Wednesday 30 March 2016

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - March 29, 2016

I left home this morning heading for the Egleton Reserve at Rutland Water in bright but cool conditions in a fresh south-westerly wind.  I had a Buzzard and a Kestrel not too far from home on my journey to Rutland Water and on arrival a Kingfisher flew across the road at Manton Bridge and into my patch.  The Kingfisher took my total number of species on patch to 110 with a point’s score of 132.

After parking and getting kitted out I walked along the service road to Dunlin Hide on Lagoon Four, seeing a Jay in the last meadow before I reached the hide.  I scanned the water and islands and found the female Peregrine and a Sparrowhawk on two of the islands and there were at least six Ringed Plovers on two islands.  A single Little Egret was feeding quite close to the Sparrowhawk and five Shelduck were feeding on the lagoon.


I moved onto Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three to look for the Long-billed Dowitcher but couldn’t find it.  There was eleven Shelduck, a pair of Pintail and two Oystercatchers on the lagoon but the number of Pochard had dropped to just twelve.  It clouded over and I thought I would go to Lapwing Hide to view the south arm but by the time I got there the sun was shining brightly and it it’s not an ideal viewing point in the mornings when the sun is shining, although there was at least 150 Sand Martins feeding over the water, which is a significant increase since the weekend.


Gadwall


Shoveler alighting on the water


Pair of Shoveler


Stock Dove

I walked back to Shoveler Hide but after a brief and unsuccessful attempt for the dowitcher made my way back to the centre.  There were two Oystercatchers in the large meadow as I walked back but there was little song in the blustery and cool conditions, with just three Chiffchaffs being heard.


Song Thrush near the centre

I checked the feeders at the centre where there was the usual collection of species but perhaps more surprisingly what I think was a Harvest Mouse feeding under the close feeders.


Dunnock


Great Tit


Male Reed Bunting


Male Greenfinch


Goldfinch


Presumed Harvest Mouse


Presumed Harvest Mouse

I continued on to Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow and found a pair of Shelduck and two pairs of Pintail on the flash.  There was a second pair of Shelduck on the flash in front of harrier hide and four Curlew were feeding in the meadow.  Scanning the area I picked up several Buzzards towards Burley House and a single Kestrel beyond Brown’s Island and I also saw a Chiffchaff as I left the hide.

I moved on to the 360° Hide but there were far fewer birds on Lagoon Five than Saturday and there was no sign of either the Red-crested Pochard or Green Sandpiper, although Steve did find the Green Sandpiper later in the day.  The raft of weed the sandpiper had been feeding on Saturday was now on the bank having been driven there by the weekend storm.  There were four Oystercatcher on the lagoon but very little else and so I moved on to view Lagoon Seven.

As there is no hide or public access to this lagoon it is rather difficult to observe and all I could see were six Shelduck and a single Pochard.

From Lagoon Seven I made way past Lagoon Eight, where there was a pair of Shelduck and an Oystercatcher, before heading towards Heron Hide but I was able to scope the Manton Bay Ospreys on the nest without going the whole way to the hide.  I then retraced my steps before going to Pintail Hide on Lagoon Six where there were another two Shelduck, two more Oystercatchers and two Redshanks.


Canada Goose on Lagoon Six bund

I continued onto Fieldfare Hide where I could see the flock of Sand Martin in better light but there now appeared to fewer birds and there were no other hirundines amongst the flock.  As I made my way back I called at Harrier Hide but saw nothing new before heading back to the car park for lunch.


Oystercatcher from Harrier Hide

Malcolm had called me earlier and told me that he had seen both the Red-necked and Slavonian Grebes along with a Great Northern Diver in the North Arm and was going to Lagoon Three to look for the dowitcher and so I gave him a call when I had finished my lunch.

He hadn’t seen the dowitcher and I waited for him to return as we agreed that we would go back to the North Arm to look for the birds he had seen earlier and then move on to Whitwell where Steve and Terry had seen both Swallow and House Martin earlier.

When we arrived at the fisherman's car park it felt like a beautiful spring day as we were sheltered from the wind and the sun felt quite warm.  Malcolm soon found the Red-necked Grebe and shortly afterwards he located the Slavonian Grebe but there was no sign of the diver.  As we drove along the Hambleton Road heading for the Stamford Road an Osprey flew low over the road towards Lagoon Four.

