Monday 30 May 2016

An early morning in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - May 28, 2016

I put the trap out for the sixth time last night but the catch was still disappointing with just seven moths trapped and identified, although three were new for the year.

The following were recorded: Light Brown Apple Moth [2]; Mottled Pug [1]; Vine’s Rustic [1]; Clouded-bordered Brindle [1], Heart & Dart [1] and Shuttle-shaped Dart [1].

This took my total caught this year to thirty-six involving just eleven species.


Mottled Pug


Clouded-bordered Brindle


Vine's Rustic


An afternoon in Rutland - May 29, 2015

David and I went out later today as we waited to see whether or not the Red-necked Phalarope was reported from Rutland Water and I was also suffering with a cold.  With no reports of the phalarope we decided to visit Merry’s Meadow, which is a Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust reserve near Cottesmore in Rutland.

We parked off the road adjacent to the footpath to the reserve and as we walked the 400 meters to the reserve entrance a small party of Swift flew over and we saw a Whitethroat displaying from the hedge alongside the path.


As we reached the style leading into the first of the three fields of the reserve we heard and then saw a Curlew in flight.  The three fields have been grazed by cattle and sheep or cut for hay for several decades and is now one of the most important wildflower areas in the counties.  The first field in particular has a distinct ridge and furrow pattern and the ridges were covered in Green-winged Orchids, which was our target species.  The other two fields are still flower rich but are not as favourable for the orchids.  The first field was also rich in Meadow Buttercup, Cowslip, Yellow Rattle and Pignut, whilst the other fields were much reduced in these species with the exception of pignut.  As we walked through the western meadow a Cuckoo flew over and there were at least another two Whitethroats singing. 


Merry's Meadow


Green-winged Orchids


Green-winged Orchid


Pignut


Bugle


Cowslip

Having seen plenty of the target species we walked back to the car seeing a Swallows and several House Martins.  We had also seen a Small Heath, Orange Tip and Green-veined White butterflies and a Silver-ground Carpet moth during our visit.

From Merry’s Meadow we headed for Bloody Oaks Quarry, which is another quite small Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust reserve.  The principal habitat is the species-rich limestone grassland, which is rare in the two counties and consequently holds some interesting species.

After parking on the roadside verge we entered the reserve and after a few minutes found a Grizzled Skipper on the stony ground just inside the reserve.  A little further on we found a Dingy Skipper and eventually finished up with two Grizzled and at least three Dingy Skippers and we also found my first Common Blue of the year.  We also found three species of moth, a micro Anthophila fabriciana and two macros Common Carpet and Burnet Companion and as we were leaving we had four Buzzards overhead.  One of the scarce plants found on the site is Chalk Milkwort and we found a small cluster of these on the top section of the quarry.


Dingy Skipper


Chalk Milkwort


Chalk Milkwort

We moved onto Ketton Quarry next but the sunshine was less frequent during our visit and it gegan feeling a little bit cooler.  However we did find four Brimstone, a Common Blue and a Peacock butterflies and also two moths Pyrausta aurata and Common Carpet.  Another surprise was a Common Lizard that was sat on a rock obviously enjoying the warmth of the occasional sunshine.


Pyrausta aurata


Peacock


Common Lizard

We called briefly at Eyebrook Reservoir on our way home but it was pretty quiet with the best being five Common Terns and a single Yellow Wagtail.

On route home we had a Red Kite, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard and Muntjac and all before we reached Horninghold, which is just a few miles from Eyebrook Reservoir.

Saturday 28 May 2016

A late evening at Rutland Water, Rutland - May 27, 2016

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.

Friday 27 May 2016

A day at Frampton Marsh, Lincolnshire - May 26, 2016

David and I set of Frampton Marsh today hoping for Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper that had both been present yesterday.  There were two Red Kites observed near Morcott in Rutland and then a Kestrel and a Whitethroat near Crowland in Lincolnshire on route.

When we arrived at Frampton Marsh we drove to the old car park near the sea wall and found masses of waders feeding on the pools to the south-west of the road.  They were mostly Ringed Plover and Dunlin and we estimated that there were at least ninety Ringed Plover and 300+ Dunlin.  As we scanned through the waders we found a Sanderling but other than Avocets and Redshanks we couldn’t find anything else.  On the other side of the road we found several Black-tailed Godwits and two first-summer Little Gulls and there was also several Common Terns.  We spent quite some time scanning the area and the David found the summer Little Stint that wasn’t too far away.


Another birder then informed us that they had seen the Curlew Sandpiper close to the raptor watch point on the sea wall.  The waders had flown a couple of times and the raptor watch point on the sea wall.  The waders had flown a couple of times and although most had come back down we were unable to find the Little Stint and so set off along the sea wall to the raptor watch point.  As we approached the area there were plenty of waders and again most were Ringed Plovers and Dunlin with circa ninety and 150+ respectively.  We soon found the summer plumaged Curlew Sandpiper, which was rather splendid and there was also a winter plumaged Knot and two more Sanderling.


Dunlin feeding near the old car park


Dunlin in flight near the old car park


Dunlin in flight near the old car park

As we scanned the salt marsh we found a single Short-eared Owl quartering the ground but there was no sign of the reported second bird or two Marsh Harriers that had been seen earlier.

