I was out on my own today and when I left home it was bright and sunny
and I headed for Eyebrook Reservoir but didn't see a great deal on route.
I stopped at the inlet bridge where it appeared very quiet, but I did
find a Eurasian Treecreeper before I moved on to view the inlet. The water was still very high and other than
a few terns over the water there appeared to be very little else. As I scanned through the terns I saw what I
thought was a Black Tern, but it disappeared behind the trees running to the
edge of the water. I was looking into
the light and as I searched for the Black Tern, all I good see were Common
Terns and they looked quite dark at times in the bright light. After several minutes I was beginning to
wonder if I did see a Black Tern or was it just one of the Common Tern looking
dark. I moved further up the reservoir
so that I could look back at the terns in better light and was relieved to find
there was a single Black Tern, which was the first record in the counties this
spring. I called both David and Malcolm
to let them know about the tern as David had indicated that he might be out
later.
With Little else I moved onto the Egleton Reserve at Rutland Water and
after parking walked to Sandpiper Hide on Lagoon Four. There were two Eurasian Oystercatchers, five
Common Ringed Plovers, two Dunlin and four Common Redshanks around the lagoon
along with four Common Shelduck, a Little Egret and forty-two Common Terns.
As I walked down the slope I saw a Blackcap and further around towards
the path to Shoveler Hide a Lesser Whitethroat showed briefly. I walked to Bittern Hide seeing a Eurasian
Oystercatcher fly over and a Eurasian Reed Warbler from the hide. As I came out of the hide Malcolm called to
say he had seen the Black Tern at Eyebrook Reservoir and was now at Rutland
Water and asked if I had heard the Nightingale.
I hadn’t heard it but as we were talking it started to sing and did so
for about five minutes and I then walked towards the path to Shoveler
Hide. I met Malcolm coming down the
track and informed him that the Nightingale had gone quiet but after we had
talked for a while another birder indicated it was singing as they walked past
the area. Malcolm continued down the
path whilst I went into Shoveler Hide to view Lagoon Three but all I saw of
note was a single Eurasian Oystercatcher.
I had arranged a meeting with Rebecca for 11:00 and so I made my way back
to the car park. I stopped to view Lagoon
One from the last Rutland gate and found a Little Tern amongst the Common Tern
feeding over the water. I went into the
centre to get a better look but couldn't find it amongst the thirteen Common
Terns. I alerted Steve of the sighting
and went to my meeting with the Rebecca seeing a Common Kestrel over the
fishponds on route.
I spent a good hour with Rebecca and then returned to Egleton and after
some lunch went back to the viewing area in the centre. Steve had seen the Little Tern but it had
disappeared again but there were three Hobbies hawking over the poplars.
Malcolm had joined me, and Andy and Roger Brett had gone off to Lagoon
Four where the Little Tern was being reported.
Malcolm had also seen three Black Terns earlier but they appeared to have
gone off high to the east and hadn’t been seen since. I picked up three waders flying high over the
lagoon but couldn’t get any details on them before they flew off in the
direction of Lax Hill and then I noticed that the Little Tern was back over the
lagoon. I alerted Malcolm but my phone then rang and it was Roger Brett
informing me that three Curlew Sandpiper had just dropped onto Lagoon
Four. Malcolm and I set off immediately
for Lagoon Four and I notified Steve as we were making our way to Sandpiper
Hide.
When we arrived, the birds were still present, with one looking rather
smart whilst the other two were still moulting into their summer plumage. There was also a probable European Golden
Plover amongst the distant stones and when Steve joined us we agreed that it
was a European Golden Plover. There were
two Common Buzzards over Burley Wood and Steve then found the Pink-footed Goose
on island eight. I then picked up a
Raven over Burley and was about to inform the others when Steve announced he had
a Northern Raven over Burley. A Western
Osprey was then observed over Burley and a Eurasian Sparrowhawk was seen just
before it disappeared over the Lagoon Three bund. Two Red Kite then circled over the lagoon
before Malcolm and I went to Buzzard Hide on Lagoon Three to see if would could
see the Mediterranean Gull.
There was no sign of the Mediterranean Gull but there were at least three
Common Pochard on the lagoon and another Eurasian Sparrowhawk flew over. With little else on the lagoon Malcolm and I
returned to the car park seeing a Great Spotted Woodpecker near the badger
hide.
It had been an excellent days birding with seventy-six species recorded,
two of which, Curlew Sandpiper and Black Tern, were year-ticks. They moved my year-list onto 210, which is
pretty good for me by mid-May.
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