When we arrived at Whitwell there are lots of folk with children and there was no sign of any hirundines and presumably they had moved on in the improving conditions.

We checked out the north arm from the end of the unnamed road where we were hoping there might be some hirundines but we only saw a couple of Sand Martin although we did have several Buzzards, two Red Kites and a pair of Raven.

Once back at Egleton we went to the Bird watching Centre to check out Lagoon One but it was very quiet with just more Shelduck, Pochard and a Little Grebe.  We checked the feeders again but pretty much the same as earlier was present.


Chaffinch


Goldfinch

I said I was going back to the northern lagoons but Malcolm decided he would head back to Eyebrook Reservoir.  As I was approaching Shoveler Hide, Steve and Terry were walking back along the trail from Lapwing Hide and informed me that the Long-billed Dowitcher was visible from Buzzard Hide.

There were two other birders viewing the bird as I entered the hide and I soon located it on the nearest island where it was roosting with its bill tucked in and if I hadn’t seen it before I would have been wondering what it was, not very exciting.

As the sun would not now be a problem in viewing South Arm Three from Lapwing Hide I headed off in that direction but called Malcolm to give him an update.  He was now at Eyebrook Reservoir and said there were quite a few hirundines present, including both Swallow and House Martin.

I continued onto Lapwing Hide but didn’t see very much and made a brief call to Sandpiper Hide where I added Dunlin to the day list before going back to the car park and heading off for Eyebrook Reservoir.

When I arrived at Eyebrook Reservoir I could see several hirundines flying low over the water near the Leicestershire bank and so I drove around to the fence.  As I scanned the hirundines I was surprised to find that most were Swallows and I counted fourteen along with five Sand Martins and a single House Martin, which was my first of the year and a good end to the day.

As I set off from Eyebrook Reservoir it started to rain, which became quite heavy at times as I drove home and I saw nothing of note.

Sunday 27 March 2016

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - March 25, 2016

Roger and I set off hoping the Firecrest was still present at Rutland Water but decided to via Eyebrook Reservoir to check out the Little Owl.  We saw a Red Kite at Blaston and fifteen Golden Plover in flight as we approached the Uppingham Road, Stockerston Lane crossroads on route.

One of the Little Owls did obliged and as we turned to head for Stoke Dry an Osprey was observed carrying a fish and being harassed by several gulls.  I knew that Steve would be at Rutland Water and so gave him a call but he hadn’t found the Firecrest and so we stopped to overlook the inlet.  There was a Little Egret in the stream and another flew over the reservoir but the only other bird of note we saw was a Kestrel perched in a tree along the Rutland bank.

As we were approaching Rutland Water there was an Osprey just before the turning to Manton, which we assumed would be the Manton Bay bird.  As Steve hadn’t called with news of the Firecrest we headed for the North Arm.

After parking at the end of the unnamed road we walked down to the spit.  The water was pretty choppy but we soon found both the Red-necked Grebe and Slavonian Grebe in the direction of the fisherman’s car park.  There were also two pairs of Oystercatcher, one near the fisherman’s car park and the other on the north shore and there was a single Redshank on the north bank of the fishponds and a Little Egret flew over.  On scanning Burley Wood we had two Red Kites and at least five Buzzards.

When we arrived in the viewing area in the centre we found Steve already viewing Lagoon One but he hadn’t seen too much and a couple of drake Pintail and a Little Egret were the highlights.  He had seen a Little Ringed Plover on Lagoon Four earlier and mentioned that a pair of Red-crested Pochard had been reported on Lagoon Five from the 360° Hide.

He set off for Lagoon Five and a few minutes later Roger and I followed him.  When we reached the 360° Hide I was surprised that Steve was not there only to receive a call from him informing me that he was in Snipe Hide and that there was a female Wheatear on the Wet Meadow.  He asked if we had seen the Red-crested Pochard, which we hadn’t as he we had only just arrived and I said I would call him back if they were still there.

As I scanned the lagoon I found a single drake Red-crested Pochard and called Steve who then informed me that a Green Sandpiper had been seen on some floating weed just in front of the hide.  A quick check and I was able to confirm that it was still there.  When I looked back for the Red-crested Pochard there were now three, two males and a female.  There were also two Shelduck and two Redshanks on the lagoon and an Avocet flew over.  Steve then arrived but shortly afterwards Roger and I went back to Snipe Hide to look for the Wheatear.

