A day in Leicestershire & Rutland and Cambridgeshire - November 29, 2016

There had been a good overnight frost with the car temperature indicating -7°C at one point as I headed for Rutland Water but it was at least bright and sunny.  I saw a Red Kite as I was approaching Cranoe, a Kestrel after passing through the village and then a Buzzard between Slawston and Blaston.

As I arrived in the North Arm at Rutland Water Steve and Terry were making their way back from the point and during a brief chat I informed them that there had been a male Red-breasted Merganser reported yesterday.  They hadn’t seen it but Steve mentioned that they had seen ten Goosanders and that one looked a bit odd, which he had assumed was a juvenile.  He then wondered if it could have been the merganser and we went into the field to view the birds.  Most of the Goosanders had moved closer to the shore and weren’t easy to see but Terry then found the possible Red-breasted Merganser on the bund.  It looked rather ragged and appeared thin billed and initially we thought it might be a merganser.  However on careful examination it was clearly just a ragged Goosander but it was easy to see how it could easily be misidentified as a Red-breasted Merganser.

Steve and Terry departed and I continued to the end of the unnamed road and viewed the fishponds.  As I scanned through the birds I found thirteen Goosanders, a Little Egret and a Grey Wagtail, which was on the north shore.

I then went through the gate to view the north arm and initially scanned the far shore, where the light was superb but it was rather cold and so I headed for an area in the sun.  As I scanned the north shore I picked up a single Redshank but couldn’t locate the Pink-footed Goose amongst the numerous Greylag Geese.  There were two Little Egrets on the bund, a third on the north shore and a forth near Dickinson’s Bay.  As the light was poor looking down the arm I walked through the field to reach the southern shore where the light would be a little better.  There were forty-six Pintail in the arm and I also counted thirty Pochard and as I continued to scan I found the Slavonian Grebe.  I then picked up a red-headed Smew, which was my first this autumn but I couldn’t find the two Black-necked Grebes Steve and Terry had seen.  I then noticed a Redshank to my left and as I looked at it I found the long-staying Whimbrel in the same area.  I called Steve to make him aware I had seen a Smew and the Whimbrel before making my way back to view the northern shore again.

As I scanned the northern shore from Dickinson’s Bay back towards the fishponds I found the two Black-necked Grebes, which were now where I have seen them so often.  I then started to go through the geese again and after a while noticed one that stretching down into a gully, which I suspected could be the Pink-foot but was unable to see the bill as it was feeding.  It eventually raised its head and I was able to confirm that it was the Pink-footed Goose.

Steve had called earlier to say that he and Terry had seen the Red-necked Grebe just east of the Old Hall and so I headed there next.  I was surprised to find so many birds in the south arm but went beyond the Old Hall to try and find the Red-necked.  The light wasn’t brilliant and so I walked a little further to the east to view the birds.  There were masses of Coots with smaller numbers of Wigeon, Gadwall and Great Crested Grebe mixed in.  I found the Red-necked Grebe on my third scan and there was a Redshank feeding along the shoreline.  I then walked on the west side of the Old Hall to get a better view of the birds in South Arm Three.  Again there were masses of Coot but there was no sign of the two Scaup seen last week and I suspected that they must be closer to Lapwing Hide.  I did scan the area several times but couldn’t locate them and moved onto the Egleton car park.

I was intending to go to Eldernell this afternoon but went into the Bird Watching Centre as David as asked me to get him a monopod from In Focus, which he was going to try on his trip to Costa Rica.  I decided to check out Lagoon One before I got the monopod and found the lagoon to partially frozen over.  There were still plenty of Pintail on the lagoon and I counted eighty-five but other than a few Goosanders, which I suspected were some of those I had seen in the fishponds, there was little else.  I went and got David’s monopod and then set off for Eldernell.

Collared Dove in the Egleton car park

Redwing in the Egleton car park

I tried calling Malcolm to see if he was out and he was in the North Arm, having seen two Smew, and he had also seen a couple of Great White Egrets, which I hadn’t seen today.  He described where they were and I decided to drop down to the bottom of Barnsdale and hopefully see them on the south shore.  The light was pretty poor but I did manage to see one, although clearly not the best views I have ever had.

I was soon on my way heading toward Stanford and then turned south on the A1 before coming off onto the A47, where there two soaring Red Kites, and heading for Peterborough.  I was soon on the far side of Peterborough heading east on the A605 towards Eldernell.  I initially went to Marsh Farmers as there had been several hundred Whooper Swans and a few Bewick’s Swans reported at the weekend.  After passing the turn to Eldernell I saw a Buzzard and two Kestrels before reaching the turn to Marsh Farmers.

After I had had my lunch I went up the bank to view the washes and was disappointed to find that at least some of the water was frozen and there were just a few Whooper Swans.  I started to scan the area and found a Redshank when another birder arrived.  He informed me that it was very good for waders at the weekend and he thought most, like the swans, would have gone due the freezing conditions.  A Marsh Harrier then disturbed the birds and there quite a few Dunlin amongst a part of Lapwing.  When they all came down I scanned the area again and counted twenty-seven Dunlin, four Snipe and twenty-five Redshank and party of twenty-five Golden Plover also flew over.

A farmer then arrived, who obviously knew the other birder and as they were discussing what had been using the wash, I overhead the other birder mention that some Bean Geese had been reported at the weekend.  I realised I had seen four geese earlier but hadn’t taken too much notice as they were rather distant and I was more interested in going through the swans and waders.  I soon located them again and when I got them in the scope it was clear that they were either Pink-footed or Bean Geese.  They were feeding in rather long grass but the bright sunlight was making it difficult to be certain about the bill colour.  However one bird in particular was standing erect on several occasions and the neck and bill looked rather long and there seemed to be little contrast between the dark head and back, all of which suggested that they were Bean Geese.  One of the birds then walked directly away and I got a good look at the leg colour, which was clearly orange.  The other birder then used my scope to confirm my identification.  I remained quite some time afterwards but other than a Buzzard and a male Stonechat I wasn’t seeing a great deal else and so I moved onto Eldernell.

