I was out on my own today and headed for Eyebrook Reservoir seeing very
little on route. I stopped at the bridge
and heard both Blackcap and Garden Warbler singing and then saw a Common
Chiffchaff, four Blackcaps and a Common Whitethroat. I then saw a Eurasian Jay and had a rather
nice view of a Marsh Tit, which was presumably a juvenile.
As I moved around to view the inlet I flushed two Red-legged Partridge
off the road and in the inlet, there were three Green Sandpipers and a Common
Greenshank. I counted twelve Common
Terns and there was 100+ Swift over the reservoir and I moved off to Rutland
Water after seeing a Common Buzzard to the south.
Yellowhammer
Yellowhammer
Yellowhammer
Just after passing the turn to Manton there was a Common Kestrel perched
on the roadside wires and a few minutes later I arrived in the car park at
Egleton. After getting the gear out I
walked down to the centre hearing a Blackcap and a Great Spotted Woodpecker
before reaching the centre.
I went up to the viewing area to view Lagoon One where there was a good
number of wildfowl, which were mainly Tufted Duck and I found a female
escorting a brood of six. A Red Kite then
flew quite close before drifting off to the south after some unwanted attention
of several Black-headed Gulls. There
were sixteen Egyptian Geese on the lagoon, which have been noticeable by their
absence recently but clearly, they are starting to build up again. I found a Little Egret towards the back of
the lagoon, two Common Redshanks on the long island and four Little Grebes on
the water. A Green Woodpecker then flew
from the base of the centre and disappeared into the woodland to the
right. There were just three Common
Terns over the water and I then picked up a Western Osprey drifting north and a
Eurasian Sparrowhawk flew in front just after another birder joined me. He then pointed out another Western Osprey
that was perched on the old kestrel box at the back of the lagoon and whilst
looking at this I picked up a female Western Marsh Harrier that was quartering
the area around Harrier Hide. It started
to come towards us over the water and I was hoping it would continue but it
suddenly dropped and picked up a gull, that appeared to be already dead, and
flew away dropping out of sight onto the Wet Meadow area.
I made my way to the northern lagoons seeing a Common Chiffchaff and
hearing a couple of Blackcaps before reaching Shoveler Hide on Lagoon
Three. There were three Little Egrets on
the lagoon and two Green Sandpiper were feeding in the bay towards Bittern
Hide. Four more Little Grebes were
observed and a female Red-crested Pochard drifted towards Common Buzzard
Hide. I then found a Snipe, which was my
first on site since late March. There
were two broods of Common Moorhen quite close to the hide, one of seven and the
other of two and a juvenile Common Redshank was feeding in the small pool to
the left of the hide. The brood of
Common Pochard had been reduced to just three young, with the female still in
attendance. I scanned the ducks feeding
to the left of the hide, which were mainly Eurasian Teal, but I then found a
Garganey, which then flew out of sight and whilst looking for it I found a
second bird.
I moved onto Buzzard Hide where I would get a different view of the
lagoon and found the male Pintail, which I had seen on my last two visits, and
it was now in its eclipse plumage. There
was also a brood of eleven Tufted Duck and a Mute Swan with four cygnets. Six Common Terns were feeding over the water
and I could hear several Eurasian Reed Warbler singing.
As I walked to Smew Hide I heard another Blackcap singing and on entering
the hide found two Common Pochard and was pleased to see at least ten young
Common Tern on the raft along with eight adults.
From Smew Hide I walked to Dunlin Hide to view Lagoon Four. There were two Little Egrets resting on one
of the islands and there were six Yellow-legged Gulls amongst some Great
Black-backed Gull on island one. As I
scanned the shore of island eight I found a single Little Ringed Plover
escorting a single half-grown young and there were also two-half grown downy
Common Redshanks on the same island. One
of the adult Common Redshank was calling constantly and it soon became obvious
it was trying to coax the young towards the spit linking island seven and
ten. The young were not at all keen on
making the journey but did eventually make it after much encouragement from the
adult.
Young Common Redshank
Young Common Redshank
Common Redshnak
Young Common Redshank
As I continued to scan the lagoon I found five Eurasian Oystercatcher, a
Common Ringed Plover and fifteen Common Terns and a Red Kite passed over. I checked the small gathering of gulls again
and found an adult Common Gull, which was my first here since mid-May. I heard a Common Greenshank calling and
eventually found it on island four, but I was unable to find a Common Sandpiper
that I heard calling. I made my way back
along the Summer Trail and heard a couple of Common Chiffchaff, a Eurasian Reed
Warbler and a Blackcap and had a brief view of a Lesser Whitethroat as it flew
across one of the meadows.
Back at the car park I had my lunch seeing a single Red Kite before I
made tracks for Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow.
I saw a Common Chiffchaff and heard a Blackcap before I reached the hide
and found a Eurasian Curlew and two Black-tailed Godwits on the flash. The Black-tailed Godwits flew off north after
a while and so I went to the 360 Hide on Lagoon Five.
There were four Little Grebes on the water and two Little Egret were
roosting on one of the islands and I then found a Eurasian Curlew on the far shore. As I left the hide there was a pair of Mute
Swan escorting eight cygnets on Lagoon Eight.
I nipped back into Snipe Hide and found the Eurasian Curlew was still
there but nothing else and after a brief chat with Steve I made my way back to
Shoveler Hide on Lagoon Three.
Eurasian Curlew on Lagoon Five
Eurasian Curlew on the Wet Meadow
I walked along the Summer Trail with Colin and Chris seeing my first
Emerald Damselfly of the year and then a Small Copper near Sandpiper Hide
before we went to Shoveler Hide.
Emerald Damselfly
Small Copper
There were now three Garganey on the nearest island and three Green
Sandpipers in the left-hand corner. I
saw a Eurasian Reed Warbler close to the hide and a juvenile Sedge Warbler some
distance away. Another Red Kite was
observed towards Burley and a Gadwall was escorting a brood of three young. As I looked on the small pool to the right
there was a Eurasian Curlew and a Common Greenshank was on the lagoon. Steve then called to say that there were
three juvenile Water Rails in front of Bittern Hide.
Garganey
Eurasian Curlew
I quickly made my way to the hide and found Steve still there, but the
Water Rails had disappeared although two came out again after a patient wait
and I then went into Plover Hide and had my only Common Shelduck of the day on
Lagoon Four.
It had been an excellent day with eighty-five species recorded and a good selection of insects.
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