As we approached the hide I heard a Chiffchaff but only briefly and it didn’t sing again.  When we entered the hide there was a couple who hadn’t seen the Wheatear but gave us some indication as to where Steve had seen it.  We spent a good thirty minutes scanning the area for the Wheatear but there was no sign but we did see another two Shelduck, a Snipe and four Curlew and I picked up our first Swallow of the year as it came across Lagoon One along with a few Sand Martin.  Fifteen Fieldfares also flew by the hide heading south-west.

We moved on to Harrier Hide to get a different view of the Wet Meadow but with same result, although I did have better views of a Swallow.  I then received a text from Steve saying that he had just seen a Merlin flying south-west over Lagoon One.

With still no sign of the Wheatear we eventually gave up and returned to the car park for lunch.

After lunch we set off toward Lagoon Four and hopefully the Little Ringed Plover.  As Steve had seen the Little Ringed Plover on Island Seven we decided to go to Dunlin Hide to view the lagoon.  We found a couple of Ringed Plovers, two Redshank and a Little Egret but there was no sign of the Little Ringed Plover and so we moved onto Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three.

The Long-billed Dowitcher had been reported but another birder in the hide hadn’t seen it and it certainly didn’t appear whilst we were there and other than six Shelduck there was little else.

I then got another text from Steve regarding a Mediterranean Gull on Lagoon One but we decided to go to Plover Hide to get a different view of Lagoon Four.  We found another pair of Ringed Plover and a Dunlin but there was still no sign of the Little Ringed Plover.  I call at Sandpiper Hide also failed to find the Little Ringed Plover and we presumed it had moved on.

As we approached the centre we spoke to Brian, Roger and Rosie who were on their way to look for the Little Ringed Plover.  We told them of our experience and asked them to call us if they found it but we didn’t get a call and suspected they had the same result.

From the centre we soon found the Mediterranean Gull, which was a rather smart second-summer.  It appeared to showing an interest in the Black-headed Gulls that were establishing territories on the nearest island and we had some rather nice views of the bird.  There were more hirundines on the lagoon now in the deteriorating conditions but I could still only find a single Swallow amongst the Sand Martins.  There were also five Oystercatchers on the lagoon and two Avocets made a brief visit.

We decided to leave and go back to Eyebrook Reservoir in the hope that there would be more hirundines there but after circling the area we found nothing of note and called it a day.

On the journey home we had a Red Kite as we approached Cranoe and a Sparrowhawk flew over the road in Tur Langton.


It had been a bit of a mixed day as we had recorded seventy-eight species, which included a year-tick and a county year-tick but we had missed three year-ticks, Merlin, Little Ringed Plover and Wheatear.  I had also added three species to my patch list, Red-crested Pochard, Mediterranean Gull and Swallow, which takes my total on to 109 with a point’s value of 131.

Friday 25 March 2016

An afternoon at Rutland Water, Rutland - March 25, 2016

Tim had called before lunch today to inform me that there was a Firecrest near Osprey Hide at Rutland Water.  I was unable to go straight away but David and I went at around 14:30 and arrived on site just after 15:00.


We walked out towards Osprey Hide and found a number of birders appearing to be either watching or looking for something alongside the path as we approached the turn.  A bird then suddenly appeared in the bushes overhanging the path, which was the Firecrest.  We then watched it for over an hour as it moved through the trees feeding and singing and frequently showing its striking red crest.  It was very active and difficult to photograph but I did manage to get a few good shots during our time with the bird.













Firecrest

Andy Mackay had had a couple of adult Mediterranean Gulls fly over the north arm with several Common Gulls and so we went to Sandpiper Hide to see if they had gone onto there.

There weren’t too many gulls on Lagoon Four and there was no sign of the Mediterranean Gulls and so we went back to the centre after having further views of the Firecrest.

There had been a report of two Avocets and a Black-tailed Godwit on Lagoon One earlier but Tim said that they were on the Wet Meadow.

When we arrived in the centre I picked up the two Avocets on the pool near harrier hide but couldn’t see the godwit.  A few minutes later David picked up the two Avocets on the lagoon and just afterwards they and other birds on the long island were disturbed.  As I scanned through the birds in flight I picked up the Black-tailed Godwit but it flew quite high and headed off over the top of poplars.  David then found the cause of the disturbance, which was a Buzzard circling over the lagoon.  Other birds of note we saw were eight Shelduck, three Pintail and four Curlew.