When we got back to the road we decided to continue along the sea wall towards the East Hide.  There was more water in this area and consequently we saw few waders but did see a Shelduck escorting nine tiny young and a couple of Little Grebes.  We didn’t enter the East Hide but continued along the track towards Reedbed Hide and found a Corn Bunting singing to the right of the path.  The area to the left of the path, which is usually an area of shallow water and islands, was quite dry and it was clear that work was being carried out.

When we reached Reedbed Hide it was clear that a number of Black-headed Gulls were nesting on the islands but it was difficult to see how many or if anything else was there due to the dense vegetation.  We did find a Little Ringed Plover and Sanderling to the right of the hide and a single Lesser Black-backed Gull dropped in but there was no sign of the hoped for Mediterranean Gulls.

When we got back to the car all of the waders had disappeared and had presumably gone out onto The Wash to feed as the tide receded.  We drove back along the road to the main car park where we had some lunch and found Rick, who had just arrived.

After lunch we made a quick visit to the Visitors Centre where we found a Little Ringed Plover but there was still no sign of the Mediterranean Gulls and so we set off with Rick to the reservoir where we hoped to see a Turtle Dove.

There had been no reported sighting of the doves this morning and as we made our way along the path another birder said they weren’t there.  Between the centre and the reservoir we heard a Cetti’s Warbler on several occasions and also heard Chiffchaff and Blackcap as well as seeing a couple of Sedge Warblers and there was a party of twelve Black-tailed Godwits on the marsh and two distant Egyptian Geese.

When we reached the reservoir and looked back at the favoured trees of the Turtle Doves there was just a Woodpigeon and two Magpies but we decided to give it some time in the hope they would appear.  The Woodpigeon remained perched in the bushes but the Magpies were quite active.  Two Stock Doves flew over and shortly afterwards two Turtle Doves flew in.  They probably were there for just about a minute when they flew off over the top of the hedge and we didn’t see them again but at least we had seen them.

A Reed Warbler was observed just before we started to walk back and as we continued down the road to the footpath two Jays flew over.

We went back to the centre with the intention of looking for the Mediterranean Gulls but found that a Wood Sandpiper had been reported near the raptor watch point.  David needed it for a year-tick and so we returned the old car park and walked back along the sea wall to view the pools near the raptor watch point.  The area was now almost devoid of birds with just the winter plumaged Knot and two Dunlin present and there was no sign of the Wood Sandpiper.  As I scanned the salt marsh I picked up a female-type Marsh Harrier but it dropped before David could get on it.

After getting back to the car park we went into the centre again where David found a first-summer Mediterranean Gull in flight that initially came towards us before flying off to the northeast.

As we headed back towards Frampton village we found a Grey Partridge quite close to the road but the only other bird of note on the way home was a Buzzard near Gaulby in Leicestershire. 


Grey Partridge

It had been an excellent days birding with eighty species recorded that included two year-ticks, Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper.  There was also a good supporting cast with Grey Partridge, Knot, Sanderling, Little Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Short-eared Owl and Turtle Dove.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - May 24, 2016

When I arrived at Eyebrook Reservoir this morning I found Stephen on the bridge, who had called prior to going to Rutland Water hoping to see a Kingfisher.  We hadn’t seen very much by the time he left and the Kingfisher didn’t appear after he had gone but I did have a nice view of a singing Garden Warbler.  I moved around the road towards Stoke Dry and parked to view the inlet but the water is still so high there is no suitable feeding for waders and there wasn’t even a Lapwing.  An Osprey flew over fishing briefly and I also saw a Red Kite and two Buzzards over the Leicestershire fields and there were four Common Terns present.


Osprey


Goldfinch

After parking in the Egleton car park at Rutland Water I saw a singing Garden Warbler near the service road but there was nothing in the book today and so I walked towards the southern lagoons.  As I made my way along the trail through the woodland I found a Chiffchaff, Blackcap and yet another Garden Warbler but saw nothing else before reaching Snipe Hide.


Chiffchaff

There were three Shelduck on the Wet Meadow and a Little Egret flew over and I eventually saw a Sedge Warbler that was singing just in front of the hide and the off-duty Avocet dropped in to feed.

I continued onto Tern Hide on Lagoon Six seeing a Chiffchaff close to the turn to Harrier Hide.  The Avocet was still sitting on and there were a pair of Shelduck and an Oystercatcher nearby.  The second Avocet returned whilst I was in the hide and a Common Tern spent a while fishing over the lagoon.  To the west I had distant views of a Red Kite and a Buzzard.


Greylag Goose on Lagoon Six


Canada Goose on Lagoon Six


Drake Tufted Duck on Lagoon Six


Black-headed Gull on Lagoon Six

I went back along the track and headed for Fieldfare Hide seeing another Chiffchaff as I turned down the path to the hide and a Cetti’s Warbler burst into song just as I entered the hide but as usual I didn’t see it and there was nothing from the hide.

As I returned towards Lagoon Six I heard a couple of Whitethroats but didn’t see either of them and on reaching Pintail Hide on Lagoon Six found another Oystercatcher and a Little Egret and the off duty Avocet was also visible.  Walking past Lagoon Eight there were pairs of Shelduck and Oystercatchers on the nearest island.

I continued down the track to Shelduck Hide and saw a Sedge Warbler briefly and then viewed Lagoon Seven from the entrance track.  The water level in the lagoon is now much higher after the repair work but other than a few Common Terns I saw nothing else.  From Shelduck on Lagoon five I found a Little Egret, two Oystercatchers and a Redshank but sadly there was no sign of the any young Oystercatchers.

