A day at Rutland Water, Rutland - April 29, 2014

This was my normal Tuesday visit to Rutland Water and as Dave thought he heard a Bittern boom yesterday I decided to make an early start in the hope it might call again.

As I made my way to Rutland Water the fog seemed to get worse although on arrival it wasn’t too bad and after parking I made my way to bittern hide on lagoon three.

I had seen or heard quite a few warblers as I walked to the hide and a Whimbrel flew over and headed off west.  It was a little cool in the hide as the light breeze was blowing in through the flaps and despite close on two hours in the hide sadly there was booming Bittern.  I did see a couple of Reed Warblers and there appeared to be a few more calling today and the male Marsh Harrier was still present.  I eventually moved on to plover hide on lagoon four where I located a single Dunlin and a couple of Ringed Plovers but nothing else, except a gathering of Common Terns. 

Walking back in the direction of the centre I called at shoveler hide on lagoon three where I located the pair of Garganey that were still playing hide and seek amongst the vegetation and I had further views of the male Marsh Harrier.

Female Pochard on lagoon three

Male Pochard on lagoon three

Adult summer Black-headed Gull on lagoon three

I was expecting Ken to arrive around 10:00 and so I started to make my way back to the centre and called at sandpiper hide on lagoon four on route.  I had just opened the flap when a wader flashed by and landed on the bund to the right.  My first impression was that it was a Common Sandpiper, which I was able to confirm as it flew again and landed on the bund towards lagoon three.  This was my first of the year and to date they appear to have been pretty scarce.

I walked the short distance to osprey hide on lagoon two having nice views of a Chiffchaff and briefer but still quite good views of a Garden Warbler before I entered the hide.  There appeared to be nothing special on the lagoon but the colony of Black-headed Gull got quite agitated at one point but I could see no reason and they all settled down quite quickly.  A few minutes later I caught site of a harrier being pursued by a Carrion Crow but it disappeared behind some trees before I got a good look.  I rushed out of the hide and had further views as it headed towards lagoon three but lost it as it dropped lower.  I went back to shoveler hide on lagoon three but another birder in the hide and hadn’t seen anything.  I was pretty sure that it was a Marsh Harrier but other than the male no sign of anything else and I presumed that it might well have been the male.  There was now a Black Tern feeding over the lagoon and the Garganey were now towards bittern hide and on open water.

On walking back to the centre I heard a Whimbrel calling but was unable to locate it and on reaching the centre found a couple of Oystercatcher and a Redshank.  Ken then called and I joined him in the car park and had a coffee before we set off towards snipe hide on the wet meadow.  Again there were quite a few warblers and we saw a Willow Warbler in the woodland and a nice Sedge Warbler but a Lesser Whitethroat refused to show itself.  As we approached snipe hide a Blackcap was singing and as we attempted to see it two Whitethroats gave brief views whilst the Blackcap remained elusive.  Two Little Ringed Plovers, with one displaying, were over lagoon six.  On reaching snipe hide there were three Avocets on the flash and a Little Egret was feeding nearby before a Redshank joined the Avocets on the flash.

We continued on towards harrier hide having further views of Sedge Warblers and a single Chiffchaff.  An area close to harrier hide had been cleared to allow cattle into the field and we were able to have views of an area of scrub, which produced another Whitethroat but a close Sedge Warbler failed to show.  There was very little from harrier hide and so we walked further onto fieldfare hide but again there was little.  As we walked back up the track Lloyd and his mentor were ringing and we had some nice views of a male Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Dunnock before they were released.

We called at both tern and pintail hides on lagoon six where there three Redshank and a Little Ringed Plover with three Oystercatchers flying over.

Lagoon eight was viewed from the path and we found another two Oystercatcher on one of the islands but very little else.  From the 360° hide on lagoon five we found two Avocets and a couple of Common Terns and there were plenty of Sand Martin taking advantage of their new home.  Our only Red Kite of the day was observed over the fields beyond lagoon six.  It was now after 13:00 and so we returned to the car park for lunch.

