Sunday 29 November 2015

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - November 28, 2015

I was out on my own today and headed for Eyebrook Reservoir where there had been a drake Smew for the last two days.  I had two Red Kites on route, one between Tur Langton and Cranoe and the second near Stockerston Lane.  I approached Eyebrook Reservoir from the south and parked near the gate to the fishing lodge to view the fields to the north.  There were three Red Kites over the fields and a distant Buzzard was observed perched in a tree.  Other than nine Red-legged Partridges in the fields there was little else and I moved on to the island coral.

Something and clearly disturbed the Lapwings and there were several hundred flying around with a party of Dunlin amongst them and after they had landed I was able to establish that there were twenty-nine Dunlin.  The drake Smew had been observed in the bay to the north of the island but I could see very little from the coral and moved on to the fence overlooking the bay.  There were quite a few birds in the bay but most were directly into the sun and it was difficult to get a clear view.  I couldn’t make out the Smew amongst the more common wildfowl and eventually moved on to the view the old oak seeing both a Brambling and Sparrowhawk briefly on route.  It was no surprise seeing Little Owl again after seeing one on Tuesday.  I went back to the reservoir and parked close to the bridge where I found two Siskin and three Lesser Redpoll but the sun was making it difficult to view the reservoir and so I moved on to the Rutland bank.

As I drove around to view the inlet I could see that there were six Little Egrets on the bend in the stream and after parking found a few Lapwing and Dunlin and presumably they had returned from the southern section.  There was a concentration of gulls, which were mainly Black-headed with a few Common and I found three Shelduck amongst them.  I moved further long the bank but couldn’t find anything of interest and therefore moved off to Rutland Water.

I went to the Lyndon Reserve and viewed the feeders at the centre where there was the usual flow of Blue and Great Tits and two Coal Tits.  From Teal Hide I could see two Shelduck in Manton Bay, seven Little Egrets on the bund and a Redshank near Goldeneye Hide.  I viewed the feeders as I went back where a Willow Tit visited on a couple of occasions but other than a single Chaffinch it was much as before.  Back in the car park there were a few Fieldfare and Redwing and as I drove back to the road there was another mixed flock feeding in a field close to the road.


Egyptian Goose from Teal Hide


Pied Wagtail from Teal Hide

It was now clouding over after a bright start and so I went to view the North Arm from the end of the cottage road.  There were two Barnacle Geese on the north shore and a couple of Little Egrets on the bund as I walked down toward the point.  I continued into the field and found a couple of Dunlin and a Ringed Plover on the shore and a Redshank dropped in.  As I was scanning another birder joined me and just afterwards I found one of the Slavonian Grebes and shortly after that the other birder found the second.  We continued to scan and eventually found a single Black-necked Grebe but there was no sign of the Red-necked Grebe.  There was also another twelve Dunlin flying around and eventually all fourteen and the Ringed Plover finished up on the north shore.  There were another two Little Egrets along the northern shore and I found a couple of female Goosander in the fishponds.

The wind had increased whilst I was in the North Arm and I suspected the forecast rain might not to be too far away and so I went the Bird Watching Centre at Egleton.

There was a Great White Egret feeding along the southern edge of Lagoon One and I counted seventy-five Pintail but other wildfowl numbers were low.  I then found three Dunlin on the long island and three Curlew dropped in before Rick noticed three more feeding on the meadow and there was also a Buzzard visible on Brown’s Island.

I went back to the car for some lunch before walking to the northern lagoons with Graham and Rick.  We saw several Redwings as we walked down to the hide and initially went to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four.  The water level had risen further and other than a few gulls and Mute Swans there was very little else and so we moved on to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three.

The water level on Lagoon Three has dropped considerably and there were a few more birds than of late, including fourteen Pintail and four Pochard.  We made a quick visit to Smew Hide on Lagoon Two where there was another seventeen Pintail taking the total for the day to 106.  With little else and the weather beginning to take a turn for the worse, we went back to the centre.  On viewing Lagoon One again other than an increase in the number of Dunlin to seven and two Little Egrets it was pretty much the same as earlier and I soon called it a day.

Friday 27 November 2015

A day in West Norfolk - November 26, 2015

David, Roger and I set off for a day in West Norfolk and after picking Ken up at Uppingham we continued on to Thornham, where we were hoping to find some Shore Larks that had been present for a few days.  As we passed beyond Peterborough it became misty and between there and Docking we passed through several areas of mist and fog but just beyond Docking the mist cleared and it became bright and sunny.

