Sunday 31 January 2016

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - January 30, 2016

Roger and I set off for Eyebrook Reservoir in what were rather cold and overcast conditions after a night of heavy rain.  On route we saw a couple of Red Kites near Cranoe and a third just after passing through Horninghold.

We approached the reservoir from the southern end and the weather still looked rather threatening as we put or gear on.  Our plan was to walk to the outflow beyond the dam in the hope of finding a Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail.  As we set off we heard a Raven and although it called on several occasions we were unable to locate it.  There were two Red Kites to the north of the gate and we had both Green Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpecker before we reached the fishing lodge where there was also a Little Egret.  It was quiet as we walked down to the concrete runaway and just as we reached the end a Little Egret flew up and headed off downstream.  We hadn’t seen either of the target birds and so walked a little further along the stream seeing the Little Egret on another two occasions but nothing else.  When we got back to the small bridge we scanned the runaway again but there was nothing but Roger alerted me and pointed downstream and there was a Kingfisher heading off.  Apparently he had turned around and the bird was sat in a bush overlooking the stream just a few meters away but it took to flight as soon as it noticed Roger.  As we walked back alongside the runaway I saw something fly further down and as we scanned we found a female Grey Wagtail, which we were able to get some nice views of.  With both the targets now in the bag we set off back towards the car scanning the first field where there were circa seventy Fieldfare and seven Redwing feeding.  We had our third Red Kite as we crossed the cattle grid and then found a drake Smew in the bay before we reached the car and a single Tree Sparrow before we moved on.

Once back at the car we drove further along and stopped near the first area of fencing as I had seen a flock of passerines in flight.  We soon located the birds in a field with numerous Lapwings and were able to identify them as Linnets and estimated that there were about seventy birds.  Surprisingly I then found a couple of Dunlin amongst the Lapwing but nothing else of note.

We continued along the Leicestershire bank but didn’t stop until we reached the old oak on the exit road but not surprisingly the Little Owl wasn’t showing.  We returned to the reservoir and parked in a gateway to view the fields and the inlet.  There was very little in the fields to the east just a Red Kite and four Skylarks.  At the inlet I counted 266 Golden Plover and there were at least twenty Dunlin mixed in with them and the more numerous Lapwings.  There was a Pheasant shoot occurring in the Leicestershire fields and at one point we could hear plenty of gunshots but couldn't see the shooters and assumed that they were in Holyoaks Wood.  We did see quite a few Pheasants emerging from the wood in an attempt to avoid the guns but not all were successful.  Our fifth Red Kite was observed over the woods as the guns ceased firing.  A brief stop near the Stoke Dry parking area produced two red-headed Smew and another Little Egret.

We eventually moved on to Rutland Water and in particular the north arm.  I found the two Barnacle Geese on the north shore and after walking to the end we found the reservoir was now almost on top water.  As we scanned Roger picked up the Slavonian Grebe almost at the same time as I found the four Black-necked Grebes but we couldn’t locate the Red-necked Grebe.  As I scanned the south shore I counted ten Redshank, which was a good number as there have only been odd ones seen recently.  Another group of birders then arrived and almost immediately found the Red-necked Grebe, which was near the north shore and further into the arm than usual and our first Buzzard of the day was observed to the south.

Roger and I went to the Egleton car park where we had some lunch seeing both a Red Kite and a Peregrine over the car park as we were getting ready to head off to the centre.


Red Kite over the car park


Redwing from the car park

The water level on the lagoon had risen further and the number of Pintail had continued to decline with just twelve being present.  We eventually found both the male and female Stonechats that were feeding in front of Mallard Hide but the only other birds of note were six Shelduck.

We set off for Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three but saw very little as we walked through the meadows but had a Sparrowhawk fly over as we reached the gate leading to the hide.

As we entered the hide Rick beckoned me as he said there was a great opportunity to photo Snipe, which were near the end of the hide.  I sat down and scanned and saw that there were nine birds and immediately began to photo some of the closer birds.  I hadn’t really looked at the birds in great detail but became aware that there might be a possibility of one being a Jack Snipe.  As I started to scan Roger joined me and mentioned one did at least look smaller and realised I was focussing on the same bird.  It was roosting with its bill tucked under its wing.  However other than the size there were several other characters that were different to the other snipe.  Its facial pattern was different with dark eyebrow above the pale supercilium, a dark spot on the ear-coverts and a paler band below the lowest dark band.  The tramlines on the back were also a deeper yellowish-buff and the patterning on the breast and flanks were also different.  Perhaps most significantly the crown appeared dark with no centre crown stripe but this could have been due to the angle of the head.  However I was convinced, as was Roger, that it was indeed a Jack Snipe.  It eventually stopped roosting and revealed the dark crown and short bill but it didn’t stay for much longer as it fairly quickly moved towards the edge of the reeds before disappearing around the far side.  It was an excellent and unexpected addition to the year list, although one had been seen on the lagoon on the 1st.  After the excitement a scan of the rest of the lagoon produced very little with just two Shelduck of note on the water, a Kestrel over and at least three distant Buzzards over Burley Wood.


