A day at Rutland Water, Rutland - September 29, 2015

My plan this morning was to view the North Arm at Rutland Water from Barnsdale in the hope of seeing the Red-necked and Black-necked Grebes and also hoping that yesterday’s juvenile Arctic Tern would still be present.  However when I reached the Stamford Road it was closed for resurfacing and it wasn’t possible to get to Barnsdale without following a lengthy detour.  I therefore started at the end of cottage road and found a Green Sandpiper in the fishponds.  As I was scanning the fishponds Steve arrived and we walked through the gate to view the north arm.  There were just two Barnacle Geese on the north shore and Steve picked up a perched Red Kite in Burley Wood and circa eighty House Martins over the wood.  There was a Yellow-legged Gull on the bund and eight Curlew were feeding on the south shore.  There was very little on the main water and we couldn’t locate either of the grebes or the tern.

Steve went off to do a mini version of his normal tour of the reservoir and I went over to the Lyndon Reserve.  When I arrived I checked out the feeders where there few birds, mainly Blue and Great Tits but there was also a Coal Tit and a single Tree Sparrow.  I checked South Arm Three from Teal Hide but like the north arm there were few birds and certainly nothing of note.  I then set off to Sallow Water Hide but it was particularly quiet this morning, although I did find a couple of Chiffchaffs quite close to the hide.  From the hide I found three Ruff and two Redshank and one of the Great White Egrets was on the Heron Bay bund.  I counted thirty Pintail in the bay and there was also good numbers of Wigeon, Shoveler, Pochard and Coot with small numbers of Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe and Great Crested Grebe.  As I walked back I scanned South Arm Two close to Tufted Duck Hide where there was a mass of wildfowl, which were mainly Tufted Duck but there was also another Yellow-legged Gull on the bund.  As I approached the centre there was some activity on the right of the path and few birds were feeding in several large bramble bushes and after a patient wait I found two more Chiffchaffs.

Wigeon grazing in Manton bay

Whilst I had been in Shallow Water Hide Stave had called to say he found a Rock Pipit and Yellow Wagtail at the dam and a few minutes later I received a text to say that there were two Rock Pipits.  Ken had also called to say he had arrived and so I went to Egleton and after a brief discussion we decided to go to the dam to hopefully find the Rock Pipits.  Having parked at the side off the road near a style we walked the short distance to the dam and began scanning the rocks.  We could see several Pied Wagtails but initially we saw very little else but I then noticed some pipits some distance along the dam.  They were out of view for most of the time and also very distant and so we decided to walk along the dam to get closer.  As we walked across the dam we saw plenty of Pied Wagtails and also a couple of pipits but mostly in flight and on the one occasion I did get a view of one perched I was sure it was a Meadow Pipit.  We had several views of the Yellow Wagtail but most were in flight and all of the birds appeared very restless.  We finally got back to the pumping station and decided to have another go scanning along the dam from there.  Pied Wagtails were fairly obvious and eventually I saw what I thought was a good candidate for a Rock Pipit but it was only showing intermittently and very briefly each time.  I got Ken onto the right area and eventually we managed to get reasonable if distant views of the bird and were satisfied that it was one of the two Rock Pipits.  Having seen a single Grey Wagtail we eventually managed four.

After returning to the Egleton car park and having a bite to eat we went to the Bird Watching Centre to view lagoon one.  Steve was also back and informed me that there was a Greenshank at the back of the lagoon but other than that and one of the Great White Egrets there was little else.  As we sat in the viewing the area a Sparrowhawk flew over but with little else Steve went off to Wigeon Hide and Ken and I set of towards the northern lagoons.

We walked around to Dunlin Hide on Lagoon Four where we found the juvenile female Peregrine devouring a prey item and there were also nine Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin.  There were plenty of gulls to the left of the hide, mainly Black-headed but there was also Common, Lesser Black-backed, Herring and Great Black-backed and a single Yellow-legged Gull.  There were few other birds on the lagoon although we did see a single juvenile Shelduck and three Pintail.

Black-headed Gull over Lagoon Four

A Bittern has been reported on Lagoon Three the last few evenings and I was planning to stay a little later in the hope of seeing it.  Ken and I therefore set off with a view of calling at Crake and Lapwing Hides and making Shoveler hide our last port of call.  As we approached the path leading to Shoveler Hide, Ken had a brief view of Jay, which we then found perched on top of a hawthorn bush and I was able to get a few photos before it flew off towards lagoon two being followed by a second bird.

Jay

Jay

Jay

Jay

Other than six Little Egrets there was very little from crake and a Yellow-legged Gull in South Arm Three was the only thing of note from Lapwing Hide.

On reaching Shoveler Hide we found two Green Sandpipers to the left of the hide and there were two juvenile Shelduck on the far island.  At one point the hide became congested but eventually, after Ken departed, I had the hide to myself.  Scanning the reedbed with the scope I had picked up two Chiffchaffs as they moved through the edge of the reeds and as I followed them the Bittern appeared from the opposite direction.  I was then able to follow it as it moved slowly right, at the edge of the reeds, when it was up to its belly in water and at times appeared to swimming.  However as it approached a Grey Heron, also at the reed edge, it moved deeper into the reeds and I didn’t see it again.  Just after it disappeared Tim arrived but all we managed to locate was a distant Reed Warbler and eventually with both called it a day.

An early morning at Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - Septemver 28, 2015

I put the moth trap out last night but it was a bit colder than I was expecting and consequently I only trapped and identified twenty moths of eight species.

The following were recorded: Light Brown Apple Moth [1]; Canary-shouldered Thorn [1]; Dusky Thorn [1]; Silver Y [1]; Lunar Underwing [4]; Large Yellow Underwing [6]; Lesser Yellow Underwing [5] and Setaceous Hebrew Character [1].

