A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - March 28, 2015

As I was getting ready to leave home this morning I heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming in the trees at the bottom of the road but couldn’t locate it from the drive.  A second bird then began drumming from another tree about two hundred meters away and when I scanned the tree for the second bird found it almost immediately.  They both continued to drum but despite several further scans I still couldn’t locate the first and nearer bird.

As usual I headed for Eyebrook Reservoir first before going to Rutland Water and arrived at the southern end just about as the morning rain was stopping.  I had seen very little on route except for several sightings of Red-legged Partridge, seeing seven alongside the road.  I arrived at the southern end of Eyebrook Reservoir and found a single Tree Sparrow in the bushes near the old feeding station.  As I drove around the western edge of the reservoir I saw another twelve Red-legged Partridge and assumed that the overnight rain had encouraged them to feed on the roadside verges.  I called at both corals but saw very little from either, except for two Pintail at the northern end.  I eventually went to check out the old oak for Little Owl and found a single bird sitting in its normal position.  There were also over one hundred Fieldfares in the field but I could only find two Redwings amongst the flock.  I stopped on the eastern side overlooking the intake and was surprised to find a male Goosander resting on the shore of the stream, as they are quite scarce here these days.  There was also a Ringed Plover and three Dunlin feeding on the exposed mud and there were six Shelduck between the inlet and the Stoke Dry car park.  With little activity at the feeding station I left Eyebrook Reservoir and headed for Rutland Water.

I arrived in the north arm at Rutland Water in still very murky conditions and a freshening wind.  There was a single Shelduck on the north shore and two were in the bay on the south shore as was a single Redshank but there was very little else.  Still not having seen an Osprey this year I stayed quite a while seeing at least six Buzzards over Burley Wood but nothing else.

I headed for the Egleton Bird Watching Centre and was going to have a quick look on lagoon one and then walk to Snipe hide on the Wet Meadow and Shelduck hide on lagoon five before Roger arrived mid to late morning.  However he called before I had set off to Snipe and I felt it would be a bit rushed to go there as it would only take him about fifty minutes to get here and I therefore stayed in the centre.  There was very little with a pair of Shelduck, a couple of Pintail, an Oystercatcher and about twelve Sand Martins being the best.

I walked back to the car park when I thought Roger should be arriving and timed it to perfection as he arrived just as reached the gate.  Roger was hoping to catch up with the summer plumage Red-necked Grebe and we were advised that it was still present and was quite close.  I got my camera and we set of to the end of the Hambleton Peninsula and walked to the south shore of the north arm.  There was no sign of any close birds when we arrived and the only Tufted Ducks, which it was apparently with, were just of Armley Wood.  As we scanned west down the north arm Roger picked the grebe up some distance beyond the Tufted Ducks and the views were rather disappointing.  Roger suggested that we should walk to Armley to get a better view but after a discussion we decided it would still be quite distant and returned to the car.

We headed for the north arm and as we arrived at the end of the road there was some heavy rain for a while and we were both pleased we hadn’t walked to Armley Wood for the grebe.  As forecast the rain didn’t last too long and we walked further down the spit to view the north arm.  We couldn’t find the hope for Pink-footed Geese and other than a Curlew and a couple of Redshanks we saw nothing else.

We headed back to the Egleton car park and after some lunch went to the Bird Watching Centre to view lagoon one.  There were now four Pintail and three Curlews and I could see another two Shelduck on the Wet Meadow along with a Little Egret.

Grey Heron on lagoon one

Grey Heron on lagoon one

Grey Heron on lagoon one

The weather was now much better although it was still quite windy and we set off to the northern lagoons.  A birder returning said they hadn’t seen a Black-tailed Godwit that was present earlier and so we continued on to Bittern hide hoping to see it from there but all we could find of note were a couple of Shelduck.  Being close to plover hide on lagoon four we made a visit and found a single Ringed Plover resting on island three and two Oystercatcher on island five.  Just as we were about to leave the Ringed Plover took flight only to be joined by a second with them both settling on island two.  Roger found several more Ringed Plovers but there was very little else and so we went to Shoveler hide on lagoon three to see if the Black-tailed Godwit was there but we had the same result as we did from Bittern hide.