Snipe on Lagoon Three


Snipe on Lagoon Three


Snipe on Lagoon Three


Jack Snipe on Lagoon Three


Jack Snipe on Lagoon Three


Jack Snipe on Lagoon Three


Jack Snipe on Lagoon Three


Jack Snipe on Lagoon Three

A visit to Dunlin Hide on lagoon Four produced two more Shelduck, a red-headed Smew and a Peregrine on Island One and all five species of the commoner gulls but there was nothing unusual.

A final visit to centre to view Lagoon One produced a single Little Egret but otherwise it was much the same as earlier and so we called it a day and headed off home.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - January 28, 2016

I was a little late getting started today as I wasn’t feeling 100% but wilted as it was a beautiful bright morning.  When I left home the sun was shining brightly and the wind was a fairly light south-westerly.  I headed for Eyebrook Reservoir and saw a Red Kite just beyond Cranoe and on approaching the reservoir found a second perched in a tree and I wasn’t surprised to find the Little Owl in the old oak.  The wind had freshened a little but it was still a cracking in morning.  I stopped at the gate to overlook the fields on the Rutland side of the reservoir and found three Skylarks, which were my first in the counties this year.  At the inlet there were c.100 Golden Plover and at least thirty-four Dunlin amongst the more numerous Lapwings and a single Little Egret was on the stream and there were a couple of Buzzards to the east of the reservoir.  It was difficult viewing the wildfowl to the south of Stoke Dry car park due to the bright sunshine and the only birds of note were three Shelduck.

I went straight to the fisherman’s car park on the Hambleton Peninsula at Rutland Water in the hope of finding the Red-necked Grebe.  I soon located the Slavonian Grebe and four Black-necked Grebes but couldn’t find the Red-necked Grebe although a Raven was observed towards Hambleton.  I moved back to view the arm from then end of the unnamed road and I saw Tim as I arrived who informed me that the Red-necked Grebe was showing quite well along with the adult Great Northern Diver from the end of the spit.  When I got to the end there were quite a few birders including Mike Chester and Gerry Griffiths.  They had both seen the Great Northern Diver and Red-necked Grebe and after finding the Slavonian Grebe for Mike I soon found the Great Northern Diver but the Red-necked Grebe had clearly moved.  Gerry then found it towards Dickinson’s Bay but it dived and it was a few minutes later before I actually found it as it had moved further away from the shore and was heading towards the centre of the reservoir.  When another birder arrived at little late we were unable to locate again despite spending quite some time looking for it.

I eventually gave up and went to the Egleton car park where I had lunch before heading off to the northern lagoons.  When I arrived at Shoveler hide on Lagoon Three Gerry was in the hide but had seen very little, although a Bittern had been reported around mid-day.  There were three Shelduck and a couple of Egyptian Geese on the lagoon but very little else, although I did pick up a Buzzard over the reedbed woodland and a second off towards Hambleton.


Shelduck on Lagoon Three

I moved on to Plover Hide to view Lagoon Four and found another Shelduck and a red-headed Smew.  There was a small concentration of gulls, mainly Common and Herring but there were also a few Black-headed and Great Black-backed and a single Lesser Black-backed.  When Gerry joined me he found a second red-headed Smew but with little else we called at Bittern Hide where we found a Little Egret and a Cormorant.


Cormorant from Bittern Hide


Cormorant from Bittern Hide


Little Egret from Bittern Hide

Gerry left with intention of heading towards the southern lagoons but we both finished up viewing Lagoon One from the centre before he continued to the southern lagoons and I called it a day.  There was a juvenile female Peregrine resting on the long island, which was presumably the bird that I have observed a few times on Lagoon Four.  There were six Shelduck feeding on the lagoon but there were only eighteen Pintail today.  I found a Buzzard sitting in the poplars on Brown’s Island and there was a female Goosander on one of the small island and a second flew over but other than four Pochard there was little else.