As I drove down to the car park at Eldernell there was a Red Kite perched over the road at the top of a tree but it flew out as I approached and a second later a rat dropped onto the road, which presumably the kite had released.

When I reached the car park it was pretty full, mainly due to a digger being parked in one corner, pending work on the sluice gate.  I joined another birder near the bridge and he pointed out three distant Cranes, which were two adults and a juvenile.  I moved further onto the bridge to get better view back towards Marsh Farmers but it was pretty quiet.  As I continued scanning I picked up four Cranes flying towards me but they turned west and were joined by the other three in flight before two dropped out of sight but and the others were visible on the ground after they alighted and I could see that there were two adults and three juveniles.

Cranes over Eldernell

It wasn’t long afterwards that one of the juveniles took to flight again and came down where the first two had gone down.  Other than a couple of Marsh Harriers I had seen very little when another birder came down to the bridge to tell me he had just watched a male Hen Harrier and a probable female flying west.  He had seen the birds well east of the car park and then watched them disappear to the west before making anyone aware; frustrating.  Whilst he was still talking I picked up a ring-tailed Hen Harrier that wasn’t too far away, which then proceeded to give good views probably for over five minutes before it eventually dropped and wasn’t seen again.

Whilst we were scanning the area a female birder got the attention of another birder and when I looked there were sixteen Cranes altogether right of the old duck decoy.  Shortly afterwards, but rather late in the day, the first of four Short-eared Owls appeared and between them they then put on a show in fading light.  A Barn Owl then appeared reasonably close but with the light now going rather quickly and the temperature dropping rather rapidly I called it a day.

A day in Northwest Leicestershire - November 26, 2016

David and I planned to spend a day in Northwest Leicestershire and our first port of call was Kelham Bridge.  It was overcast and dull when we left but we did see a Buzzard and a couple of Kestrels alongside the A50.

When we arrived at Kelham Bridge there was a light northerly breeze but it didn’t feel too cold as we entered the reserve.  There were a few passerines as we walked towards the first hide including a Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tits and plenty of thrushes, which were mainly Redwing but also smaller numbers of Fieldfare and Blackbird.

When we opened the flaps in the first hide there were several birds at the feeders including several Blue and Great Tits and also a single Willow Tit.  There wasn’t too much food in the feeders and the Great Tits were bossing the situation and after a couple of visits the Willow Tit disappeared.  Whilst in the hide there was plenty of thrush activity and I found a distant Song Thrush amongst the more numerous Fieldfare and Redwings.  As we moved to the second hide again there were plenty of thrushes but we had seen little else when we reached the hide.  There were a few more birds on the water in front of the hide with a single Mallard and several Moorhen and Coot and there was a Buzzard perched in the distance.  A Little Grebe then appeared and swam across the water before roosting on the edge of the reeds.  A Kingfisher then flashed by and landed in a small tree in the far corner of the lake, where it made several sorties before disappearing.

When we left the hide we decide to complete the circuit back to the car seeing many more thrushes, which were almost all Redwings, as we did so.  We also had three Skylarks flying over and a Bullfinch and several Reed Buntings before we got back to the car.

From Kelham Bridge we made the fairly short journey to Blackbrook Reservoir and after parking walked down the path to the reservoir.  We saw or heard very little as we progressed down the path hearing just a couple of Robin and Bullfinches.  When we reached the bridge we found twelve male and seven female Mandarin Duck and the males were displaying with their sails fully erect as they swam around the females.  As is normal at this site there was little else with just a couple of Wigeon, a Teal, several Mallard and Great Crested Grebes.  Two Little Egrets flew in and there were plenty of gulls on the water but they were all Black-headed.

We next went to Groby Pool where a party of Lesser Redpoll containing a single Common Redpoll had been reported midweek.  We walked alongside the pool seeing Mute Swan, Wigeon; Mallard and Tufted Duck as we did so and there were four Cormorants on the island but we didn’t linger to long too long as were keen to search for the redpoll.  On reaching the far side of the pool we walked along the footpath that follows the northwest edge of the pool before opening up into a small valley.  There is a stream running through the valley into the pool, which is lined with Alders and we assumed that this is where the redpoll had been seen.  Unfortunately there was no sign of any redpoll but David did hear both a redpoll as we walked back.

Disappointed we couldn’t find the redpoll we moved off to Swithland Reservoir and stopped on the causeway to view the southern section but other than a couple of Little Egrets it was pretty quiet.  We then went around to the northern section and parked at the dam where we had lunch whilst viewing the water.  Again other than Cormorants, of which there were sixty it was fairly quiet, although we did find seven Goldeneye.  Two Ravens were observed over Buddon Wood and two more flew from the southwest corner of the dam and a couple of Grey Wagtails flew over.  David drove to the northwest corner of the dam whilst I walked along the dam but other than a Jay and a Mistle Thrush I hadn’t seen anything else when I got to the far end.  As I looked over the wall into the overflow, which was dry, there was a Grey Wagtail, which was presumably one of the two we had seen earlier.  I continued walking along the road and joined David near the wall overlooking the reservoir but didn’t see anything else but did hear a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

From Swithland Reservoir we headed for Cossington Meadows where we were hoping a Short-eared Owl reported earlier in the week would still be present.  As it was still quite early when we arrived we decided to go to Rectory Marsh to see if the Glossy Ibis was still present.

After parking we started walking along the road to the footpath into the marsh when David found a Buzzard perched in a roadside tree.  It looked like a good photo opportunity and it allowed us to view from the far side of the road where I was able to get some nice shots.

Juvenile Buzzard

Juvenile Buzzard

Juvenile Buzzard

Juvenile Buzzard

Juvenile Buzzard

The Buzzard eventually had, had enough of us and flew off and we then continued around to the footpath.  When we reached the marsh we could only see a Little Egret but as we walked around to the far side several Snipe flew out and there was eventually fourteen in total.  As I was following some of the Snipe, David said what’s this, it’s the ibis.  I turned to see the Glossy Ibis flying over the marsh but it soon came down and alighted near the Little Egret before flying again and dropping down out of sight.

Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis

Pleased with finding the ibis we moved off to the main track through the reserve and on reaching it David went back to the car to bring it closer to the main path, whilst I walked slowly along the track to Swan Meadow.  I saw both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers as I walked along the track, as well as a party of Long-tailed Tits and a couple of Reed Buntings.

On reaching Swan Meadow I positioned myself against the gate that overlooks the field in the hope the Short-eared Owl would appear.  David then arrived but he decided to continue along the path to view the pools to the north.  When he returned the owl still hadn’t appeared and had failed to do so during our stay, although we had heard a Cetti’s Warbler and seen a couple of Buzzard and two Kestrels.

We hadn’t seen as many species I would in the east of the county but it had provided a nice change in some rather nice habitat.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - November 24, 2016

David, Roger and I set off to Eyebrook Reservoir in rather dim and dismal weather and it was feeling a cool in the north-east wind.  There was a Kestrel over the road just after passing through Cranoe and we had a Buzzard on the hedge as we approached the Medbourne Road and party of circa forty Fieldfares as we turned towards Blaston.  Whilst travelling along the Uppingham Road there was a second Kestrel just before the Stockerston Lane crossroads and we then had two Red Kites as we dropped down the hill to the Eyebrook Reservoir turn.

As we approached the reservoir there was no sign of the Little Owl this morning but a stop at the bridge produced a Little Egret, four Fieldfares, a Redwing and five Siskin.  After Monday’s heavy rains the reservoir was on top water and consequently other than a few Lapwings flying around there were no other waders.  We made a couple of stops on the Rutland side and saw four Red Kites over the fields on the Leicestershire side and fifth was over the road on the Rutland side.  Roger then picked up a Buzzard on the ground on the Leicestershire side and there was a good selection of wildfowl on the reservoir, including two Pintail, a Pochard and fourteen Goldeneye.

From Eyebrook Reservoir we made our way towards the dam at Rutland Water and stopped an area of scrub approaching Wing, where we found a Jay and had yet another Red Kite floating above the area.  From Lyndon we headed towards North Luffenham before heading to Edith Weston and the dam and saw another Red Kite just before North Luffenham.

We headed east along Normanton Park Road towards the dam and parked in the now locked gates to scan the dam.  To our surprise we picked one of the Great Northern Divers not too far away from the dam almost straight away and then David found the second in a similar position off the Sykes Lane side.  I thought it would be worthwhile going to the Sykes Lane car park and then walking along the dam to hopefully get a photo of the bird.  After parking we walked out to the dam but we couldn’t locate the second diver although the first was still visible on the south side.  As we continued scanning I picked up a Peregrine flying low over the water between us and the distant diver.  It made several circuits over the water but we then watched as it flew off to the east and away from the reservoir.  I was disappointed that the Sykes Lane diver had disappeared and decided to walk over the dam to try and photograph the one we had seen first.  When I reached the area I saw it on the surface just before it dived but it came up again and was still fairly close and I managed to get a few decent shots in what was pretty awful light.

Juvenile Great Northern Diver

Juvenile Great Northern Diver

Juvenile Great Northern Diver

Juvenile Great Northern Diver

Juvenile Great Northern Diver

Juvenile Great Northern Diver

Juvenile Great Northern Diver

Juvenile Great Northern Diver

After taking quite a few shots I headed back across the dam and joined David and Roger who hadn’t been able to locate the second diver or see anything else of note.

Our next stop was to be the North Arm and as we headed off back to the car yet another Red Kite drifted over the car park.  After parking the car at the end of the unnamed road we scanned the fishponds and found two female Goosanders and a Buzzard on the ground on the northern side.  We then moved through the gate to view the rest of the arm.  There were five Little Egrets on the bund and one of the Great White Egrets flew in and joined three of them on the northern side.  We went into the meadow to the south of the spit to get some shelter from the cold wind and found a Redshank feeding on the shoreline.  Roger then found two small grebes out on the water, which proved quite difficult to identify as they were constantly diving.  However with some persistence we were able to determine that one was a Black-necked Grebe, whilst the other was a Slavonian Grebe.  We the found a second Redshank on the south shore and counted sixteen Pintail in the bay.  Malcolm then joined us and we spent quite a bit more time looking along the northern shore where we found the two Barnacle Geese and a drake Goosander and a second Great White Egret flew over, which then joined the first Great White Egret.

Great White Egret

I picked up a Red Kite and two Buzzards over Burley Wood and two other Buzzards soaring around the southern wood were quite vocal.

We finally decided to move on and went to view the south arm from the Old Hall.  After parking we scanned the area from near the cattle grid but with nothing unusual being found we walked to the other side of the Old Hall to view the more eastern bay.  We hadn’t been scanning very long when David found the Red-necked Grebe, which wasn’t too far out and after viewing it for several minutes Malcolm and I went down to the shore to see if we get any photos.  When we got to the shore it was perhaps further out than we first thought but I did get a few record shots.

Red-necked Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

As Malcolm and I walked back we saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker but David and Roger had gone on ahead and as we approached them it looked as though they were looking at something of interest, however they hadn’t found anything and were just scanning a party of Tufted Duck.  I started to scan the same party and found a female Scaup and having got the others onto it I found a male.

After walking back to the car we headed for the Egleton Reserve where we had lunch before going into the Bird Watching Centre to view Lagoon One.  There was a couple of Dunlin and a Snipe on the long island but I only managed to see one of the Dunlin and there was also plenty of Pintail of which I counted 100 and one of the Great White Egrets was at the back of the lagoon.  A male Stonechat was observed in front of the centre and second male was seen towards Mallard Hide.

We eventually all went to the northern lagoons seeing circa twenty Redwings on route.  The water is still very low on Lagoon Three but few birds are using the areas close to the hide.  There was a Great White Egret alongside the reedbed and eight Little Egrets were observed either on an area cleared recently or in flight over the reedbed.  There was a single Shelduck and four Pintail on the lagoon and a Buzzard was observed over the woodland at the back of the reedbed.