Muntjac in the Egleton Meadows

Muntjac in the Egleton Meadows

Great Crested Grebe on lagoon four

We called at sandpiper hide on lagoon four and we hadn’t been in there too long when the party of resting gulls all took to flight and a quick scan produced an Osprey amongst them.  It looked as though it was going to land on one of the perches but decided not to as the gulls continued to harass it.  Most of the gulls did not return whilst we were in the hide but I did see least five Ringed Plovers, two Dunlin and two Redshank and there was also six Pintail and circ forty Shoveler on the lagoon.  As we scanned Burley Wood I saw a Red Kite and several Buzzards and I picked up a party of c.200 Golden Plovers wheeling around in the distance.

Brian who was in the hide with us said that he had seen the Black-tailed Godwit before he came to sandpiper hide and so Roger and I went back to Shoveler hide and I found it almost immediately feeding on the shore of the small pool.  There were also two Oystercatchers, which were presumably the same as those seen on lagoon four, a Snipe and a Curlew.

A final visit to the centre produced nothing new, although there were perhaps a few more Sand Martins than earlier.

I called at Eyebrook Reservoir on route home to check out the gull pre-roost.  I initially had a look from the Rutland bank at the inlet finding that the three Dunlin were still present at there were also five Snipe.  There were quite a few gulls assembled and so I drove around to the Leicestershire bank and the coral to get a better view.  There was nothing unusual as they were mainly Black-headed and Common Gulls, although there was a couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls.  All of a sudden they all rose together and headed off presumably to Rutland Water.  A few minutes passed and then another lot dropped in that were again mainly Common Gulls but also both Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls but this time they only stayed a few minutes before heading off.  A third lot arrived but this time came down a little further to the south but these had no sooner assembled before they were up and way.  The Ringed Plover was found again and two Oystercatchers and a Redshank were found with three Little Egrets flying in, presumably to roost and a Red Kite was over Stoke Dry Wood.

I finally called it a day and headed home seeing nothing of note.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - March 26, 2015

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

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

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

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

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

A day in Norfolk - March 25, 2015

David, Roger and I set off this morning hoping for Goshawks at a Norfolk watch point.  We had three Red Kites and a Buzzard before we had left Leicestershire & Rutland but then saw very little else of note, except for a Great Spotted Woodpecker near Peterborough.  We parked in the lay-by at the watch point and saw there was another group of birders further down the road but we stayed in the normal view point.  There was a Red Kite and several Buzzards showing behind us and I then noticed a large party of Chaffinch that were dropping in the field and I was pretty sure I saw the white rump of a Brambling.  The birds were quite restless and kept flying back into the trees after a brief excursion on to the ground.  Roger then found a Brambling on the ground but before David and I could get on it they were all back in the trees.  However I then found three when they dropped down again and David eventually managed to find one as well.  There was also ten Fieldfare and a single Yellowhammer.  As we continued to scan the trees we saw three Sparrowhawks, at least eight Buzzards and a Kestrel.  Roger then picked up two birds some distance off and quite high, that were clearly accipiter-type birds.  As we watched we could see that they were clearly a pair of Goshawks but unfortunately they drifted further away before disappearing.  We had heard a Woodlark calling earlier and decided eventually to go up the road to see if we could find it.  I had just placed my scope on the other side of the road to David and Roger when I saw an accipiter fly out of the wood just in front, which was a female Goshawk.  I alerted David and Roger and we had some superb views of the bird as it gained height before passing out of sight to our left.  The there was no sign of the Woodlark and so we decided to make tracks for the coast.

As we set off we had some discussion as to whether to head for Weybourne or Burnham Overy Staithe as there had been both Garganey and Lapland Bunting at Weybourne.  However as it was now quite breezy we felt that the Lapland Buntings would be quite difficult at best from the cliff top and headed for Burnham Overy Staithe.  By the time we arrived there was less cloud and it was bright and sunny although feeling a little cool.  As we scanned the marsh we found a Red Kite, three Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, at least six Buzzards and a Kestrel.  Roger then found two Grey Partridge on the other side of the road, which I only saw in flight as they were flushed by a farmer spraying the field.  I then found another two on the opposite side of the road and this time we all saw them despite the heat haze.

