I was a little late leaving this morning after putting the moth trap out
and left for Eyebrook Reservoir at around 07:45. I called at Wistow Church as David and
Malcolm had seen a Spotted Flycatcher there yesterday. I heard a Common Chiffchaff and a Blackcap as
I parked the car before entering the church grounds. I walked around the church but there was no
sign of a Spotted Flycatcher. I thought
I would give it fifteen minutes to see if it appeared and after a few minutes a
bird flew onto the church guttering and raising the bins, bingo, my first
Spotted Flycatcher of the year. It then
flew in the trees but I couldn’t relocate and left for Eyebrook Reservoir.
There was very little seen on route and still no Little Owls in evidence
and after stopping at the bridge I heard a Eurasian Tree Sparrow and there were
plenty of hirundine over the reservoir.
Just as I was thinking of driving around to the inlet the phone buzzed
and there was a message stating that there was a Pectoral Sandpiper on Lagoon
Four at Rutland Water and so I got into the car and went to Rutland Water.
There had been another message indicating that the bird was now on island
seven and visible from Sandpiper Hide.
After parking I was soon on my way to the hide hearing a couple of
Common Chiffchaff, a Eurasian Reed Warbler and a Blackcap before reaching the
ramp to the hide.
Andy Mackay was in the hide and indicated that the bird had flown and he
hadn’t been able to find it again. He
mentioned a Dunlin that wasn’t showing any sign of summer plumage amongst
Common Ringed Plover and then Steve called to say that the Dunlin was in fact
the bird they had seen earlier and considered to be a Pectoral Sandpiper. Malcolm then arrived, who I had made aware,
and was disappointed with news that it was a Dunlin, but he had only come from
Eyebrook Reservoir and not travelled far.
Messages were sent indicating the error, ensuring other birders didn’t
make an unnecessary journey to see it.
Andy left Malcolm and I in the hide after which we found two Avocets,
nineteen Common Ringed Plovers, four Dunlin and a few Common Redshank. There was a pair of Garganey near island four
and also two Eurasian Teal, which were the first I had seen in a few
weeks. Ten Common Shelduck were
scattered around the lagoon and there were two Little Egrets and a Red Kite was
observed between the hide and Oakham. As
I scanned the Great Black-backed Gulls on the distant rocky area I found a
Yellow-legged Gull.
Malcolm and I went to Plover Hide to get a different view of the lagoon,
where we found a Little Ringed Plover. Steve
then called to alert me of a warbler singing at Whitwell, which may not be any
of the commoner warblers but warned us that he and Terry hadn't as yet seen
it. Malcolm and I set off back to the
car park with the intention of going to Whitwell to join Steve and Terry. Malcolm commented when we were getting close
to the car park that we hadn’t heard anymore and I suggested that Steve
wouldn’t ring again unless it turned out to be a Whitethroat or that they had
confirmed it was something rarer. My
phone then rang and it was Steve telling us not to bother has they had now seen
the bird and that it was just a Whitethroat.
We had heard a Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, a Sedge Warbler and a
Garden Warbler before we reached the centre and went up into the viewing area. There was another two Common Shelduck on the
lagoon and a Red Kite was observed to the south but there wasn’t a great deal
else and Malcolm called it a day.
I went back to the car for lunch and was joined by Steve and Terry when I
saw a Common Chiffchaff. I then walked
down towards the centre again and stopped to observe the woodland to the right
of the path and when Terry joined me he picked up a Blackcap and a Spotted
Flycatcher. We informed Steve we had
seen a Spotted Flycatcher and where and he said he would look for it after he
finished his lunch.
I made my way back towards the northern lagoons and heard a Sedge Warbler
and four more Blackcaps and saw a rather smart male Eurasian Bullfinch before going
into Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three.
There was a nice party of Common Pochard on the water and at least eight
Common Terns around the lagoon but there was nothing else of note and even the
Eurasian Reed Warblers were silent.
Drake Pochard
Female Pochard
Common Terns
I went back to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four where there were now six
Avocets and a moulting male Ruff and I counted forty-one Common Terns. I hadn’t seen any Eurasian Oystercatchers
earlier but I now found three pairs with each bird escorting a young bird and a
seventh bird was roosting to the left of the hide. I also found two distant Red Kites and a
Common Buzzard.
When I got back to the car and was just about to leave for Eyebrook
Reservoir I saw a Western Osprey over Lagoon One.
I parked overlooking the inlet at Eyebrook Reservoir where I saw a couple
of Western Osprey over the water and a single Eurasian Oystercatcher on the
exposed mud. A Mallard was escorting two
young in the stream and just before I left for home found a Red Kite over the
eastern end of Stoke Dry Wood.
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