From Shoveler Hide we went to Crake Hide in the hope of seeing a Kingfisher but had no joy and saw just a Little Egret and a couple of Little Grebes.  Another birder was returning from Lapwing Hide indicating that he had found nothing except a female Scaup and so we decided not to go, which proved to be a mistake as a red-headed Smew was reported a little later.

A quick visit to Smew Hide produced another Shelduck on Lagoon Two and we saw a Green Woodpecker as we approached Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four.  The water level on Lagoon Four is now quite high and the number of birds using the lagoon continues to decline.  A careful scan did produce a female Peregrine perched on one of the island signs and there was another Shelduck towards the Volunteer’s Centre.

As we walked back to the centre we found a small party of birds feeding in an Alder close to the path but a careful search only produced three Goldfinches and two Siskin.  On reaching the centre there was still a Great White Egret at the back of the lagoon and it wasn’t long before we had the Barn Owl quartering the area around Harrier Hide and one occasion it flushed six Snipe.

With the light fading we called it a day with seventy-eight species recorded during the day.

A day at Rutland Water, Rutland - November 22, 2016

It was still raining early morning after yesterday’s torrential rain and so I left home a little later at just before 08:00.  I headed for the Lyndon reserve at Rutland Water but saw very little on route.

It had stopped raining when I pulled up in the car park and I saw eight Fieldfares in the car park area before I went to view the feeding station.  There were just three Blue Tits and three Great Tits at the feeders when I arrived but I waited a while and eventually more birds started to come.  The first were several Goldfinches that were then joined by a couple of Tree Sparrows and Chaffinches and finally a Marsh Tit put in an appearance.

I moved to Teal Hide to view the south arm hoping that a Great Northern Diver, reported two days ago would still be there. I looked towards Manton Bay initially but other than a Little Egret and a few Goldeneye there was little else and I turned my attention to large stretch of water in front of the hide.  There were plenty of birds and I found a female Common Scoter amongst a party of Tufted Duck and a second Little Egret landed close to Goldeneye Hide on Lax Hill.  Despite a thorough search there was no sign of Sunday’s diver and eventually moved on to the North Arm.

After I had parked at the end of the unnamed road I scanned the fishponds but the water was very muddy-looking and there were very few birds.  With a little light rain I moved into the shelter to view the north shore.  There was a female Goosander just on the fishponds side of the bund, four Little Egrets were resting on the bund and there was a nice adult Yellow-legged Gull on one of the buoys.  As the drizzle had almost stopped I went out to the end of the spit to view the rest of the North Arm.  There were plenty of birds on the water to the south of the spit and I counted twenty-eight Pintail amongst the more numerous Wigeon and Teal, with small numbers of Gadwall, Mallard and Shoveler and I also found two male and female Mandarins, which was a patch-tick, resting on the shore.  Further out there were a few Pochard scattered amongst the more numerous Tufted Duck.  On the shoreline I found the long-staying Whimbrel and a Redshank and as I scanned further up the arm I found three Great White Egrets with another five Little Egrets.  I continued scanning the water and eventually found the target bird a Slavonian Grebe.  I then moved my attention back to the north shore and found a party of Dunlin, of which there were at least thirty-six, although they were difficult to count in the poor light.  With no sign of either the Pink-footed Goose or Barnacle Geese I moved on to the Old Hall to view the south arm.

After parking at the bottom of the hill I walked east and beyond the Old Hall to view the bay.  There was a Little Egret near Hambleton Wood and quite a few Great Crested Grebes were scattered around amongst a small party of Tufted Duck and Goldeneye but there appeared to be little else.  As I was about to move off but scanned a few birds first that were a little closer and immediately found the Red-necked Grebe, which was fairly close to the shore.  After walking back to the other side of the Old Hall I scanned the concentration of birds just off shore, which were mainly Tufted Duck and Coot and nothing unusual.

It was now approaching lunchtime and so I drove to the Egleton car park for lunch and afterwards went into the centre.  There hadn’t been a great deal reported and so I went to the viewing area to view Lagoon One.  There was clearly a good number f Pintail on the lagoon and I counted 110, which is an excellent number but with little else of note I set off for the northern lagoons.

There were quite a few Redwings in the hedgerows of the meadows and as I approached the big meadows I found a Lesser Redpoll feeding in a Silver Birch.  As I scanned the tree I noticed another couple of birds, which were Goldfinch and then I had what I was pretty sure was a Siskin but couldn’t get a decent view of it.  I managed to get to the far side of the tree without disturbing the birds and was able to confirm that there was a female/immature Siskin.  I hadn’t seen the Lesser Redpoll again and began to wonder if I had misidentified the Siskin but eventually a forth bird appeared and confirmed my original identification was correct.

I hadn’t seen a great deal else by the time I reached Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three but other than four Pintail there was nothing else of note on the lagoon and so I moved on towards Lapwing Hide.

I called at Crake Hide on route and found yet another Little Egret and a Shelduck flew over before I moved onto Lapwing Hide.  There were plenty of birds in South Arm Three with a good number of Great Crested Grebes but other than another Little Egret and a few Goldeneye they were mainly Tufted Duck and Coot.

I called at Smew Hide on the way back where there were just two more Little Egrets and a single Shelduck of note and so I continued onto Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four.  The water level on the lagoon was still continuing to rise and consequently there were few birds.  There were three Shelduck and plenty of Lapwings on the furthest exposed spit but there were few gulls where they normally gather as a pre-roost, with just a few Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls being present.

I went back to the centre to view Lagoon One again and found a drake and four female Goosanders on the long island and eventually a pair of reported Stonechats revealed themselves.  A Great White Egret was observed in flight near Brown’s Island and presumable the same Barn Owl that I had seen last Thursday appeared a started hunting over the area near Harrier Hide and the Wet Meadow.  I probably spent a good quarter of an hour watching it but with the light beginning to fail I called it a day.

Despite the weather it had been another good day’s birding at Rutland Water with seventy-three species recorded.