When we arrived at Thornham we hadn’t seen anything too special on route but as we drove towards the parking area we found a couple of Rock Pipits.  Once we had kitted out we set off along the track towards Holme seeing a couple of Black-tailed Godwits and several Redshanks in the channels of exposed mud.  There was a party of circa twenty Linnets on the salt marsh and as we looked through them they flew to the far side but with several dropping into the vegetation just the other side of the creek.  We could only see a couple at first, which were clearly Twite but we eventually had five.  We continued along the track seeing a Little Egret and Grey Heron and there appeared to be Skylarks everywhere.  We eventually reached a track leading into the dunes, which we used to access the beach.  When we reached the beach we found a lark immediately but it was just a Skylark but then David noticed a couple of birds further along.  We got the scopes on them and were able to confirm that they were Shore Larks and soon realised that there were actually three.  As we walked towards them they were flushed a couple of times by a dog walker and eventually flew out of sight.  We continued on to try and see if we could locate them but we couldn’t see into the area very well and started to walk back only to find them on the beach closer to Holme.  We approached them slowly and with the sun behind us we were able to get quite close and had some excellent views and I took a few photos before they flew off back down the beach.














Shore Larks

Feeling pleased with the views of the Shore Larks we stayed a while scanning the sea.  We had fourteen Common Scoter in flight, eight Red-breasted Mergansers on the sea, Roger found a Red-throated Diver and then had twenty-four Gannets and two Kittiwakes.  There were a couple of Oystercatchers, eight Grey Plovers and sixteen Bar-tailed Godwits on the beach and seven Sanderling and a single Dunlin flew west along the shoreline. Other than a party of Pink-footed Geese feeding towards Holme we didn’t have anything else new as we walked back to the car.


Brent Geese over Thornham


Brent Goose over Thornham


Skylark at Thornham

Our afternoon plan was to visit Snettisham where a juvenile Pallid Harrier had been performing yesterday and there was also news of a Waxwing on Beach Road just off the A149.  As we approached Hunstanton we noticed several partridge in a roadside field, which turned out to be five Grey Partridge.

On parking on what we thought was Beach Road at Snettisham we pulled into a small parking area hoping to see the Waxwing.  There were plenty of berries on one side of the road but there was but as there was no sign of the Waxwing we decided to have our lunch before moving on to the RSPB reserve at Snettisham.  With still no sign of the Waxwing we moved off towards Snettisham and then realised we were on Common Road as we reached Beach Road and so drove back a long Beach Road to the A149.  However another birder informed us that it hadn’t been seen for a while and so we went to the RSPB Snettisham reserve.

After parking we set off to the far end of the reserve to hopefully catch up with the harrier, which had been showing well this morning.  As we walked along the side of the pits we saw very little as the tide was well out but there were c.2000 Golden Plover on the exposed mud.

On reaching the viewing point we learnt that the harrier had flown off to the south and hadn’t been seen for a couple of hours.  A Spoonbill on the salt marsh was little as compensation as we settled down hoping that the harrier would return.  We did see a ring-tailed Hen Harrier on a few occasions to the south of the viewing point and there was a male, which we saw on a couple of occasions over the salt marsh, where there was also a couple of Marsh Harriers.  As we continued to scan I had views of two Sparrowhawks, one passing quite close and a Stonechat was also found and six Whooper Swans passed over.  As we were beginning to think we might be unlucky with harrier there was some excitement to our left as a ring-tailed harrier appeared from the north.  It was soon confirmed that it was the Pallid and it performed very well and not too far away.  It spent some time flying around obviously trying to disturb something amongst the dense vegetation but without success it eventually came to rest on a fence post.  After a brief period it flew around again but again returned to a different post after another unsuccessful sortie but this time was almost out of view.  With news of four Waxwings at the site where we had taken lunch, David, Roger and I set off back to the car agreeing that Ken would follow in ten minutes.












Juvenile Pallid Harrier

We walked back at a steadier pace seeing a couple of Goldeneye on the pits and several Pintail out on the tidal mud.  Ken caught us just after and apparently the harrier had flown again but this time just flew away.  We saw another Goldeneye as we continued and c.2000 Pink-footed Geese had come off The Wash and headed in land.

When we got back to the area where we had taken lunch we were informed that the three Waxwings were present just a few minutes earlier and were advised to view the area from the main road.  There was no sign of them when they suddenly flew in and landed at the top of polar and we were able to get good views.

It had been an excellent day with both target birds being seen with a good supporting cast in what had been a fine day weather wise, particularly during the morning.

Wednesday 25 November 2015

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - November 24, 2015

It was dry and overcast after some overnight ran as I set off for Eyebrook Reservoir seeing a Red Kite after passing through Blaston.  I approached the reservoir from the northern end and found a Little Owl in the old oak, which was my first sighting here since the end of June.  I continued on to the bridge at the inlet where I had a couple parties of Fieldfare pass over and a single Redwing.  There was also a single Little Egret feeding in the stream and a Kingfisher flew along the stream and passed over the bridge.

Mike then arrived and after a brief chat I went further along and stopped to view the inlet where I counted thirty-four Golden Plover and twenty-five Dunlin.  I made a final stop near the Stoke Dry car park and found the Slavonian Grebe that had been present for a few days.  There were clearly more wildfowl present today, particularly Tufted Duck, which have been pretty scarce recently but there was at least several hundred.  I also saw a Red Kite and a couple of Buzzards during the visit.