Red Kite over the Egleton Meadows

A day in Staffordshire March 24, 2016

I was out with David and Roger today and our plan was to visit Chasewater for a Ring-necked Duck and then move onto Ham Heath for a Hoopoe.

The weather wasn’t promising with forecast predicting heavy rain from mid-morning.  When we arrived at Chasewater and more specifically The Swag, which is north-west and separated from the main body of water by a bund, although it is connected by a sluice it was just beginning to rain.  We had driven along Norton Road in Norton Canes to view The Swag and after parking we walked across the road to view the water.  I scanned the water with my scope and one of the first birds I saw was the drake Ring-necked Duck.  I alerted David and Roger and we spent about fifteen minutes viewing this rather smart looking duck amongst a small party of Tufted Duck.  A quick scan of the rest of the water produced nothing else and with the rain beginning to fall more steadily we set off for Ham Heath.

It was only about a twenty mile drive but it took just over an hour as we were built up areas all of the time.  When we arrived it was raining but it wasn’t too heavy and so we got kitted out and walked the short distance to the old quarry.  There was a gap in the fence which leads in the now filled quarry area but it wasn’t obvious how to get to the area the Hoopoe was being seen.  I made a quick call to Roger Brett, who was able to help us get around the fence and to the right area.

As we walked over the top of the quarry two other birders were leaving saying it wasn’t showing but it had been seen earlier.  Another birder, who was also leaving, said he had seen it in flight and it went into the corner of the field but it hadn’t been seen since.  It was around 11:00 and during the next ninety minutes it continued to rain and along with three other birders we hadn’t seen it.  I suggested that we went back to the car for lunch and then comeback and give it another hour.

Rather than walk back we drove the car through a housing estate and gained access quite close to where the bird was being seen.  The other three birders had been joined by a forth birder, who we later found out was A. T. Moffett who had won the British Birds Photographer of the Year back in 1986 with a photo of two Grey Partridge.  We also established that he had been feeding the Hoopoe and was convinced it would come into the area later in the day.

The rain eventually eased and actually stopped but the wind then increased a little and it still wasn’t very pleasant.  The other three birders gave up at around 14:00 but we decided to stick it out a little longer.  I had wandered off to the top of the hill and suddenly heard A. T. Moffett shouting and pointing in the direction of the stream.  He had seen the bird in flight and was certain that it had landed in an ivy covered tree on the stream.  David then joined Roger and I and we found out that he had flushed the bird from some longer grass on the edge of the field.

We moved down to the stream to view the tree but couldn’t initially see the Hoopoe but then David said I’ve got it.  I looked and could see a Woodpigeon in the direction he was looking but he then said he lost it.  I then noticed it silhouetted against the sky and was able to confirm it was it with the bins.  I tried to get David back onto it when it moved slightly and was now not so easy to see and so I tried to get it in the scope but as I did so it flew off and headed for a farm.  Roger who had been lagging behind hadn’t seen it perched but got on it as it flew off.

We walked along the path by the stream to see if we could pick it up again.  David then cried its flying right but Roger and I didn’t get on it and we were now unsure whether or not it had come down or continued along the hedgerow.  Roger and I stayed and looked from the path whilst David returned to the quarry area.  Roger and I eventually also went back to the quarry to find A. T. Moffett indicating that the bird was on the ground and showing well, right where he said it would be.


I went back to the car and got my camera and was able to get a few reasonable shots, although the bird was seldom seen clearly as it fed amongst the long grasses and vegetation.


Hoopoe


Hoopoe


Hoopoe


Hoopoe

We finally called it a day and headed for home seeing a Raven and two Buzzards as we were approaching the M1/M69 junction in Leicestershire.

Despite the weather we had managed to get both target birds but what a contrast. One found probably in less than a minute whilst the other took over three and a half hours.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - March 22, 2016

It was a bright and sunny morning following an overnight frost when I set off for Eyebrook Reservoir this morning.  I saw nothing of note on route but the Little Owl obliged on the approach to the reservoir.  I spent quite some time hoping for a Kingfisher, as two were seen early yesterday, but with no luck.  I moved around the Rutland bank and parked in gateway to view the inlet.  There was a Redshank alongside the stream and I found two Snipe resting at the edge of the grasses but the only other bird of note was a Shelduck.

With little else I set off for the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water and saw a Red Kite just after passing through Glaston and an Egyptian Goose in flight over Lyndon village was a surprise.

