After Roger and I examined the contents of the moth trap we set off for
Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire. We had
two Red Kites as we approached Glaston, and two singles near West Deeping and
we had a Common Kestrel just beyond Spalding.
We arrived in the car park at Frampton just after 09:00 and decided to
walk to the reservoir to look for a European Turtle Dove. We heard a Cetti’s Warbler, a Sedge Warbler
and two Eurasian Reed Warblers before we reached the bench along the track and
from the bench we saw a Little Egret.
There was also a Sedge Warbler carrying food and another singing along
with another Eurasian Reed Warbler.
When we came out into the open we stopped to view the first field, which
is where Malcolm and I had seen one last month.
Another birder was already looking but despite spending a good twenty
minutes we had no joy and continued onto the reservoir, where the other birder
had seen a Whooper Swan.
When we reached the reservoir, there was no sign of the Whooper, but we
did have a first-summer Little Gull. We
walked along the surfaced track towards the barn when I picked up a wader in
flight, which was a Green Sandpiper and a year-tick for Roger. There was another Little Egret in the meadow
and as we walked back we found a Painted Lady, several Blue-tailed Damselflies
and a Four-spotted Chaser. The birder we
had seen earlier, and another birder joined us and one of them found a Western
Yellow Wagtail on the far side of the reservoir and there was a Common Kestrel
hovering near the barn. After some time,
hearing both Sedge and Eurasian Reed Warblers but little else we decided to go
back to the car park, seeing the Cetti’s Warbler briefly as we neared the road before
reaching the car park and driving to the sea wall car park.
Painted Lady
Four-spotted Chaser
We spent a while scanning the marsh both north and south of the path but
had seen just numerous Pied Avocet and a Little Ringed Plover when two wardens
informed us that another birder thought they might have a Pectoral Sandpiper.
Little Ringed Plover
We followed them up onto the sea wall and when we reached the other
birder the bird had walked into the vegetation.
One of the wardens then noticed two rather nice summer-plumaged Spotted
Redshanks drop in, which served a distraction, as did two first-summer Little
Gulls, whilst waiting for the possible Pec to appear. Roger then noticed a bird coming onto the
edge of the water, which he identified as a Ruff. We were all soon watching the bird as it
moved along the edge feeding and agreed it was a female Ruff with the other
birder apologising for making a mistake.
Roger and I stayed on the bank scanning the marsh and found another
Little Ringed Plover and had brief views of a male Ruff. A single Brent Goose flew in and Roger then
found a Barnacle Goose and whilst scanning to the left I found two more. There was a flock of circa forty Black-tailed
Godwit towards the 360 hide and a single Common Tern was observed before we
made our way back to the car.
We drove back to the main car park for lunch hoping we might get a view
of a European Turtle Dove, but there was no sign and so we agreed to drive back
up to the reservoir for a final attempt before heading for Eldernell.
As we drove along the track I suggested that he should stop at the field
and has he pulled up I saw a bird in the top of the tree Malcolm and I had seen
it in May, but as he stopped I could no longer see the tree. He pulled back slightly and bingo there was a
European Turtle Dove perched on the top of the tree. It started purring and after a few minutes
flew up, almost vertically, and I was hoping it would drop back into the tree,
but it flew right and disappeared. We
continued to the reservoir but other than a Common Pochard there was nothing
new and we set off for Eldernell.
We had Common Kestrels as we approached Spalding, near Cowbit and then as
we approached Whittlesey.
When we arrived at Eldernell at around 14:50 it had become overcast and
felt considerably cooler. There was a
Red Kite just to the east of the car park and another two birders highlighted a
couple of Common Cranes. Roger then
found a Common Greenshank, but it flew before I could find it and although
Roger followed it in flight I didn’t pick it up. I did see a rather distant Common Redshank
and our only Common Buzzard of the day was circling way to the north. A Common Kestrel was observed towards the old
duck decoy and there were at least two Little Egrets. Roger then picked up a Western Marsh Harrier that
disappeared behind the decoy and again I didn’t get on it but a few minutes
later I found a male and a female to the West and another Red Kite behind the
harriers. Two Common Tern flew along the
dyke and a Eurasian Oystercatcher flew in front of the car park. As we continued scanning I found two more
Little Egrets and then the Common Greenshank in flight, which dropped into
where Roger had seen it earlier. As I
scanned the area looking for the Greenshank I found a single Black-tailed
Godwit and a change in the calls of some Barn Swallows around the bridge
alerted us to a Eurasian Sparrowhawk passing over.
We finally called it a day and headed off home seeing Red Kites near
Castor and Wansford.
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