After some lunch in the car park I went back to the centre and found that three Sanderling and a Turnstone had been seen on Lagoon Four but I checked out Lagoon One before heading in that direction.  There were three Oystercatchers on the lagoon and I counted seventeen Common Terns feeding over the water.

There were three Shelduck, an Oystercatcher and a Little Egret visible from Shoveler Hide and thirty-three Common Terns over the lagoon but other than a Buzzard over the woodland I found little else.  I moved onto Plover Hide on Lagoon Four and soon found the three Sanderlings along with four Ringed Plovers but there was no sign of the reported Turnstone and so I went back to Bittern Hide.  The reeds are now well re-established in the area cleared by the volunteers but there was a female Mallard escorting six half grown young, which are probably the remains of the brood of eleven I saw earlier this month.  There were several Reed Warblers singing and I saw three quite close to the hide.

I decided to go into Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four in the hope of finding the Turnstone.  As I scanned the lagoon I found the three Sanderling and a fifth Ringed Plover but there was still no sign of the Turnstone.  There was a single Shelduck near island ten and one of two Oystercatchers on the bank was brooding at least one young Oystercatcher.  There were another three Oystercatchers scattered around the lagoon but unusually there was nothing over Burley Wood, although I did see a Buzzard over the fishponds.   It had turned rather cold this afternoon and I was beginning to feel it but on doing one last scan before leaving I found the Turnstone.

Monday 23 May 2016

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - May 21, 2016

I set off this morning and headed straight to Rutland Water where there had been thee Sanderling and five Turnstones yesterday afternoon.  I didn’t see too much on route with a Buzzard between Wistow and Kibworth being the highlight.  When I arrived in the Egleton car park it was dry and overcast with a fresh southerly wind.  I set off for Plover Hide on Lagoon Four hearing Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap before reaching the hide but seeing nothing of note.


I scanned Lagoon Four but it was very quiet with just a few Great Black-backed Gulls on the area favoured by waders and an Oystercatcher and three Common Terns on the closer islands.  I then picked up a couple of waders in flight but lost them almost immediately but was sure at least one was a Ringed Plover.  Shortly afterwards three Ringed Plovers appeared on some tiny exposed areas of mud before they flew and landed in the favoured area.

With little else I moved to Bittern Hide where I could hear at least two Reed Warblers but there was little else just a couple of Greylag Geese and a few Mallard and so I moved onto Shoveler Hide hearing a Nightingale as I did so.  From Shoveler I could see that the water levels had risen further and there was now much less exposed mud.  I counted twenty-nine Common Terns feeding over the lagoon and there was a pair of Shelduck, a single drake Shoveler, three Pochard and an Oystercatcher present and also saw a Reed Warbler and a Buzzard over the reedbed.

I went into Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four to get a different perspective of the lagoon but other than finding a couple of Ringed Plovers there appeared little else, although I did pick up a Red Kite and a couple of Buzzard over Burley Wood.  A party of birders then entered the hide and with some having to stand I was about to leave to give them some room, when one of them mentioned a Dunlin.  As I scanned the nearest island I found three Dunlin and also a Sanderling and a Turnstone and suspected that they had just arrived.  The three Dunlin and Sanderling after briefly feeding flew and landed near the furthest island and the Turnstone also eventually moved.  The Sanderling and Dunlin continued to fly around the lagoon on several occasions and were not always visible and I also lost sight of the Turnstone.

The party of birders eventually moved on and as they did so Roger arrived as I had made him aware of the waders.  It didn’t take too long to relocate the Sanderling, Dunlin and Turnstone but we also had at least eight Ringed Plovers, which was an increase in what I had seen earlier.  There were two Oystercatchers on the spit and I initially thought that it was the pair that had two young on the last visit but I then noticed a third bird in the vegetation.  A forth bird then joined the bird in the vegetation and although I couldn’t see any young their behaviour when a crow flew over suggested that at least one was still alive.

With nothing new appearing we returned to the car park for lunch seeing a Chiffchaff just as we reached the car park.  After lunch we went to the centre to view Lagoon One but other than three pairs of Shelduck a drake Pochard and several Common Terns it was pretty quiet and we eventually headed for Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow.

We had brief views of a male Blackcap just after leaving the centre but saw little else on route.  There were two pairs of Shelduck on the Wet Meadow but other than a female Shoveler and a Redshank we couldn’t find anything else of interest.

We continued on to Tern Hide on Lagoon Six and found the Avocet still sitting and there were another two pairs of Shelduck and four Oystercatchers on the lagoon.

A brief visit to Pintail Hide also on Lagoon Six didn’t result in anything new and so we continued on to the 360° Hide on Lagoon Five.  As we went by Lagoon Eight we could see a pair of Shelduck and two more Oystercatchers and from the 360° Hide there were two Little Egrets, two Oystercatchers and two Redshanks.

We checked out Lagoon One again form the centre but with northing new we departed seeing a Mistle Thrush mobbing a Sparrowhawk as it flew across the car park towards Lagoon One.

I called at Eyebrook Reservoir briefly on my way home where there was a pair of Shelduck on the Leicestershire bank, a Kestrel hunting along the Rutland bank and a Little Egret at the inlet.  A Yellow Wagtail flew over calling and a Buzzard was also observed just east of the reservoir.