After lunch we went to shoveler hide on lagoon three but there was no sign of either the Garganey or the male Marsh Harrier.  A Buzzard, the first of the day, drifted over the tops of the trees along the northern edge of the lagoon and two Avocets flew in and suddenly the pair of Garganey appeared not too far away from the hide.  I suspect that the Avocets had flushed them as they came in and they then spent quite some time preening before suddenly disappearing again.  I eventually found them on the nearest island trying their best to hide as they continued to preen.

Drake Garganey on lagoon three

Female Garganey on lagoon three

Drake Garganey on lagoon three

Little Egret on lagoon three

With still no sign of the harrier we moved off to plover hide where we found two Oystercatcher, a Little Ringed Plover, six Ringed Plover, four Dunlin and a Bar-tailed Godwit.  There was also three Black Terns resting on one of the islands with a group of Common Terns.  The Black Terns eventually flew off towards lagoon three and we moved to bittern hide but we could only find one feeding over the lagoon and there was still no sign of the harrier.

Lapwing over lagoon four

Lapwing over lagoon four

Lapwing over lagoon four

Black Tern over lagoon four

Sedge Warbler close to lagoon three

When we got back to the centre Lloyd indicated that he had been watching a Marsh Harrier but it had gone down between the centre and snipe hide.  Initially we had a look from the centre but all I saw were two Curlews and as it was about closing time Ken and I walked to mallard hide hoping for views of the harrier.

There was still no sign of the harrier but I did find a Bar-tailed Godwit on the long island, which was presumably the one seen earlier on lagoon four.  Ken then saw the Marsh Harrier and it had come from the left and was now right in front of the hide but it soon turned and headed off towards lagoon two.  It passed over lagoon two and continued towards lagoon three and I lost it from view.  Whilst trying to find it again I picked up on a Hobby hawking around redshank hide on lagoon two and we were able to watch it for several minutes before it too, disappeared.

Whilst migration still appears to be slow it had been quite a good day, despite not hearing the bittern early this morning.

An afternoon visit to Rutland Water, Rutland - April 28, 2014

With the report of an adult Gannet in the south arm at Rutland Water, Dave, Roger and I decided we would go and hopefully see it.  Just before we set off in was reported in the north arm but on arrival there was no sign of any other birders or the bird in the north arm.  We had seen Tim, who was also looking for it, and a phone called confirmed that it wasn’t in the south arm.  We decided to go to the end of the Hambleton Peninsular in the hope that it might be on the main water.  However after an extensive search we were unable to find it and presumed it had departed.  Dave did find two male and a female Mandarin just off shore but there was nothing else and so we went to the Egleton Reserve.

I saw a Hobby fly over the centre and out of sight just as we got out of the car and as we walked towards the centre it passed over again.  On reaching the centre the best option was lagoon three as Garganey and Black Tern had been reported.  On reaching Shoveler hide there no sign of either the pair of Garganey or the Black Tern.  Roger and Andy Brett then arrived and Andy found the pair of Garganey feeding amongst the vegetation on the edge of the small area to the left of the hide.  Although there didn’t appear to be too much cover the Garganey were very apt at concealing themselves.  A male Marsh Harrier was also present.

With still no sign of the Black Tern we moved to bittern hide but although we could hear a Reed Warbler it failed to reveal itself and so we moved to plover hide on lagoon four.  The Black Tern was resting amongst a party of Common Terns and we also found a couple of Oystercatcher, four Ringed Plovers, three Dunlin and a winter plumaged Black-tailed Godwit.  We also saw a Red Kite, at least three Buzzards and an Osprey between the hide and the Burley Wood to the north.  There was a good selection of warblers seen or heard and included a Cetti’s Warbler, five Chiffchaffs, five Willow Warblers, seven Blackcaps, two Garden Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat, three Whitethroats, five Sedge Warblers and a Reed Warbler.