A day in West Norfolk - November 19, 2016

David, Malcolm and I decided we would have day in Norfolk today and after David drove to Malcolm’s, Malcolm took up the reins and drove to Norfolk.  Dawn was breaking as we left Malcolm’s but we saw very little until we were approaching Peterborough when we had two Red Kites and a Kestrel.  Two Little Egrets stood in a ploughed field near Wisbech was a bit of a surprise and we then had another Kestrel, a Buzzard and two Roe Deer before reaching King’s Lynn.

We headed to a site between Docking and Brancaster where there had been a Bean Goose, a Greenland White-fronted Goose and a Todd’s Canada Goose amongst a flock of Pink-footed Geese feeding in a stubble field.  We found the field and we could see a fairly large number of geese but after parking at the side of the road and getting our kit on they flew off.  As they flew to the west there appeared to be many more geese arriving and most came down in two areas.  We decided to do a circuit back to Docking in the hope we might be able to see them and found one of the flocks at the back of field we could observe from the road.  After parking we began scanning the flock and initially they all appeared to be Pink-foots but then David found the Todd’s Canada Goose and got Malcolm and I onto it.  We spent quite some time going through the flock but couldn’t find anything else and shortly after we were joined by another birder the flock took off and moved further west.

We were considering going the Holkham for the Shore Larks but when Malcolm received a message indicating that there were also some a Salthouse with both Twite and Snow Buntings and so we decided to head for Salthouse.

As we made our way to the A149 along Chalkpit Lane we found another party of Pink-footed Geese and we stopped to take a look.  We did see a smaller and browner goose amongst the flock but they decided to fly off and we were unable to confirm its identity before they did so.  Two Grey Partridge also obliged whilst we were there and I managed to get photos of one of them.

Grey Partridge

Grey Partridge

Grey Partridge

We didn’t see a great deal else between there and Salthouse with a couple of Jay being the best.  As we pulled up along the beach road there was a party of Turnstones feeding on the shingle and whilst most had flown off by the time we reached the area five were still present and I was able to get some nice shots of one of them.

Turnstone

Turnstone

We then walked west along the shingle towards the Little Eye where we found a group of birders watching the party of Shore Larks and again I was able to get a few shots off before they became a little flighty and gradually moved further away.  We scanned the sea for a while bit there was very little with ten Knot and a couple of Sanderling being the best.  Malcolm then picked up a party of birds flying over, which turned out to be eleven Snow Buntings but with little else, except two Fieldfares in off, we started to walk back to the car.

Shore Lark

Shore Lark

Shore Lark

David had started to walk back before Malcolm and I and when we caught him up he was watching a Marsh Harrier over the sea, which was presumably a migrant but it appeared to be more interested in heading west rather than heading for land.

With no sign of the Twite we headed back west and continued past Titchwell and headed for Thornham Harbour where we were hoping to catch up with Twite.  As we got out of the car David picked up a Rock Pipit on one of the wooden jetties but it dropped out of sight and we couldn’t re-find it.  There were lots of birds on the distant shore, mainly gulls but there were also good numbers of Brent Geese and Shelduck.  On the salt marsh there was in excess of 100 Curlew roosting and we also found a couple of Grey Plover and two Black-tailed Godwits and several Redshanks.  However all we had seen passerine wise were a few Skylarks and we were about give up when David noticed another birder who was looking rather intently into the salt marsh.  We walked towards him and found he had located a number of finches feeding the vegetation and as we started to look a rather large flock of birds took to flight and flew off inland.  We considered that most were actually Linnets but then realised that there were still some birds feeding.  These also flew but as they dropped some perched on taller vegetation and we were able to confirm that at least twelve were Twite.

Curlew

Curlew

It was now approaching 12:45 and so we drove back to Titchwell for lunch.  As we drove down the entrance road there were a few Pink-footed Geese in a stubble field but we couldn’t find any other geese amongst them, although there was at least ten Ruff feeding in the field.

After lunch we went to the Visitor’s Centre and checked the book and found that there had been plenty of good birds reported this morning.  A Brambling had been on the feeders and after leaving the centre we checked then out and Malcolm picked up the Brambling almost immediately.

We then continued down the west bank and found more Pink-footed Geese in one of the meadows but there was no sign of the reported Water Pipit on Thornham Pool and so we continued towards the Freshwater Marsh.  There was clearly more water on the marsh and we were therefore not surprised to find a lack of waders but we did find six Avocets and four Pintail before moving on to Volunteer Marsh.  There were few birds on the Volunteer Marsh and certainly no sign of the earlier reported Spotted Redshanks.  There were a few more birds in evidence on the Tidal Marsh that included a single Ringed Plover, three Dunlin and several Black-tailed Godwits.

There had been a good selection of birds reported on the sea this morning but the tide was now on the way out.  As we started to scan we realised that many of the birds were in quite close and we found a female Scaup, several female Eiders, seven Long-tailed Ducks, good numbers of Common Scoter, eight Velvet Scoters and four Red-breasted Mergansers.  On the beach there were good numbers of Oystercatcher, Knot, Dunlin, Curlew, Redshank and Turnstone and smaller numbers of Grey Plover, Sanderling and surprisingly Bar-tailed Godwit of which I only saw six.  I had picked up a couple of Guillemots on the sea and I then found a Great Northern Diver, which wasn’t too far out and I was surprised that we hadn’t seen it earlier.  David who was feeling the cold decided to head back the path, whilst Malcolm and I gave it a bit longer.  We didn't find too much else; just a single Gannet and another Great Northern Diver in flight.

As we started walking back another group of birders were observing a pair of Stonechats and a little further on I suggested to Malcolm we should check out the Tidal Marsh again and found a Spotted Redshank preening at the back.

When we reached the path to Parrinder Hide the four Whooper Swans were not too far away from the hide and so we went down the path to try and get some photos.  When we got to the viewing area they had disappeared but Malcolm saw that they had just gone out of sight and were now swimming back towards us and we were able to get some photos.

