seeing recently.  On scanning the gulls they were mostly Black-headed but there was also good numbers of Common and Great Black-backed with smaller numbers of Lesser Black-backed and three Yellow-legged.  I then found a single Dunlin between islands six and nine and David picked four Ringed Plovers and then Roger found two more Ringed Plovers and two Dunlin.

We were hoping that the Bittern would put in appearance on Lagoon Three but we found it was extremely quiet from Shoveler Hide with not even a Green Sandpiper, which have normally been guaranteed.  It was still a little early and so we move onto Lapwing hide but saw nothing of note on either Lagoon Two or South Arm Three.  As we started walking back David heard a Cetti’s Warbler but not surprisingly Roger and I didn’t.  I stopped by the gap in the fence and it called again and this time I did hear but Roger still couldn’t despite it calling several more times.  A quick look from Crake Hide produced a Kingfisher sitting near the outflow from Lagoon Three.

We went back into Shoveler hide and settled down hoping for the Bittern but it failed to appear but we did find three juvenile Shelduck, four Goldeneye, a Snipe and a Reed Warbler.

We saw very little walking back to the car park but it had been a good day’s birding that had started well at Eyebrook Reservoir, particularly with finding the Spoonbill and we had seen a good range of species at Rutland Water, with perhaps the highlight being the Marsh Harrier.

Female Teal from Shoveler Hide