After a bite to eat we moved off to Titchwell intending to call at Choseley before going to the RSPB reserve.  However as we approached the turn for Choseley there was a sign indicating that the road to Hunstanton was closed and so we went straight to Titchwell.  We heard a Chiffchaff calling in the car park and found five Ruff and a Redshank on Thornham Pool, which is still drained.  There was a Little Egret on Thornham Marsh and two Marsh Harriers were observed over the reedbed.  Roger then found a pair of Red-crested Pochard coming down one of the narrow channels just before they disappeared into the reeds.

The Fresh Water lagoon was pretty full with few areas suitable for waders and consequently there weren’t many, mainly just a few Avocets but also an Oystercatcher, two Dunlin, two Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew and Redshanks.  There was a good variety of ducks with Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler and a couple of Pintail.

Volunteer Marsh was a little better as it was low tide and we had more Avocets, Grey Plovers, six Knot, a Bar-tailed Godwit, more Redshanks and two Turnstones.  The final marsh produced, more Grey Plovers, another Knot, several more Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks.

Avocet on the Volunteer Marsh

Avocet on the Volunteer Marsh

Avocet on the Volunteer Marsh

Bar-tailed Godwit on the Volunteer Marsh

Redshank on the Volunteer Marsh

Redshank on the Volunteer Marsh

Redshank on the Volunteer Marsh

The sea was relatively quiet with just a single Fulmar, a Long-tailed Duck, a Common Scoter, eight Red-breasted Mergansers and a Great Crested Grebe.  The shoreline held more Oystercatchers, two Ringed Plovers, a Sanderling, several Bar-tailed Godwits, Curlew, Redshank and a few Turnstones.

Adult summer Black-headed Gull on the beach

Female Linnet on the beach

Male Linnet on the beach

Male Linnet on the beach

Male Linnet on the beach

We walked back along the west bank towards the centre stopping at regular intervals.  There were more Pintail on the first marsh going back with two providing excellent photo opportunities and a Water Rail was observed bathing.

Drake Pintail on the Tidal Marsh

Female Pintail on the Tidal Marsh

Adult summer Herring Gull on the Tidal Marsh

As we walked back there were other opportunities for photos in some excellent light and David heard Bearded Tits call on a couple of occasions and I was fortunate in getting a brief sighting as one as it dropped into the reeds.

Curlew on Volunteer Marsh

Curlew on Volunteer Marsh

Meadow Pipit on Thornham Marsh

Meadow Pipit on Thornham Marsh

When we got back to the car park we felt we hadn’t seen as much as we sometimes do and perhaps there wasn’t the number of birds but the range must have been close to what we normally see with sixty-six species being recorded.

We left Titchwell and headed for Choseley in the hope of seeing a Corn Bunting but there were just a few Yellowhammers around the drying barns.  A pair of Grey Partridge was our third sighting of the day and a brief view of a Merlin as it flew across one of the fields before disappearing behind a hedge was an excellent bird and a good note to make our way home.

David decided that we had time to go via Eyebrook Reservoir but we only stayed for a few minutes, seeing a Dunlin and five Snipe at the inlet.  As we started to leave and head for home I noticed a Barn Owl sitting on one of the roadside posts but as we approached it flew off towards the south of the reservoir.  A quick stop at the old oak also produced a single Little Owl and we left having added a few species to our day lists.  However at the turning to Glooston just after passing through Cranoe we had another Barn Owl hunting along the roadside.

It had been an excellent days birding in which I recorded ninety-eight species.

A day at Rutland Water, Rutland - March 24, 2015

I went straight to the north arm at Rutland Water this morning seeing very little on route.  I parked along the cottage road and whilst changing my boots two Great Spotted Woodpeckers flew over but all I saw from the end of the road were three Shelduck and a Buzzard.  I therefore moved to south arm three and walked west along the track where I found the Slavonian Grebe fairly close in and was surprised to see how much it had changed since last Thursday.  I then found three Scaup, a male, an immature male and a female but there was no sign of any of yesterday’s Sand Martins.  I then noticed that the Slavonian Grebe had come in closer and so I walked further to try and photograph it and managed to get a record shot.

