I picked David up around 06:30 and we headed for the Egleton car park at
Rutland Water, where we had agreed to meet Malcolm and Roger and then go to
Frampton Marsh.
We didn’t see a lot on route to the car park and both Malcolm and Roger
were waiting for us when we arrived.
Whilst they were getting their gear into my car we heard a Green
Woodpecker, a Common Chiffchaff and a Blackcap before setting of for Frampton.
We had two Red Kites near West Deeping on route and arrived in the car
park at Frampton Marsh at 08:15. There had been a female Red-necked Phalarope
viewable from the 360 Hide yesterday and we were hoping it was still here
today. Whilst we were in the car park we
heard a Cetti's Warbler and a Sedge Warbler, and we heard another Sedge Warbler
and two Eurasian Reed Warbler before reaching the hide.
There were a few birders already in the hide and the news wasn’t good on
the phalarope as it had not been seen but there was a nice flock of waders not
too far away. On closer inspection we
found nineteen Bar-tailed Godwit and I counted112 Red Knot. The Bar-tailed Godwits were all in non-breeding
plumage but there were quite a few of the Red Knot still in their breeding
plumage, although some were not. As we
continued scanning through the flock we found a nice summer plumaged Spotted
Redshank and there were good numbers of both Pied Avocet and Black-tailed
Godwits scattered around the lagoon and a single male Ruff was amongst a party
of Black-tailed Godwit. There were two
Little Ringed Plovers displaying over the area and four noisy Eurasian Oystercatcher
flew over. A few Common Shelduck were
present and I also found a few Eurasian Wigeon, a single Common Pochard and
three broods of Northern Shoveler and then a second summer plumaged Spotted
Redshank.
Group of waders, included Bar and Black-tailed Godiwts, Red Knot and a Spotted Redshank
Common Redshank
David had moved to the other side of the hide and found a loan
Pink-footed Goose, which had a collar around its neck and there was also a
single Common Ringed Plover.
We moved off towards the East Hide and had some rather nice views of a
Sedge Warbler before we turned towards the seawall and I also saw a single
Eurasian Reed Warbler and heard three more.
When we reached the turning to the East Hide we went up onto the seawall
and scanned the North Scrape where Malcolm found a third Spotted Redshank and
Roger found a female Common Pochard escorting a brood of six. There were three Barnacle Geese on the fresh
marsh, which flew and landed on the North Scrape and a Common Ringed Plover and
a Little Grebe were observed before we started to walk along the seawall,
seeing eight Common Terns.
Sedge Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Meadow Brown
As we walked around the seawall the fresh marsh was fairly quiet other
than a few Pied Avocets, although we did see two Little Egrets, two Little
Ringed Plovers and a female Mallard escorting a brood of six. As we reached path down to the car park there
was a Sedge Warbler singing and David found a first-summer Little Gull.
Pied Avocet
Reed Bunting
Reed Bunting
As we walked back along the road to the centre another Little Ringed
Plover was most obliging, and we saw a couple of Sedge Warbler and heard three
more Eurasian Reed Warblers.
Little Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover
We nipped into the centre, but we had seen most of what had been recorded
on the marsh and so decided we would drive around to the reservoir to hopefully
find a European Turtle Dove. We stopped
briefly to view the field where we had seen European Turtle Dove on two
occasions this year but there was no sign and so we continued onto the
reservoir but there was very little, another Eurasian Reed Warbler singing
being the best.
Malcolm had walked back to the field and as we approached him in the car
he was trying to call us as he had heard a Turtle Dove. David and I got out of the car and saw the
bird in flight but had forgotten that Roger was unable to get out of the car as
the child lock was on. He managed to get
out the other door but unfortunately the bird had disappeared and didn’t
comeback whilst we were there.
We discussed our options and decided to head for the Nene Washes, where
there had been a Cattle and Great Egrets recently. Malcolm had been yesterday and seen the Great
Egret but hadn’t been able to find the Cattle Egret. We saw a couple of Common Buzzard and a
Common Kestrel before we reached March Farmer where we had lunch before going
up onto the bank.
There was a Common Buzzard and a Common Kestrel perched on the power lines
as we were having lunch. Malcolm had
gone up onto the bank and we all followed a few minutes later when he said he
might have heard a Eurasian Bittern.
Roger then found a Whooper Swan and there were six Common Shelduck
nearby. Other than a Sedge Warbler
singing on the far side there was little else and we decided to walk west along
the bank.
We stopped to view an area where there were several Little Egrets and I
eventually counted thirty. Roger then
thought he had found the Great Egret and whilst trying to find where he was
looking I picked one up in flight, which landed next to the bird Roger was
watching and we had two Great Egret.
David then said he thought he had a third in the same area, but it had
disappeared into vegetation behind the other two. It soon reappeared, and we could see the
yellow bill and were able to confirm there were three. As we walked back we heard another Cetti's
Warbler and saw another distant Common Buzzard.
Malcolm and David had gone on ahead and had heard the Eurasian Bittern
again and we walked down to the bridge hoping it would call again. There was a chaser, which we initially
thought might be a male Broad-bodied but on closer inspection we were able to
confirm that it was a Scarce Chaser.
There were also several Redwing-eyed and Common Blue Damselflies just
under the bridge. An Emperor Dragonfly
was then observed, and a second Scarce Chaser was found and I had brief views
of a perched female Broad-bodied Chaser.
Whilst watching and photographing the Scarce Chasers we heard the Eurasian
Bittern boom again. David then found a
second Whooper Swan and we heard a Common Cuckoo as we walked back to the car.
Scarce Chaser
Scarce Chaser
As we drove down the access road to the Eldernell car park a Green
Woodpecker flew over and on reaching the car park we found we were the only
occupants. We walked to the bridge and I
picked up two Common Cranes on the nearest wet area. We spent quite some time on the bridge,
seeing a male and two female Western Marsh Harriers but very little else. As we were about to move off I saw a Common
Kingfisher approaching the bridge, which turned and headed back downstream and
appeared to perch in the hedge. I had
called the bird and Malcolm managed to see it before it disappeared and despite
walking along the hedgerow it didn’t reappear and had probably flown through
the hedge, rather than perching.
With Roger needing to be back home we left shortly afterwards and headed
back to the Egleton car park at Rutland Water, seeing a Red Kite, Common
Buzzard and Common Kestrel as we travelled along the A1.
Whilst not seeing our target bird, the phalarope, it had been a good day
with seventy-nine species recorded in some rather pleasant weather.
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