Sunday 24 January 2016

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland and Cambridgeshire - January 23, 2016

With David away on holiday and Roger only out for the morning I left home on my own for Eyebrook Reservoir.  There was a light south westerly breeze and it was overcast but there had been no overnight frost and the visibility was good.  After passing through Kibworth there was a Buzzard perched to the right and after just passing Stonton Wyville ten partridge flew over the road and landed.  My first impression was that they were Grey Partridge, which are not a common sight in Leicestershire and so I stopped and scanned the field.  There was a crop sufficiently high enough to hide the birds but one fortunately was standing erect and I was able to confirm my initial identification and they were Grey Partridges.  There was a Kestrel just after Cranoe and another Buzzard just after Horninghold.

As I approached Eyebrook Reservoir I checked the old oak but there were no Little Owls this morning but there was a sizeable flock of winter thrushes in the field, which were mainly Fieldfare but also a few Redwing.  When I parked at the bridge it had become quite foggy but I did see a couple of Snipe landing at the edge of the stream but other than a few common passerines there was little else and I moved on to the gate overlooking the fields to the east.  With nothing visible in the fields I moved a little further to view the inlet where I counted 103 Golden Plovers and thirty-eight Dunlin.  There was another Snipe on the edge of some Juncus and a Redshank feeding on the Leicestershire bank.  There were plenty of birds on the water off the Stoke Dry car park and so I moved on to take a look.

Roger then called to say he was on his way but as I hadn’t seen too much at Eyebrook Reservoir we agreed to meet in the North Arm at Rutland Water.  However a few minutes later I had to call him back as I found the first-winter Little Gull resting on the water.  I continued to scan the water whilst waiting for Roger and found three male and three red-headed Smew and had brief views of a Raven to the north.  I had been joined by another birder when Roger arrived and we had been watching the Little Gull just a few minutes before he arrived but now couldn’t find it.  Roger did eventually find it nearer to the inlet but we then lost it again and couldn’t relocate it.

I left Roger searching for the Little Gull and headed for the North Arm at Rutland Water where it was still quite foggy towards Burley but fairly clear across the water.  I had found the two Barnacle Geese, doing their best to hide amongst a party of Canada Geese, and a Redshank on the north shore of the fishponds by the time Roger arrived.  When we had finished scanning the fishponds we walked down through the gate to view the north arm and I soon located the four Black-necked Grebes that Steve had reported yesterday and started to search for the Red-necked Grebe, which had also reappeared yesterday.  Roger then said that there were five grebes and he thought one might be a Slavonian.  I went back to look at the grebes and agreed that his identification was correct and that the fifth bird was in fact a Slavonian Grebe.  I found a couple of Pintail whilst scanning for the Red-necked Grebe but we couldn’t find it and decided to go to the fisherman’s car park and have a look from there.  We still couldn’t find the grebe but I did locate a drake Scaup just off the car park and the adult Great Northern Diver off Barnsdale.

We eventually gave up on the grebe and went to the Egleton car park for some lunch before Roger and I went to view Lagoon One where I counted twenty-five Pintail and fifty-seven Golden Plover but there was nothing else of interest.

I had decided that I would go to Eldernell this afternoon and left the reserve shortly after Roger and set off for the northern lagoons.  I had three Red Kites, a Buzzard and a Kestrel before I reached Eldernell and the car park quite full when I arrived.  To my surprise Malcolm was in the car park as was Stephen, one of the volunteers at Rutland Water.  Malcolm had been in the area all day and had seen both Bewick’s Swan and Crane, which were two of the birds I was hoping to see.  However he had seen the swans off the A605 but Stephen and another birder who had looked later couldn’t find them and so I decided to stay in the car park.

I picked up a Marsh Harrier almost straight away but couldn’t locate the two Cranes in the area where they had been seen.  There was a party of Whooper Swans partially hidden to the north with some occasionally taking to flight.  It was while following two in the scope that I found the two Cranes but again, like the swans they were partially hidden by the vegetation and not always visible.  Another birder, who had just arrived, picked up a Short-eared Owl that wasn’t too far away and provided some nice views as it quartered the area.  During visit I saw four Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, a Buzzard, three Kestrel and four Short-eared Owls.  There was also c.2000 Golden Plover and thousands of wildfowl, mainly Wigeon but also good numbers of Shoveler and smaller numbers of Mallard and Pintail.



Male Kesteel at Eldernell

I recorded seventy-four species during the day, which included one additional to the year list, Crane, taking the total to 134.  I also added Grey Partridge to my counties year list, which now stands at 106 and added three to my patch list at Rutland Water that is now at ninety with a score of 103.

Friday 22 January 2016

A day in West Norfolk - January 21, 2016

Roger and I had decided to have a day in Norfolk as the forecast wasn’t too bad with light winds south easterlies.  We set off a little later than intended as I had, unusually over slept and after picking Ken up in Uppingham we continued on towards Wisbech.