Female Shelduck heading for lagoon three

Female Shelduck heading for lagoon three

Drake Gadwall from bittern hide on lagoon three

Female Gadwall from bittern hide on lagoon three

Whilst in plover hide on lagoon four a female Mallard was noted with eleven quite small ducklings that were suddenly attacked by two Egyptian Geese that had a brood nearby.  The attack was really quite aggressive with both the female and the young being attacked, although they all seemed to take refuge in a small group of reeds on the shore line.  One of the Egyptian Geese, which was presumably the male, remained close to the patch of reeds for some time and we didn’t see the Mallard family again.

A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland & Cambridgeshire- April 26, 2014

Dave and I called briefly at Eyebrook Reservoir on route to Rutland Water but all we saw were a couple of Shelduck, four Common Terns and a few Swallow.

A quick look in the north arm at Rutland Water produced nothing and we met Roger and Ken in the car park at Rutland Water as we had planned to go to Cambridgeshire for some Dotterel that had been present yesterday.  Whilst we were coming over we had two messages, one confirming that the Dotterel were still present and that an Alpine Accentor had been seen briefly at Holme, Norfolk.  Roger needed to back early but had managed to arrange to stay out later if the accentor was being seen, although it had only been seen briefly early morning.

We set off to Black Bush near Whittlesey for the Dotterel seeing a Corn Bunting as we approached the area.  On arrival we walked the short distance to the end of the reservoir to view the field.  The three Dotterel were still present, two smart females and a male, although they were quite distant.  As we watched the Dotterel seventeen Golden Plovers flew into the same field but as we were thinking of moving on the Dotterel flew and disappeared behind the reservoir and couldn’t be found again, although they were found later in a different area.

There was still no news on the accentor but two Little Terns and a Black Tern had been reported at Paxton Pits and as this is also a good site for Nightingale we decided to head for there.  This is not a site any of know and so on arrival we were unsure where to go and as there was no news in the visitor centre we walked towards Heronry Lake.  We had a good selection of warblers as we walked towards kingfisher hide and had heard a couple of Nightingales as well, although both remained elusive.  From kingfisher hide we saw two Kingfishers and there were nine Common Terns over the north lake but no sign of any Black or Little Terns.  As we walked back a third Nightingale was head and this time I did get a flight view.  A walk from the centre on the meadow trail produced very little and after some lunch we decided to go back to Rutland Water.

On reaching Rutland Water we found out that there was a pair of Garganey and a Black Tern on lagoon three and so we headed off in that direction.  Dave and I then thought we heard a Whimbrel and whilst we were looking for it Roger picked up a Raven flying over lagoon one but there was no sign of a Whimbrel.  As we reached the gate in the third meadow a Whimbrel called again and it appeared above us flying towards the centre and was joined by a second.

On reaching the shoveler hide and scanning the lagoon all we could see were a few Common Terns and Roger left to have a look on lagoon four.  A few minutes after he had left I picked up a male Marsh Harrier over the reedbed and I called Roger who was still in sandpiper hide on lagoon four who but had not seen the Black Tern although there was a possible Whimbrel.  A few minutes later a Hobby flew over and began feeding along the tree line before it flew off fast low over the lagoon to the south.  Ken then announced he had the Black Tern, which had appeared from the left and had probably came off lagoon four.  There now appeared to be more terns over the water and I counted thirty-one and on closer inspection found a least five Arctic Terns, although they were difficult to count accurately and there could well have been more.  With still no sign of the Garganey we moved off to plover hide on lagoon four where we found an Oystercatcher, six Ringed Plovers, a Dunlin and a Whimbrel.  There were thirteen Common Terns resting on one of the exposed muddy areas and these were joined by the Black Tern.

We made a brief visit to bittern hide, were we had further views of the Marsh Harrier and Hobby, before setting off for the centre.  There were two Oystercatchers feeding on the grassy area to the north of the centre but lagoon one was very quiet and so Dave and I decided to call at Eyebrook Reservoir again on route home.

There appeared to be very little at Eyebrook Reservoir but then I picked up a single Swift, which was a good end to the day and we also saw the Little Owl near Slawston on route home.