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - September 26, 2015

I was out with David and Roger today and we called at Eyebrook Reservoir first and approached the reservoir from the southern end.  As usual we stopped at the gate to the fishing lodge where we saw three Red Kites and two Tree Sparrows.  We drove to view the old oak but as usual there was no sign of any Little Owls but there was another Red Kite quite close to the tree.  We returned to the bridge at the reservoir where we found a couple of Chiffchaffs and I heard a Treecreeper as I walked back to the car.  I drove and pulled in at one of the farm gates, seeing a couple of Little Egrets in the stream, and whilst waiting for David and Roger I viewed and narrow strip of set-aside.  There were a few birds in the area and I saw Dunnock, a Tree Sparrow, several Linnets, a couple of Yellowhammer and several Reed Buntings.  I then joined Roger a little further down the road as he had found a couple of Snipe.  We moved a little further along the road to view the inlet and although there is now a good expanse of mud the only waders we could find were Lapwings and a single Ringed Plover.  There was plenty of wildfowl on the water that included Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard and Tufted Duck and there was a single juvenile Shelduck close to the inlet and a Ruddy Shelduck towards the island.  There was also a small passage of Skylarks with several small parties observed and three Swallows and thirteen House Martins were also observed on the move.

We eventually left Eyebrook Reservoir and headed for the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water.  On arrival we checked the feeding station but found the feeders quite low but there was still circa twenty Tree Sparrows and a constant stream of Blue and Great Tits visiting.  We walked down the track as far as Shallow Water Hide seeing four Chiffchaffs as we did so but there were noticeably fewer birds than during my recent visits.  As we approached Shallow Water Hide a Red Kite flew over and from the hide I counted twenty-six Pintail and David picked up a drake and a female-type Red-crested Pochard.  There was also seven Ruff and a single Green Sandpiper and three Little Egrets in the bay.  We called at Tufted Duck Hide on the way back to the centre and found a Yellow-legged Gull on the bund.  We could see plenty of wildfowl and Cormorants and there was a single Wren and two Migrant Hawkers close to the hide.

Comma near Deep Water Hide

Migrant Hawker from Tufted Duck Hide

Migrant Hawker from Tufted Duck Hide

After some lunch in the Egleton car park we went to the Bird Watching Centre to view Lagoon One.  There had clearly been a significant amount of habitat management carried out and on the islands in particular the vegetation had been cleared.  Whilst this enabled better viewing the disturbance had obviously reduced the number of birds on the lagoon.  There was a Great White Egret feeding at the back of the lagoon and as I scanned around the area I found six Little Egrets but there certainly fewer wildfowl and in particular Shoveler.  David found a Stonechat on the grasses at the back of the lagoon and Roger picked up a Kingfisher, which flew before anyone else got on it.  Fortunately in landed on a fence post and when we all got on it we realised that there was another one perched on the wires of the fence.  One of the two then came closer to the centre before flying over towards Lagoon Two.  I then picked up a second Great White Egret coming in from the west and it landed behind the long island and was then surprisingly difficult to see and at times completely out of sight.  A Sparrowhawk flew just in front of the centre and a Kestrel was seen a couple of times to the right and a Buzzard sat on the man-made Osprey platform on Brown’s Island.  Both Great White Egrets were then seen in flight and the one present when we arrived appeared to chase the second away as it came back down on the lagoon, whilst the other flew off over Lax Hill area.

As we walked down to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three we had some nice views of a couple of Goldcrest and a Treecreeper.

Goldcrest

Goldcrest

From the hide there was a juvenile Shelduck, two Snipe and a couple of Green Sandpipers to the left and a Sparrowhawk flew over.  A single Reed Warbler was also observed on the edge of the island reedbed.  We continued on to Lapwing Hide where we found six Goldeneye and a Yellow-legged Gull in South Arm Three and a Greenshank on Lagoon Two.  As I walked back towards Crake Hide a Kingfisher flew from the sluice gate towards the gap in the fence before veering off into South Arm Three.

As we walked around to Dunlin hide on Lagoon Four three Siskin flew over and a Green Woodpecker was observed briefly in the old elms.  From the hide we found a single Pintail and five Ringed Plovers but there was very little else and we headed back to the car park.

We had a brief chat with Erik on reaching the car park before setting off home after an enjoyable day in some rather nice autumn weather.

A day at Rutland Water, Rutland - September 22, 2015

As it was a little murky with some drizzle this morning I decided to head off to the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water.  When I arrived I checked the feeder station but it was devoid of birds and I suspect a Sparrowhawk had made a visit.  I therefore continued down to Teal Hide to view South Arm Three were there had been a Little Gull yesterday.  There was no sign of the Little Gull and there was very little else with distant views of one of the Great White Egrets and several Little Grebes being the highlight.  As I walked back to the centre birds were now visiting the feeders, mainly Blue and Great Tits but also a few Greenfinch and a single Chaffinch.  I could hear Tree Sparrows calling but couldn’t find them until they burst out of the trees just to my right and flew over to the hawthorns they usually frequent.  When I reached the centre I made one final check of the feeders and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew in.  It was clearly a juvenile that had moulted most of its crown feathers with just a few specks of red amongst the now mostly black crown.

I set off down the path towards Shallow Water Hide, seeing a couple of Chiffchaffs close to Deep Water Hide and just beyond three Song Thrushes flew out of the hedgerow, which were my first sightings since mid-August.  Just after passing Wader Scrape Hide I found a male Blackcap and on approaching Shallow Water Hide found a Chiffchaff and two Whitethroats feeding a large bramble bush.  After entering the hide I scanned the shore to find four Little Egrets, six Ruff and a Green Sandpiper and I counted twenty-one Pintail on the water.  There was also good numbers of Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Pochard and Tufted Duck as well as numerous Coots in the bay.  Walking back I found three Chiffchaffs and another Blackcap.