Friday 20 May 2016

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland and Cambridgeshire - May 19, 2016

David, Roger and I set off for Paxton Pits in Cambridgeshire to hopefully see a Great Reed Warbler.  We left reasonably early and managed to avoid the rush hour traffic but other than a Buzzard, between Thrapston and the A1 junction, we nothing of note.

When we arrived in the car park and whilst getting our gear on we saw a distant Red Kite and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over twice.  Another birder then informed us that the Great Reed Warbler was showing very well this morning and we set off with high expectations.  As we walked along the path towards Washout Pit there was plenty of song and we heard Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Nightingale before we reached the pit.  We also saw three more birders returning who also said that the Great Reed Warbler was showing very well and was being chased around by several Reed Warblers.

When we reached the site we weren’t 100% sure we were in the right area but the view point we found did seem to match what the three birders described.  After checking nearby for other viewpoints we settled down to view the reedbed on the far side of Washout Pit.  We saw quite a few Reed Warblers but there was no sign of the Great Reed Warbler and we could only hear Reed Warblers singing.  Whilst we were watching the area we saw a Blackcap and Garden Warbler and both Cetti’s Warbler and Nightingale were heard nearby but both remained elusive.

Several other birders joined us but there was still no sign of the Great Reed Warbler and David wondered off to view from another area.  Whilst he was away I picked up a bird sitting at the front and about halfway up the reeds but on trying to find it in the scope I didn’t see it and assumed it had gone out of view.  However as I scanned again with the bins I found it was still there and this time using the scope I soon found it.  It is not always easy judging size of a single bird but it appeared larger and had rather a prominent bill and although it was facing me I could see that the tail looked rather full and long and was pretty sure it was the Great Reed Warbler.  I altered the other birders present and got an immediate response from one that it was just a Reed Warbler, whilst the others were still trying to get on it.  I was still pretty sure that it wasn’t a Reed Warbler when it turned and gave a back view and as it did so a Reed Warbler appeared next to it and any uncertainty was immediately ruled out as the bird in question was much larger.  David had returned and had a quick look through my scope to ensure he saw it but just afterwards it just dropped out of sight and despite a further wait it didn’t reappear and we returned to the car.

We had heard four Nightingales and two Cuckoos during our visit but didn’t see any of them and left for Rutland Water.

On arrival at Rutland Water we went to the unnamed road to view the North Arm but it was very quiet.  There was a pair of Shelduck with ten tiny young and a Mallard with a more developed brood of five.  There were also another five Shelduck, three Oystercatchers and two Common Terns and over Burley Wood we had several Buzzards and a Red Kite.

After some lunch in the Egleton car park we went to the Bird Watching centre to view Lagoon One but like the North Arm it was very quiet and we saw just four Shelduck, a Pochard, an Osprey and four Common Terns before we moved to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three.


Just after setting off we saw a pair of Blackcaps and a Little Egret flew over the large meadow and we also heard Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap and on approaching the gate to Shoveler Hide there was a Hobby over Lagoon Four.  From the hide we saw another couple of Hobbies and there were two Shelduck and five Pochard near the hide and thirty-five Common Terns feeding over the water.


Drake Pochard on Lagoon Three


Female Pochard on Lagoon Three


Osprey over Lagoon Three


Hobby over Lagoon Three


Common Tern over Lagoon Three


Common Tern over Lagoon Three


Common Tern over Lagoon Three


Common Tern over Lagoon Three

We went to Plover Hide on Lagoon Four but found just two Ringed Plovers on the stony area.  As we left the hide and approached the scrub just beyond Bittern Hide a Nightingale sang intermittently but we couldn’t locate it and there was also a Garden Warbler in the same area.

A visit to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four produced a pair of Oystercatcher with two tiny chicks, another Ringed Plover and eleven Common Terns on Island Ten and a Curlew on Island One.  We did have further views of Red Kite, Buzzard, Osprey and Hobby and two Ravens were observed whilst in the hide but they were all distant.

After making our way back to the centre we didn’t find anything else on Lagoon One and after a coffee moved off.  We made a brief visit to Eyebrook Reservoir where we saw a couple Shelduck, two Little Egrets and a distant Red Kite and heard Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat but saw very little as we made our way home.

It was rather disappointing at Rutland Water and it looks like migration is coming to an end.  However I had recorded seventy-eight species during the day, one of which was a year-tick, taking my total onto 202.

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - May 17, 2016

This morning I headed for Eyebrook Reservoir on route to Rutland Water seeing a Red Kite as I approached Cranoe.

As I approached the reservoir the Little Owl was sitting out on an exposed branch in the old oak, which is now well into leaf.  I stopped at the bridge where I found two Garden Warblers singing and eventually a Whitethroat and also heard Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap.  There was also four Common Terns over the reservoir and a Little Egret in the stream.  I stopped a little further along the Rutland bank to view the inlet and found another two Whitethroats but there was very little at the inlet.  There were two Shelduck a little further east and whilst scanning through a party of Swift I picked up an Osprey but little else I headed for the North Arm at Rutland Water.

The water level had risen again and there was less mud around the edges and I couldn’t find any waders.  There were several Shelduck but only two Common Terns were observed and it was also quiet over Burley Wood but I did hear a Cuckoo in the area of the fishponds.

On reaching the Egleton Reserve I went to the viewing gallery in the centre but the light was poor and with no sign of the reported Black Tern I decided to go to Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow.  As I came out of the centre I heard another Cuckoo and found it perched at the top of tree not too far away but eventually flew off towards the car park and out of sight.  This was my first sighting locally as they have been very thin on the ground so far this year.