Adult and juvenile Whooper Swan

Adult and two juvenile Whooper Swans

Juvenile Whooper Swan

The family party of Whooper Swans; two adults and two juveniles

Drake Teal roosting on the Freshwater Marsh

When we got back to the path back to the centre the swans had disappeared and on catching up with David he said that he had seen them fly off.  He had been watching a distant Barn Owl, which did show itself several times but I only saw it briefly.  I suggested that we should hang on a bit to observe the harrier roost, which we did and at one point we had at least nine Marsh Harriers on view but are main target was Hen Harrier.  As we continued scanning circa fifty Golden Plovers were observed in flight over the Freshwater Marsh and I picked up a Snipe in flight.  Another birder then announced there was a Merlin over the dunes and after missing it several times I did manage to see as it rose into the air and stall before it flew off back towards Thornham Point and great speed and then disappeared as it flew back again.  There were a couple of Sparrowhawks, one to the west of the path and the other to the east and also a Kestrel.

David then said he might have a Hen Harrier and almost immediately said it was but unfortunately it then dropped out of sight and Malcolm and I missed it.  He got us looking in the right direction and after a fairly short wait Malcolm said it’s up again and we all had reasonable views of a ring-tail as it quartered the ground for several minutes.

Pleased with our day we set off back to the car park and after a quick coffee we were on our way home, seeing another Barn Owl on the far side of Thornham.  However when we reached the far side there was a traffic dam and a quick check on the phone suggested that the road had been closed and so we made a detour via Docking.

It had been a great day’s birding and I had recorded ninety-four species, with many highlights and it was possibly one of the best winter day’s birding I have ever had in Norfolk, with very little being missed.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - November 15, 2016

David had decided that he would join me today and we headed for Eyebrook Reservoir on a rather warm overcast morning.  We had seen several parties of winter thrushes on route, which were certainly predominantly Fieldfare but the only other bird of note was a Kestrel as we approached Hallaton.

We approached the reservoir form the northern end and found the Little Owl sitting in the old oak as we drove around to the bridge.  There were more winter thrushes passing over and again they were predominantly Fieldfare but there were also smaller numbers of Redwing.  We had heard a Green Sandpiper calling as we got out of the car but when I looked down the stream there was no sign.  David then heard and saw a Siskin, which I missed and I then noticed that there was a party of circa fifty Golden Plover flying high over the reservoir.  It soon became apparent that something had disturbed the birds at the inlet as there was a large flock of Lapwing as well, which also contained at least six Dunlin.  When I looked down the stream again there were two Green Sandpipers under the willow and whilst looking for the Siskin we found a Chiffchaff.

There were lots of Lapwing, Black-headed and Common Gulls and good numbers of Teal but we couldn’t either the Golden Plover or Dunlin at the inlet.  On the water there were numerous Wigeon and smaller numbers of Mallard and careful scanning also produced nine Pintail, two Shoveler and five Goldeneye as well as a few Gadwall and Tufted Duck.  There was a Red Kite soaring to the east of the reservoir and two Little Egrets on the Leicestershire bank but with little else we moved off to Lyddington.

We often go via Lyddington to Rutland Water but as there had been up to eight Waxwings in the village it influenced our decision.  As we left Stoke Dry there were two Red Kites visible to the north and on reaching Lyddington we turned left towards Windmill Way, where the Waxwing had been seen.  We weren’t terribly optimistic as they hadn’t been reported yesterday and it was no surprise that they weren’t there although there were plenty of berries still on the bush.

We turned around and headed off to the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water and after passing through Glaston we had another Red Kite and a Kestrel as we dropped down towards an old railway line.  There is an area of scrub we often stop at for a few minutes but today it appeared rather quiet and I was surprised when a Woodcock flew out of the cover but quickly disappeared into the vegetation and David unfortunately missed it.  As we started to climb the hill to Wing we saw another Red Kite but hadn’t seen anything else of note before we reached the Lyndon car park at Rutland Water.

There was some light rain as we pulled up in the car park and with nothing on the feeders we went straight to Teal Hide.  There were plenty of birds in the South Arm and as I scanned towards Manton Bay I found five Pintail, a couple of Pochard and several Goldeneye.  As usual there were good numbers of Great Crested Grebe and Tufted Duck but there was no sign of our target the Red-necked Grebe.  David had been looking out into South Arm Three but hadn’t faired any better and so I joined him and picked up a couple of Curlew in flight and we watched them as they came down at the base of Lax Hill.  There were lots of birds on the water, particularly towards Fieldfare Hide, but we were unable to find the grebe or anything else of note.  Terry had called to say Steve wasn’t with him today and that he had seen a female Scaup from the Old Hall and he then called again to say that he had seen the Red-necked Grebe to the east of the Old Hall and when he called back again to say he had also found a Water Pipit near Hambleton Wood we decided to go and take a look.  We stopped briefly at the feeders and there were now a few birds, mainly Blue and Great Tits but also Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch and we could hear Tree Sparrows but couldn’t find them.

After parking at the bottom of the hill near the Old Hall we walked east towards Hambleton Wood and once beyond the Old Hall David started scanning for the Red-necked Grebe, whilst I was putting my tripod up.  He announced he had got the grebe and once I was in a position to use the scope I asked him where it was.  He gave me directions and said it must have dived as it’s not there now.  We both scanned the area near a buoy but there was no sign and so we began searching a broader area but with still no sign he said it must have flown.  I thought if it has been here since Terry saw it and it flew just after David saw it I would be pretty unlucky.  I was on the point of giving up when I found it probably two hundred meters from where David had seen it and it was close to ten minutes later.  It had obviously been there all the time and just goes to show why this bird is so elusive at times.

We continued along the path towards Hambleton Wood before walking across the grass to view the edge of the water.  There was no sign of the pipit where Terry had seen it and a search as we walked back towards the Old Hall just produced a Grey Wagtail, several Pied Wagtails and a Meadow Pipit but no Water Pipit.  We also looked for the Red-necked Grebe again but it was no surprise when we couldn’t find it.

Once the other side of the Old Hall we scanned a party of Tufted Duck and found a drake Scaup amongst them just before they were all flushed by a fishing boat.  We had also seen Redshanks on either side of the Old Hall.

From the Old Hall we went to the North Arm and after parking at the end of the unnamed road scanned the fishponds.  There were fewer birds than on Sunday and there was no sign of the either the Goosander or Ruddy Duck and so we continued out to the point.