A day’s birding at Rutland Water, Rutland - April 24, 2014

After an uneventful journey I arrived at the dam at Rutland Water but it was very quiet with just two Yellow Wagtails putting in a brief appearance.  I moved back to Normanton and walked through the car park towards the church but there was no sign of the resident Mandarin Ducks and it was generally very quiet with little song.

There had been a number of Wheatear reported on the practice green at the Luffenham Gold Club, which is close to the old airfield and now army barracks.  I parked alongside the area and counted twenty-five Wheatear on what is quite a small area.  There was also single Skylark, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit feeding on the grass and a Swallow flew over.  There was a Whitethroat in the scrub close to the fenced off area and several more Skylarks were either observed or heard.  This is the most Wheatear I have ever seen in a single location and I would expect that there were more on the inaccessible areas of the site.

Returning to the reservoir I went to the Sailing Club Bay, which can also be good for both Wheatear and Whinchat but there was no sign of either today.  There was a single Blackcap close to where I parked and a Whitethroat in the scrub on the golf course and three Swallows and three House Martins flew over.

House Martin at the Sailing Club Bay

Dunnock at the Sailing Club Bay

On reaching the Egleton Reserve I had a quick word with Tim who informed me of a Grasshopper Warbler on the reserve but in an area not accessible.  He gave me permission to go and have a look and I heard it on several occasions but failed to see it.  There was also Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat in the same area.

Having returned to the car park I walked to Shelduck hide on lagoon five and looked back onto lagoon seven but there was no sign of the Grey Plover.  From Shelduck hide there was three pair of Avocet on the islands on lagoon five, one of which may well have been sitting.  Moving on I called at both pintail and tern hide on lagoon six where there were a couple of Oystercatcher and three Shelduck but nothing else of note.  I continued on to fieldfare hide but there was no sign of the Great Northern Diver today but a Cuckoo was calling frequently from Brown’s Island and eventually if flew from there to the poplars just outside the hide.  It started to call again but was hidden amongst the foliage and couldn’t be seen.

I made my way back towards the centre and called briefly at snipe hide where there two Avocet, which were probably two of the birds seen earlier on lagoon five and there was a distant Osprey towards the north arm.

Willow Warbler close to snipe hide

After some lunch I went to the northern side of the reserve and was informed on route that there was a pair of Garganey on lagoon three.  On entering the hide they had disappeared behind the reed island but it wasn’t too long before they reappeared and provided some nice views before going behind the island again.  From bittern hide I could hear a Reed Warbler again but as previously it remained hidden.  Quick visits to lapwing and smew hides produced very little, just a few Common Terns over south arm three.

Mistle Thrush in the Egleton Meadows

Comma in the Egleton Meadows

Grey Heron on lagoon three

Barnacle Goose on lagoon three

Coot on lagoon two

From plover hide on lagoon four I had seen two Oystercatcher, five Ringed Plover and six Dunlin when I saw a party of birds drop in close to dunlin hide and I was pretty certain that they were Black-tailed Godwits.  I left plover hide and headed towards dunlin hide but was delayed by a singing Garden Warbler, which failed to appear.  This area of scrub between the two lagoons if very good for warblers, with a single Cetti’s, several Sedge Warbler and at least single Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Whitethroat as well as Reed Bunting. 

On arriving in dunlin hide my initial identification of the incoming birds was correct as there were forty-six Black-tailed Godwits just beyond island seven.  They appeared restless and on several occasions flew onto the grass bank before returning to the lagoon.  A Carrion Crow flew amongst them and they quickly took to flight and looked as though they were off.  Four broke away from the main party and returned to the lagoon but the other forty-two gained further height as they headed off to the northwest.

Black-tailed Godwits over lagoon four

A single Curlew was present on the lagoon for a while and I also found a Little Ringed Plover and a sixth Ringed Plover.

It had been quite warm today and the latter part of the afternoon was very pleasant with some warm sunshine and virtually no wind and I had also recorded eighty-three species of bird.  The Wheatear at Luffenham and the Garganey and the flock of Black-tailed Godwits were clearly the highlights.