As I walked towards Snipe Hide the Cuckoo was calling constantly, which was nice and I suspected that it was a fairly recent arrival as I hadn’t heard one in this part of the reserve this year.  I had heard Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap by the time I reached the service road where I had brief views of a Sedge Warbler just as started to walk along the road but didn’t see anything else before I reached the hide.

There was an Avocet and a Redshank on the flash in front of the hide and a Pochard and Little Egret flew over.  I could also see Lagoon One better as I wasn’t looking into the sun but there was still no sign of the Black Tern and like the North Arm no waders.  Three Oystercatchers flew over and a Buzzard was observed over Lagoon One but generally it appeared very quiet.  Steve then called and confirming that it was quiet as all he had seen was the summer plumaged Great Northern Diver at the dam.


Little Egret over the Wet Meadow


Little Egret over the Wet Meadow


I continued on to the 360° hide on Lagoon Five hearing a Sedge Warbler briefly but only found three Oystercatchers and a Redshank on Lagoon Five. The behaviour of two of the Oystercatchers suggested that they had young but I couldn’t see them and suspected that they were the other side of the island.  As I left the hide I could see that there was still an Oystercatcher sitting on one of the islands on Lagoon Eight.  Two female Blackcaps and the Cuckoo were all I saw before I reached the car park but had a Holly Blue whilst having my lunch.


Brown Hare on Lagoon Eight

Although the weather had closed in a little the forecast for the afternoon was for sunny periods and so I decided to go to Ketton to hopefully encounter some butterflies.  When I arrived on site there was more cloud than sun and other than several Brimstones and a Green-veined White I saw very little in the barbecue area and moved up the hill to the larger quarry.  Two other people had seen both Grizzled and Dingy Skippers and also a Green Hairstreak during their visit, raising my hopes.

I dropped down into the area to the left of the path where I saw a Brimstone, a Peacock and Burnet Companion but there was no sign of the target species.  Stephen then joined me and we went back into the same area and during one of the more sunny spells found three Dingy Skippers and a Small Heath.

Unable to locate anything else we walked back up the hill and viewed the hawthorn near the gate.  As we stood chatting Stephen noticed something just slightly down the path that turned out to be a Green Hairstreak.  Dave Needham then arrived and said he had seen a Grizzled Skipper in the barbecue area and so Stephen and I made our way back.  As we walked around the path he noticed a Grizzled Skipper on the ground, which then provided some nice views, enabling me take several photos.


Grizzled Skipper


Grizzled Skipper

Having found all three target species I went back to Rutland Water and saw a couple of Ospreys as I walked towards the centre but there was nothing else visible on Lagoon One.

When I reached Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three I found Steve in the hide but he hadn’t seen too much but there was a Common Sandpiper and single Black and Arctic Terns amongst the more numerous Common Terns.  Two Hobbies were hawking over the reedbed and yet another Osprey flew over.

Steve also mentioned that there he hadn’t seen too much on Lagoon Four, just a few Ringed Plovers and Dunlin.  However whilst taking he suddenly indicated that there was also a second-year Yellow-legged Gull, which was a year-tick for me and so we both went to Plover Hide to see if it was still there.

As we approached the hide a Sparrowhawk flew over and disappeared behind the bund but appeared to cause little disturbance.   On entering the hide I scanned the gulls and picked up a rather large gull, which I initially thought would a Great Black-backed Gull but it did appear to have a grey mantle and after some discussion with Steve we agreed that it was the Yellow-legged Gull he had seen earlier.  There were ten Ringed Plovers and eight Dunlin amongst the stony area but not finding too much else I eventually called it a day.

A day’s birding in Rutland - May 14, 2016

I was taking part in an annual bird race around Rutland with Tim, Terry, Chris, Lloyd and David.  We assembled in the Volunteer Training Centre car park and transferred into one reserves mini-bus with Lloyd undertaking the driving.

Out first stop was close to the reedbed where we added our first ten species that included Garden Warbler and Nightingale.  We then moved on to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three, hearing a second Nightingale as we passed Bittern Hide.  The light was still pretty poor but we continued to add species at a steady rate and had reached thirty-one by the time we moved onto Dunlin Hide on Lagoon Four.  An early morning Hobby was the best on Lagoon Three, along with good numbers of Common Terns.  We added Wren as we left the hide and Jackdaw and Blackcap as we walked up the ramp to view Lagoon Four, which turned out to be very disappointing as we only added three species, Little Egret, Lapwing and Great Black-backed Gull and then Linnet as we left the hide.

It wasn’t long before we moved off heading for the Bird Watching Centre to view Lagoon One.  As we drove along the service road, Lloyd heard a mobbing Blackbird and suggested that there was perhaps a Tawny Owl in the hedge and so we went to investigate.  Lloyd was proved correct when he quickly found a Tawny Owl sitting in a bush that then allowed us all to get a good view before it flew off further down the hedge.  A Willow Warbler singing nearby took our total to forty at around 05:00.

From the centre we soon found a Redshank, a couple of Greenshank, plenty of Sand Martin, a Shoveler, a Stock Dove and Chris picked up an Osprey over South Arm Three and a Dunnock at the feeding station moved us on to forty-seven by 05:33.


