Eyebrook and Rutland Water

Monday 19 August 2013

My last full day in Stamford, Lincolnshire before returning to Spain so what better way to spend the morning than driving over to the two main reservoirs on the Rutland/Lincolnshire border, Eyebrook and Rutland Water.  Leaving just after 9 am and travelling via Caldecott, where I had the great delight in seeing a gorgeous male Hen Harrier fly across the road in front of me as I approached the village, I was, after a short stop in the above village, at Eyebrook by 10.15.  The weather was warm and sunny with a little cloud and, on arriving, there were many birds on the water albeit not overcrowded with, also, a number of fishing boats out on the deeper water.

A pair of Mute Swans Cygnus olor surrounded by Mallards Anus platyrhnchos and Coots Fulica atra

Having checked out all the mallards with a few Coots alongside and Moorhens nearer the shore, I then scanned down towards the shallow end.  A few Little Egrets about but certainly a good number of Mute Swans and a a dozen or more resting Cormorants.  One Grey Heron on the near bank and another handful on the far side whilst, overhead, a few Black-headed Gulls were to be seen along with fewer Barn Swallows.  As I looked I discovered more and more Great Crested Grebes and then a large flock of Lapwing flew in to settle further up the water.

Incoming Lapwing Vanellus vanellus flock

With a stop further along the road and again opposite the end of the reservoir, I was able to pick out a couple of Common Sandpiper underneath the far bank and, above, the first of a handful of Common Terns appeared in the sky to continue their fishing expedition.  A small flock of Rooks was  seen moving across the far side and then crossed over the water towards me which then revealed a pair of Crows behind me.  At the same time, there was a continuous movement of Wood Pigeons and I even had a small flock of Common Starlings feeding between the, now landed, Lapwings and a good sized flock of Greylag Geese.

Carrion Crow Corvus corone corone

On to the end of the reservoir and a drive along and back the far side confirmed more Little Egrets and a small number of Tufted Duck along with a single Shelduck.  A couple of hen Pheasants made for a pleasant change and on returning to my original parking spot I was greeted by a Kingfisher with what appeared to be something small (fish?) in its beak.

Record shot of Kingfisher Alcedo atthis complete with his lunch

Time to move on and the shortest way back to Stamford was via Rutland Water so point missing out here.  First a stop on the road bridge over the inlet at the end of Manton Bay which, apart from disturbing a small charm of Goldfinches, revealed a pair of Ospreys resting on their nest platform.  Below them the water was very much depleted since my last visit in barely six weeks ago but there were still Cormorants to be seen and, on the exposed muddy flats either side of the inlet, a small number of Pied Wagtails and a single Grey Wagtail.   On the other side of the bridge I saw my first Tortoiseshell butterfly plus a good number of, presumably, Small White butterflies, having been told to stop calling them "Cabbage Whites" by my friend Steve Powell!

Ospreys Pandion haliaetus at nest, Rutland Water.  And is that a youngster peeking out?

Then it was on round to Birdwatching Centre where much activity was on-going as the large band of volunteer helpers assisted with the clear-up from the past three days Bird Fair.  Lots of activity at the feeding station with good numbers of young birds as well as adult Blue and Great Tits, Chaffinches, Greenfinches and Goldfinches.  A pair of Collared Doves was also making the most of the free food available and before long they had been joined by a single Robin.  However, the best sight was the eventual arrival of a single marsh Tit - but not long enough to get a photograph on this occasion.

Move over baby Blue Tit Parus caeruleus, Great Tit Parus major arriving

 The arrival of the finches:

Male Chaffinch Fringillacoelabs

Male Greenfinch Carduellis chloris

Reflecting Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis

Finally, leaving Egleton I found the resident Jackdaws in the first field whilst, on Burley Fishponds, in addition to the Greylag Geese, were at least a dozen Egyptian Geese and, on the far side, a flock of Canada Geese.  As they say, everything comes to he who waits and as I left the area near Empingham I duly recorded my first Red Kite of the day.  So, back home well before 2pm having recorded 37 species.

Small White Pieris rapae butterfly

 

Birds seen:
Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Egyptian Goose, Shelduck, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Pheasant, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Little Egret, Heron, Osprey, Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Moorhen, Coot, Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Kingfisher, Barn Swallow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Marsh Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Rook, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch.

Check out the accompanying website at http://www.birdingaxarquia.weebly.com for the latest sightings, photographs and additional information.

Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire

Thursday 15 August 2013

Back in Stamford for a week so that I can attend the twenty-fifth British Bird Fair at Rutland Water; my local patch being a mere ten miles to the west.  So, with jobs done and time to spare before Friday's visit, I decided to carry on to Frampton Marshes on the outskirts of Boston once was doctor's appointment had bee satisfactorily concluded, arriving  a few minutes before 11 am.  Had it not been for long delays on the A16 due to road repairs I would have been on site thirty minutes earlier.  Clear, warm weather and a slight wind with a little more coming in off the Wash on arrival.  In addition, i was once again able to use my old Panasonic FZ50 camera and experiment with RAW images.

Little Ringed Plover  Charadrius dubius

Driving down the lane I was greeted by Collared Does and an odd Chaffinch and then, with the car parked up, I was able to take in the good numbers of waders and water birds about.  Immediately in front of me good numbers of Little Ringed Plovers and plenty of Lapwings but the predominate waders were Black-tailed Godwits and Ruffs.  Both of these were an absolute delight with many still in their breeding plumage, so lots of red to be sen everywhere.  Indeed, the Ruffs seemed to range on colour from a deep mustard colour to almost pure white such was the range of moult.  The other wader that could be seen n good numbers was the Golden Plover and, again, it was lovely to see the, almost, summer plumage.

One of very many Ruff  Philomachus pugnax

Out on the water in front of the Visitors' Centre I could count a small number of Little Egret along with a few Mallards.  A small number of Moorehen were busy feeding nearby and a Water Rail had been spotted a few minutes before my arrival.  House Sparrows were scavenging around the Centre and a good number of Swallows could be seen feeding over the nearby waters and fields.  Leaving a pair of Common Sandpipers to continue feeding I made my way down to the high bank to look out over the marsh.  Plenty of Mute Swans to be seen along with a large flock of Canada Geese and the odd Greylag Goose.  A small family of Coots was in the ditch as I arrived at the steps.  Over the marsh the occasional Black-headed Gull was observed and as I made my way back I was able to watch a lone Meadow Pipit feeding on the grassy edges and came across a small family of Goldfinches including many juveniles without the recognisable red face.

Avocet  Recurvirostra avosetta

Out on the pools I then had a number of Avocet and small flocks of Common Starlings along with a considerable number of resting Cormorants.  Spending time at the 360 Hide and its near neighbour I took great delight in watching the large numbers of Golden Plover, Black-tailed Godwits, Ruffs and Lapwings. At least a dozen Little Egrets were at this site and then the pleasure of both an overflying Curlew and a single Knot.  Nearer the hide a pair of female juvenile Yellow Wagtails (M.f.flavisima) and a flock of approximately twenty Linnets, many still showing much summer colouring.  Also in the water was a small flock of plain Teal and then a trio of Greenshanks.  Whilst at the 360 Hide I had a single Snipe feeding in front of me along with many more Little ringed Plovers and many, many butterflies immediately in front of me, mainly Peacocks but also some Large Whites.  The neighbouring hide also added a pair of Dunlin to the morning's list.  My final bird was a female Tufted Duck along with a quintet of small ducklings.

Lovely to see so many Peacock Butterflies Inachis io

As I left Frampton marsh o take the relatively short drive over to Frieston I had first  a female Marsh Harrier fly low over the field to my left and then across the road immediately in front of me which certainly get the local Rock Doves up into the air from the corn field where they had been feeding.  There were a couple of Wood Pigeons followed by a male Blackbird, Carrion Crows and Rooks before leaving the village itself.

Frieston itself was very disappointing with just a small number of House Sparrows and Starlings plus the occasional Black-headed Gull.  A walk down the track towards the marshes then revealed a pair of Moorhen and a small group of ten Black-tailed Godwits.  From the hide I was also able to find a pair of Oystercatchers and a couple of Shovelers and the return walk produced both female Blackbird and Chaffinch along with a single Magpie.

Part of the flock of Canada Geese Branta canadensis heading towards the hide like a squadron of WWII Wellingtons 

 

So, with a final count of 41 species I made my way home via Spalding.

Birds seen:
Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Shoveler, Teal, Tufted Duck, Cormorant, Little Egret, Marsh Harrier, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Snipe, Ruff, Black-headed Gull, Rock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Barn Swallow, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Blackbird, Magpie, Crow, Rook, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Linnet.