We had discussed the possibility of going to Downham Market in the hope of seeing a female Serin that had been present since the 17th and with news coming through that it was still there as we approached Wisbech we headed off the A47 towards Downham Market.

On arrival we soon located Fairfield Road and parked as suggested by the level crossing.  After going over the crossing to a concrete path the rough ground by the concrete road wasn’t too obvious.  We met two other birders who were also having difficulty and when a lorry that had been to the sewage works was querying whether or not he cold back across the crossing Roger went to move his car.  Ken and I walked to the end of the road but still couldn’t find the rough ground and as we walked back I realised that the lorry driver had driven the tanker off the road and was now stuck.  As we walked by him one of the birders summand us on and on reaching them we were able get pretty good views of the Serin that was just a few feet away.  It was feeding amongst the dead vegetation and though it wasn’t clearly visible I was hopeful of getting some photos if I remained patient.  Unfortunately a train then approached and the bird took to flight and after circling the area several times flew off towards the sewage works.  We came down off the embankment and walked back towards the sewage works hoping for more views but we weren't sure where the bird was now.  We saw Blue Tit, Dunnock, House Sparrow and Goldfinch as we walked when suddenly a small bird flew from cover and headed back to where we had seen the Serin earlier.  We went back up onto the waste ground but hadn’t found the bird when another party of birders arrived.  They hadn’t been there too long when it flew over us and headed back towards the sewage works.  We decided at this point to call it a day and headed off to Flitcham.

On route we saw a couple of Buzzards perched in roadside hedges, one near Thieves Bridge Road and the other on the King’s Lynn bypass.

When we arrived at Flitcham we established that the Pallid Harrier had been seen about twenty minutes before our arrival and we settled down expecting a long wait.  However we hadn’t been there many minutes when someone cried harrier and the juvenile Pallid Harrier flew low over the stubble field and then along the hedge to the east before flying off further east.  The views were pretty good although it was a pity it didn’t hang around a little longer and just after we left the site it was relocated perched it a tree within fifty meters of the road.

We made our way north from the village towards Choseley and in particular to Chalkpit Lane hoping for Rough-legged Buzzard.  We were more exposed parked on the crest of a hill and felt pretty chilly in the now fresher south easterly wind.  I picked up a Marsh Harrier some distance to the east and there was another bird of prey perched on the hedge even further away, which we couldn’t make out.  Another birder who we had seen a Flitcham had arrived on site at the same time as us and he suddenly announced that there was a buzzard flying across the field.  I immediately locked on to it and recognised it as a Rough-legged Buzzard, which then alighted in a tree, giving some nice views of its tail and pale head.  When another party of birders arrived it flew from the tree but just landed a little further along the hedge but this time gave views of the dark belly.  A second bird was then picked up over the more distant conifer plantation and although further away it provided some nice flight views, particularly the tail pattern, as it hovered for a while before flying off to the south.  The first bird was then seen flying towards the same plantation before it disappeared behind it.  With news of a Grey Phalarope at Cley we decided that our best option was to go and try and see it.  As we were getting ready to depart a Peregrine flew through heading off to the west.

We parked at the end of the East Bank and walked the short distance to the new Babcock Hide at Cley and when we entered the hide found that the Grey Phalarope was only a few meters away.  It was feeding by walking over the muddy area in front of the hide and provided some excellent photo opportunities.  There were also circa fifty Dunlin on the mud, along with at least fourteen Ruff and three Knot.  We also located three Snipe skulking amongst the more distant reeds and a Water Pipit also provided some nice views.












Grey Phalarope

After getting back to the car we set off up the East Bank to view the sea and found out that there was a party of Snow Bunting on the single to the east.  However after walking beyond the end of Arnold’s Marsh there was no sign and presumably they had flown off as other birds were now getting the same results.  We had seen circa eighty Golden Plover, two Grey Plover, circa forty Dunlin, three Black-tailed Godwits and several Redshank as we walked along the bank but the sea was very disappointing with just a Great Crested Grebe and eight Common Scoter, along with several Herring Gulls and a single Great Black-backed Gull being seen.  As we walked back we found a Rock Pipit but saw little else.

We made a brief stop at the centre where we saw a Red-necked Grebe and five Black-tailed Godwits on Pat’s Pool and we had also seen at least five Little Egrets and a couple of Marsh Harriers during our visit.

Our final port of call was Roydon Common but we perhaps arrived a little later than we wanted but we did see another Marsh Harrier, a single ring-tailed Hen Harrier and a Barn Owl during our brief stop.