As we drove through Egleton village we added House Sparrow and then Starling and Whitethroat along Church Road before we parked along the unnamed road to view the north arm.

There was a Little Ringed Plover on the north shore and we could hear a distant Cuckoo, which are quite scare at present, in Burley Wood.  A Grey Heron was then picked up in flight and Lloyd then found a Common Sandpiper on the north shore and Terry and I added Pied Wagtail, which we had missed on Lagoon Four.

My total now stood at fifty-five just after 06:00 and we were heading for Burley Wood, where Terry has access, although there is no public access.  We stopped to view the North Arm from the roadside but didn’t find anything new on the reservoir but a Marsh Tit and a Chiffchaff were heard singing in Burley Wood.

One in Burley Wood we added Great Spotted Woodpecker, which was to be our only sighting of the day and then Great Tit, Buzzard and Coal Tit that moved my total on to sixty-two.  Goldcrest and Blue Tit were soon added and then Lloyd thought he heard a Wood Warbler which we didn’t find but whilst we were looking a Sparrowhawk flew over.  As we were making our way back to the vehicle we added Chaffinch, Treecreeper and Long-tailed Tit just before we reached the gate and then saw two Swallows on wires in the North Arm.

We headed for Cottesmore Airfield adding Red Kite and Kestrel on route before we made a brief stop at a quarry near Greetham.  A good find was another Little Ringed Plover but we also added Greenfinch, Magpie, Mistle Thrush, Skylark and Goldfinch taking my total on to seventy-six by 08:05.

There were two target birds at the airfield, Curlew and Meadow Pipit, which were both found rather quickly but further scanning failed to add anything else and we moved on.  Yellow Wagtail and Yellowhammer were both seen just after leaving the airfield and a Reed Bunting and Little Grebe were added as we headed for Horn Mill Trout Farm.

Out target at the trout farm was Kingfisher but a walk north alongside the stream failed to produce one but we did add Red-legged Partridge and House Martin taking my total on to eighty-three.

We made a stop at the bridge in Empingham and Tim, Terry and Chris walked up the stream whilst Lloyd, David and I waited at the bridge.  We didn’t see anything at the bridge but a pair of Grey Wagtails was found up stream, which of course I didn’t see.

A visit to Luffenham Airfield failed to produce the hoped for Wheatear and we then made an unsuccessful attempt searching several bays around the sailing club for Mandarin with Swift being the only addition in Sailing Club Bay.

On to the Lyndon Centre where the expected Tree Sparrow was found and then Lloyd located a Little Owl, which was my eighty-seventh species.  A trip to Lyndon village produced Raven and Nuthatch but not the hoped for Spotted Flycatcher and Manton Cemetery also produced the same result.

It was back to the North Arm at Rutland Water where Terry found the Great Northern Diver, which is now in full breeding plumage and looked superb.  Chris then found a couple Arctic Terns amongst the more numerous Common Terns and there was a drake Goldeneye in the fishponds.

Feeling sure we would have missed something on Lagoon Four earlier today we went back to Plover Hide on the reserve to scan lagoon four and found both Ringed Plover and Dunlin.  A trip into Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three for Black Tern, initially produced a negative result, but then five flew in from the direction of Lagoon Four.  Tim had checked out South Arm Three from Lapwing Hide but hadn’t found anything but needed to get back to the centre and so took the transport whilst the rest of the team went to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four.

Roger was waiting to have a word as we approached the hide and then joined us in the hide.  On the island just in front of the hide there was a Sanderling and a Ruff, which were both new for the day.  A Lesser Whitethroat burst into song as we walked towards Badger Hide and on reaching the centre Tim rejoined us and we moved off to Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow.

A lone female Pintail has been present for most of the month and was on the flash and an Avocet dropped in as we were scanning the Wet Meadow, which was my 100th species for the day and we then added Common Gull on Lagoon Eight before we left the reserve again.

We drove to a farm east of the reservoir where we had seen Grey Partridge previously and were hoping for the same today.  When we arrived we were advised that they had been present this morning but had disappeared when the field was sprayed and only Red-legged Partridges were now in view.  Tim, who was now in his Land Rover, took Terry to drive around the fields to try and relocate them but they were unsuccessful.

Tim wasn’t able to continue with us for the rest of the day and we left him at the farm, saying who would call if the partridges were found and we moved on to Ketton.  We soon added Feral Pigeon to the list and there were also two Ravens visible on the cement works.  Peregrine has been quite reliable here in previous years but they don’t appear to be breeding this year and so we won’t too hopeful.  As we were thinking of giving up Terry picked up a very distant bird, which I had a problem finding but eventually got on it.

David looks after an old railway line near Morcott where he regularly sees Mandarin and so we thought we would give it a try.  After parking we walked through a private area to get to the railway line but on reaching the area there was no sign of any Mandarin.  David then suggested that he and Lloyd would go further down the line and walk back along the stream to see if they could find the female.  They hadn’t been gone too long when a pair of Bullfinches that had been heard earlier flew over and shortly afterwards I picked up the female Mandarin as it flew south along the stream.  David and Lloyd returned, with David having seen a Kingfisher, but they thought they had been unsuccessful with the Mandarin as they hadn’t seen it.

Terry then took us to a farm off Stockerston Lane, where he had seen a Spotted Flycatcher last week and after seeing the farmer’s wife we walked into one of the fields to look for the flycatcher.  A Sparrowhawk flew over and then we found the Spotted Flycatcher, which eventually gave some nice views to at least some of us, although we did all see it.