From the Lyndon Centre I drove around to Barnsdale to hopefully found the Red-necked and Black-necked Grebes.  As I walked down to view the north arm I had brief views of a Mash Tit and on reaching the viewing point there was quite a large concentration of birds close to the shore and many more further into the arm.  Most were clearly Tufted Ducks and I thought it would be quite difficult finding the grebes amongst the flocks.  However as I scanned just beyond the close raft with binoculars I found a Great Crested Grebe and the second bird I came to was the Red-necked Grebe.  Surprisingly easy today and still pretty much in summer plumage I was able to get some nice views of it through the scope.  As I turned to go and check out Dickinson’s Bay Terry came towards me and he had seen both the Black-necked Grebes in the bay.  We had a chat for a few minutes and I then left him viewing the Red-necked Grebe, whilst I went to find the Black-necked Grebes.  My first couple of scans failed to find them but one suddenly appeared in the scope to be joined by the second a few seconds later.  They were closer than I expected but as I watched them they swam quite purposely out to the North Arm.  There were also six Pintail and two Little Egrets in the bay along with more usual species.  As I reached the car a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over calling and continued to call, out of sight, from one of the trees.

The seventeen Barnacle Geese were on the north shore of the north arm but there was no sign of the eleven Grey Plovers or Common Sandpiper Steve had seen earlier but I did find one of the Black-necked Grebes again.

There was work going on lagoon one and most of the birds appeared to have gone into the far corner and so I set off for Harrier Hide where I hoped I might be able to find the Stonechats and get a better look as to what was on Lagoon One.  I checked out the Wet Meadow from Snipe Hide but it was very quiet and so I moved on to Harrier Hide.  There were three Black-tailed Godwits feeding between the hide and the islands and I found a couple of Ruff on one of the islands but there was no sign of the Stonechats and so I went to Fieldfare Hide to see if they were perhaps visible from there.  The first shower of the afternoon was rather heavy and I was stuck in the hide for a while seeing nothing of note.

Adult Great Black-backed Gull

Once the rain ceased I headed back to towards the centre and on reaching it I continued on to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three, seeing a Chiffchaff and a Treecreeper amongst a feeding flock of birds as I did so.  There were five Green Sandpipers on the lagoon and a juvenile Shelduck was feeding towards Bittern Hide.  As I scanned through the small number of Pochard and Tufted Duck I picked up a female Red-crested Pochard and on a rescan found a leucistic male but with little else I moved on to Crake Hide.

Leucistic male Red-crested Pocahrd

Surprisingly there were no Little Egrets or Moorhens near Crake Hide but a male Kingfisher provided some nice views.

Male Kingfisher

Three Black-tailed Godwits on Lagoon Two were presumably the same birds I had seen on Lagoon One earlier and the only other birds of note were a couple of Pintail.  Looking out from Lapwing Hide over South Arm Three I found three Goldneye but there was very little else and I suspect that fisherman had perhaps moved some birds off.

Lagoon Four was my next area to go and I walked to Dunlin Hide, to get a better a view of any gulls that were present.  There were plenty of gulls gathered to the left of the hide, mainly Black-headed but there were also good numbers of both Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls with smaller numbers of Common Gulls and five Yellow-legged Gulls.  The juvenile Peregrine was resting on the ground between island one and five, which appears to be a regular spot recently.  It did eventually fly off to the east and caused some disturbance as it did so.  I found two Ringed Plovers and four Dunlin on the spit extended from island one and there were ten Pintail to the right of the hide.

As I walked back to the centre I bumped into Steve and after few minutes chatting about what we had seen and his recent trip to Cornwall, he carried on to Lagoon Four and I went to Mallard Hide on Lagoon One as he had seen the Stonechats from the centre indicating that they were almost in front of the hide.  I spent a good thirty minutes in the hide but there was no sign of the Stonechats or very little else and I finally called it a day.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - September 19, 2015

Roger and I arrived at the southern end of Eyebrook Reservoir stopping as normal near the entrance to the fishing lodge.  It was pretty quiet today with just a single distant Buzzard and a Chiffchaff in the bushes surrounding the old feeding station.  There was a Little Egret in the bay near the old hide but we could see very little else and so drove to the fence to view the inlet, seeing a Sparrowhawk as we did so.  There were two Ruddy Shelduck and a single Ruff amongst some Black-headed Gulls and we also found five Ringed Plovers on the Rutland bank.  There was also a six Ringed Plover type that we considered was a Little Ringed Plover but the light was making it difficult to be certain and so we decided to go to the Rutland side.  When we arrived we couldn’t see any of the plovers but eventually found all five Ringed Plovers and also the sixth bird, which was then able to confirm was a Little Ringed Plover.  Whilst scanning two juvenile Shelduck flew in and Roger found a Dunlin and a Yellow Wagtail amongst the more numerous Pied Wagtails and there was also a couple of Meadow Pipits.

We eventually moved on to the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water and as we started to view the feeders at the centre Roger realised that he had left his binoculars in the car and so went get them, leaving me to view the feeders.  There were at plenty of birds visiting the feeders the best being a Willow Tit and at least ten Tree Sparrows.