On reaching the centre I set off to see Maya, the female Osprey, in Manton Bay.  On reaching the hide she was still on the nest and remained there during the whole of my visit.  She made several attempts to unsuccessfully rearrange some of the sticks around the edge of nest but otherwise just sat on the nest waiting for her partner to return.  Even four Buzzards soaring above the nest didn’t tempt her to leave the nest and I suspect that she is enjoying a wall earned rest following her return.  Two Oystercatchers flying over the bay were the only other birds of note whilst I was in the hide.

With little activity I made why back to the centre, seeing and photographing a Goldcrest just after leaving the hide.


Goldcrest

On getting back to the centre I could see that the nest was now empty on the live pictures streamed from the nest camera and apparently she had left just after I had left.  I spent some time observing the feeders where there were several Tree Sparrows present, along with two Stock Doves, a Robin, a Dunnock, several Chaffinches, Greenfinches and Goldfinches and a Reed Bunting.


Stock Dove

I went down to Teal hide and found a Little Egret at the base of Lax Hill and a Great Northern Diver in South Arm One.  I called Steve to see what he and Terry had been seeing and they had also seen a Great Northern Diver as well as two Scaup in the south arm but could only find the Red-necked Grebe in the north arm and he suspected that the Slavonian Grebe and Black-necked Grebes had perhaps departed.  I had a scan of the parties of Tufted Ducks on the water and eventually found the male and female Scaup.

I decided that I would visit the North Arm next and found Gerry on the spit but he hadn’t seen anything of note.  He did eventually pick up the Red-necked Grebe, which is now looking rather smart in its summer plumage.  He then found a Curlew on the north shore and I picked up a Redshank in flight and there was also a Little Egret close to where the now covered bund is.  We had a Buzzard over Burley Wood and just after Gerry departed I had two Red Kite, two more Buzzards and Osprey over the wood.

On reaching the Egleton car park it was a little early for lunch and so I went to the Bird Watching Centre to view Lagoon One.  Unfortunately volunteers were going onto the lagoon in a boat to prepare the tern rafts for terns return.  It was surprising that whilst they were on the shore few birds were taking any notice but once they went out on the boat most of the birds on the long island took to flight.  Seven Curlews were observed but other than a Dunlin amongst the Lapwings nothing else of note was observed.  There were just two Shelduck on the lagoon and a Little Egret was feeding on the meadow.

After lunch I went to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three but the expected Long-billed Dowitcher had disappeared an after what had been a good hour didn’t reappear, although it was seen well just before I arrived.  I counted nine Shelduck on the lagoon and there were two pairs of Pintail and fifty-nine Pochard was a good number.  Whilst looking for the dowitcher I did find three Snipe and a Little Egret was feeding on the lagoon, three Redshank flew over and there were four Buzzards soaring to the north.


Pintail on Lagoon Three

It was now overcast and I was beginning to feel rather cold and so I went for a walk to Plover Hide on Lagoon Four.  There were twelve Shelduck, a Little Egret, four Oystercatchers, five Ringed Plovers, a Dunlin and a Curlew on the lagoon but I couldn’t locate the reported red-headed Smew.

I made a brief visit to Bittern Hide where I heard a Water Rail but there was little else of note.


Grey Heron from Bittern Hide

I called at Shoveler Hide again but as there was still no sign of the Long-billed Dowitcher and quickly moved on to Lapwing Hide and found two distant Great Northern Divers but nothing else.

When I got back to Shoveler hide Steve and Terry were present and they had seen the dowitcher but it had gone behind the island and didn’t reappear.  Terry then departed and I went to Buzzard Hide to get a different view but still couldn’t locate the dowitcher.  When I returned to Shoveler Hide Erik had arrived and after a short while I gave up on the dowitcher and with Erik went to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four.  Steve and Terry had also seen the dowitcher on Lagoon One around lunchtime and it is possible that during my first visit it wasn’t on the Lagoon Three.  There was also five Sand Martins over the lagoon briefly.

From Sandpiper Hide Erik found a red-headed Smew close to the northern bank and I found a second closer but both were roosting.  There was quite a concentration of gulls on the lagoon but they were all either Black-headed or Common, with just a single Lesser Black-backed.

The centre was closed when we got back but we had a quick look from the gate as Steve thought that one of the swans on the lagoon might be a Whooper but he wasn’t certain as it was roosting but all we could see was a single Mute Swan.

