Thursday 26 July 2012

A morning at Rutland Water, Rutland - July 25, 2012


I went to Rutland Water and arrived before the centre was open and therefore walked straight to lagoon four and dunlin hide.  There were eight Ringed Plovers and five Dunlin on the first spit and two Green Sandpipers flew in but there appeared to be little else until a Greenshank appeared.  There was an Osprey sitting on the man-made nest and it caused some disturbance as it flew off towards the north arm.  There were quite a few gulls present, mainly Black-headed but there were also several Common, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed and three Yellow-legged Gulls.  A Common Sandpiper and two Yellow Wagtails were found on the far side of the lagoon but as there appeared to be little else I moved to shoveler hide on lagoon three.  Very little here except for a concentration of both Gadwall and Tufted Duck.  I went back to plover hide on lagoon four where I found a single Black-tailed Godwit and a Turtle Dove flew over.
I called at the centre before walking onto snipe hide overlooking the wet meadow where there were at least three Green Sandpipers and two Snipe, my first here since early April.  The family party of seven young and two adult Shelduck were still present on the lagoon, nice as they appear to be the only ones successful this year.  The juvenile Marsh Harrier was then observed as it quartered the wet meadow but it was eventually harassed by a number of Common Terns and headed off over lagoon one.
It was now turning very hot so I decided to call it a day.

Juvenile Marsh Harrier over the wet meadow


Female Kestrel over lagoon four


Lapwing over the wet meadow


Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker at the Egleton feeding station

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