With Kingfisher still not on the list I suggested that we drop down to the bridge at Eyebrook Reservoir having seen one there early this month.  On arrival there was very little except for numerous Swift and hirundines over the reservoir.  We were on the point of leaving when a Kingfisher flew from under the bridge and landed briefly just a couple of meters in front of Lloyd and I before flying off and perching, again briefly, in the willow and then disappearing down the reservoir.  The whole team got on it before it disappeared and I had reached 107, whilst the team was on 111.

As we drove through Uppingham I eventually caught up with Collared Dove, which sitting in the back of the bus had eluded me on several occasions.

On reaching the reserve we visited another owl box and this time were rewarded with a Barn Owl, species 109 for me and 112 for the team.

We then went back to the centre but found nothing new on Lagoon One but as we were leaving I realised I hadn’t seen Rook but a quick glance at the rookery soon fixed that.  A stop in Dunlin hide to check out Lagoon Four but with nothing new we moved on to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three.  There were now ten Black Terns and an Arctic Tern along with the Common Terns over the lagoon but nothing new and so we went to find a Water Rail in the reedbed but after checking several areas Lloyd had been seeing or hearing them we drew a blank but as we were leaving a Green Woodpecker called, which was one of the birds I had missed earlier today taking my total onto 111.

Our final site was to be Burley Wood where Terry had seen a Woodcock Roding earlier this week and we returned to the area we were in this morning.  We had noticed that others were in the wood trapping bats but they confirmed that had seen the Woodcock on two occasions yesterday.  However there was no sign this evening despite us staying until it was almost dark but we did hear at least three Tawny Owls calling.

We returned to the Volunteer Training Centre after a great day’s birding with the team total on 113 and a personal tally of 111, with just Jay and Grey Wagtail missed.

Thursday 12 May 2016

A day in Derbyshire & Staffordshire - May 12, 2016

David, Ken, Roger and I were heading for the Goyt Valley this morning and hoping for a repeat of last year’s visit.

We initially stopped in a small car park before dropping down to Erwood Reservoir and we then walked south along a footpath to view some open moorland.  The sun was shining but it was cool in the fresh north east wind and other than a Skylark there appeared to be little other bird life.  Our target here was Red Grouse and after walking to an area where we had a good view of the moor we heard birds calling on several occasions but we couldn’t see any.  We did find surprisingly a Canada Goose amongst the heather and we could also hear a Pheasant calling.  Roger then picked up two grouse in flight but when they landed they just disappeared in the heather.  I then picked up a single bird in flight but again on landing it just disappeared but shortly afterwards David found two birds in a more open area and we were able to get some distant views of them as they fed amongst the grasses.

With our first target bird on the list we walked back to the car and continued on to the southern car park at Erwood Reservoir.  We then walked up a rather steep incline but on reaching the top, it was very quiet and there was no sign of either Wood Warbler or Pied Flycatcher, which had seen last year.  We walked a little further along the path and I thought I heard a Pied Flycatcher and moved down the slope slightly when David said what’s this bird of prey.  I looked and couldn’t see anything and had to walk back up the slope to see a raptor carrying a rather large prey item.  It circled once before heading off and disappearing out of sight beyond a wooded area.  My first impression was that it was a Peregrine but David and Ken thought it might possibly be a Goshawk, whilst Roger had reached the same conclusion as me but it therefore remained unidentified.

We continued to walk along the path and whilst David, Ken and I were trying to locate a singing Redstart, Roger found a couple of Tree Pipit, which promptly disappeared and we went back to looking for the Redstart.  I eventually found it and we then had at least two more males and a brief view of a Tree Pipit. As we came back to the road we still hadn’t had any certain contact with either Wood Warbler or Pied Flycatcher.  Another group of birders come back down the road hadn’t seen either but they had seen three Spotted Flycatchers and so we went to look for these.  We found one of the Spotted Flycatcher in the area they had described and also had a Treecreeper and a couple of Siskin.


We retraced our steps back to the road and Roger then found a Grey Wagtail on the stream and shortly afterwards David found a female Pied Flycatcher visiting a nest box, which we all saw before it flew off.  It returned again a short while afterwards but didn’t stay long before disappearing again.  As we continued down the road David said he had a singing male Pied Flycatcher and I got on it straight away but it promptly to fly out of sight.  However we soon relocated it and we then had some rather nice views as it moved around singing in a rather small area.


Male Pied Flycatcher

When we got back to the car we discussed our options for seeing Dipper and decided to go to Milldale and hopefully find them on the River Dove.  We had some rather nice views of a Red Grouse just after leaving the valley but saw little else on route.  When we arrived the car park was almost full but after parking we had a bite to eat and then walked through the village to the river.  We walked a fair way down the river seeing a pair of Mandarin and a Kestrel but there was no sign of any Dippers.


Kestrel

Our other option was the Manifold Valley at Wetton Mill, which wasn’t too far and so we set off for there.  When we arrived there were few places to park as there were quite a few people around.  We walked to the bridge to view the stream where we found a pair of Grey Wagtails but there was no sign of a Dipper.  We therefore walked along the road so that we could view the river further upstream.  Whilst the river is not always visible this strategy has often worked in the past and we have also seen warbler and chats as we walked along the road.  Today it appeared to be quieter, although we did hear Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap and saw a single Willow Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher.  However we didn’t connect with a Dipper and a final check back at the bridge also failed to deliver and we set off for home slightly disappointed.