When Roger returned the Willow Tit had disappeared and perhaps more surprisingly so had the Tree Sparrows and there was now just a constant stream of Blue and Great Tits visiting along with three Greenfinch.  We set off down the track towards Shallow Water Hide and Manton Bay and on reaching Deep Water Hide we found a single Chiffchaff.  Whilst we were watching the Chiffchaff a party of birds flew over and appeared to land in the tops of the trees but we couldn’t see them but as I moved my position they flew again and landed at the top of another tree and some at least were now visible and we were able to identify them as Siskin. They then flew off towards the centre and we were able to see that there were seven.  As we approached Tufted Duck Hide a Sparrowhawk flew over the hide but there was little else.  When we reached the area near Wader Scrape Hide where I had seen all the birds on Thursday there was very little but just after passing the path to the hide we heard a Raven call that then flew over us and headed off towards Manton village.  We could see Norman a little ahead of us who was showing some interest in something and we walked to join him a Red Kite flew over.  When we got to Norman he indicated that there was quite a bit of activity but that he had only seen Chiffchaffs.  We stood and viewed the area for a while and had at least one Chiffchaff and a couple of Blackcaps but we couldn’t find the Treecreeper that was calling in the hedge alongside the path.  We continued onto Shallow Water Hide and found a juvenile Shelduck, nineteen Pintail, two Little Egrets, a Great White Egret, three Ruff, two Curlew and a Green Sandpiper in Manton Bay.  Norman also found a distant Hobby, which eventually drifted off to the north and there was a single Buzzard to the north west.  As we started to walk back towards the visitor’s centre a Sparrowhawk flew over being harassed by a couple of crows.  Roger and I made a brief stop at Tufted Duck hide where we found a Chiffchaff just in front of the hide and a Yellow-legged Gull on the bund.  As we approached Deep Water Hide we found Norman scanning the hedge and we stopped and another couple of Chiffchaffs and there were two Tree Sparrows back at feeders when we reached the centre.

Migrant Hawker from Tufted Duck Hide

We decided to make the short journey to the Egleton car park before taking lunch and after speaking to Rick we set off for Harrier Hide, where there had been a pair of Stonechat.  As we approached the hide there was a party of birds feeding close to the path and so we stopped to observe them.  There were several Blue and Long-tailed Tits but we also found a Goldcrest, a Chiffchaff and Blackcap in the party.  Once inside the hide we scanned the area for the Stonechats but there was no sign and appeared very quiet.  Scanning the lagoon the only bird of note we found was a Greenshank. Another birder came into the hide and asked if we had seen the Stonechats, which we hadn’t, but within a few minutes he found the male in an area Roger had scrutinised several times but without success.  It then flew and was pursued by another bird, which turned out to be the female.  The male flew again and as it settled I realised that there were possibly three but when I scoped them the additional bird was a nice Whinchat.  The all remained on view then for quite some time before the Stonechats flew towards us before disappearing.  The Whinchat remained on view for longer but it also eventually disappeared.

Grey Heron alighting on the Wet Meadow

Grey Heron on the Wet Meadow

Grey Heron on the Wet Meadow

With news of a Little Tern at Eyebrook Reservoir we decided to head back to the car and call at Eyebrook Reservoir on the way home.  As we drove towards some other birders a Redstart flew across the road and disappeared into the hedge.  When we reached the other birders they indicated that the tern had flown to the southern end and that if it was still there it was likely to be on the island.  On reaching the island we walked out to see the fare shore but unfortunately there was no sign of the tern but we did see a Greenshank and a Yellow-legged Gull.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - December 17, 2015

I went to Hallaton first this morning hoping that there might be some visible migration but it was very quiet with only Buzzard, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Robin, Dunnock and Reed Bunting being found.

From Hallaton I went to the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water and after having no luck from Teal hide with a Common Scoter and Black and Little Terns present yesterday I walked to Shallow Water Hide in Manton Bay.  There were eleven Tree Sparrows around the feeding station but with nothing else of note I started to walk to Shallow Water Hide.  Just before I arrived at deep water hide I saw a juvenile Whitethroat in a hawthorn bush and there were two Chiffchaff close by and I saw two more Chiffchaffs close to Tufted Duck hide.  There was a concentration of birds in the hedge just before I got to the turning to wader scrape hide, which contained another two Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, a Blackcap, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Treecreeper.  From shallow water hide I counted fifteen Pintail amongst the more numerous Wigeon, Gadwall and Shoveler and there were five Ruff and a single Green Sandpiper and a Buzzard flew over the bay giving nice views in the rather nice light.  I called at Tufted Duck hide on the way back to the car park and saw a Hobby quite close before it flew off towards the Egleton Reserve and there was also a Reed Warbler in the small patch of reeds just in front of the hide.  Other than another couple of Chiffchaffs I didn’t see anything else of note before I got to the car.

Adult winter Black-headed Gull from Teal Hide

Cormorants in the South Arm

Immature Cormorant in the South Arm

Drake Mallard almost out of eclipse plumage

Drake Mallard moulting out of eclipse plumage

Female Mallard in the South Arm

Buzzard over Manton Bay

Buzzard over Manton Bay

Buzzard over Manton Bay

Wren from Tufted Duck Hide

From the Lyndon Reserve I drove to the end of the cottage lane to view the north arm.  There were seventeen Barnacle Geese and three Curlew on the north shore and five Pintail on the south shore.  With no sign of the Black-necked or Red-necked Grebes and far fewer birds today I went to the Egleton Reserve.

After a bite to eat I called in the centre but there was some work being carried out on lagoon one and consequently there were fewer birds and those that were still present were more distant.  A quick scan produced the Great White Egret but nothing of note and so I set off towards harrier hide as there had been four Whinchat and a Stonechat present yesterday.  As I was walking along the path towards Snipe hide I met Tim who was showing some new work experience guys around.  He had seen three Black-tailed Godwits and a Spotted Redshank from harrier hide but had failed to connect with any of yesterday’s Whinchat.  Whilst we were talking a Red Kite flew over, which was my only sighting of the day flew over.

When I arrived in Harrier Hide there was no sign of the godwits or Spotted Redshank or the accompanying Ruff Tim had also mentioned.  There was a Greenshank and a Snipe flew over but other than three Little Egrets and a distant Hobby there was little else.  I suspected that the waders seen by Tim had been flushed and so I went on to Fieldfare Hide in the hope that had perhaps gone there.  When I opened one of the hide flaps I could see four Ruff stood in the water but after a few minutes they came to the shore and wandered off in the direction of Gadwall hide but a few minutes later two flew over and appeared to come down on lagoon one.  I called at harrier hide on my way back and found all four Ruff were back on Lagoon One but there was still no sign of the godwits or Spotted Redshank.