I decided to go to Lyndon at Rutland Water and after parking went to view the feeding station.  As usual there was a constant flow of Blue Tits with smaller numbers of Great Tits and single Coal and Marsh Tits.  Unusually there was a House Sparrow and a single Tree Sparrow made a brief visit, along with several Chaffinches, two Greenfinches and a Reed Bunting.  Mike had also arrived and I joined him on the other side of the centre and as we continued watching the feeders the activity tailed off and shortly afterwards a Sparrowhawk flashed through.  Just before we set off towards Wader Scrape Hide we found the House Sparrow along with three Tree Sparrows in the bushes to the left of the feeders.

We had seen a few Fieldfares and a couple of Redwing in the car park and as we started to walk along the track a Green Woodpecker flew over.  We saw a second Green Woodpecker as we were approaching Tufted Duck Hide and as the rain had got a little heavier we went into hide.  From the hide I found one of the Great White Egrets in Heron Bay but other than a Little Grebe just in front of the hide and two Little Egrets on the bund there was nothing else of note.  As the rain eased we continued on to Wader Scrape Hide seeing quite a few more Fieldfare and an odd Redwing feeding in the hedgerow alongside the track and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over.  We were in the hide for a while as the rain had become heavier again but all we found of any note were three Shelduck.

The rain eventually eased and so we set off back to the centre seeing a nice party of five male and two female Bullfinches feeding on willowherb seeds.  As we approached the locked gate to the car park we saw a couple of birds drop briefly into the vegetation at the side of the track before flying off again and I suspected that they were Lesser Redpoll but wasn’t certain.  We searched the car park but couldn't find them and so decided to go and view South Arm Three from Teal Hide.  As we were passing the centre Mike found a bird feeding in the willowherb, which turned out to be a Lesser Redpoll and as we moved our position slightly we found four.  Other than a Great White Egret near Goldeneye Hide on Lax Hill and drake Goosander in South Arm Two we saw little else from the hide and set off for the North Arm.

We walked down the lane from the cottage and through the gate to view the North Arm and found Bob returning to his car for a coffee.  He had seen both of the Slavonian Grebes and a single Black-necked Grebe and also a couple of Goosander and a Green Sandpiper in the fishponds and also mentioned that there was a party of Dunlin on the far shore.  We scanned the shore with Bob and found thirty Dunlin but there was no sign of the Black-necked Grebe.  Bob went back to his car and Mike and I continued on to the end of the spit so as to get a better view of the arm hearing a Redshank and then seeing it in flight over the water.  There was another Redshank to the right of the spit and I counted forty-seven Pintail.  I then found the two Slavonian Grebes just off the fisherman’s car park, one appeared to be roosting whilst the other dived.  As I continued looking at the roosting bird I noticed another bird close to it, which I initially thought would be the other Slavonian but soon realised that it was the illusive Red-necked Grebe.  I called Bob who came back to the view the Red-necked and as we began scanning again for the Black-necked Grebe he found a male Red-crested Pochard just off the end of the spit.  I then found the Black-necked Grebe out in the centre of the arm towards the tower but we could only locate two Barnacle Geese amongst the mass off Greylags on the north shore.  Mike and I looked for the Green Sandpiper in the fish ponds but were unable to find it and after a bite to eat headed to the Egleton Reserve.

There were another fifteen Pintail on the Lagoon One and eight more Dunlin on the long spit but the only bird new for the day was a single Curlew.  As we set off towards the northern lagoons it started to rain again but we managed to reach Lapwing Hide without getting too wet and saw Sparrowhawk on route.  A red-headed Smew and a Scaup had been reported from here earlier and we soon found a male-type Scaup amongst a party of Tufted Duck.  We watched this bird for quite some time, although we did lose it on several occasions as it dived.  Potentially it looked like an immature male but there was just something about it that casted doubt in my mind and I suspected that it was possibly a hybrid.  However before we had come to a final conclusion the flock took to flight and landed considerably further away and we were unable to relocate it.  I had checked Lagoon Two on several occasions as the Smew had been on there earlier but there was no sign, although there was another male and two female Goosanders.  A Great White Egret was also visible near Brown’s Island where there was also six Pintail.  Mike then found the red-headed Smew amongst a party of duck some considerable distance away and although the views were rather disappointing we had at least found it.  It had been raining most of the time we had been in the hide and it suddenly got a lot worse with a torrential downpour, which made it very difficult to see the more distant birds.  It eventually eased and we went to Smew Hide on Lagoon Two to see if we could find the Green Sandpiper that had been reported earlier but other than a Redshank we found nothing else.

We moved on to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three where we found another Redshank and a Knot along with five more Pintail.  A brief visit to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four produced seventy-five Golden Plover and five more Dunlin but another look at Lagoon Two from Grebe Hide just produced the Redshank and no Green Sandpiper.  With the light now fading and rain looking likely again we set off back to the car park.