A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland - April 22, 2014

The forecast today might have suggested that it would be good for terns and perhaps waders and so I initially headed for Eyebrook Reservoir.  It was quite misty when I left home but as I drove over to Eyebrook Reservoir the misty got thicker and was quite slow to clear.  It was difficult seeing as far as the dam at the reservoir but I was certain there were no terns present and even more concerning no hirundine.  There was a single Little Egret on the island but nothing else of note was in evidence.  I stopped at the fenced area at the northern end and found six Common Terns and could see a few hirundine in the distance but wasn’t able to identify them.  A Sedge Warbler singing nearby was heard and eventually seen but I then received a text indicating that there were two Sandwich Terns at the inlet.  I hadn’t seen these or any other birder so I drove around to the Rutland bank to find Andy Mackay, who indicated that the terns were perched on the posts.  I had looked at these earlier and there had been nothing, so they either just arrived or were flying around in the mist.  They had a couple of short flights around the posts but soon settled back on them.  On the third occasion they gained more height and flew towards us passing over and were heading off west when they appeared to change their minds and came back towards us briefly before turning again and heading of northeast into the mist.  With a tweet announcing Grey Plover and Arctic Tern at Rutland Water I decided to move off.

On arriving at Rutland Water I went straight to shoveler hide on lagoon three where I hoped to see the Arctic Terns.  There were a number of terns feeding over the lagoon and fortunately the three Arctic were still present as Andy sent me a text message indicating seven had dropped in at Eyebrook Reservoir that built up to nineteen.  Having succeeded with the terns I moved onto Bittern hide where the Sedge Warbler was still singing and I eventually heard a Reed Warbler but it remained hidden in the reeds.  With little else in evidence I moved to plover hide on lagoon four where there were three Oystercatcher, a single Little Ringed Plover and ten Dunlin.    I returned to the car park and after some lunch walked to snipe hide on the wet meadow, where there were a couple of Avocet, a Little Egret and a couple of Shelduck.  I decided to go back to the northern end of the reserve, which was a mistake as apparently the Grey Plover was on lagoon seven.

Little Grebe on lagoon one

Female Tufted Duck on lagoon one

Male Reed Warbler near snipe hide

On approaching shoveler hide on lagoon three another birder indicated that there was a Marsh Harrier over lagoon three.  There was no sign of the harrier and I assumed that it had probably gone down in the reeds and I moved on to lapwing hide and hopefully the Great Northern Diver.  The Great Northern Diver was observed between the hide and the Old Hall and was close enough for the summer plumage to be seen, although it looked identical to when it was seen on the 16^th.  I returned to shoveler hide on lagoon three but on informing Steve of the diver he said the harrier had flown off towards Hambleton and had probably gone.  I stayed in shoveler for a while, seeing very little, when Steve and Terry arrived, saying that there was a second-year Yellow-legged Gull on lagoon four.  I went straight to sandpiper hide on lagoon four but the gull had gone, although I did see fourteen Dunlin and two Curlews.

Little Egret over lagoon three

I returned to the car park and after a coffee set off home.

Brief visits to Eyebrook Reservoir & Rutland Water, Leicestershire & Rutland - April 21, 2014

Dave and I went out today in the hope that some of the terns involved in yesterday’s movement had lingered.

We arrived at Eyebrook Reservoir to find just six Common Terns with no sign of yesterday’s Arctic or Black Terns.  We did see a Red Kite, a Buzzard and two Raven just to the west of the reservoir and heard Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler.

At Rutland Water we went to lagoons three and four but again there were only Common Terns with fourteen or fifteen being present.  Waders were also disappointing with just three Oystercatchers, a Little Ringed Plover, three Ringed Plovers and a couple of Dunlin.  However we did find a nice summer plumage Little Gull on lagoon three, although there were apparently nine by the end of the day.  The Cetti’s Warbler was singing well by bittern hide and three Chiffchaff, five Willow Warblers, eight Blackcaps, a Lesser Whitethroat and six Sedge Warblers were either seen or heard.

