I left home and headed for Rutland Water as there had been some good
birds there yesterday that included three county year-tick, Eurasian Bittern,
Red Knot and European Turtle Dove.
I saw a Common Kestrel just after passing through Cranoe and after
filling the car up in Oakham arrived in the Egleton car park at 08:20. Roger
had called indicating he was on his way and I agreed to see him on the reserve.
Whilst getting the gear sorted I saw a Common Chiffchaff, heard another and a
Blackcap and just as I was starting to walk to the centre Roger arrived. I waited for Roger and we then went up to the
viewing area in the centre where the Red Knot and Eurasian Turtle Dove had been
seen yesterday. The dove had only been
observed in flight and I thought the chances of seeing it were remote but if
the Red Knot was still present we had every chance.
The water level on the lagoon had dropped and the long island is again a
single island. The light wasn’t
brilliant as we were looking towards the sun, but Roger did find a single
wader, which we eventually agreed was a male Ruff. I then picked up a wader in flight that came
down on the island and before I located it Roger indicated he had a Whimbrel or
Eurasian Curlew and on closer inspection we could see that it was a
Whimbrel. The Whimbrel didn’t stay long
and flew off north and shortly afterwards we started to make our way to the
northern lagoons.
We observed both Common Chiffchaff and Blackcap just beyond the badger
hide and I then heard a Eurasian Treecreeper, which Roger then found but it disappeared. Whilst we were looking for the Eurasian
Treecreeper I found a Garden Warbler and shortly afterwards the Eurasian
Treecreeper revealed itself. A Great
Spotted Woodpecker was then heard, and we heard another Common Chiffchaff
before we reached Sandpiper hide on Lagoon Four.
Chris Hubbard was in the hide who informed us that there was a Eurasian
Curlew at the back of the lagoon and whilst searching for this he said that a
Whimbrel had dropped in, which was probably the bird from Lagoon One. We soon found the Eurasian Curlew and the
Eurasian Reed Warbler was still singing in front of the hide but still remained
elusive. Two Little Egrets were roosting
on island seven and I found six Eurasian Oystercatchers scattered around the
lagoon and a Great Crested Grebe was feeding three chicks. Chris had seen a wader earlier he had
suspected was a Common Greenshank from Plover Hide and had come around to
Sandpiper to hopefully get a better view, but it had disappeared. He then found it on island one and we were
able to confirm his initial identification was correct and that it was a Common
Greenshank. There were two Common Ringed
Plovers on island six, but we were unable to locate any Little Ringed
Plover. Chris then left to look for a
reported female Red-crested Pochard with two well grown young that had been
seen from Buzzard Hide on Lagoon Three.
After he had departed a Western Osprey flew over and landed near island
seven where it began bathing and we found a second-summer Yellow-legged Gull
before joining Chris in Buzzard Hide.
He had found the three Red-crested Pochard but thought that one was a
male in eclipse and the other two were females, which both Roger and I agreed
with. I then noticed a female Common
Pochard escorting a brood of seven young and after photographing these Chris
left to go to Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow. Briand Moor had called asking when
and where we had seen a Eurasian Bittern but I had to inform him that we hadn’t
seen one and obviously the information he had been given was erroneous. It wasn’t long afterwards when I received a
text from him indicating that there were two Common Greenshanks and four Black
Terns on Lagoon Four.
Common Pochard with brood
Common Pochard with brood
Drake eclipse Red-crested Pochard
When we arrived in Sandpiper Hide the Black Terns were still present but
resting on island one and difficult to see and we could only find three. Something caused some disturbance and then
all four were observed in flight and there were two summer-plumaged birds with
the other two in presumably winter plumage.
We soon found two of the Common Greenshanks and eventually found a third
and a single Common Redshank. There were
now more Common Terns on the lagoon and I counted thirty-three.
We walked back to the car park for lunch hearing just a Blackcap before
we got back. After lunch we went off to
Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow and heard two Common Chiffchaff and three Blackcap
before reaching the hide.
Male Broad-bodied Chaser near Snipe Hide
Chris was in the hide and informed us that the Black-tailed Godwit he had
reported earlier was now on Lagoon one but there was still a Ruff on the flash,
although it was out of sight in the far corner.
There was a single Common Shelduck on the flash and a Eurasian Curlew
flew over. The Black-tailed Godwit
returned to the flash and the Ruff, which was almost certainly the bird we had
seen earlier on Lagoon One showed. Chris
then left and shortly afterwards we found a couple of Hobbies and a Western
Osprey and Red Kite flew over and three Western Osprey were present over
Brown’s Island shortly afterwards.
We eventually went back to the centre where we saw a Little Egret and two
Common Tern and heard a Eurasian Reed Warbler.
Roger then called it a day and I went to Eyebrook Reservoir on the way
home seeing a Mallard with three young, a Little Egret, two Red Kites, a Dunlin
and nine Common Terns from near the inlet and at brief stop at the bridge I
heard a Blackcap and Garden Warbler.
As I headed home I saw two more Red Kites over the road just after passing through Slawston.
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