Sunday 22 November 2015

An afternoon in Northwest Leicestershire - November 21, 2015

There was a fresh northwest wind today and there was a light covering of snow on the roofs first thing and noticeably colder than of late.  David had decided he wasn’t going out and Roger and I waited to see if there were any reports locally before venturing out.  There were several reports of Kittiwakes inland but nothing in Leicestershire & Rutland and so we decided to go and see if there was anything on the northwest reservoirs.

Cropston Reservoir was the first site we visited where the water level was quite low.  There were plenty of Cormorants and Great Crested Grebes on the water and the odd Mallard and three Goldeneye and there were plenty of Black-headed Gulls over the water and around the shore but the only other gulls were a few Common and a single Lesser Black-backed.  Roger did locate three Green Sandpipers on the southern shore and there were a few Lapwings at the inlet along with a single Grey Heron.

We stopped on the causeway at Swithland Reservoir where I found a single Pink-footed Goose amongst a small party of Greylags.  As I scanned the south west edge looking for Mandarin Duck I was surprised to suddenly find quite a concentration and counted twenty-eight with most being males.  There was also a good selection of wildfowl in the north east corner that included Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal and Shoveler.  Feeling we had exhausted the southern section we drove around to Kinchley Lane to view the northern section from the dam.  Initially there appeared to be very little but something disturbed the birds, which was a large brownish looking falcon.  We watched as it flew over the water and up over the quarry where it was mobbed by a male Peregrine but we still unsure of the identity of the larger bird, which was probably a juvenile female Peregrine but we couldn’t rule out a hybrid of some kind.  As we looked back towards the viaduct there were more birds on the water and Roger noticed that one of the swans was a Whooper and shortly afterwards found a female Scaup amongst a party of Goldeneye.  He then found four Dunlin on the shore, which are quite unusual at this site with my last sighting being a single bird in September 2011.

Our final port of call was Cossington Meadows where we were hoping to see a Short-eared Owl.  We hadn’t been there many minutes when I found one quartering one of the meadows.  We walked further along the path and eventually had some excellent views of two birds that performed rather well for most of the time we were on site.







Short-eared Owls

Friday 20 November 2015

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - November 19, 2015

Today I was out locally with David and Roger and we headed off initially towards Eyebrook Reservoir seeing a party of circa eighty Fieldfares just after passing through Slawston and a Red Kite as we approached Blaston.  As usual there was no sign of the Little Owls at Eyebrook Reservoir and I think it is highly likely that they have now deserted the old oak.  We only stopped very briefly at Eyebrook Reservoir seeing a couple of Shelduck and Little Egret but very little else.

From Eyebrook Reservoir we headed off to the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water seeing a Buzzard before reaching Uppingham and then another Red Kite over the town.  As we were getting kitted out in the car park we saw a single Fieldfare feeding on some red berries and a heard a Song Thrush singing.  An inspection of the feeders produced a Marsh Tit along with several Blue and Great Tits and a single Goldfinch.  From Teal Hide there was a couple of distant Little Egrets and a Grey Wagtail was observed just in front of the hide.  Another inspection of the feeders as we returned produced a Willow Tit and we also found a Tree Sparrow perched in the bushes.  As we started to walk towards Wader Scrape Hide we flushed several birds that were feeding on the willow herb.  They only flew a little further along the track and we could see that there were two Lesser Redpolls along with several Goldfinch.  A Green Woodpecker then flew west just the other side of the hedgerow and we had a nice mixed party of Fieldfare and Redwing as we approached Deep Water Hide.  One of the Great White Egrets was observed in Heron Bay and a second Grey Wagtail flew over.  A Red Kite was observed as we walked down the path to Wader Scrape Hide and from the hide we found a Black-tailed Godwit in Manton Bay along with a couple of Little Egrets but there was little else as the water level in the bay is now considerable higher than the reservoir.  Not long after we had arrived a party of volunteers appeared near Deep Water Hide with the aim of getting the cattle into the pens near the path.  With most of the birds taking to flight we thought it would be a good time to head back to the centre.  David thought he heard a Siskin and on close inspection of a couple of alders near the path I found two amongst a party of Goldfinch.  They all eventually flew and we then found the two birds perched at the top of some poplars and when they flew there were actually five.  David thought he had heard a Kingfisher as we walked down and so we decided to call in Tufted Duck Hide and saw a Treecreeper as we approached the hide but other than distant views of the Black-tailed Godwit we saw nothing else of note.

On reaching the car park the plan was to go to Sykes Lane car park to look for a Great Northern Diver that had been reported on both Sunday and Monday.  We called at Normanton on route but there was no sign of the Mandarin and we just saw three Little Egrets.

On reaching Sykes Lane we realised just a cold the wind was and all we could find were a few Goldeneye and Cormorant and so moved on to Whitwell.

We were more sheltered from the wind at Whitwell and as we walked down to view the Main Water we saw three Great Spotted Woodpeckers.  We hadn’t been scanning too long when David announced that he had found the Great Northern Diver and we were able to see it rather distantly towards the dam.