Sedge Warbler

A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland - April 19, 2014

It was cold and overcast today and there had been a slight frost overnight.  I decided to go to Great Easton in east Leicestershire first as it is a good sight for Cuckoo.  On the journey over I saw two Buzzards, one near Newton Harcourt and the other near Stonton Wyville and the Little Owl obliged near Slawston where I also saw a Tree Sparrow.

On arrival there was a Buzzard flying off to the north.  I walked along the footpath, which was an old railway track, to the west which goes along one edge of the plantation, that reminds me of a miniature Lakenheath Fen and is a pretty unique habitat in Leicestershire.   There were plenty of Willow Warblers singing but few other migrants were in evidence.  As I continued along the path two Willow Tits appeared briefly in the hedgerow but for long enough to identify them. It was just after this that I realised that I had left my phone in the car and decided to go back and get it.  As I approached the end of the more dense woodland a Cuckoo called but only the once and I didn’t manage to see it.  Having collected my phone I retraced my steps and continued to the end of the first section of path before walking back.  I had at least three Chiffchaffs, nine Willow Warblers and a single Blackcap.  On getting back to the car I heard the Cuckoo again but again it only called the once and then went quiet.  As I stood talking to a guy walking his dogs I heard my first Whitethroat of the year but like the Cuckoo I couldn’t locate it.  Before I left I walked down a side track to some barns and found a Barn Owl roosting in a box and heard the Cuckoo for a third time but with the same result.

Having had two new birds for the year but failing to see either I moved off to Eyebrook Reservoir.  I stopped at the first viewing area seeing quite a few hirundine over the water, mainly Sand Martin but with a few Swallows.  A Snipe also got up off the island flying to the other side a dropping out of sight.  There were a couple of Willow Warblers singing by the bridge and the small area of mud at the inlet produced a single White Wagtail but no waders.  Again there were plenty of hirundine and again mainly Sand Martins and a few Swallows but there were also at least three House Martins.  There were two Common Terns resting on one of the new nesting platforms.

I moved onto the north arm at Rutland Water where it felt bitterly cold in the brisk northeast wind.  The female Red-breasted Merganser was in the fishponds but there was very little else and so I moved onto the reserve.

I walked to snipe hide on the wet meadow first where there were two Avocets and a three Black-tailed Godwits on the flash.  A Barnacle Goose was feeding amongst a group of Canada Geese and single Curlew was visible on the lagoon one meadow.  There were six Common Terns over lagoon one and a Red Kite passed over just in front of the hide, causing some disturbance but everything soon returned.

Female Pheasant at the Egleton feeding station

Red Kite over the wet meadow

Black-tailed Godwit alighting on the wet meadow

Roger joined me in the hide and shortly afterwards we decided to go as far as fieldfare hide to see if the Great Northern Diver was still in the same area as yesterday.  As we walked towards fieldfare hide we had several Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Sedge Warbler between the two hides.  I found the Great Northern Diver almost immediately and today it was close enough to be able to see the extent of its summer plumage.  There were plenty of white spots on the back and the head and neck were much darker and the pattern on the side of the neck was visible, although its head was still rather greyish.  After watching it for a while it started to move off towards gadwall hide and so we started to make our way back to the centre.  We called at tern and pintail hides on lagoon five but other than a couple of Shelduck and a pair of Oystercatcher there was little else.  We continued on towards the 360° hide and saw the female Osprey on the nest on Manton Bay and another Oystercatcher on lagoon eight.  From the 360 there were three Oystercatchers, two Avocet, two Little Ringed Plover, a Ringed Plover and a Redshank.

Oystercatcher on lagoon six

After some lunch we set off to dunlin hide on lagoon four and found our first Greenshank of the year, two Oystercatcher, a Little Ringed Plover, two Ringed Plover and four Dunlin.  Lagoon three produced out first Wigeon, Pochard and Little Egret of the day but there was nothing unusual.  A visit to sandpiper hide on lagoon four produced another Little Egret, twelve Common Terns and two White Wagtails and two Osprey and a Raven over Burley Wood.