Slavonian Grebe

As I started to walk back I found a red-headed Smew, two Oystercatchers flew by and four Curlew were visible at the base of Lax Hill.  I called Terry, who was in the north arm, to let him know what I had found and he had found the two Pink-footed Geese and seen a couple of Sand Martins.  After getting back to the car I drove the short distance to the fisherman’s car park and scoped the far shore and found the two Pink-footed Geese resting on the grass bank with several Greylag Geese.  I then went back to the end of the cottage road but all I found was a single Redshank and there was no sign of the Sand Martins.  There were now four Ospreys back and so I remained in the north arm scanning Burley Wood in the hope that one might appear.  I saw a couple of Red Kites, two Sparrowhawks, at least six Buzzards and two Kestrels but there was no sign of an Osprey.

I eventually moved on to the Egleton Centre and started to walk towards the Wet Meadow when Terry called to say that he had found the Red-necked Grebe back in its normal place and it was now in full summer plumage.  I did an immediate about turn and drove the end of the Hambleton Peninsula, seeing ten Fieldfare in the field to the right, before I walked to overlook the north arm.  I couldn’t find it initially but eventually found it further into the north arm and what a superb bird they are in their summer glory.

On my way back to the centre I parked near the fisherman’s track and walked back into the south arm as Terry had seen several Sand Martins earlier.  I saw a single Chiffchaff as I walked along the back of lagoon three but there was no sign of the hoped for Sand Martins.

On reaching Egleton I set off for the wet meadow again seeing another Chiffchaff just after leaving the centre.  There were just eight Shelduck on the meadow and a single Pintail, another three Shelduck and fifteen Pintail were visible on lagoon one and I also found six Dunlin on one of the exposed areas of the long island.  As I left the hide two Chiffchaffs were observed trying to establish their territories with one either side of the path from the hide.

I continued on to Shelduck hide on lagoon five and viewed lagoon seven from the hide ramp before entering it but all I found was a single Shelduck.  From Shelduck hide there was a Little Egret and a Redshank on the close islands and as I scanned I found the Greenland White-fronted Goose feeding with some Greylag Geese on the top of the bank.  They were then disturbed by someone walking around the cycle track and came onto the lagoon when I had some nice views of the Greenland before they flew off onto the field behind the lagoon.  There were also two Shelduck and a single Oystercatcher on the lagoon.  I informed Terry about the White-fronted and decided to walk around to see if I could get any better photos, whilst it was in the field.  Although it was one of the closest birds it was a little too far away and seemed quite lazy as it sat eating vegetation just around it.  Terry and Mike joined me but as we were watching it we had the first of several afternoon showers.

Greenland White-fronted Goose with two Greylag Geese on the bund

Greenland White-fronted Goose on lagoon five

Terry went off to Snipe hide whilst Mike and I returned to the car park where I had my lunch before setting off to the northern lagoons.  As I approached Redshank hide on lagoon two another shower passed through, which was quite wintery, and I took shelter in the hide.  Another birder was in the hide and after a few minutes he spotted a bird of prey over lagoon one, which turned out to be a female Marsh Harrier.  I called Terry who was in grebe hide and was able to pick it up but a call to Tim didn’t have the same result as he was unable to find it from harrier hide.  As the hail and rain eased the harrier had gained height and was joined by a Red Kite and both were then watched interacting as they continued to gain height.  I eventually lost both of them and I presumed that the harrier had moved on.

I continued on to sandpiper hide on lagoon four where I joined Terry and we found twelve Shelduck, four Pintail, a Little Egret, an Oystercatcher, five Ringed Plovers, a Dunlin, a Snipe and two Redshank.  Scanning Burley Wood we saw Red Kite, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard but still no Osprey but the Sand Martins eventually gave themselves up and I had at least six.  Whist we were in the hide the worst of the afternoon weather occurred when we had a rather prolonged wintery shower, which brought down quite a few gulls but there was nothing unusual, with most being Common with smaller numbers of Black-headed and a single Lesser Black-backed.

At the first opportunity we set off back towards the car cark and I went into the centre whilst Terry went back to the north arm.  There was nothing new in the centre and so I also went back to the north arm and arrived just as Terry was leaving.  He stopped briefly when he found our only Goosander of the day, which was a female.  I had a coffee before I set off for home seeing nothing of note.

