I picked David up at around 07:00 and we headed to Eyebrook Reservoir
seeing a Common Kestrel after passing through Kibworth and a Red Kite near
Blaston. We drove along Stockerston Lane
to reach the southern approach road to the reservoir and stopped at the gate
leading to the fishing lodge. There were
twenty-four Red-legged Partridge in the field to the north and a distant Red
Kite further away. From the gate we
drove to the island corral where we found five Northern Pintail and there was
another eighty Red-legged Partridge near the entrance to Holyoaks Farm. After parking we went into the northern
corral to view the inlet and saw a couple of Red Kites over Stoke Dry
Wood. Initially there appeared to be
very little other than a few Northern Lapwing but something caused some
disturbance and afterwards we found a couple of Dunlin. As I scanned further along the reservoir I
picked up a Yellow-legged Gull in flight and another Northern Pintail and three
Little Grebes. From the corral we drove
around to the bridge where we found Common Blackbird, Eurasian Bullfinch and
European Goldfinch and heard Eurasian Wren, European Robin and Dunnock. Malcolm the joined us as we drove further
around to the Rutland bank, but we found very little, other than another three
Red Kites, and as it was a little uncomfortable in the fresh westerly wind we
headed for the Lyndon Reserve at Rutland Water.
The feeders have been removed at Lyndon and consequently there were no
birds around the centre as we set off along the track towards Wader Scrape
Hide. We had a Eurasian Jay fly across
the meadow and there were circa thirty Common House Martin over the
reservoir. We also found a couple of
parties of tits, which contained mainly Blue and Long-tailed Tits but on
stopping with the second party we also found a Great Tit, a Common Chiffchaff
and a Blackcap and we also saw a Green Woodpecker further along the track.
When we reached Wader Scrape Hide there were good numbers of wildfowl at
the eastern end of the Manton Bay but very little towards the bridge as work
was being carried out on the new Shallow Water Hide. We were hoping to find the eclipse American
Wigeon and there were plenty of Eurasian Wigeon to search through, which wasn’t
easy due to some emergent vegetation. However,
it wasn’t long before I found it and got David and Malcolm onto it, although it
wasn’t on view all the time. Whilst
looking for the American Wigeon I found nine Little Grebes and there was also
good numbers of Gadwall, Mallard, Eurasian Teal and Eurasian Coot. Scanning further I found a Great Egret on the
Heron Bay bund where there were also eleven Little Egrets. I then found a female Red-crested Pochard in
Manton Bay and Malcolm found a second Great Egret on Heron Bay bund. I then heard a Eurasian Curlew and picked it
up flying out of the bay and there was a nice adult Yellow-legged Gull on the
bund. Feeling pleased in finding the
American Wigeon we headed back towards the centre and calling in the hides as
we did so. There were twenty+ Common
Moorhen in front of the hide and a Eurasian Curlew, which was presumably the
one we had seen flying in the bay. Our
final stop was in Deep Water Hide where again there were good numbers of
wildfowl but except for an adult Common Shelduck and two Dunlin on the island
there was nothing else of note. The
Common Shelduck was my first record on site since August 14th, which
in terms of adults is probably normal but there are generally a few immatures
but not this year. There was a Great
Spotted Woodpecker calling as we left the hide and we located it in the trees
near the hide.
Eurasian Curlew
Carrion Crow
There was a Red Kite near Manton Bridge and when we arrived at the
unnamed road in the North Arm, David and Malcolm, went along to view from the
spit, whilst I went through the gate to view the fishponds. As I scanned through the wildfowl I found a
couple of Northern Pintail and there were two Great Egret and a Little Egret
resting and preening at the edge of the water.
There was no sign of any waders on the mud and I then went and joined
David on the spit. There were six Common
Ringed Plover on the far shore and there were four Little Egrets on the
bund. There were two more Northern
Pintail in the southern bay and fourteen near the fisherman’s car park but
there wasn’t too much else which was probably due to three fishing boats
constantly disturbing the birds. Malcolm
and David where back at Malcolm’s car and scanning the fishponds but other than
a Common Buzzard when I joined them we saw nothing else new and went to the
Egleton car park for lunch but not before David and I saw a second Great
Spotted Woodpecker.
David had finished his lunch first and went down to the feeders hoping
for a Marsh Tit. When I joined Malcolm,
we had some rather nice views of a Goldcrest, but it wouldn’t stay in view long
enough to get a photo and we went to join David.
David was still at the feeders but had only seen House Sparrows and a
European Greenfinch. I found the
European Greenfinch under one of the feeders, which didn’t look to healthy
before going into the centre.
From the viewing area there was a Great Egret just in front of the centre
and two Little Egrets on the lagoon. A
Common Buzzard and a Eurasian Jay flew over but there was no sign of the
reported Common Greenshank.
We eventually made our way to the northern lagoons and on reaching Shoveler
Hide found that there was a team of volunteers clearing the islands and
therefore other than a flock of Tufted Duck and a few Great Crested Grebes
there was little else, and we moved onto Crake Hide.
There were thirteen Little Egrets and a Great Egret visible from the hide
and a Common Snipe was feeding in the stream.
David found a second Common Snipe along the bund and whilst scanning for
this I found a single Green Sandpiper.
Little Egrets
Common Snipe
Common Snipe
There were good numbers of wildfowl visible from Lapwing Hide but the
light wasn’t brilliant to the right of the hide. As I scanned through the ducks I found a
single female/immature Goldeneye and a couple of Northern Pintail, but it was
impossible to scope the birds to the left due to the light, although there was
a considerable number of Eurasian Coot.
There was a Red Kite over Hambleton and a Common Snipe flew in front of
the hide and then David found two very distant Common Buzzards. I looked out of the slats onto Lagoon Two and
was rewarded with twenty-one Northern Pintail and a final look towards Brown’s
Island produced a female-type Western Marsh Harrier.
Little Grebes
A visit to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four produced eight Common Pochard,
which were our only sightings of the day.
There was also a small party of waders, which we saw several times in
flight, but they always dropped out of sight and we were unable to identify
them, although I was certain that most at least were Common Ringed Plover and
may well have included the six we had seen earlier in the North Arm.
A brief visit back to the viewing area in the centre produced two
Eurasian Curlew, a Common Snipe and a European Stonechat on Lagoon One before
we called it a day and headed off home.
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