I walked back with Roger to the centre who departed and I went into the centre to view lagoon one where there was a further Osprey observed flying over the poplars.

I decided to call at Eyebrook Reservoir on the way home and drove around to the viewing area on the west bank.  As I set my scope up to view the area of visible mud I heard the familiar call of a Whooper Swan and found it quite close to the viewing area.  A nearby Mute Swan seemed to take a dislike to it and repeatedly approached it in an aggressive manner and eventually the Whooper flew off to the west and did not appear to come back.  There were still a few hirundies present and there were now ten Shelduck but there was nothing else of note and I set off for home.

Whooper Swan

A Red Kite was seen near Blaston as I drove home but I saw nothing else of note.

A day’s birding in Cambridgeshire & Leicestershire - April 18, 2014

Roger picked me up and we then went to Dave’s who then drove to the Welches Dam on the Ouse Washes after we had picked Ken up at Uppingham.  There had been a Cattle Egret reported several times and there was also a Baikal Teal close by.

A Corn Bunting on roadside wires was a nice find just beyond March as they are now proving rather difficult.

On arrival at the RSPB Ouse Washes we walked north to the second hide.  There was no sign of the Cattle Egret but there were at least thirty-three Avocets and circa fifty Black-tailed Godwits.  I counted nine Little Egrets and a Peregrine flew over causing mass disturbance and I picked up a distance Marsh Harrier.  A rather distance drake Garganey and a male and female Pintail were also observed but with no sign of the Cattle Egret we moved on to the nest hide.  From the next hide we had better views of the Garganey and found a second and a distant Crane but otherwise it was much the same as the first hide.  With still no sign of the Cattle Egret we decided to move off for the Baikal Teal.  As we walked back to the car park Malcolm was coming down the track and he had been and seen the teal first as it was a new bird for him.  He advised us that it was rather distant and kept disappearing into the grasses at the side of the pool.

After parking at Four Balls Farm we climbed the embankment to overlook the small flash on the washes.  It felt rather raw here as we were rather exposed to the wind, which along with the distance and heat haze made the viewing of the flash rather poor.  There were a few duck present including several Shoveler and two Pintail but there was no sign of the Baikal Teal.  Three Little Egrets were feeding at the near end of the flash and we also saw a distance Marsh Harrier but there were still only a few birds visible on the flash.  A male Marsh Harrier hen passed over and flushed all the birds onto the water and it was surprising just how many there were.  Along with many other birders we kept scanning the area without success until Ken announced I think I’ve got it.  As he tried to get us onto it went back into the grass and disappeared.  As we continued scanning the area both Roger and I found it, seeing its whitish-yellow face, which stood out quite well.  At one point it flew about a foot and was in full view but almost immediately it went back into the grasses and disappeared again.  Most people appeared to have got onto the bird but unfortunately there were a few who didn’t.  After about another ten minutes with no further sign we called it a day.

As there was little being reported on the coast we decided to go back to Rutland Water and as it was nearing lunch time agreed to call at Eldernell for lunch.

Whilst eating lunch we had an immature male Marsh Harrier and Dave and I saw a Crane drop in.  After lunch we stood on the bridge over the creek and Roger located the Crane behind some reeds but we could only seen its head and neck as it stopped feeding.  There was also a rather nice adult male Marsh Harrier, which performed for a while and a Red Kite, flew over.  Just as we were getting ready to go six Yellow Wagtails flew over and headed off down the embankment.

On route to Rutland Water we had a Buzzard and two Red Kites and with news of the Great Northern Diver off fieldfare hide and a pair of Garganey on lagoon three we decided to go to lapwing hide to try and see the diver.  We hadn’t been in the hide too long when Dave indicated he had the diver.  It was now coming into summer plumage but other than it appearing darker around the neck other summer plumage was not visible.