It had been a pretty good day as I had recorded seventy-eight species, which included a year tick, Sand Martin, and a County year tick Marsh Harrier.

An afternoon visit to Great Glen, Leicestershire - March 20, 2019

Dave telephoned to let me know that he had seen a pair of Willow Tit and two Grey Wagtails from the sewage works footpath and so I decided to go and have a look.

I heard a Chiffchaff and a Grey Wagtail as I approached the sewage works but there was no sign of the wagtails on the filter bed and the only bird I saw was a Reed Bunting.  I continued along the path and heard another Grey Wagtail just before I met Dave coming the other way, who informed me he had just been watching two on the edge of the stream.  I continued on with Dave to where we normally walked to but there was no sign of the Willow Tits but we did see a couple of Chiffchaffs.  We then walked slowly back seeing a couple of Buzzards to the south and on reaching the filter beds we saw a Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, two Meadow Pipits and a couple of Chaffinch on the beds.  Whilst we were watching these Dave heard the Willow Tits call twice but I couldn't hear them and so we continued on back towards the road.  We spent quite some time searching the last part of the hedgerow without success, seeing a Goldcrest and three Bullfinches.  Dave decided to go home while I went back along the path again, although there was still no sign of the tits but I did have another Buzzard and two Goldcrest and both Grey Wagtails were on the filter beds as I walked back.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - March 19, 2015

I was out with David and Roger today and we initially went close to Gartree Prison as there had been a Wheatear in the field to the east yesterday.  We saw a Buzzard perched alongside the Great Glen bypass on route, however there was no sign of the Wheatear this morning but we did have a flock of circa seventy Golden Plover flying over the field.

With no sign of the Wheatear we set off for Eyebrook Reservoir and arrived at the southern end where we found four Tree Sparrows near the old feeding station and a Little Egret and a Dunlin were at the island.  A stop at the northern corral produced just four Shelduck but nothing else and so we checked out the Little Owls but again there was no sign.  From the Rutland Water we found eight Shelduck but the only wader was a single Lapwing and there was a Buzzard over Holyoaks Wood.

Feeling we had exhausted Eyebrook Reservoir we went to Barnsdale to view the north arm.  There was a Goldcrest and Chiffchaff hawking insects as we walked down to view the water and there was another Chiffchaff near where we stopped to view.  Roger soon picked up the two Black-necked Grebes and there was a female Scaup quite close with a group of Tufted Duck.  Although there were a few geese on the far side of Dickinson’s Bay we could only see Greylag and Canada Geese.  As we walked back there were three Chiffchaff hawking insects, which made it four in total.

We then headed for Hambleton and dropped down to the Old Hall to view the south arm.  I picked up one of the Great Northern Divers straight away but there was no sign of the second bird.  The news was that the Slavonian Grebe was showing well just a short walk into the south arm three.  When we arrived at the spot we found that the grebe had gone further out but it gradually came back towards the shore and provided some excellent photos opportunities, despite the poor light.

Slavonian Grebe

Roger then found a nice male Red-crested Pochard, which was my first sighting since January 1^st, when there were six males in the north arm and we had our fifth Chiffchaff as we walked back to the car.

We called at the western end of the north arm where there were two female Goosander and the three Barnacle Geese on the north shore.

After some lunch in the Egleton car park we checked the Egleton feeding station where a Marsh Tit obliged before we checked out lagoon one from the centre.  A Snipe and a Dunlin were observed in flight over the lagoon with both heading off towards Lax Hill.  There were three Shelduck and five Pintail on the lagoon and we then picked a party of Dunlin in flight as they landed on one of the islands.  Roger scoped them and confirmed that there were nine.

We heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming and saw a Bullfinch and Treecreeper and had four Curlews in flight as we walked to the northern lagoons.  We decided our best option was to go to plover hide on lagoon four and hopefully avoid the chilly northerly wind.  I checked to the right of the hide and found a male and two red-headed Smew in the corner.  As we scanned the lagoon I counted eight Shelduck, twelve Pintail, two Little Egrets and four Ringed Plovers.  David then picked a party of waders in flight and we eventually established that there were two of the Ringed Plovers and ten Dunlin.  Roger then found a third red-headed Smew in the corner and I picked up a forth close to Dunlin hide.