I had recorded just sixty-seven species, which is not great for a Norfolk trip but we had seen some quality birds in terms of the Pallid Harrier, Rough-legged Buzzard, Grey Phalarope and Serin, all of which were new for the year as were the Ruff at Cley, which moved my year total onto 133.  The Serin was particularly pleasing as it was my first UK record since one at Cromer in January 1996.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - January 19, 2016

I left home this morning heading for Eyebrook Reservoir in subzero temperatures with the temperature dropping to -3.5°C on route but the sunrise was rather spectacular.


Sunrise

Just after passing Stonton Wyville there was a Barn Owl flying rather high to the north of the road and then I had two Red Kites before reaching Eyebrook Reservoir, one over Cranoe and the other alongside Stockerston lane.

When I reached the reservoir I parked near the entrance to the fishing lodge and then walked to and beyond the dam hoping for a Grey Wagtail.  As I walked out there was a party of Fieldfare and Redwings feeding between the path and the reservoir, along with several Blackbirds and a single Song Thrush.  On reaching the outflow there was no water flowing from the reservoir but there was no sign of any Grey Wagtails.

As I walked back I had better views of the party of thrushes and clearly Redwings were the most numerous and I also had a Green Woodpecker.  I scanned the water looking for the Slavonian Grebe without any joy, although it was seen later in the day.  As I went through the more common wildfowl I found the first-winter Little Gull, that has been present, intermittently, since the 1st, resting on the water.

I moved on and checked the northern bay but there was nothing of note but found one of the Little Owls in the Old Oak.  I went back to the bridge where I counted fifteen Snipe in flight.  With little else I drove to the gate where Roger and I had seen all the Yellowhammers on Saturday but today it was very quiet and didn’t see a single passerine.  Moving a little further along there were thirty-six Dunlin feeding on the exposed mud and there was also a few Snipe feeding nearby and single Golden Plover amongst the Lapwings.  My final stop was at the Stoke Dry car park where I saw two male and two red-headed Smew.

I headed for the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water and as I turned to go down the centre seven birds flushed from the roadside and landed in the hedge and I was able to see that they were Lesser Redpoll.

At the centre I checked the feeders but they were pretty quiet with just a few Blue and Great Tits.  I decided to walk to Wader Scrape Hide but saw very little on route and found that Manton Bay was almost completely frozen over.  On the free water there were plenty of Teal with a few Shoveler and eleven Shelduck and two male Goosanders.  Looking in the other direction towards South Arm Two, which was mainly free of ice I could see another two Shelduck in Heron Bay and in the south arm there were twenty-six Pochard, three red-headed Smew and another two drake Goosander.  The walk back produced nothing of note and I so I headed off to the north arm finding the top field covered in winter thrushes, most of which were Redwing with just a few Fieldfares.


Greylag Geese to the south of the path at Lyndon


Canada Goose over the meadows at Lyndon

On reaching the North Arm I found three male and six female Goosanders in the fishponds where most of the water was frozen over.  I soon found the two Black-necked Grebes but other than a single Pochard there was little else of note.  When I got back to the car I was joined by Brian, Roger and Mike and Roger found a single Redshank on the north shore of the fishponds a female Stonechat near the far side of the bund.  Whilst we watched the Stonechat it dropped from its perch and we were then unable to relocate it despite all four of us looking.  I suspect that it was the same bird reported by Steve and Terry last week that hadn’t been seen since, which based on today’s behaviour wasn’t surprising.

Mike and I went to the Egleton car park where we had some lunch before going to view Lagoon One from the centre.  It was pretty much frozen over with just one piece of open water that contained several Gadwall and Coot and a single Little Grebe.  There were five Shelduck along with several Shoveler resting on the ice, a single Buzzard was perched on the Osprey platform on Brown’s Island and twelve Curlew flew in.


Robin in the Egleton car park


Fieldfare in the Egleton Meadows


Redwing in the Egleton Meadows

Brian and Roger had joined Mike and I in the centre and we walked together to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three with brief views of a Great Spotted Woodpecker being the highlight as we did so.

On reaching the hide we found the lagoon virtually frozen over with very few birds.  There was a single Shelduck on a small area of water, two Snipe on the edge of the distant reedbed and a Green Sandpiper flew over.


Wigeon over Lagoon Three

When Steve and Terry arrived in the hide we all went down to Lapwing Hide, although the path wasn’t strictly open Lloyd had indicated it wouldn’t be a problem.  There were plenty of bird on the water, mainly Tufted Duck but there were also forty-six Pintail, which had obviously come off Lagoon One and eight Pochard.