We called at shoveler hide on lagoon three but there was no sign of the Garganey and we then made a brief visit to bittern hide but they couldn’t be seen from there either.  There were twelve terns feeding over lagoon three but they were all Common.  Plover hide was also visited on lagoon four but all we had were two Oystercatchers, three Ringed Plovers, a Dunlin and five White Wagtail.

Roger needed to be home early tonight so we finally called it a day and headed off home.

A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland - April 15, 2014

I called at Eyebrook Reservoir first this morning where there was a single Little Ringed Plover on the narrow strip of exposed mud.  There were also a few martins present with at least four Sand Martins, four Swallows and a single House Martin.  Two Willow Warblers and a Blackcap were also heard close to the road bridge.

I went to the Old Hall at Rutland Water first as I had agreed to help with the wildfowl count.

It was a cracking morning and the surface of the water was mirror like, which made counting very easy.  This area at times can be very difficult to count due to the pure number of birds present but today it was very 

quiet and there were just 140 birds counted.  The most common was Tufted Duck but there were also Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Gadwall; Teal; Mallard; Goldeneye; Great Crested Grebe, a Little Egret and two Oystercatcher.  I also saw a Chiffchaff and heard Willow Warbler and Blackcap.

After completing the count I went to the north arm where I met Bob but other than a few Shelduck, a couple of Buzzard and a Red Kite there was very little, although Bob had seen the female Red-breasted Merganser earlier, which had gone into the fishponds.

Tim then asked me drive around the Hambleton Peninsular to count any wildfowl that were close in shore.  It didn’t take me to long as a lot of the shore line was inaccessible and there were very few birds, the best being a single Goldeneye and two more Oystercatcher.  I also heard several Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap as I drove through the more wooded areas.

I joined Bob again in the Egleton car park and we walked to shoveler hide on lagoon three where Steve had seen a couple of Scaup earlier.  Two Osprey were observed flying over the meadows and were joined by a couple of Buzzards.  On reaching shoveler hide we soon found the female Scaup and shortly afterwards the male joined it, which was a very smart looking individual.  A single Little Egret was the only other bird of note however.

Stock Dover over lagoon three

We had heard a Cetti’s Warbler and a Sedge Warbler from shoveler hide and on walking to plover hide on lagoon four heard two more Sedge Warbler, seeing one rather well.  It appeared rather quiet on lagoon four but we did find a couple of Little Ringed Plover, a Curlew, a Redshank and a single Common Tern.  It was now after twelve and left Bob and went back to the car park for lunch and to report my count numbers.

Sedge Warbler

After handing in my count numbers I had a look on lagoon one.  There were three Black-tailed Godwits and three Curlew on the long island and a male Pintail was feeding just in front of the island.  I thought I heard an Avocet call and on scanning the island again found two, which had obviously dropped in but were certainly two of the birds usually seen on lagoon four, which have become more nomadic recently.

Ken then arrived and after he had seen the good birds on the lagoon we walked to snipe hide on the wet meadow.  On route we saw and heard several Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, and Blackcaps, having nice views of all three.

Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

Chiffchaff

On reaching snipe hide the two Avocets were now on the wet meadow and one of the Black-tailed Godwits came in.

Mike Chester then came into the hide and said he had seen Knot on lagoon four and so Ken and I made our way back to sandpiper hide.  There were five nice Yellow Wagtails and a White Wagtail on island ten and I found a second White Wagtail on island five.  There were also a couple of Ringed Plovers and four Dunlin but there was no sign of the Knot, which had obviously just made a brief visit.  As we were scanning all the birds just scattered and Ken then picked up a Peregrine over the lagoon, which had obviously caused the panic.  I then went to shoveler hide with Ken and had further views of the two Scaup.

Drake Mallard on lagoon three

Coots in territorial dispute on lagoon thre

Summer adult Black-headed Gull on lagoon three

On walking back to the centre we stopped close to the badger hide and were watching a couple of Treecreeper when a Water Vole appeared from under the bridge and swam a short way down stream before disappearing, which was a nice end to the day.