Tim had called to say that
there was a Red-necked Phalarope on Lagoon Four at Rutland Water and David and
I decided we would go over as we suspected that it might be gone by tomorrow.
We arrived in Dunlin Hide on
Lagoon Four to find Erik and Nigel but no phalarope. It had apparently flown and appeared to have
come down in front of the Volunteer’s Training centre. With no sign for over twenty minutes we
decided to go to Plover Hide to see if it was visible. Dave Grey had already joined us and Tim who
had just returned on site came with us to the hide.
Although the light wasn’t
brilliant from Plover Hide there was no sign of the phalarope but we could see
thirteen Ringed Plovers, two Sanderlings and a Dunlin amongst the exposed rocky
area. Davie went to Shoveler Hide to see
if was on Lagoon Three but called a little later to say there was no sign and
that he was going to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four. Tim left shortly afterwards and it wasn’t too
long before Dave and I started to move of to join David in Sandpiper Hide. Just as we were leaving the hide David called
to say he was watching it right in front of the hide.
When Dave and I arrived in the
hide it was still there and we were able to confirm that it was a male. We watched it for several minutes as it fed
just beyond a party of Black-headed Gulls but then it suddenly took to flight
and I lost it. Dave Grey did pick up a
wader in flight, which was probably the phalarope, but it flew off in the
direction of Lagoons two and Three and we couldn’t find it again.
Richard and Craig then arrived
and we left them with Erik in the hide but just before we departed Erik arrived
saying that it still hadn’t returned but Craig and Richard were still looking.
When we got there and it had
flown and we were unable to find it I thought we had dipped but credit to David
in looking for it from the other hides, which obviously paid dividends. It moved my year-list onto 205 and my
patch-list to 145 with a point’s score of 175.
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