We all eventually went to Dunlin Hide on Lagoon Four to check out the gulls.  We had a Green Woodpecker as we approached the hide and on entering the hide found the juvenile female Peregrine perched on Island One sign post.  There were twelve Shelduck on the lagoon and with one arriving during our stay it is possible that they were coming onto the lagoon to roost.  The concentration of gulls were closer today as they were resting on the ice with good numbers of the larger gulls, mainly Herring and Great Black-backed but there were also at least five Lesser Black-backed.  There were far fewer Black-headed and Common Gulls than of late and presumably they were assembling elsewhere.  Steve then located a forth-winter Caspian Gull that provided some nice views and Brian possibly had a first-winter Mediterranean Gull but after taking his eye of it to view the Caspian couldn’t relocate.  Terry and Mike had left a little earlier and I walked back to the car park with Brian and Roger, leaving Steve sticking it out to the bitter end.

It hadn’t been a bad day’s birding with Little Gull added to my year list and Stonechat to my counties year list.

Monday 18 January 2016

A morning at Rutland Water, Rutland - Januray 17, 2016

I was returning to Rutland Water today to assist with the WeBS count and there was a good covering of snow that had fell overnight.  I left a little earlier hoping I would be able to get there but was surprised how good the main roads were and entered the Egleton car park ahead of schedule.

As there was still plenty of snow on the minor roads I needed a different strategy to count South Arm three.  I called Tim to let him know I was on site and that I would count South Arm Three and Lagoon One as usual.  I wanted to walk to Lapwing Hide, which has been closed whilst new screening has been erected but with the screening now finished except for a gap where Crake Hide will be repositioned, it was complete but still closed but Tim agreed it would be OK to visit Lapwing Hide.

As I was first onto the reserve the snow was still lying untouched except for a few mammal and bird tracks and looked stunning.







Egleton Meadows

There were plenty of birds in South Arm Three, mainly Gadwall and Tufted Duck but there were also Mute Swan; Greylag Goose; Canada Goose; Wigeon; Teal; Mallard; Pochard; Goldeneye; Great Crested Grebe and Coot but the best was a single red-headed Smew.  Whilst I was in the hide a Sparrowhawk flew just in front and disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

I walked back to the centre to count Lagoon One, which was partially frozen over but more so than yesterday.  There were only thirty-five Pintail today, which was fewer than yesterday’s sixty.  There were also Mute Swan; three Shelduck; Wigeon; Gadwall; Teal; Mallard; Shoveler; Pochard; Tufted Duck; Goldeneye; a Little Grebe and Coot.

Having completed the count of Lagoon One I headed for Fieldfare Hide to complete the South Arm Three count.  I saw very little on route but on reaching the hide there was 170 Teal as well as good numbers of Mallard and a few Wigeon.  There were also three Snipe amongst the grasses and a single Tufted Duck.


Lax Hill

With the counted completed I headed back to the centre and headed off home.

There was news of a juvenile and a third-winter Glaucous Gull at a recycling centre in Leicester and as it was almost on route to my daughters I persuaded my wife that we should have a look on route.  I wasn’t certain where the site was but as I turned a corner on Sunningdale Road it became clear where I needed to be as there was a mass of gulls circling overhead.  As I pulled up I noticed Brian with his granddaughter Rosie and Carl Baggott was also present.  As I got out of the car most of the gulls had disappeared behind the building and I learnt that it was only possible to see them when they took to flight and to make matters worse it was amongst the mass of gulls as I drove down the road.  Brian and Carl picked it up again but it disappeared almost immediately and I became concerned that I might not see it as my wife wouldn’t want to hang about too long.  However I biker then came down the road doing a wheelie and with engine roaring a mass of gulls reappeared and I then had reasonable views of the juvenile as it circled overhead for a while.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - January 16, 2016

When Roger and I set off for Eyebrook Reservoir this morning it was a cold frosty morning with just a light wind, making a pleasant change from the more unsettled westerly airflow of late.  We had a Kestrel just before entering Kibworth, a Red Kite approaching Tur Langton, a Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard on the far side of Blaston and a second Kestrel just as we reached the approach road to the reservoir.

The Little Owl was in the old oak today and there were two Red Kites perched in a tree alongside the stream.  We parked up at the bridge where we spent quite some time hoping, unsuccessfully, that a Kingfisher might appear.  We did have a couple of Tree Sparrows as we pulled up and there was a Little Egret on the stream with a Buzzard to the north.  A jogger had gone by us and as they turned onto the Rutland side of the reservoir they flushed quite a large flock of birds.  We could see that some where Fieldfares but there were numerous other small passerines that we were unable to identify.  Some of the Fieldfare landed close to the bridge and the party contained a single Redwing.  I decide to walk to the area where the birds had been flushed but other than a few Yellowhammers I saw nothing else.  As I started to walk back to the bridge I noticed two swans flying north and on hearing them call realised that they were Whooper Swans and called Roger as he managed to get on them as they passed over the road and continued heading north.  Back on the bridge we several passerines drop into the first field and on walking closer and viewing from a gate established that they were Pied Wagtails, thirteen in total and Roger also found a single Meadow Pipit.