Terry had been here earlier and hadn’t seen too much and indicated that there no geese present but there were now several hundred and they had obviously comeback from their feeding areas.  David found the two Barnacle Geese on the north shore but we couldn’t locate the Pink-footed Goose I had seen on Sunday, although it was seen later.  A Great White Egret then flew into the southern bay and David picked up a second much further down the arm.  I had counted twenty-two Dunlin on the north shore but after they flew a recount revealed thirty-eight and Erik had over forty later.  I found a Black-necked Grebe close to the north shore and there were two Pintail close to the north shore and another twenty-five in the southern bay.  David then said here’s the Whimbrel and it was feeding quite close to the right of us but shortly afterwards it flew over to the north shore, which appears to be its favoured location.

As we were leaving the North Arm Terry arrived and after briefing him on what we had seen David and I went to the Volunteer’s Centre as Lloyd had called to say he thought he had possibly heard a Corn Bunting in the old treatment works area.  When we arrived he hadn’t heard it for a while but it then sang again but I didn’t hear it, although David did and thought it might be a Corn Bunting.  We moved our position and David and Lloyd heard it again but I still couldn’t hear it.  I went back to the yard to try and get a little closer and might have heard the bird, which appeared quite close but I didn’t think it sounded quite right for a Corn Bunting and we then didn’t hear it again and we gave up.  Lloyd was going to put some seed down on the path in the hope that whatever it was might come out and feed in the open. This is not an area we generally visit as the area is not open to reserve visitors but in the short time we were there we also had a Stonechat.

Having given up on the possible Corn Bunting we made our way to the Egleton car park for lunch and whist we were having lunch Mike came back from the northern lagoons and Terry joined us shortly afterwards.  We all then made our way to the Bird Watching Centre to view Lagoon One.  There was a third Great White Egret at the back of the lagoon and I counted forty-one Pintail.  A male Stonechat was visible in front of the centre, which was joined by a female and we then saw another pair in the vegetation in front of Mallard Hide.  Other than a couple of Curlew I saw drop on the Wet Meadow, which were probably the same as we had seen earlier there was little else and we moved off to the northern lagoons.

David and I decided we would go and take a look at South Arm Three from Lapwing Hide, whilst Mike and Terry went into Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three.  As we approached Smew Hide David heard a Chiffchaff call and we located it feeding in the vegetation alongside the path.  We called in Crake Hide where we found three Little Egrets along Lagoon Three bund and there were four Little Grebes just in front of the hide.  Although there were plenty of birds in South Arm Three most were distant and other than another three Little Egrets we saw little else.  I looked onto Lagoon Two from the hide and found eight Pintail but there was little else and we made our way back to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three.

When we opened the flaps in the hide the habitat looked good for wading birds but there was very little close to the hide and the only bird of note was a single Black-tailed Godwit.

We moved to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four and again found it very quiet and perhaps the Peregrine sat on one of the Osprey perches had something to do with it.  It didn’t remain on the perch too long and moved to rest on one of the islands.  As the water level was rising there were fewer gulls with just Common and Great Black-backed being present in any numbers with just a few Black-headed and single Lesser Black-backed and Herring.  There were three Shelducks on the Lagoon, which were our first of the day but with little else we made our way back to the centre.

When we got back we went to the viewing area and David picked up a Barn Owl perched towards Harrier Hide and it was then seen hunting over the area.  We saw it drop down into the long vegetation and it disappeared for while but then we picked it up again perched just to the left of Harrier Hide before we called it a day having seen two more Shelduck fly into the Wet Meadow area.

Erik then called and joined us in the car park for a chat as we hadn’t seen him for a while but eventually we left for home after a good day’s birding.

A morning at Rutland Water, Rutland - November 13, 2016

I was at Rutland Water this morning to help with the WeBS count but had seen very little on route.  There was a lack of counters this morning, which resulted in me counting with David, one of the volunteers, the whole of the North Arm and the fishponds.

We started from the south shore of North Arm One and there were plenty of birds to count, mainly close to both shorelines.  We initially counted the birds close to the south shore and then the north shore before walking back to the point to finish the first section of the count.  Highlights include a Pink-footed Goose in amongst a flock of Greylags, two Barnacle Geese, thirty-four Pintail, a Buzzard, two Kestrels, twenty-two Dunlin, a Ruff and a Redshank.

We then moved back down the unnamed road and went into the field to count the fishponds.  There was a single female Goosander, which was my first at the site this winter and the female Ruddy Duck, along with a Green Sandpiper and presumably the same Redshank we had seen in the North Arm.

Having completed the fishponds we drove to Whitwell and the worked our way back along the shoreline towards North Arm One.  We only counted from the centre of the reservoir to the northern shoreline, which included Barnsdale Creek.  We didn’t see anything unusual and there were far fewer birds.

From Barnsdale car park we went to Dickinson’s Bay, which is considered part of North Arm One, and our last area to count.  Again there were plenty of birds but the only highlight was another forty-six Pintail and we saw a couple of Red Kites as we leaving.

With the count finished David dropped me off at the Volunteer’s Centre and we then met up again in the Bird Watching Centre at Egleton to finalise and hand in the count numbers.  Whilst waiting for David I had another ten Pintail on Lagoon One and two Curlews on the long island with another five flying over and there was a Red Kite over the car park as I was leaving.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - November 8, 2016

It took several minutes to get the ice of the car before I set off in bright sunlight for a day’s birding in east Leicestershire & Rutland.  My intention was to visit Great Easton first hoping of seeing a Barn Owl.  I had a Red Kite as I approached Tur Langton and another along Stockerston Lane but little else before reaching Great Easton.

It was still bright and sunny when I arrived at the end of the unnamed road just to the east of the village but was feeling quite cold.  When I viewed the roost tree two Barn Owls were visible but they both dropped out of sight shortly afterwards.  A Little Egret was observed in flight and three Fieldfares flew over.  There is now a locked gate across the old railway line and it only possible to walk a couple of hundred yards and so I moved on to Eyebrook Reservoir.  A lady walking her dog indicated that gate had proved very unpopular with the village residents but she thought that there had been an agreement with the land owner to leave the gate unlocked but as yet this was still to happen.