Ken had called earlier to let me know that the first-year Little Gull was still at Eyebrook Reservoir but as I approached Stoke Dry hundreds of gulls were heading towards Rutland Water and when I reached the reservoir there were no obvious gulls at the inlet.  I then saw two gulls flying down the reservoir with one being noticeably smaller, which turned out to be the Little Gull.

Monday 21 March 2016

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - March 19, 2016

Roger picked me up and after picking David up we headed for Eyebrook Reservoir.  We had a couple of Buzzards on route, one near Carlton Curlieu and the other near Cranoe.

There was no sign of any Little Owls this morning as we approached the reservoir but we did see a Little Egret in flight near the bridge.  There was a single Snipe visible from the bridge and we saw a Peregrine from the Rutland bank as it approached slowly from the west but after reaching the reservoir it turned and headed off back to the west at some speed.

We went straight to the North Arm at Rutland Water and after driving down the unnamed road walked to the end of the spit to view the reservoir.  David picked up the three Black-necked Grebe, that are now in summer plumage and then I found the Slavonian Grebe, which is starting to moult and Roger then found the Red-necked Grebe.  There was a pair of Oystercatcher on the north shore of the fishponds and a Curlew on the north shore of the North Arm.  I then pickup a Sparrowhawk over Burley Wood but it plunged into the wood before David and Roger got on it.  We then had a Red Kite and at least four Buzzards over the wood but we didn’t have the hoped for Osprey, although it was seen mid-morning.

It was rather cold in the light northerly wind and so we retreated to the warmth of the centre at Egleton to view Lagoon One.  There were five Shelduck and three Pintail on the lagoon but I could only find three Pochard.  On the long island we found a pair of Oystercatcher, three Dunlin, a Snipe and a Redshank and there was a Little Egret feeding in front of Mallard Hide.


With little else we decided to visit the southern lagoons and went to Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow first.  There was a pair of Pintail and a Little Egret on the flash and four Curlew feeding in the meadow.


Curlew


Curlew

We eventually moved on towards Tern Hide on Lagoon Six and had brief views of a Chiffchaff near the turn for Harrier Hide.  On reaching Tern Hide on Lagoon Six there was a nice party of Wigeon feeding on the bank, two Oystercatchers resting on one of the islands and four Shelduck on the water.  We moved on Pintail Hide, which gives a slightly different view of the lagoon but the only addition were two more Oystercatcher that flew in and landed somewhere near Tern Hide.


Wigeon


Wigeon

Our plan was no to check Lagoon Seven out but with no public access it is not easy to see the whole lagoon.  As we passed Lagoon Eight we could see four more Shelduck but very little else and continued onto Lagoon Seven.  Despite not being able to view the whole lagoon we did see five more Shelduck, another Little Egret and four Dunlin and a Oystercatcher flew in and disappeared behind one of the island.

We viewed Lagoon Five from Shelduck Hide and found five more Shelduck and two Redshanks and four Dunlin flew in from the west and were presumably those off Lagoon Seven.

As it was now approaching lunch time and so we returned to the car for a bite to eat.

After lunch we walked to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three were we found the Long-tailed Dowitcher roosting with three Snipe.  There were another seven Shelduck and a pair of Pintail on the lagoon and I also counted forty-five Pochard.  Two Buzzards were also observed over the wood just beyond the reedbed.

We joined another birder in Lapwing Hide, which overlooks South Arm Three and we hadn’t been there too long when he indicated he had one of the divers.  It was some distance off but we thought that it was a Great Northern.  Roger then found a second diver much closer, which was quickly identified as a Great Northern but it did look different to the first and with news of a Black-throated Diver being reported we turned our focus back on the first bird.  It was clearly whiter on the sides of the face and the head shape didn’t look quite right for a Great Northern but it was quite some distance away and we were now unsure of its identity.  Two things went against it being a Black-throated, one there was no sign of a white thigh patch and it occasionally showed a partial neck collar.  Other birders came into the hide and everyone was unsure of its identity but it gradually came closer and we were able to positively identify at a Great Northern.  I suspect that if a Black-throated Diver hadn’t been reported its identity would have been questioned.

Whilst we were looking at the diver Roger picked up a Sand Martin and on scanning for it I found a second bird but with little else and the identity of the diver agreed we went back to Shoveler Hide where the dowitcher was now awake and feeding.