I suggested that we should perhaps park near a gate a little further down the road as I had noticed that there were passerines appearing to feed in a strip of stubble in the field.    There were mainly Yellowhammers and we suspected that there were fifty plus.  We also located circa ten Tree Sparrows, a couple of Reed Buntings and a Chaffinch and I was pretty sure that I had a Brambling but it dropped into the field and we didn’t pick it up again.  There were two Red Kites and a Buzzard over a field beyond the Leicestershire bank an several Red-legged Partridges scattered around.

We moved further along the road towards Stoke Dry and parked to view the inlet.  The water level had dropped considerably and was almost back to where it had been prior to the recent heavy rains.  There were thirty Golden Plovers on the mud and we also counted twenty-two Dunlin amongst the more numerous Lapwings.

Eventually we called it a day and headed off to the north arm at Rutland Water where we found Terry with one of his organised parties.  There were six male and four female Goosanders in the fishponds and from the spit we found the two Black-necked Grebes.  There was also an Oystercatcher on the north shore and the two Barnacle Geese were feeding with a mixed party of Greylag and Canada Geese.

With little else we went to the Bird Watching Centre at Egleton to view Lagoon One.  The lagoon was partially frozen over but there were still sixty Pintail, four Shelduck and a pair of Goosander.  There was a single Curlew on the long island and another two on the meadow towards the Wet Meadow.  Four more Goosander, three males and a female flew over but there was little else amongst the numerous Gadwall and Coot.


Female Blackbird in the Egleton car park

After some lunch we went to Lagoon Three with Rick, checking out Lagoon Two from both Redshank and Osprey Hides for a Green Sandpiper that had been reported earlier but there was no sign.  As we entered Shoveler Hide I saw the Green Sandpiper fly from in front of the hide and land a little further away.  There was also a Redshank feeding in the same area and we saw at least four Snipe during our stay.  There were also two Shelduck that eventually flew off towards Lagoon Four and a female Goosander with a second flying over.  A Little Egret also made a brief visit and there was a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the trees to the right of the hide.


Redshank

We walked to Plover Hide on Lagoon Four and found Terry had taken over the hide with his party and after seeing a distant red-headed Smew we walked back and went to Dunlin hide to view the lagoon.  There was a Green Woodpecker feeding on the bank to the west of the hide and an additional Shelduck, two Pochard and eventually both of the reported red-headed Smew were seen.  The water had risen further on the lagoon and the gulls were assembling on Island One and some shallow water to the right of the island.  They were mainly Common Gulls but there was also good numbers of Black-headed, Herring and Great Black-backed with just a couple of Lesser Black-backs but nothing unusual.

We called at the centre again on our return where we found nine Pochard and a Buzzard that we hadn’t seen earlier before calling it a day.

An afternoon in Northwest Leicestershire - January 15, 2016

Roger and I had agreed to go and take a look for the Short-eared Owls at Cossington Meadows this afternoon but after arriving at his home we spent a few minutes viewing his garden.  He regularly gets Blackcaps during the winter and had recently seen two males and a female, although one male had become dominant and he was now just seeing a single male.  There were three Greenfinches on his feeders and after just a few minutes the male Blackcap appeared and began feeding under the feeders.  Not a bad start to the afternoon with a year tick and also plus Counties year tick, Greenfinch.

We went to the sewage works at Barrow-on-Soar first as Roger had seen a Chiffchaff there early in the month.  However it was pretty quiet with a small flock of Redwing being the highlight and very little else and we eventually moved on to Cossington.

When we arrived a single Short-eared Owl had been seen earlier but had disappeared but on reaching the far end of the meadows in wasn’t too long before one appeared again.  It only flew a short distance before landing on one of the fence posts where it remained for some time before taking to flight again.  It then provided some nice views as it quartered the field before settling a little closer on the posts.  It wasn’t long before it was in flight again and this time it spent even longer over the field before it disappeared from view.  A second bird had appeared just before the first disappeared but it didn’t show quite as well as the first and disappeared to the north.  The first bird then reappeared overhead before it also disappeared and as the light was beginning to fade we called it a day.  As we walked back one of the owls was perched at the top of a quite large tree and remained there as we approached and we were able to get some nice views before we departed leaving the bird scanning the area from the top of the tree.