Ruff from Filedfare Hide

As I made my way back, seeing a Sparrowhawk near Snipe Hide, I called at Mallard Hide to see if I could find the godwits and Spotted Redshank from there.  The work had ceased and some birds were starting to return and I started to scan the lagoon a Stonechat popped into my field of view and performed quite well for the next thirty minutes but there was still no sign of the godwits or Spotted Redshank although I did find two Red-crested Pochard and a Redshank.

Sparrowhawk

Having reached the centre I continued on to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three where there was a Snipe and two Green Sandpipers to the left of the hide.  I checked out Lagoon Two from Smew hide where I found the three Black-tailed Godwits and there were four Little Egrets on the lagoon.  I continued on to Lapwing Hide where I found a couple of Goldeneye towards the green bank but there was little else.

Drake Gadwall on Lagoon Three

As I walked back from Lapwing Hide there were three Chiffchaffs moving through the bushes with a party of tits and calling at Dunlin Hide there were five Pintail, six Ringed Plovers, six Dunlin and two Yellow-legged Gulls on Lagoon Four.  As I walked back to the centre a Sparrowhawk flew over near the badger hide

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - September 15, 2015

On reaching Eyebrook Reservoir at the southern end I stopped by the gate to the fishing lodge but it was rather quiet today with just a single Red Kite visible to the north east.  In the bay near the hide there was a Little Egret and a Ruff but there was nothing from the island and so I moved onto the fencing to view the inlet.  There was a single Shelduck, five Ringed Plovers, ten Dunlin and fifteen Ruff feeding on the mud.  A brief stop at the bridge produced a Snipe and a Greenshank but a search from the Rutland bank for a Whinchat drew a blank but I did see Red Kites on both the Leicestershire and Rutland sides.

I eventually moved to Dickinson’s Bay at Rutland Water but there was no sign of either the Red-necked or Black-necked Grebes but there were five Pintails and two Little Egrets and there was another three Little Egrets on the south shore and a single Red Kite and a Buzzard were observed over Burley Wood.  I stopped to view an elderberry bush before returning to the car and was rewarded with a Goldcrest, Chiffchaff and nice juvenile Lesser Whitethroat.

In the north arm there were seventeen Barnacle Geese on the north shore, three Pintail on the south shore and several more Little Egrets. I also found the two Black-necked Grebes towards the north shore and on the spit there was a single Ringed Plover and seven Dunlin.

On reaching the Egleton Reserve I had some lunch before going to the Bird Watching Centre to view lagoon one.  Amongst the more common wildfowl I found four Pintail and three Red-crested Pochard and there were also three Ruff and a Black-tailed Godwit and a single Snipe flew over and dropped onto the Wet Meadow.  A Hobby was observed hawking over Brown’s Island before it moved off towards lagoon three.

From Shoveler hide on lagoon three there was a juvenile Shelduck and Green Sandpiper to the left of the hide, a Buzzard and two Hobbies were observed over the wooded area and a Yellow-legged Gull flew over.

Yellow-legged Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

There were six Little Egrets and a Little Grebe from crake hide and from Lapwing hide I found two Goldeneye in south arm three and two more Green Sandpipers on lagoon two.  As I walked back a mixed party of passerines near Smew hide contained five Chiffchaffs.

Little Grebe

Finally I called at Dunlin hide on lagoon four where there was a juvenile Peregrine resting on one of the islands and I counted ninety-seven Egyptian Geese and twelve Pintail.  There were also ten Ringed Plovers and eight Dunlin and the small number of resting gulls included three Yellow-legged Gulls.

I called at Eyebrook Reservoir on the way home and saw a Redshank and Kingfisher from the bridge.

A morning at Rutland Water, Rutland - September 13, 2015

I was back at Rutland Water today to help with monthly WeBS count and while waiting at the cottage for the counters to assemble a Common Sandpiper was seen in the fishponds and two Nuthatches on the dead tree.

The plan was for Erik and I to count south arm three and then join Terry and help him complete lagoons two, three and four and possibly one.  It was fairly quiet in the south arm and it didn’t take too long for us to complete, with the highlight being six Goldeneye.

Terry’s car was parked near the path to Shoveler hide and after parking we went to the hide to find he had already counted lagoon four and fortunately there wasn’t as many birds on lagoon three as yesterday and he had done a fair bit of lagoon three as well.  We had almost finished when more Tufted Ducks started to drop in and they looked as though they were coming out of the north arm.  I called Lloyd to see if we needed to include them as he was counting the north arm with Tim Mac.  He indicated that he was about half way through counting several thousand Tufted Duck but those now dropping in to lagoon three were not included and we therefore needed to add them.  Terry tried to estimate them but Erik decided he would recount them and it turned out there more than we anticipated and there were over a 1000.  There were three Green Sandpipers to the left of the hide and I briefly saw a Snipe in flight.  A Kingfisher also flew by the hide and in the reeds just in front we saw a couple of Chiffchaffs, a Sedge Warbler and at least two Reed Warblers.