There was no sign of any of the grebes from Dickinson’s Bay but I did count eleven Pintail and there was a single Little Egret with a Yellow-legged Gull flying over.  However as we were unable to get shelter from the biting wind we soon moved, heading for the cottage to view the North Arm from the end of the road.  We saw a Buzzard as we drove down the Stanford Road towards the Hambleton turn and by the time we parked near the cottage it was raining.  After sitting in the car for a few minutes the rain was still falling and as it was quite steady we took an early lunch.

Once the rain had stopped we located sixteen Barnacle Geese on the north shore before walking down towards the end of the spit to view the southern bay from the meadow.  David soon picked up a Black-necked Grebe and then found the Slavonian Grebe and we then noticed a third bird, which we assumed would be the second Black-necked but on closer inspection we found it to be a second Slavonian Grebe.  Amongst the waterfowl there was clearly a fair number of Pintail and I counted sixty-three and there were two Dunlin feeding on the shore.

On reaching the centre we found another seventeen Pintail on Lagoon One but other than a distant Stonechat there was very little else.  Our walk to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four produced very little with a Goldcrest being the best.  On Lagoon Four there was c.300 Golden Plover and a juvenile Peregrine was sitting on a post on one of the islands.  With little else we moved to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three where a Bittern and Short-eared Owl had been seen yesterday.  The number of birds on the lagoon remains very low with just a couple of Mute Swans and several, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler and three Goldeneye.  There were also a few Moorhen and several roosting Cormorants and a Sparrowhawk flew quite close to the hide before settling briefly and I saw a calling Cetti’s Warbler very briefly at the base of the reeds just in front of the hide.

With no sign of the Bittern or Short-eared Owl we called at Osprey Hide to check out Lagoon Two for the owl but there was still no sign and so we made our way back to the car park.  As we walked alongside the first meadow I caught site of a bird in the now very poor light that turned out to be a Barn Owl, which was my first sighting here since May and an excellent end to a good day’s birding. 

Tuesday 17 November 2015

A morning at Rutland Water, Rutland - November 15, 2015

I went to Rutland Water today to help with the monthly WeBS count and is is usual I was assigned South Arm Three.  Whilst we were waiting for the other counters to arrive there were fourteen Barnacle Geese visible in the north arm and thirty-five Egyptian Geese and three Redwings flew over.

As it was so windy today I decided that I would count the arm from Lapwing Hide as it would have been very difficult from the Old Hall.  A singing Chiffchaff as I approached the hide was unexpected but I was unable to locate it as it was keeping low out of the wind.  There were quite a few birds along the shore along the green Bank and as the water was quite choppy that made them quite difficult to identify and count.  However the birds on the southern shoreline were at lot easier being sheltered to some degree from the wind.  There was nothing really special, with four adult Shelduck perhaps being the most unexpected, although they do normally begin to return during November.  Other birds seen were Mute Swan, Egyptian Goose, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen and Coot and there were also five Little Egrets and three Grey Herons.

Having completed my count I joined Terry in Shoveler Hide but lagoon three at present is very disappointing with just a few Cormorants, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard and Shoveler and a single Goldeneye being present.  Lagoon Two was a little better with a good range of wildfowl but nothing unusual.

I left Terry to finish counting Lagoon Two and went to the Bird Watching Centre to hand in my count numbers and view Lagoon One.  There were twenty-two Pintail on lagoon one but like the other lagoons very little else.  As I was leaving Terry arrived saying he had seen a pair of Stonechat after I had left him and so I went to Grebe Hide in the hope of seeing them but drew a blank.  Tim had reported a Great Northern Diver from the dam but as it was my oldest granddaughter’s birthday I was going out for lunch and had to call it a day.

Friday 13 November 2015

A day in West Norfolk - November 12, 2015

David, Ken, Roger and I set off for West Norfolk for a day’s birding and headed for Titchwell with the intention of calling at Choseley Drying Barns first.  We saw a Red Kite as we approached Glaston in Rutland and then had a couple of Buzzards, one near the A43 roundabout and the other as we approached Guyhirn.

When we arrived at Choseley it felt rather cool in the light southerly breeze and as there was no sign of any Grey partridge or Corn Buntings we soon moved on to Titchwell.

As we were getting kitted out I found a Chiffchaff close to where we were parked but there was very little else.  We checked the book in the centre and found that a Hen Harrier and Rough-legged Buzzard had already been seen and so after a brief stop to look unsuccessfully for a Brambling at the feeders we set off down the West Bank.  David and Ken had gone on ahead of Roger and I and when we reached the area overlooking Thornham Pool they had already located a pipit they thought was a Water Pipit.  Roger and I soon found the bird in question and agreed that it was a Water Pipit and we eventually had two but other than a Pied Wagtail and two Meadow Pipits there was little else on the now dried pool.  A Little Egret was feeding along a channel to the right and two more flew over and David then picked up a distant Marsh Harrier.  Roger had been scanning the fence line to the south and found the Rough-legged Buzzard perched low down amongst some scrub and David then picked up another harrier coming in from the right, which we identified as a juvenile Hen Harrier.  We continued to scan the area hoping the Rough-legged would fly when I picked up a distant Short-eared Owl just after which Ken announced the Rough-legged was flying.  It didn’t go too far and landed in a tree slightly closer to Thornham and there was also a Buzzard soaring over the tree with a Jay appearing to mob the Rough-legged.  I had noticed a male Kestrel perched on one of the tall posts and another observer picked up another falcon near the old building on Thornham Marsh.  Initially I suspected that it would be the Kestrel but when it landed on the building we weren’t at all sure and suspected it could be a Merlin.