Drake Smew

Being close to Bittern hide we made a visit and were rewarded with a Water Rail, which called several times before Roger found it skulking in the reeds.  Two Buzzards soaring over the wood behind the reedbed was our only sighting today and there were two more Shelduck and a pair of Pintail between Bittern and Shoveler hides.

Female Gadwall on lagoon three

Male Mallard on lagoon three

We returned to the centre for a further look over lagoon one and saw several Dunlin still on the islands and an additional three Shelduck and two Pintail were visible on the Wet Meadow.  Roger noticed a Barn Owl sitting outside the nest box close to the poplars and a male Sparrowhawk flew in front of the centre before heading off over lagoon two.

As there appeared to be little else at Rutland Water we decided to call at Eyebrook Reservoir again on the way home.  We had both Coal and Marsh Tit and a Great Spotted Woodpecker on the feeders and there were six Dunlin at the inlet and a Red Kite was observed to the west.  There were plenty of gulls assembling at the pre-roost that included all five common species but there was nothing unusual and we finally called it a day having recorded eight-four species.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - March 17, 2015

It was a little misty when I left home for Eyebrook Reservoir and it remained so for most of the day, although it did brighten with some hazy sunshine by late afternoon.  On route to Eyebrook Reservoir I saw a Buzzard on the dead tree as I approached Cranoe and after passing through Slawston there was a Barn Owl sitting in what had previously been a Little Owl site.

A parked overlooking the inlet at Eyebrook Reservoir and was surprised that I couldn’t find a single Lapwing and there were no other waders on view.  There was a Little Egret in the stream and eight Shelduck between in the inlet and the Stoke Dry car park and a Red Kite was observed over the field just east of the bridge.

With little else I moved off across country to Normanton at Rutland Water and then walked towards the church.  There was a drake Mandarin in the fishing harbour and I found a Chiffchaff feeding close by.  I called in at the old Luffenham airfield, which had been excellent for Wheatears and other migrants last year but the golf practice was devoid of birds except for two Common Gulls.

The Lyndon Centre is now open as the first Ospreys are expected to return any day now.  In fact the Manton Bay female returned on this day last year but there was no sign this morning.  I did walk down to the new wader scrape hide to view Manton Bay and although I saw plenty of birds as I walked down there was nothing unusual.  The new hide is excellent; it’s even got padded seats, as it provides an excellent view of the bay.  The area directly in front of the hide has been cleared out and the narrow channels are now clearly visible.  There was nothing of note in the bay but there was another Chiffchaff feeding amongst the reeds along with a couple of Wrens and two male Reed Buntings.

Wren from Wader Scrape Hide

I called at Tufted Duck hide on route back to the centre but there was nothing of note, although a summer plumaged Little Grebe did provided some nice photo opportunities.

Little Grebe from Tufted Duck Hide

Little Grebe from Tufted Duck Hide

Little Grebe from Tufted Duck Hide

Egyptian Goose from Tufted Duck Hide

Coot from Tufted Duck Hide

As I continued to walk back I saw a Green Woodpecker as it flew from the last meadow before the centre, there was another Chiffchaff in the last piece of scrub and there were at least six Tree Sparrows on the feeders.

As I was leaving the centre I saw John Wright and spent quite some time talking to him about is autumn trip to Georgia, which sounded absolutely incredible, both in terms of numbers and species.  I would recommend his blog, Wrights Wanderings, which has some super photos of the birds (http://wrightswanderings.blogspot.co.uk/).

I left Lyndon and headed for the Egleton Reserve and after parking went to the centre to check the book.  There wasn’t too much in the book but the Greenland White-fronted Goose had present on lagoon one earlier and so I went upstairs to take a look.  As I scanned through the Greylag Geese on the islands I picked up a likely candidate and when I got the scope on it, it turned slightly to reveal its white blaze.  There was also four Dunlin on the islands and three Shelduck and four Pintail on the lagoon.

