I set off for Rutland Water
this morning planning to meet both David and Roger in the North Arm. There was a blustery wind and it was overcast
when I left home and it remained the same for most of the day with just a few
brighter periods.
I hadn’t seen a great deal by
the time I reached the unnamed road in the North Arm with just a single Little
Egret at Wistow, a Kestrel as I approached Kibworth and a Buzzard over the
fishponds as I drove along Church Road.
As I was sorting the gear out
I heard and then saw a Treecreeper near Tim’s cottage and there was a Mistle
Thrush in the field. David’s car was
parked at the end of the lane and after scanning the fishponds I joined him on
the spit and a few minutes later Roger joined us. David had been there awhile but hadn’t seen
too much, mentioning the Barnacle Geese and three Red Kites. The Barnacle Geese as usual were on the north
shore and there were three Little Egrets on the edge of the water in the
fishponds. Red Kites appeared to be
particularly active and we saw at least six between Burley and Barnsdale. We walked to the end of the spit to look for
the wintering grebes and whilst scanning found three Oystercatchers but we
hadn’t found any of the grebes. The water had been whipped up by the wind and
it wasn’t easy finding and identifying birds at any distance and David decided
he would move onto the reserve. However,
just as he was about to walk away I found one of the Slavonian Grebes but he
soon left, leaving Roger and I still looking.
We didn’t find any more grebes but we did see several Buzzards and two
Kestrels over Burley before we also went to the reserve.
We were in the centre talking
to the reserve staff when David called to say that a Little Ringed Plover that
had been present yesterday was still on Island Six on Lagoon Four and so Roger
and I set off for Sandpiper Hide to hopefully see it. Other than hearing three Chiffchaffs on route
we hadn’t seen anything of note when we reached the hide. We found a party of waders on the end of
Island Six, which contained four Ringed Plovers, three Dunlin and the Little
Ringed Plover. There were four
Oystercatchers displaying on the western bank with a fifth on one of the
islands and there were three Redshanks roosting on the spit to the left of the
hide. I then counted twenty-three
Shelduck and eight Pintail and also saw a Little Egret.
David had moved onto Shoveler
Hide on Lagoon Three and when we joined him he had seen a couple of Sand
Martin, which had flown off towards the centre.
There were two more Oystercatchers on one of the islands but wildfowl
numbers were clearly reducing and there wasn’t anything unusual. David then left for Lapwing Hide and shortly
afterwards Roger found a pair of Red-crested Pochard.
As we left the hide we saw
David making his way back to the centre and assumed that he hadn’t seen
anything from Lapwing Hide and started to make our way back to the car park for
lunch. We were surprised when we got
there that David wasn’t there but he appeared a few minutes later having called
in Redshank Hide. He then told us that
he had seen pairs of Red-crested Pochard, Scaup and Smew from Lapwing Hide but
he hadn’t called us as he assumed we would go there from Shoveler Hide.
Whilst we were having lunch a
Buzzard passed over the rookery and was immediately mobbed by several Rooks and
I was able to get a few photos.
Rook mobbing Buzzard
Rook mobbing Buzzard
Rook mobbing Buzzard
Rook mobbing Buzzard
After lunch as we were heading
for the centre Ken arrived and he joined us in the viewing area. I had seen a couple of Sand Martins over
Lagoon Two, which David saw before they disappeared out of sight and shortly
afterwards I picked another up towards South Arm Three and we eventually had
six. Brian, Roger and Rosie then joined
us and then Roger found a male and four female Goosander at the back of the
lagoon. There was a Little Egret and two
Grey Herons to the right of the hide and Rosie found a Great White Egret on the
Wet Meadow. As we continued to scan a
Green Woodpecker flew in front of the viewing area but with nothing else and a
shower passing, David left for home, Roger went to Harrier Hide hoping that the
Whimbrel might appear, while
the rest of us set off to Lapwing Hide.
When we arrived in Lapwing
Hide there were two pairs of Red-crested Pochard just in front, which were
presumably the pair David had seen and the pair from Lagoon Three Roger and I had
seen earlier. Roger Brett then found the
drake and red-headed Smew but after some time with no sign of the Scaup, he
Brian and Rosie headed for Shoveler Hide.
Ken and I had been pointing out the Red-crested Pochard and the Smew to
some other birders and whilst doing this I found the pair of Scaup. They were some distance away and with them
diving and the choppy water they were easily overlooked.
Having managing to help
everyone see the Scaup Ken and I joined Brian, Roger and Rosie in Shoveler Hide
but didn’t see a great deal, other than two Snipe, and left for Plover Hide on
Lagoon Four.
The wind was blowing into Plover Hide and as
there wasn’t much we moved to Sandpiper Hide, where we found five five
Ringed Plovers, four Dunlin and five Redshanks.
Ken soon left but I stayed hoping that yesterday’s adult Mediterranean
Gull would come in. I had to get back
earlier tonight as I was looking after my youngest granddaughter and with no
sign of the Mediterranean Gull I made my way back to the centre.
When I arrived back in the
centre there were now circa thirty Sand Martins and Ann said she had also seen
a House Martin. Ricky and I spent quite
some time scanning through the flock of martins but could only find Sand
Martins and to make matters worse Brian called to say that the Mediterranean
Gull had just dropped in front of Dunlin Hide.
I did think about going back but I was beginning to run out of time and
decided to call it a day.
It was disappointing missing
the Mediterranean Gull but I had recorded seventy-six species with one, Little
Ringed Plover, being new for the year.
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