A Black-winged Stilt had been reported on Lagoon Four at Rutland Water
and I was quite keen to catch up with it but couldn’t get out until after lunch
and arrived in the Egleton car park just before 14:25.
I saw Andy Smith as I was walking towards the centre who said that the
stilt was still present and was now in front of Dunlin Hide. I therefore decided to walk along the service
road to the hide hearing a Willow Warbler and Common Chiffchaff before reaching
the hide.
When I entered the hide, I was surprised to find it empty and there was
no sign of the stilt. I scanned the rest
of the lagoon with the bins but couldn’t find it and so I went to Sandpiper
Hide, where I was told that it had flown and after dropping behind one of the
islands hadn’t been seen since. I found
the reported Common Greenshank, but the stilt remained elusive if in fact it
was still present. A female birder then
announced that they had the stilt amongst the rocky area at the back of the
lagoon. I soon located it as it preened
and eventually started feeding and it did come closer, although still quite
distant. There were two Avocet to the
left of the hide, at least eleven Common Shelduck on the lagoon and a Eurasian
Reed Warbler was heard singing just in front of the hide. I then heard a Common Cuckoo calling and so I
called Steve as he was on site but as of Tuesday hadn’t seen or heard one. He had apparently heard them this morning and
informed me that there were five Hobbies over Lax Hill. I then noticed a pair of Eurasian
Oystercatcher with three young on island six and there were another four birds
scattered around the lagoon. The summer
Ruff was still present, and I counted thirty-three Common Terns, most of which
were resting on the spit leading away from island ten and at least six Common
Redshank were present. Three Little
Egret were also feeding around the lagoon and a Common Buzzard was observed
over Lagoon Three reedbed. Two Eurasian
Oystercatchers on Island Ten then got very agitated as a Carrion Crow flew
over, with one escorting the crow away before it returned and joined the other
and I then noticed two small downy young in the vegetation. I was thinking about making my way back to
the centre when I noticed three waders on island six and when I got them in the
scope found there was a Common Ringed Plover, a Sanderling and a Dunlin, which
had presumably arrived recently.
As I walked back to the centre I called Steve and made him aware of the
three waders and not long afterwards he called me back saying that a Whimbrel
and a Dunlin had dropped onto Lagoon One.
I heard two Common Chiffchaff, two Blackcap and a Garden Warbler before
I reached the centre and went up to the viewing area.
Steve was still there and said that I needed to be quick to see the
Whimbrel as it and another were flying off to the north. He provided some directions and I saw them
heading off between Hambleton and Lagoon Three.
The Dunlin was present, and another dropped in whilst I was in the
centre. A Little Grebe was observed to the
left and there were nine Common Terns over the lagoon and two Common Shelduck
on the lagoon. I scanned the sky near
Lax Hill and eventually managed to see three distant Hobby and another Common
Chiffchaff was heard as I made my way back to the car.
The Black-winged Stilt was a year-tick and the Sanderling an addition to
my County year-list, which moved my lists onto 216 and 161 respectively.
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