Female Grey Wagtail


Female Grey Wagtail

It hadn’t been an excellent day weather wise and in some rather superb habitat but I had only seen fifty percent of the target birds, which was a bit disappointing, particularly as my year-list is now just one short of 200.

Wednesday 11 May 2016

A day in Leicestershire & Rutland - May 10, 2016

The forecast for today wasn’t particularly good with heavy rain predicted during the afternoon but there had been some good birds at Rutland Water yesterday and David and I were optimistic that it would be another good day today.

I was helping with the WeBS count today at Rutland Water but we made a brief visit to Eyebrook Reservoir on route.  The water levels are particularly high here at present and obviously not good waders and consequently we weren’t there too long.  There were two Shelduck and two Shoveler in the stream and four Little Egrets on shore but other than an Osprey fishing a little further down the reservoir there was very little else.

There was still some light rain when we parked near the Old Hall to count South Arm Three bit it didn’t take too long to count the area as the number of wildfowl now present had reduced considerably since the peak numbers in the autumn and winter.  The highlight was a single Shelduck and a Little Egret that flew over and I saw a Blackcap and heard a Garden Warbler singing near the holiday cottage.

I was also responsible to count Lagoon One on the Egleton Reserve but we decided to go into the North Arm first as there had been a few waders there yesterday.  We parked on the unnamed road and scanned the fishponds finding fourteen Common Terns feeding over the water.  We then walked out towards the spit and on scanning the north shore we found a Little Ringed Plover, a Whimbrel, a Common Sandpiper and Yellow Wagtail.  From the end of the spit we scanned the southern shore where there were two Grey Plovers, another Common Sandpiper and two Greenshanks.

When we arrived at Egleton we went to the Bird Watching Centre to complete the WeBS count.  Yesterday there had been a report of a Curlew Sandpiper and two Bar-tailed Godwits on the lagoon and so we decided to scan the lagoon before beginning the count.  There was no sign of the Curlew Sandpiper or the godwits but we did find a Ruff, four Common Sandpipers, three Greenshank and two Redshanks.  A female Pintail was the highlight in terms of wildfowl but there was also thirty-nine Common Terns on the lagoon.

Shortly after we had finished the count Steve called to say that there were two summer plumaged Knot on Lagoon Three and so armed with our umbrellas we set off for Shoveler Hide.


As we approached Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four I saw Erik going into Dunlin Hide and so gave him a call but he didn’t answer and so David and I continued on to Shoveler Hide.  Steve and Terry were still in the hide a thankfully the Knot were still present and were feeding on the closest island.  What stunning birds they are in summer plumage and I hadn’t brought the camera due to the forecast and so I tried my hand a digiscoping with my iphone.


Knot


Knot

The drake Garganey was still on the lagoon and there was also a Common Sandpiper on the same island as the Knot.

Erik had now joined us and after he had viewed the Knot we moved onto Plover Hide on Lagoon Four.  As we were approaching the footpath to Bittern Hide a Nightingale burst into song and we spent a few minutes looking for it unsuccessfully but the weather was not helping as it was now raining quite hard.

One of the first birds I saw on entering Plover Hide was a Sanderling and then found two more on the same island and a few minutes later David said he had a Turnstone and we eventually had four, all being in superb summer plumage.  There were also circa twelve Ringed Plovers and seven Dunlin on the lagoon but despite an extensive search we couldn’t find anything else and we moved onto Bittern Hide.

I was surprised to see how quickly the reeds were coming up in the area that had been cleared, since my last visit and I suspect in a few more weeks the cleared area will be back to where it was before clearance.  I had further views of the Knot and Common Sandpiper and we also heard a distant Cuckoo and heard the Nightingale again as we left the hide.

Erik had already departed as he was working this afternoon when David and I headed for Sandpiper Hide to get a different view of Lagoon Four.  Whilst in the hide we had a brief view of one of the Turnstones and also several sighting of Sanderling and two Curlew dropped in.  There was also twenty Common Terns resting around the small spit that has developed on Island Ten.

We made our way back to the centre and found Terry in the viewing gallery but Steve had gone off to Lagoon Four to look for Turnstone.  As Terry told us where Steve had gone he had a wry smile on his face as he had seen a Turnstone on Lagoon One.  We found nothing else new but we did eventually see the Turnstone and a Sparrowhawk caused some disturbance as it flew over.

David and I then retreated to the car for lunch before heading over to Lyndon.

When we reached the Lyndon Centre the weather was pretty awful with the rain reducing the visibility considerably at times.  We therefore sat watching the feeding station, which was still attracting birds and we saw Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting.  We also saw sixteen Common Terns that were flying east fairly close to the shore.  There had been three Black Terns reported in Manton Bay this morning so we went to Teal Hide to try and see them but all we saw were a few more Common Terns.

We returned to the Egleton Centre to find Steve and Tim viewing Lagoon One, where there were now three Black Terns and four Dunlin.  With the flaps open the rain had come in and we suddenly realised that water was now dripping onto the floor and so I went and got a mop and bucket and cleared the excess water away.  With there being no sign of the rain abating we called it a day.

Despite the weather I had recorded eighty-three species including three new patch-ticks, Knot, Sanderling and Turnstone taking my total to 142 with a point’s score of 170.