When we got back into Shoveler Hide the dowitcher was back on the island and roosting with the Snipe.

We quickly moved onto Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four were we found eight more Shelduck, a pair of Pintail, a drake and three red-headed Smew, a Little Egret, four Oystercatchers, two Ringed Plovers and the female Peregrine.

We called at the centre but there was nothing new on Lagoon One and so we called it a day.
A Buzzard was observed as we drove towards Great Glen but saw nothing else of note on the way home.

A day in Leicestershire & Derbyshire - March 17, 2016

David picked me and we then went and picked Roger up before going to look for a Black Redstart that had been present for three days in north-west Leicestershire.

We arrived at the site and after parking we walked along a bridleway to Eastern Old Park Farm, which is near Lount.   We could see a number of birders and they appeared to be watching something as we approached.  When we arrived the Black Redstart was on view but it was flushed almost immediately by a Robin and I failed to see it whilst David and Roger had brief views.  Fortunately it was back on view just a few minutes later and it was a cracking male in superb plumage.  We watched the bird for perhaps fifteen minutes before it disappeared and when it didn’t return we went further along the bridal path in search of Brambling that had been present earlier in the week.

As we moved along the path we didn’t see too much just a distant Buzzard and there was a Nuthatch calling in the grounds of the old farm house.  A party of birds flew up from the lawn of the old farm house into a Yew tree but didn’t reappear and on reaching the site of Black Restart it hadn’t been seen whist we were away and so we returned to the car.

David had got some information regarding a feeding station at Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, which was only a few miles away and so we decided to go there.

It was further than expected as the entrance was on the far side of Ticknall.  As it is a National Trust Site there was an entrance charge but not for David and Roger as they are members but the gate lady allowed me free access into the park.  It was quite a drive to the car park near the centre and there was a charge of about £10 to gain access to the hose and gardens, which I certainly wasn’t keen on paying to see Brambling.  However David established that the bird hide was in the car park and didn’t require any additional fee.

When we got back to the car park we could see the hide in the far corner but on entering there was just room for six people at the flaps and these were all occupied by photographers.  There were clearly plenty of birds visiting the feeders and one of the first birds we saw a Lesser Redpoll and this was quickly followed by a nice male Brambling.  I had taken a few photographs from the back of the hide when I realised that the centre section of the hide was in fact two small doors, which when opened gave views of the feeders and there was also a plastic water bottle, which was full of water, that could be used as a seat and I was then able to get more comfortable to photograph the birds.


Whist we were in the hide we saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker, several Jackdaws, numerous Blue and Great Tits, a Coal Tit, two Nuthatches, numerous Chaffinches, at least five Bramblings, ten plus Greenfinches, five Goldfinches, a Siskin and a Lesser Redpoll.  We had lunch in the car park when we saw two Buzzards and heard a Green Woodpecker.


Blue Tit


Male Brambling


Male Brambling


Male Brambling


Female Brambling


Male Brambling


Male Brambling


Greenfinch


Male Siskin


Goldfinch


Lesser Redpoll


Nuthatch

We moved onto Dimminsdale, which is a Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust reserve at the southern edge of Staunton Harold Reservoir.  We parked on the opposite of the road to the reserve and as we were getting out of the car Roger noticed a pair of Mandarin on the reservoir.  When I looked there were actually two pairs swimming along the edge of the reservoir.  We scanned the reservoir but there few birds, although we did see Greylag Geese, Canada Geese, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe and Coot.  We crossed the road and entered the reserve and then completed a circular walk but it was pretty quiet.  We did see a Grey Heron to the south east of the reserve and also saw four Goldcrest and a couple of Treecreeper and heard Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

As we weren't too far from Kelham Bridge, which is a good site for Willow Tit, we decided that it would be a next port of call.

It took us about twenty minutes to reach the site and we then walked the short distance to the hide to view the feeders.  It wasn’t too long before a Willow Tit arrived at the feeders and we had some nice views as unusually it stayed for a while before flying off.  It returned again but this time stayed just long enough to get a morsel before flying off again.  Roger then noticed a Chiffchaff feeding on the island but other than a single Snipe there was little else and we fared no better from the second hide.


Willow Tit

Our final stop was at Thornton Reservoir where we had a Grey Wagtail but nothing else of note.

It had been a pretty good day with two year-ticks and excellent views of birds at the Calke Abbey feeders.