Record shot of the juvenile Hen Harrier

David, Roger and I decided to move along the track to try and get a better look at the falcon on the building, leaving Ken watching the Rough-legged hoping it would fly again.  On reaching Island Hide a few other birders were discussing the identification of the falcon, with one saying he had seen it in flight and that it was a Peregrine.  However it didn’t appear large enough to me and the back appeared quite pale grey and the underparts were quite pale streaked rufous.  After more debate I was convinced it was a male Merlin, with David and Roger both in agreement.  Shortly afterwards it flew and reinforced our identification and all present were then convinced that it was a male Merlin.

There was some work going on near Parinder Hide and consequently most of the birds had moved away and towards Island Hide.  By far the most common bird was Teal but there was also reasonable numbers of Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard and Shoveler and four Pintail.  Black-tailed Godwit was the most numerous waders but there was also eight Avocets, forty-four Dunlin, a couple of Snipe and a few Redshanks.  As we continued to scan the Freshwater Marsh David picked up a falcon coming towards us and as it got closer we identified it as a Merlin and initially assumed it to be the male, particularly when it came to rest on the building on Thornham Marsh.  However it looked darker and less colourful than the male seen earlier and some photos I fired off confirmed it was actually a dogged female, with its plumage being very worn.


Female Merlin

We decided to go to the beach before returning to the car for lunch and found a Greenshank on the Volunteer Marsh and the Tidal Marsh produced a second along with our first Grey Plover and there were three roosting Spotted Redshanks as we approached the beach.


Spotted Redshanks roosting on the Tidal Marsh

The tide was well out and there was usual collection of waders feeding on the shore, including a dozen Knot and a few Sanderling amongst the more numerous Oystercatchers, Bar-tailed Godwits, Redshanks and Turnstones.  The sea was pretty quiet with just a few Great Crested Grebes and a female Red-breasted Merganser on the sea and three Gannet and a Goldeneye in flight off shore.  Ken had caught us up and had seen a Stonechat on Thornham Marsh but were unable to relocate it as we made our way back for lunch.

After a bite to eat Ken, Roger and I set off for Patsy’s Pool whilst David had forty winks.  On reaching the viewing screen the water level was much higher than when I was here in October and there were certainly fewer birds with just a couple of Snipe being worthy of note.  As we started to make our way back to the West Bank, David joined us, and we spent some time observing the Freshwater Marsh again where I found a couple of Ruff, which we hadn’t seen earlier.  A second visit to the beach produced a number of Common Scoter mainly moving west and presumably being moved by the incoming tide and Ken also found a male Red-breasted Merganser.  As we walked back to the car the Greenshank on the Volunteer Marsh provided some excellent photo opportunities but other than possibly four Marsh Harriers coming in to roost and further views of a Short-eared Owl on Thornham Marsh we saw nothing else of note.  As we were having a coffee in the car park we added Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tit to our day list and found possibly the same Chiffchaff as seen earlier in the fading light.


Dunlin on the Freshwater Marsh


Brent Geese over Thornham Marsh


Black-tailed Godwit on the Volunteer Marsh


Greenshank on the Volunteer Marsh


Greenshank on the Volunteer Marsh


Greenshank on the Volunteer Marsh


Greenshank on the Volunteer Marsh

It had been an excellent day’s birding and perhaps one of the best mornings I have had at the reserve, particularly the birds of prey.

Tuesday 10 November 2015

A twitch in Derbyshire - November 10, 2015

My normal activity on a Tuesday is to visit Rutland Water but with a Crag Martin at Chesterfield over the last two days I had delayed my start in the hope it would reappear this morning.  Ken had drive to David’s and we had agreed that we would go if it was present this morning, however the first news was negative as it had not been seen.  I gave it another thirty minutes in the hope that it would still turn up but with still no further news by eight forty-five I decided to head off to Rutland Water.  I went via David’s as Ken wanted to follow me to Rutland Water.  As we drove through Tur Langton David called but the call dropped out straight away and so I reviewed the messages on my Bird Guides app and established it was still there.

