David and I went to Daventry
Reservoir to hopefully see a juvenile Sabine’s Gull, which he had seen well
yesterday and was still present this morning.
We arrived at the country park
just after a heavy shower and after getting ready we walked down the path towards
the dam. As we approached the buildings
I could see other birders standing on the path and noticed a gull flying
overhead. I got the bins on it and
realised it was the Sabine’s Gull and said to David “that’s it flying” as it
disappeared behind a tree. I went into
the loo and then heard David cry did you see it and it had flown over his head
and disappeared over the trees.
When we reached the other birders,
they said it had been amongst the Black-headed Gulls just prior to the shower
but when they returned to path after sheltering it was flying off to the north
and then veered to the west.
We walked to the far side of
the dam where we saw a Little Egret and a couple of Grey Wagtails and then
walked back and spent some time scanning the sky hoping it would return. Whilst we looking to the north we saw a Red
Kite, a Buzzard, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Jay and parties of gulls
dropped in on serval occasions, whilst others departed to the north and we
found a Yellow-legged Gull amongst the flock of resting gulls. The Sabine’s hadn’t returned by 16:00 and we
eventually called it a day and went to Hollowell Reservoir to look for a Grey
Phalarope.
It only took about twenty-five
minutes to get to Hollowell and after parking at the northern end we walked
south along the western shore to reach Guilsborough Bay where the phalarope was
being reported. There was another birder
scanning the bay as we approached and David picked up the Grey Phalarope almost
immediately and we had some good if distant views of the bird feeding along the
shoreline, in flight and on the water on a couple of occasions. There was also a Ringed Plover and a Redshank
on the shoreline. We eventually went
back to the car as there was another shower approaching and we were rather
exposed and we did manage to just catch the edge of the shower. On reaching the car I heard a Goldcrest and a
Chiffchaff.
When I got home a message
indicated that the Sabine’s had returned to Daventry Reservoir at 17:15, ninety
minutes after we departed.
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