After checking the feeding station and having brief views of a Marsh Tit I set off to Snipe hide on the Wet Meadow.  There were eighteen Shelduck, most on the flash, which appears to be a preferred location for this species at present and there was also seven Pintail on the flash.  The only other birds of note on the meadow were two Little Egrets and with little else I moved on to Shelduck hide on lagoon five.  A quick scan of lagoon seven before entering the hide produced nothing but from the hide I found two Ringed Plovers and three Dunlin and heard Oystercatcher but couldn’t locate it.  As I left the hide I had a longer scan of lagoon seven and found three Shelduck, a Pintail, a Dunlin and a Redshank and I did find two Oystercatchers on lagoon five from the 360° hide.  A quick check of lagoon one from Mallard hide produced nothing new.  As I was almost back at the car park, Terry called to ask where I was and to let me know he had just had a male Marsh Harrier close to the badger hide but it had unfortunately headed off towards lagoon three and four.  A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over the car park and a Goldcrest was observed whilst I was having my lunch.

Female Reed Bunting at the Egleton feeding station

Again there were plenty of common birds in evidence and I did have a couple of Redwing and Treecreeper, which I initially heard singing, as I walked along the path.  As I walked through the gate near sandpiper hide the phone went and it was Terry again who said he had a distant grebe but was unsure as to what it was, either Slavonian or Black-necked.  I wasn’t too far from Lapwing hide and so I joined him.  The grebe was right up against the green bank and Terry had done extremely well picking it up as it was persisting in keeping close to some bushes and diving quite frequently.  After watching it for quite some time we agreed that it was a Slavonian Grebe and probably the one I had seen on Friday in south arm two.  Terry then picked up a female Scaup amongst a party of Tufted Ducks and then both Great Northern Divers.  The divers were resting and preening on the surface and it is the first time I had seen both birds together this winter.  The general consensus has been that there was probably only one still there but clearly they have both been here and are just very difficult to locate.

I visited sandpiper hide on lagoon four with Terry where we found a Little Egret, five Ringed Plovers, four Dunlin and two Redshanks and I also counted another nine Shelduck, twelve Pintail and thirty Shoveler.  A pair of Egyptian Geese was observed escorting three goslings.  Terry departed and went around to plover hide where I found a single red-headed Smew.  Quick visits to Bittern and Shoveler hides before returning to the centre produced very little and certainly nothing of note.

There were now seventeen Redwings feeding in the first meadow and I saw another Great Spotted Woodpecker near Redshank hide.  I then had a very brief view of a Water Rail as it stepped out on the path, presumably on its way to the other side of the stream, but quickly shot back when it saw me.  A quick look form the centre produced a single Curlew in flight.

Terry had seen the two Pink-footed Geese in the north arm near Dickinson’s Bay but when I got to the fisherman’s car park there was just single Greylag and Canada Geese on the shore.  From the end of the road at Tim’s cottage I saw three Barnacle Geese, three Oystercatchers and plenty of Black-headed and Common Gulls but very little else.

I called at Eyebrook Reservoir again on the way home finding a couple of Snipe but there were fewer gulls this evening with most being either Lesser Black-backed or Herring Gulls with a few Black-headed.

On route home I had a Buzzard just before the Horninghold turn, which was almost my last bird of the day.

I had seen a good range of birds today with eighty-three species recorded including a few highlights but I am still waiting to see my first Sand Martin.

A morning in Northwest Leicestershire - March 14, 2015

I had planned to visit the northwest of the County this morning and called at Cropston Reservoir first but there was very little, just a few Great Crested Grebes, Mallard and Tufted Duck.

I soon moved on to Swithland Wood and with the southern car park still closed I drove around towards the village to park in the northern car park.  I then walked through the wood almost to the southern car park and was rewarded with a Tawny Owl in the holly tree, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers observed and another five heard drumming, a couple Marsh Tits, two Nuthatches and two Treecreepers as well as hearing a Jay.

After my circular walk through the wood I headed for Swithland Reservoir and stopped on the course way where there were far fewer birds than normal and nothing of note.  The northern section was a little better with a drake Scaup, summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe, two Buzzards and a Raven being seen.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland and Northamptonshire - March 13, 2015

I was out with Roger today and with the Waxwing still being present we went to Corby first to see it.  When we arrived we found Dave who had seen the bird but after hearing it call he had been unable to relocate it.  Malcolm had told me yesterday that it did disappear at times but would return to feed in the bush it was in last night.  After about twenty minutes it flew back into the top of the trees across the road and then flew towards the small bush before veering off and landing in the trees opposite.  It remained in the trees for several minutes but eventually came to the small bush and immediately began feeding on the berries, provided some excellent views before flying back across the road.