A quick turnaround soon saw us back at David’s and after picking Roger up we headed off to Chesterfield.  We arrived in Chesterfield at about 10:30 and after parking walked the short distance to the crooked spire church where it was being seen.  As we arrived in a car park opposite the church another birder informed us that he had been watching it just a few seconds ago but that it had flown off.  Despite this being its normal pattern it was still an anxious wait before it returned.  When it did appear I was surprised to see how quick it flew around the church and it was quite difficult to watch as it kept disappearing around the church and several other buildings.  Most of the time the views were against the sky and few details could be observed, but it was clearly quite a stocky bird with pointed wings.  Its flight was mainly on flat wings twisting and turning at great speed but without too many noticeable wing-beats.  It was greyish-brown above and dirty white below, which appeared to darken towards the rear.  Two field marks the dark under-wing coverts and white windows in the tail were seen occasionally but its rapid flight made then difficult most of the time.  The pattern of flying around the steeple for a period and then disappearing was repeated on several occasions and several times it looked as though it was going to land on the steeple but always seemed to change its mind and continued flying.  On one occasion after it had disappeared, it became apparent that some birders were watching it on the steeple and on moving our position we were able to get views of it perched on a ledge near one of the clock faces.

It remained perched for quite some time before eventually taking to flight again as the clock struck.  On the ledge the upperparts were greyish-brown with noticeably darker flight feathers and it appeared a little darker around the eye.  The tertials and some other coverts were finely edged whitish, which perhaps suggested that it was an immature.  We returned to the car park to view it in flight and I was able to watch it as it flew off some distance to the north east at which time we decided to leave and head for home.



Crag Martin

A Sparrowhawk and a Grey Wagtail were also observed whilst we were in the car park.

Wednesday 4 November 2015

A day at Rutland Water, Rutland - November 3, 2015

It was quite misty when I left home this morning and remained so all day, which impacted on the visibility throughout the day.  I initially headed for the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water, seeing a Little Egret on the River Sence at Wistow on route.  When I arrived I checked the feeders out but there was very little just a procession of Blue and Great Tits and so I set off down the track to Shallow Water Hide.  I had just started to walk alongside the first field when I noticed a Green Woodpecker on the second power cable pole, which then flew off over the field before I flushed a second off the field as I continued along the path.  As I approached Deep Water Hide, which is currently under reconstruction, I saw a few Fieldfares and as approached closer they continued to come out of the hedge and fly up the field and there was at least seventy.  As I was observing the Fieldfare I saw my only Tree Sparrow of the day when it flew into the top of one of the trees and two Song Thrushes were my first for several weeks.  Other than a few Bullfinches I saw nothing else of note before reaching the hide.

As I opened the flaps on the hide I was surprised to find that the water level had risen considerably and presumably the sluice gate had been raised as the reservoir level was still lower.  There were seven Snipe and a Black-tailed Godwit to the left of the hide and two Redshanks to the right but the area is now much less suitable for waders.  There were also fewer birds on the water, particularly Pintail of which I only saw four.

As I set off back towards the centre I saw a couple of Redwing and then had another eight fly over near Wader Scrape Hide.  When I reached the centre I rechecked the feeders but again it was mainly attracting Blue and Great Tits, although I did see a Coal Tit and a single Chaffinch.  A small party of Tufted Ducks just in front of the centre contained a rather drab looking male Red-crested Pochard.

As I headed up the track towards the road Steve and Terry were driving down and they had already done the North Arm, Barnsdale, the Dam and Normanton and based on their sighting I decided to head to Barnsdale.

They had seen Marsh Tit, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Lesser Redpoll near the bottom of the road and the Black-necked Grebes in the North Arm.  After parking I stopped to overlook the area of scrub and found the male Blackcap and a Lesser Redpoll but there was no sign of either the Marsh Tit or Chiffchaff.  I counted seven Pintail in Dickinson’s Bay but there was nothing else of note.  I moved to view the North Arm hoping to find the Black-necked Grebes but the mist made quite difficult and there was no sign of them or of the Red-necked and Slavonian Grebes present on Saturday.

I eventually went to the end of the cottage lane to view the North Arm.  As I walked down the spit I flushed a couple of Shelduck off the near shore and counted thirty-nine Pintail just to the right of the spit.  I scanned the area for a while seeing only the seventeen Barnacle Geese and the escaped Fulvous Whistling Duck on the north shore and as I was beginning to feel quite cold and decided to return to the car for some lunch.  Whilst I was having my lunch Steve and Terry arrived and after we had finished lunch we walked back down the spit, this time armed with a pair of gloves.  After viewing the Fulvous Whistling Duck Steve then found a Yellow-legged Gull and Pink-footed Goose on the north shore and after walking to the end he then found the two Black-necked Grebes.  The grebes were not too distant and it wasn’t surprising I hadn’t seen them from Barnsdale but perhaps should have seen them on my first visit to the spit.  After seeing a Nuthatch and a fly over Lesser Redpoll near the cottage we went to the Egleton Reserve.

With little else Terry and Steve went to Shoveler Hide and I continued on to Lapwing Hide to see if I could see either of the Great White Egrets that had been reported from Fieldfare Hide earlier today.  However there was no sign but there were ten Little Egrets in the corner of South Arm Three and another four along the southern shore line.  There were three more Pintail on Lagoon Two as well as another three Little Egrets bringing the total for the day to twenty-three.  I then joined Steve and Terry in Shoveler Hide but other than three Pintail, a flyover Sparrowhawk and a Redshank there was little else.  Terry finally called it a day and a short while afterwards with the Starlings not wanting to perform tonight I also called it a day, seeing a Treecreeper on route back to the car.