Short-eared Owl

Tuesday 12 January 2016

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - January 12, 2016

I picked David up at 07:30 and we headed for Eyebrook Reservoir and as we were climbing the hill leaving Blaston we had a Red Kite with two Buzzards over the road as we reached the summit.  There was also a Kestrel near the farm between the Blaston turn and the turning for Eyebrook Reservoir.

There was no sign of the Little Owls this morning but there was a Red Kite perched in a tree on the opposite side of the road.  We parked near the bridge at the inlet hoping we might see a Kingfisher but had no joy.  We remained at the bridge for a good forty minutes seeing a distant Little Egret, a Red Kite, a Buzzard, a Kestrel, two Raven and a Lesser Redpoll and David also had a brief view of a Siskin.  We checked the feeders at the Stoke Dry car park where there was a single Coal Tit but little else.

Mike had joined us at the bridge and we all headed for the Lyndon Centre at Rutland Water.  There were a couple of Fieldfare in the car park area at Lyndon but the feeders were generally quiet, with exception of Blue and Great Tits making regular visits there was a Coal Tit, Robin, Dunnock, Chaffinch and Goldfinch and a Tree Sparrow was observed in the bushes to the left.  David picked up an Oystercatcher at the base of Lax Hill and on scoping the area we also located five Curlew and I found a pair of Goosander close to the Manton Bay bund.

We eventually moved on to Whitwell where I was hoping to photograph a Great Northern Diver as they had been performing quite well recently seeing a Peregrine on route as we approached Edith Weston.  On arrival we soon located one of the juvenile birds towards the mouth of the creek and then David noticed a second bird well into the creek, which was likely to provide a better photo opportunity.  Mike and I moved further into the creek whilst the bird had dived and were able to get reasonably close and fire off a few shots.  A Redshank also landed on one of the pontoons.







Juvenile Great Northern Diver in Whitwell Creek

When we got back to the car Steve and Terry had arrived and after a brief chat they informed me that they had seen the two Black-necked Grebes in the north arm and a Stonechat in the fishponds area.  We decided to make this our next stop and after walking out to the point we found two Barnacle Geese on the north shore and David picked up the two Black-necked Grebes.  Bob had also joined us now but despite an extensive search we were unable to locate the Red-necked Grebe but two Ravens flew over the water and headed off towards Hambleton.  We made our way back along the road to view the fishponds from the cottage hoping to find the Stonechat but didn’t see it and had to be content with a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker.

We decided to go to the fisherman’s car park on the Hambleton Peninsular in the hope of finding the Red-necked Grebe.  We were out of the wind and with the sun putting in appearance it was quiet pleasant and the light was superb.  We didn’t find the Red-necked Grebe but I picked up an adult Great Northern Diver off the end of the lane at Barnsdale and presumably one of the two Ravens we had seen earlier flew over.

We left Bob in the North Arm and headed for the Egleton Reserve where we had lunch before heading for the centre.  The water level had risen further on lagoon one but there was still plenty of Pintail and I counted forty-nine with another two visible on Lagoon Two.  Most of the birds on the lagoon then took to flight and David picked up a Peregrine, which had obviously caused the disturbance and we were able to watch it for several minutes before it stooped behind the poplars and disappeared.  As the birds began to settle again we found a couple of Curlew on the long island and there was also a party of sixteen Pochard.  A Little Egret flew over and a distant Buzzard was observed over the South Arm and there were three Shelduck on the Wet Meadow.

We eventually set off for Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three and on arriving we had seen just a single Blue Tit on route and generally it felt particularly quiet.  Like Lagoon One the water level on Lagoon Three had also risen but there was very little on the lagoon, the best being a Little Egret.  We did pick up two distant Red Kites and found a single Snipe on one of the island and I doubt the wildfowl number reached twenty in total, with just a few Wigeon, Teal, Mallard and Goldeneye and a single Tufted Duck and two male and a single female Goosander.

As we walked towards Dunlin Hide on Lagoon Four we flushed a Green Woodpecker from off the Lagoon Four bund.  From the hide we found three Pintail, a couple of red-headed Smew and the resident juvenile female Peregrine was resting on the ground, which was presumably the bird we had seen earlier over Lagoon One.  The gull numbers gradually began to build but most were Common Gulls, with smaller numbers of Black-headed, Herring and Great Black-backed Gull but surprisingly no Lesser Black-backed.

As the weather appeared to be closing in we decided to make our way back to the centre but other than a male and two female Goosanders there was little of note.  Steve called to let me know he had located a first-winter Mediterranean Gull on lagoon four but we decided not to go back as the light was beginning to go and there was a risk that it would have moved off before we reached the hide.  As we returned to the car eight Redwings flew over, which brought the total of species for the day to seventy.