Terry went to Buzzard hide on lagoon three to check if we had missed anything behind the islands, whilst Erik and I continued on to Lapwing hide.  We called briefly at crake hide and added a Little Grebe and a few Moorhen to the south arm count before reaching Lapwing hide.  From Lapwing hide the aim was to view lagoon two but when we entered the hide there was a feeding flock close to the hide and when I opened the end flap I was able to see quite a large party of passerines moving through that included three Chiffchaffs and two Blackcaps.  The Great White Egret was on the lagoon and there was a Ruff, three Green Sandpiper and two Greenshanks feeding around the edges of the lagoon and a second Kingfisher was also observed.  Satisfied we had counted all we could from Lapwing we moved onto Redshank hide to view and area not visible from Lapwing.  We added a few birds to the count and then went to the Bird Watching Centre and as we were first back we set about counting lagoon one.  There were plenty of birds on the lagoon mainly Gadwall and Coot but also Mute Swan, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler and a single Pintail and two Red-crested Pochard and there was also a Ruff and Black-tailed Godwit.  We were thinking about moving to either Snipe or harrier hide to count and area not visible from the centre when a microlight flew over and disturbed everything.  Most birds did appear to come back down onto lagoon one but some clearly didn’t and we decided that rather than count the lagoon again we would be better sticking with what we had already counted.

Initial feedback from the count suggested that there was over 7000 Tufted Duck on site and also record numbers of both Greylag and Canada Geese.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - September 12, 2015

David, Roger and I visited Eyebrook Reservoir first today and approached the reservoir from the south.  We parked near the entrance to the fishing lodge but there were few passerines in evidence today but we did see four Red Kites and five Buzzards.  We moved round to the island coral and found a Dunlin and five Ruff along the south west shore but there was nothing else of note and so we moved on to the fence to view the inlet.  There were noticeable fewer birds, particularly gulls, but we did find ten Ringed Plovers, five Dunlin, eight Ruff and three Greenshanks and there was also a Shelduck and four Pintail on the water.  There had been four Black Terns present yesterday and fortunately one was still present today and we observed both in flight and settled on an exposed mound.  We had another Red Kite pass over the inlet and I picked up a Hobby as it flew off fast to the north after disturbing the birds at the inflow.  Stopping again at the bridge it was pretty quiet although a Kingfisher was observed.

With little else we moved off to Lyndon hoping that a Little Gull present yesterday was still present.  The centre was still open but this was to be the last weekend now the Ospreys have departed.  We observed the feeders in front where there was a constant flow of Blue and Great Tits and we also had a Willow/Marsh Tit which didn’t stay too long, although both David and I thought it was a Willow Tit. In the small bush near the feeders we had a couple of Chiffchaffs and two Tree Sparrows.  We walked the short distance to Teal hide to view the south arm but there was no sign of yesterday’s Little Gull.  I did find one of the Great White Egrets on the Manton bay bud and four Pintail flew over.

Our nest port of call was Dickinson’s Bay where we hoped to find the Red-necked Grebe.  We walked down through the gate and initially went to view the north arm, in what was rather poor light.  As we scanned it wasn’t very long before Roger thought he might have the grebe and David and I were soon scoping the bird.  The bird was with a Great Crested Grebe and it certainly looked smaller in the awful light and the silhouette also looked promising.  The light did improve slightly but was never brilliant but on a couple of occasions I could make out the white cheeks and the black crown and was satisfied that it was in fact the Red-necked Grebe.  David and I moved through the second gate to view Dickinson’s Bay, whilst Roger remained trying to get a better view of the grebe.  There wasn’t too much in the bay except for three Pintail and three Little Egrets but whilst watching a Buzzard over Burley I also found a Hobby that was joined by a second and there was also a Red Kite.  David had also found the five Barnacle Geese on the north shore of the north arm.  Roger had now joined us but he hadn’t seen the Red-necked any better and after watching it diver had been unable to relocate it.  A third Hobby was then seen to the south west as it hunted over the woodland to the north of the reserve.  As we went back the light seemed a little better but a further scan failed to produce the Red-necked Grebe but I did find the two Black-necked Grebes amongst a party of Tufted Ducks.  When we reached the car a party of birds were moving the through the area and they were mainly Long-tailed and Blue Tits but we also found a Great Tit, a Coal Tit and a Treecreeper.

A visit to the Old Hall produced very little as there were very few birds and certainly nothing of note.  After some lunch in the Egleton car park we went into the centre and viewed lagoon one.  There were plenty of birds on the lagoon that included a single Pintail, six Red-crested Pochard, four Little Egrets, a Ruff, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Greenshank and there were two more Hobbies over Brown’s Island.

We eventual moved on to Shoveler hide on lagoon three where there three Green Sandpipers to the left of the hide.  A Yellow-legged Gull was observed on one of the platforms before it flew and joined the birds roosting on one of the islands and a Buzzard and another Hobby were observed over the reedbed area.  David then picked up a juvenile Peregrine coming over the lagoon from the east, which caused some disturbance as it passed over heading for lagoon four.  The only other bird of note was a Reed Warbler just in front of the hide.

Greylag Geese over lagoon three

From Shoveler we went to Lapwing hide to view lagoon two and south arm three both were fairly quiet with just a couple of Green Sandpipers on lagoon two and two Goldeneye and a distant Ruff in flight in the south arm.  As we were scanning the south arm a Vulcan flew over heading south west.

Vulcan

There were five Little Egrets visible from crake hide but the only other bird of interest was a Little Grebe.  We made our way back and continued on to Dunlin hide on lagoon four, seeing a Kestrel as we approached the hide.  From the hide we found a Shelduck, eighteen Pintail, eleven Ringed Plovers, five Dunlin and six Yellow-legged Gulls and I counted ninety-five Egyptian Geese before we called it a day and headed back to the car park.

Little Egrets from crake hide

Little Egret from crake hide

We drove back home via Eyebrook Reservoir where seven Reed Buntings were the highlight and yet again the Little Owls failed to perform.

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

It had been quite warm and dry during the last few days and so I put the moth trap out last night, which was the first time this month.  I trapped and identified ninety-one moths but there were only twelve species, two of which, The Sallow and Lunar Underwing, were new for the year.  The Sallow was also new for the garden and only my second ever, the first being trapped in Newton Harcourt on September 30^th, 2011.

