David, Roger and I headed for
Burrough Hill in the hope of finding some migrant passerines.
When we arrived in the car
park it was clear and sunny but as we walked out towards the hill fort the
fresh south-west wind made it feel quite chilly. There were at least sixteen Swallows around
the farm buildings and I picked out a single House Martin. AS we approached the gate to the park there
were two Chiffchaffs feeding along a fence line running to the east of the main
path and we saw four and heard at least another three during our visit.
Chiffchaff
Chiffchaff
As we entered the fort area we
dropped down the hill, seeing a Green Woodpecker briefly and then walked east
alongside the hedge at the bottom of the hill.
It appeared quiet and there was no sign of the Redstart or Spotted
Flycatchers reported a couple of days ago.
We climbed back to the top of the hill and as we started to view the
area scrub below us a Sparrowhawk flew low the bushes and eventually
disappeared to the west. We skirted the
wood, seeing a Marsh Tit but very little else and started to make our way back
to the car park. As David walked under
an isolated tree a bird called and I picked up a pipit flying off to the west,
which we felt was a Tree Pipit.
From Burrough Hill we headed
to Rutland Water and parked in the unnamed road in the North Arm. Andy and Roger Brett were scanning the
fishponds area and indicated that there was a Mandarin amongst the Cormorants
on the far point but on scanning the area I couldn’t see it but it then ran
towards the edge of the water and I lost it again.
As we stood talking I was
scanning the water and picked up a summer plumage Red-necked Grebe and I just
said you haven’t seen the Red-necked Grebe then. David wondered briefly what I was on about
and then realised it was in his scope.
Andy soon picked it up and we all had good views as it wasn’t too far
out. I moved to the brick hide hoping to
get some shots of it but it disappeared and we couldn’t find, although Roger
Brett did pick it up again later, when it was amongst the Great Crested Grebe
flock and further away. Presumably this
is the bird that has been wintering here since 2014 and it looked as though
that it might be just as elusive as ever.
There was a Wood Sandpiper
feeding on the water’s edge and two Ruff at the end of the point. Four Curlew then flew low over the water and
came down on the north shore when we found a fifth bird and a Whimbrel. To the south of the spit there were a couple
of Greenshanks and three Green Sandpipers and three Ringed Plovers and five
Dunlin dropped onto the spit. There were
a few Common Terns feeding towards the fisherman’s car park and a single Snipe
was observed in flight.
Viewing Burley Wood David
picked up a couple of Swift and there were several Buzzards and I picked up a
single soaring Raven.
We eventually left the North
Arm and went to the Egleton car park and whilst having lunch Roger Brett called
to say that they had a male Redstart along the path between Dunlin Hide and the
road.
After lunch, we walked towards
the northern lagoons and met Andy and Roger returning and after watching nine
Bullfinch feeding on the meadow sweet and getting more info on the Redstart we
continued. We found a party of birds
feeding in the trees just before the large meadow, where I had at least one
Chiffchaff and David had a Spotted Flycatcher, which Roger and I missed. We cut across the meadow to Dunlin Hide and
started scanning the path and hedge leading to the road. We saw a Robin on several occasions but after
a good twenty minutes we began to lose hope of catching up with the
Redstart. David then noticed a Weasel at
the far end of the track, which stated to come towards us, stopping several
times before disappearing into the vegetation and then coming out and
continuing along the path. As we watched
the Weasel the Redstart flew along the path behind it on a couple of occasions
before disappearing into the hedge. The
Weasel then disappeared and the Redstart came and sat in view in the hedge and
briefly on the fence on the other side of the track.
Having been successful with
the Redstart we went into Dunlin Hide to view Lagoon Four. There were four Little Egrets scattered
around the lagoon and there was a juvenile Black-tailed Godwit on the spit in
front of the hide, amongst a party of Lapwing.
There was also number of Common Terns resting on the spit and I was
surprised when I counted fifty-four but other than nine Yellow-legged Gulls
there appeared to be little else.
Another birder entered the hide and picked up a party of wades on the
far spit that contained four Ringed Plover and seven Dunlin and we then found a
Common Sandpiper and a Little Ringed Plover on island one.
Roger Brett had called to say
that he and Andy had seen three Whinchat and two Wheatear on Luffenham Airfield
and as we needed Whinchat for the year we thought it would be worth going.
However, as it was still quite
early we went to Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three first. The water level on this lagoon is
surprisingly remaining higher than is normal, particularly as the reservoir
water level is now quite low and it is therefore not particularly attractive to
waders. There were three more Little
Egrets and good numbers of Gadwall and Tufted Duck but other than a few Teal
and a single Shoveler there appeared to be very little else. Two Osprey flew over the lagoon before
heading off back towards the North Arm and a single Buzzard appeared over the
wood. As we were thinking of leaving I
found a Garganey and whilst watching this Roger found a Snipe and we heard a
Cetti's Warbler making a half-hearted attempt to sing.
Osprey
Osprey
We called at Grebe Hide on
route back to the centre but other than finding a few Wigeon we didn’t see a
great deal else and continued onto the centre.
Whilst in the viewing area in
the centre we saw a juvenile Marsh Harrier and two Hobbies but with nothing else
of note we went to Luffenham Airfield.
Hobby
Hobby
On reaching Luffenham Airfield
we drove up one of the old runways and then looked back down another, which is
where Andy and Roger had seen the birds.
Initially there appeared to be nothing but then David found one of the
Whinchats perched on a dead branch in front of another bush, which made it
difficult to see. Roger then found one
of the Wheatears and we then found the second but we were unable to locate any
more Whinchats.
We left the airfield and
headed for Eyebrook Reservoir, seeing a Red Kite just to the south of Edith
Weston.
On reaching Eyebrook Reservoir
we parked up overlooking the inlet and located a Dunlin, a Snipe, two
Black-tailed Godwits, two Green Sandpipers and three Greenshanks. There was also a Buzzard perched in a tree on
the Leicestershire side but there was no sign of the Little Owl as we departed
but two Red Kites flew over.
It had been a good days local
birding as we had recorded over ninety species between us of which I had seen
or heard eighty-eight.
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