Waxwing

Having seen the Waxwing superbly well we moved off and headed for Eyebrook Reservoir.  As we turned and headed for Great Easton there was a Red Kite over the road and we stopped at a roadside tree just beyond the village hoping for a Little Owl.  There was no sign of the Little Owl but we did have seven Fieldfares and a couple of Redwing in the field behind the tree.

When we arrived at Eyebrook Reservoir we headed for the northern corral and counted twelve Shelduck and found a Snipe and a Redshank.  We then checked the old oak for a Little Owl without success and we saw very little from the Rutland bank, a single Red Kite being the best.

Kestrel at Eyebrook Reservoir

Kestrel at Eyebrook Reservoir

Appearing to have exhausted Eyebrook Reservoir we headed off to the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water.  On arrival we inspected the feeders, seeing at least nine Tree Sparrows, before walking east beyond Gibbets Gorse to view the south arm and hopefully the Great Northern Diver.  We were on the point of giving up when I picked it up almost in South Arm Three.  We then saw it several times between dives and at one point it appeared to becoming closer but the next time we saw it, it had moved considerably further away.  When we walked down from the car park we had heard a Chiffchaff but it stopped singing and we were unable to locate it but as we walked back it was singing again.  However as we approached the area it stopped singing again but this time we were more persistent and after a few minutes it started singing again and we found high up in one of the tallest trees.  After some lunch we drove the short distance to Egleton seeing a Buzzard as we turned towards the village and then a Sparrowhawk as it flashed across the road heading down the first of the streets.

After parking we checked the book in the centre and then headed off towards lagoons five and seven.  We had a quick scan of lagoon seven as we went up the ramp to Shelduck hide on lagoon five but there was nothing unusual.  From Shelduck hide we found a couple of Little Egrets, a pair of Oystercatchers and a Redshank and there was a Red Kite towards Egleton.  On leaving the hide we checked out lagoon seven more carefully and found three Shelduck, seven Pintail, a Green Sandpiper and two Redshanks.  As I had seen the Great White Egret in Heron Bay on Sunday we decided to go to heron hide to take a look.  We saw both a Red Kite and Buzzard close to lagoon six and an Oystercatcher on lagoon eight with two more on Lax Hill.  When we reached the hide there was no sign of the Great White Egret and there was very little else in the bay and with the sun making if difficult looking towards Manton Bay we headed off back towards the centre.

Male Reed Bunting at the Egleton feeding station

Little Egret over lagoon five

We called at Snipe hide on the Wet Meadow and there were sixteen Shelduck and seven Pintail on the flash with a Little Egret and a Curlew on the Wet Meadow and a nice male Sparrowhawk perched on a post between the meadow and lagoon one.  There were another two Pintail and at least twelve Dunlin on lagoon one and as we were watching these Steve joined us in the hide.  Roger and I were about to leave when Gerry called Steve to inform him that he had found a Red-necked Grebe from heron hide and we thought that we should have perhaps persisted longer earlier as we headed back to the hide.  When we arrived Gerry apologised as he had made a mistake as it wasn’t a Red-necked Grebe but a Slavonian Grebe, which wasn’t really a problem as it was a County year tick.  We called Erik to let him know about the grebe and he indicated that he would join us soon.  Although he was cycling from Oakham we all decided after forty minutes we couldn’t wait any longer and Roger and I set off for the centre, whilst Steve and Gerry headed for Goldeneye hide.  As we approached the cycle track we saw Erik who was standing at the end of the track.  We were surprised he didn’t come towards us but on getting to him he had unfortunately had a puncher and was having to almost carry his rather heavy bike.  He was talking about walking back to Oakham with it but we convinced him he better off leaving it at the centre and then coming back and repairing the puncture on site.  Roger even offered to take him home so he could back tonight and get it fixed today but he declined as he wanted to see the grebe.  I had a text from him latter saying he had seen the grebe and was hoping for the Waxwing tomorrow.