The following were recorded: Light Brown Apple Moth [10]; Celypha lacunana [1]; Agriphila geniculea [1]; Dusky Thorn [1]; Silver Y [1]; Mouse Moth [1]; The Sallow [1]; Lunar Underwing [1]; Common Wainscot [2]; Large Yellow Underwing [55];Lesser Yellow Underwing [13] and Square-spot Rustic [4].

The Sallow

Square-spot Rustic

A day in West Norfolk - September 10, 2015

With easterly winds David, Roger and I went to West Norfolk in the hope of some scarce migrants.  We set off for Salthouse initially in the hope of catching up with a Red-backed Shrike that had been present for a few days.  After parking near the Dun Cow and seeing a Marsh Harrier over the marsh we walked the short distance to the paddock but unfortunately it had appeared to have departed as it hadn’t been seen.  There were a few Swallows and House Martins over the paddocks and a couple of Jays flew over during our short stay.  A visit to Walsey Hills produced nothing of note, although a Fieldfare had been seen earlier but had moved on.  We then stopped to view the Cley Marshes from the visitor’s centre, where we saw three Avocets, a Golden Plover, twenty-nine Dunlin, twenty-five Ruff and twenty Black-tailed Godwits on Pat’s Pool.  A Hobby was observed as quartered over the marsh and there was also a distant Marsh Harrier.

With no news of anything we moved off west making a brief but unsuccessful stop for Spoonbill at Morston.  We were well past Stiffkey when I got a message of a juvenile Long-tailed Skua on the beach at Salthouse.  We considered going back but it would probably have taken a good thirty minutes and we thought it would probably have gone.  However it did stay for quite a while and we might well have seen it had we returned and to make matters worse David, who was driving, almost suggested we should take a look on the sea.

We stopped at the pull in near Burnham Overy Staithe for lunch and with news of Pied Flycatcher and several Restarts in the dunes we considered walking down to perhaps locate them.  A Buzzard provided excellent views and forty-five Pink-footed Geese flew over, which were apparently were the first autumn arrivals.

Pink-footed Geese

Buzzard

Buzzard

As we walked out to the dunes we discovered that the scarce migrants were all at the edge of Holkham Pines and so we decided we would just walk as far as the coastal path, hoping we might find some a little closer later.  We did see a single Wheatear perched in a bush on the edge of a reedbed but other than a single Golden Plover and a couple of Grey Plovers there was little else and we continued on to Titchwell.

The wind had increased significantly and it was quite strong and blustery as we walked out along the west bank at Titchwell and making it difficult to use a scope from the bank.  There were five Red-crested Pochard on the Reedbed Pool and there were plenty of birds on the Freshwater Marsh.  We went into Island hide to get out of the wind and found a good selection of waders that included Oystercatcher, Avocet, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Dunlin, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit and Turnstone and Roger found a couple of Pintail and there was also a Wheatear.  We continued along the path and went to the Parrinder hide structure and viewed the Freshwater Marsh from there.  There was a larger concentration of Dunlin visible that contained a single Little Stint and circa sixty Knot flew in.  There was also a single Spoonbill and Roger found two Snipe and there were four Spotted Redshanks feeding along the eastern edge of the marsh.  We continued on to the beach but there was very little on the rising tide and the wind wasn’t helping and all and there was just a flock of Oystercatchers and a single Sanderling.  As we walked back along the bank there was another flock of Oystercatcher on the Tidal Marsh along with several Grey Plover and Turnstones.  I heard a Bearded Tit but not surprisingly it didn’t show and walk around Meadow Trail looking for a reported Pied Flycatcher drew a blank.

Black-tailed Godwit on Volunteer Marsh

Black-tailed Godwit on Volunteer Marsh

Black-tailed Godwit on Volunteer Marsh

Juvenile Dunlin on the Freshwater Marsh

Ruff on the Freshwater Marsh

Chinese Water Deer

We made a brief stop at Choseley Barns but other than a few Red-legged Partridges there was very little and so we made our way home.  It had been a rather disappointing day with the hoped for scarce migrants being just that and the disappointment of the Long-tailed Skua adding to our woes.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - September 8, 2015

I left home in rather dull and drab conditions and headed for Eyebrook Reservoir, passing through some light drizzle on route, seeing a Kestrel just to the east of Kibworth and a Green Woodpecker after passing through Blaston.

When I arrived at the reservoir it was dry and I stopped opposite the gate leading to the fishing lodge but it was very quiet today with just a couple of distant Red Kites worthy of note.  I moved on to the bay just to the left of the hide where I heard a Redshank calling but failed to see.  A few seconds later a black Labrador totally out of control came bounding through the grass and I suspect that it had flushed the Redshank as many of the duck were now taking evasive action by moving out onto the water.  I could hear someone calling the dog but they seemed to be some distance away but the dog after creating havoc did eventually disappear and had presumably returned to their irresponsible owner.  I checked the hedge leading away from the reservoir where there were still in excess of 100 Linnets and I also found a couple of Chiffchaffs.  I moved on towards the fence near the entrance to find the road covered in Red-legged Partridges just before the entrance to Holyoaks Farm and I estimated that there was well over100.  They are released, along with Pheasants for shoots on the farm and probably won’t be too long before we see injured birds flying into the confines of the reservoir.  From the fence there were eight Ringed Plovers, nine Dunlin and five Ruff.  There were also three Pintail on the water, which were the first I had seen here this autumn.

I drove along the road towards Stockerston but there was no sign of the Little Owls and it has been over two months now since my last sighting.  I turned around and went back to the reservoir stopping at the bridge but there was virtually nothing on view and so I continued on and parked overlooking the grassy area.  David had seen three Whinchat yesterday but there was sign in the now quite damp conditions.  As the drizzle stopped I saw a Kingfisher perched on a branch overhanging the stream and a few minutes later when I looked again it had been replaced by a Whinchat.  There were good numbers of both Swallow and House Martin over the reservoir and odd Sand Martins were also present amongst the more numerous Swallows and House Martins.