Sunday 1 November 2015

A day Rutland Water, Rutland - October 31, 2015

It was quite foggy when I left home today and after a brief stop at Newton Harcourt I made my way to Eyebrook Reservoir seeing a Red Kite near Cranoe on route.  When I arrived at Eyebrook Reservoir I found David who had been there some time and had seen very little and so we decided we go the North Arm at Rutland Water.

Roger joined us in the north arm and after looking a few Redwings and a Mistle Thrush near the cottage we made our way out to the spit.  There were plenty of geese on the north shore, mainly Greylags but also Canada Geese, seventeen Barnacle Geese and a few Egyptian Geese.  There had been Red-necked, Slavonian and Black-necked Grebe in the north arm yesterday but the misty conditions were making viewing difficult.  David and I moved to the end of the spit, seeing a Yellow-legged Gull before David felt he had found the Red-necked Grebe but all we could see were Great Crested Grebes but as I scanned to the right I found the bird again, although the views were not great.  Roger and Malcolm, who had also arrived, joined on the point and then both David and Roger located the Slavonian Grebe but again the views were rather poor due to the mist.  Other than six Pintail we saw nothing else of note and David and Malcolm went to the fisherman’s car park on the Hambleton Peninsular to try and get better views of the grebes, whilst Roger and I went to Dickinson’s Bay to look for the Black-necked Grebes.

After parking on the lane we walked through the gate to view the bay and soon located the two Black-necked Grebes amongst the numerous other birds, that included Wigeon; Gadwall; Teal; Mallard; Pintail; Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe and Coot.  David then called to say that he and Malcolm had managed to get better views of the grebes and to ask if we had found the Black-necked Grebes.  They were hoping to see them from the car park and so I gave David an indication as to where they were but shortly afterwards Malcolm appeared as they hadn’t been able find them.

Roger and I then made a brief stop in the Barnsdale car park where we had a Nuthatch and three Siskin before returning to the north arm.  When we arrived we found Norman and another birder looking unsuccessfully for the grebes.  As I started to scan the area with the scope virtually the first bird I saw was the Slavonian Grebe and it was now much closer and in better light.  Having got everyone on it I started to look a little further out and found the Red-necked Grebe and also got everyone on to it.  We then moved to view the north shore hoping to find a couple of Pink-footed Geese that have been present for a few days.  Roger soon found one of the birds but it was partially hidden and I then found the second bird, which again was partially hidden by Greylags.  As we continued to scan Norman found a Redshank and Roger located a pair of Red-crested Pochard.

We made our way to the Egleton car park where we had lunch before going to the Bird Watching Centre.  Rick who was also having lunch joined us in the centre along with Graham, who had already located one of the Great White Egrets and a Buzzard.  There were six Pintail on the lagoon and I found four Snipe roosting together and then Roger found a fifth.  As I continued to scan I found a couple of Dunlin but there was no sign of the Ruff David had seen earlier.  Eight Curlew suddenly appeared on the long island and we assumed that they must have dropped in without being noticed.

As Roger and I walked to the northern lagoons a Siskin flew over and landed in a tree briefly near the Badger Hide before continuing and we had seen little else by the time we reached Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four.  However on entering the hide we found it to be full and after having a quick look at Fulvous Whistling Duck and a Peregrine I went to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three.


Again there was a bit of a crowd but still a few spaces although it soon became apparent that there weren’t too many birds, except for Teal.  There was a single Redshank feeding amongst the Teal and two Snipe near the old raft, with five Pintail close by.  A Bittern had been on view for about ninety minutes yesterday but there was no sign today but two Water Rails were observed and one rather well and a second Redshank appeared.


Redshank on Lagoon Three


Redshank over Lagoon Three

David left to watch the Rugby World Cup Final, which Roger was also intending to do and Malcolm left for the North Arm hoping for the Red-crested Pochard.  I decided to go to Crake and Lapwing hides but found very little from either with seventeen Goldeneye being the best.  After making my way back towards Shoveler Hide I decided to go on to Bittern Hide in the hope of seeing either a Bittern or the very elusive Bearded Tits.  There had been quite a lot of clearance work done in to the left of the hide with several tracks into the reedbed but unfortunately the reeds to the right have not been cut and the excellent views of the lagoon after last year’s work were not realised.  With just a Wren, Dunnock and a few Reed Buntings being seen I went back to Shoveler Hide.


Grey Heron from Crake Hide

I found Colin and Chris in Shoveler Hide but there still hadn’t been any sign of the Bittern.  As we sat hoping for the Bittern to appear, which it never did, more and more Starlings began arriving and by the time I left there must have been several thousand giving some excellent entertainment as they flew around in formation.  A Sparrowhawk was also observed and it was probably hoping for a late supper before going to roost.  But with the light fading I final called it a day.