There were a couple of Fieldfares as I dropped down the hill to the reservoir and another five at least around the old feeding station.  I didn’t see a great deal as I drove along the road to the northern end with three Bullfinches being the best.  On reaching the turn to the bridge over the inlet stream I continued straight on and after turning around on the Harborough Hill Road headed back to view the old oak and found one of the Little Owls sitting in a favoured spot.  My last sighting here was in July and so it was a welcome sight to see at least one back.

A brief stop at the bridge produced nothing of note but I had another eight Fieldfares as I moved around to view the inlet.  There were plenty of Teal and Black-headed Gulls at the inlet with a few Common Gulls but very few Lapwings and no other waders but a surprise was a female Goosander.  The bright sunlight was making it difficult to view the reservoir to the south and so I moved further along the road to get better light.  There was a good selection of wildfowl including fifteen Pintail and twenty Shoveler and I also saw a single Goldeneye.

Steve had called to say that he and Terry had found quite a bit in the North Arm at Rutland Water, including a Pink-footed Goose and so I left Eyebrook Reservoir and headed for the North Arm.

After parking at the end of the unnamed road I viewed the fishponds and found the female Ruddy Duck, which I hadn't seen for almost a month.  As I continued scanning a Water Rail on the north shore was a surprise and there was also a Green Sandpiper close to the bund between the fishponds and the North Arm.

After walking down through the gate to view the North Arm there were plenty of Greylag Geese and as most were on the water I was fairly optimistic that I would find the Pink-footed Goose but there was no sign.  As I looked further down the north shore there were more geese feeding on the edges of the reservoir but all I found were more Greylags and smaller numbers of Canada Geese with still no sign of the Pink-footed Goose amongst them or with a smaller number of Greylag Geese on the south shore.

A female Common Scoter was then located as it flew into an area to the south of the spit but a few minutes later it was to the north of the spit.  Another birder then joined me and as we were scanning for the Black-necked Grebes I found the Common Scoter again but this time it was swimming rather purposely east towards the draw tower.  I then found a Great White Egret on the edge of Dickinson’s Bay and the other birder found a second on the south shore.  I eventually found one of the Black-necked Grebes after a fishing boat had caused some disturbance near Dickinson’s Bay.  Other than six Pintail to the south of the spit, two Pochard near the north shore and three Little Egrets around the arm there was little else of note.  After standing in the North Arm for over an hour the cold was beginning to get through and so I went to the Bird Watching Centre on the Egleton Reserve to view Lagoon One.

I counted just eighteen Pintail on the lagoon, which is a reduction than of late and there was a pair of Stonechat in front of the centre but with little else and with it too early to take lunch I decided to go to Lyndon to search for the Red-necked Grebe.

On reaching the Lyndon Reserve I headed for Teal Hide to view the south arm but found the feeding station devoid of birds as I walked to the hide.  I spent quite some time in the hide but couldn’t find the Red-necked Grebe and other than a couple of Little Egrets there was little else.  Steve then called to inform of a report of a possible Great Grey Shrike to the north of Oakham and indicated that he and Terry were going to look for it.  He also said that they were in Wader Scrape Hide and that there were a lot of waders in the Manton Bay.

As I walked back to the centre there were now a few birds around the feeder but as I stopped to take a look several flew off and a few seconds later a Sparrowhawk roared in, circled the small bush a couple of times and then flew off to the east.  After it had gone just two Great Tits flew out of the bush and again the feeders fell silent.

Whilst having lunch I decided I would walk to Shallow Water Hide to view the waders in Manton Bay.  I met Steve and Terry near Deep Water Hide and after a brief chat they departed intending to look for the Great Grey Shrike and a commitment to let me know if they saw it.

I saw a few Fieldfare and Redwing as I approached the turn to Wader Scrape Hide but other than three Bullfinches I had seen little else as I entered Shallow water Hide.  I was a little disappointed a warden was cutting in the grass on the south side of the bay and there were few birds on the water.  There were a few Snipe and three Dunlin just to the right of the hide and I could see other waders on the far side.  I set the scope up to view the far shore and counted twenty-three Dunlin, fourteen Snipe, four Green Sandpiper and a Redshank in the bay.  Wildfowl wise there were eleven Pintail and small numbers of Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler and Tufted Duck.  I called in Wader Scrape Hide on the way back but found nothing new and continued along the path back to the centre.  I then notice a tweet indicating that the shrike had been seen but was elusive.  I hadn’t heard from Steve so I gave him a call and apparently Terry Mitcham had seen and photographed this morning but he and Terry hadn’t been able to find it.

When I reached the centre there were a few more birds visiting the feeders and I hoped a Marsh Tit might come in but after a few seconds of viewing presumably the same Sparrowhawk flashed through and so I continued along the path beyond the centre but saw very little.  When I got back birds were beginning to return to the feeders but again within a few seconds a Sparrowhawk flashed through, which was probably a different bird.

With no joy with the Marsh Tit I returned to Egleton and walked to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three.  On opening the flaps there were very few birds close and I suspected something had caused some disturbance and the only bird of note was a single Little Egret right at the back of the lagoon.

As I walked towards Sandpiper Hide I met Steve who informed me that he and Terry had seen very little on Lagoon Four, although a Peregrine was resting on one of the islands.  After a chat I continued on to the hide and soon found the Peregrine but there was very little else.  The water level is now rising and consequently there are small number of gulls assembling but there were still good numbers of Black-headed and Common Gulls, with smaller numbers of Herring and Great Black-backed Gull but just one Lesser Black-backed Gull and nothing unusual.

As I left the hide there was a Barn Owl hunting in corner near the gate back to the centre, which then perched in a tree.  I informed Steve but before he could decide what to do the owl took off and disappeared towards Lagoon Two.  I went into Osprey Hide but there was no sign but I did find another eleven Pintail.  As I got back towards the centre there was a Great White Egret at the back of Lagoon One but with nothing else I went back to the car park and after a coffee headed off home.