With little else I moved on to Dickinson’s Bay at Rutland Water to hopefully find a Red-necked Grebe.  As I was about to walk down the road to view the bay I heard a Marsh Tit call and managed brief views before it disappeared.  It was still very dismal as I walked through the gate to view the bay and there was a concentration of hirundines, many of which were settling in a tree and on the fence close to the water in the murky conditions with all three species present and probably in about equal numbers.  I scanned the bay but there were fewer birds than on my last visit but I did find five Pintail but there was no sign of the two Black-necked Grebes or the Red-necked.  I went back through the gate to view the north arm and spent quite some time scanning the water without success but suddenly the Red-necked Grebe appeared in the centre of the arm and was swimming slowly to the east.  It was a nice summer plumaged bird and possibly the bird reported earlier in August, which had been dismissed by some observers, but it was around the same time as last year’s August arrival and could well be the same bird.  With still no sign of the two Black-necked Grebes I went view to the north arm from the end of the cottage road.

After parking at the end of the lane I walked out towards the point finding five Barnacle Geese on the north shore and there were also ten Little Egrets but there was no sign of any waders.  I scanned a flock of Tufted Duck and almost immediately found the two Black-necked Grebes.  I walked into the field to view the point, which was totally devoid of birds and the only birds of interest were a couple of Pintail just off shore.  Before I left I sat in the car and observed the hedge near the cottage where I saw four Blackcaps.

I drove on to the Old Hall to view the south arm but again it was very quiet except for another party of hirundines.  As I walked west to view the green bank I flushed a couple of Yellow Wagtails and found a Common Sandpiper feeding along the green bank.

On reaching the reserve I went to the Bird watching Centre to view lagoon one before taking my lunch.  As I scanned through the mass of birds on the water I found six Red-crested Pochard and counted nineteen Little Grebes.  Other wildfowl included Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler and Tufted Duck and there was also a large number of Coots.  A Hobby, almost certainly the same bird as seen on Saturday, was observed perched in the same area but with little else I went for my lunch.

After finishing my lunch I headed off to Shoveler hide on lagoon three but saw very little on route.  There were just three Green Sandpipers feeding to the left of the hide but Bob who had joined me in the hide said there had been seven earlier.  Two juvenile Reed Warblers then made their way through the reeds just in front of the hide but with little else I moved on to crake hide, hearing a Cetti’s Warbler on route.  There was very little from crake and so I moved to Lapwing hide to check out lagoon two.  From Lapwing hide it is possible to see a significant amount of shoreline not visible from elsewhere and I found a Ruff and a couple of Green Sandpipers.  Once I was satisfied that there was no other waders on view I turned and opened a flap to view south arm three.  I scanned the water and almost immediately saw a large dark bird resting on the water.  It appeared close to two Great Crested Grebes and was considerably larger and I was thinking that it might be a Great Skua.  I grabbed my scope to view the bird more closely but it was difficult, even on x60 magnification, to get any real details as still just looked all dark.  However I was even more convinced that it was a Great Skua as it still appeared to be a big and powerful bird with a noticeable thick neck and large head and even the bill was prominent at this range.  I called Bob to inform him and he said he would come and join me but before he got to me the bird took to flight revealing that white flashes in both the upper and lower wings.  As it continued to fly towards me the wing-beats were steady and powerful and it gained height rather quickly.  I suspected that Bob might arrive at any second and so ran to the other end of the hide near the door where I would hopefully still be able to get him on to it but when I looked out I couldn’t find it and it wasn’t seen again.  When Bob arrived we spent a few minutes scanning but it had obviously gone and so we diverted our attention back on to lagoon two, where we found another two Ruff and a Greenshank.

As we walked back Tim Mac and Lloyd were coming down the track and after a brief conversation about Lloyd's Wryneck and news of a Turnstone on lagoon four we went to sandpiper hide.  We found nine Ringed Plovers and a seven Dunlin and Bob found a Red Kite over Burley but there was no sign of the Turnstone.  Bob went back to his car whilst I went to plover hide to get a different view of lagoon four and whilst I could see several Ringed Plovers and Dunlin most were out of sight behind island five.  A made another visit to Shoveler hide on lagoon three where there was now a Snipe in view and seven Green Sandpipers before heading back to the car park.

As it was still quite early I decided to go to Lyndon where there were twenty-one Tree Sparrows around the feeders.  Another birder informed me that all he had seen in Manton Bay was a Ruff and a Greenshank and I considered that it wouldn’t be worth the walk and went back to Egleton.

The Great White Egret had been seen on lagoon one earlier but there was no sign of it and whilst I contemplated what to do I thought I heard a Spotted Redshank call and saw two birds appearing to drop out of sight on to lagoon two.  I therefore went to Redshank hide to view the lagoon but the view is rather restrictive and there was no sign of any waders and so I decided to go back to Lapwing hide, which I considered to be the best option.  Unfortunately all I could find from Lapwing were two Green Sandpipers, although I did see a Goldeneye in south arm three.

Another visit into Shoveler hide produced six Green Sandpipers and I heard a Water Rail call and a walk to Dunlin hide on lagoon four produced three Yellow-legged Gulls and a few Ringed Plovers and Dunlin.  As I started to walk back to the car I had some rather nice views of a Chiffchaff but had seen nothing else as I reached the car park and called it a day.

Despite the rather dreary weather it had been quite a good day with the highlight being the Great Skua.  The Great Skua was only my third for the counties and on a day with just a light north-easterly breeze was most unexpected and good addition to my County Year List.