Spring's On The Way

 A pleasantly mild and sunny morning which had a distinctly springlike feel to it that tempted me into risking the vagaries of the Stagecoach timetable and popping along to Wellingborough. My riverside stroll took me along the Nene as far as Chester House Lake and if the birding didn't deliver much of note at least I enjoyed the exercise.

Reed Bunting.

I knew the Glossy Ibis was favouring Summer Leys but hoped that the Cattle Egret might put in one of its occasional appearances to the area - it didn't! Reed Buntings were in good voice as I walked along the Embankment and were joined by at least one Cetti's Warbler. A male Stonechat showed briefly before disappearing from view, I didn't see anymore on my travels. In fact very little else of note was recorded apart from the regular Great White Egret and I made my way back into town where I caught the bus back to Corby.

American Wigeon...Eventually!

 Alan Shorrock and I were planning to pop over to Ravensthorpe Res to see the Slav Grebe and Red-throated Diver but the former didn't seem to hang around and the latter was seen flying off early this morning. We were then left to decide between the Clifford Hill Lesser Scaup and the Eyebrook American Wigeon, after some deliberation we chose to try for the wigeon. Unusually for recent excursions it stayed dry for the most part and the sun even put in an appearance or two making for a much pleasanter experience.

Scaup and Smew

An early report confirmed that the wigeon was still present but it managed to defy the combined efforts of both Shozzer, I and other hopefuls to find it. At least six Smew and eleven Scaup did show and while they were distant at first we did get closer views of both a little later on. The inflow provided sightings of the now long staying immature Whooper Swan and also the trio of Pink-footed Geese as well as a pair of Pintail.  We then had another look for the wigeon but eventually decided that it was going to elude us and headed for the 'spoons instead.

Whooper Swan and Pink-footed Geese

We were sitting in the pub and enjoying a beer when news came through that the American Wigeon had been found north of the island. Pints were duly sunk and a hasty return took us back to the res where we managed to catch up with the exotic American visitor. By now the light was failing but the wigeon showed well enough, several duff record shots were taken before the arrival of the rain. Having had more than enough of the wet stuff recently we waved the white flag at this point and headed back to Corby content with our day's haul.

American Wigeon record shots.

Rain Again

Yesterday while I was at work there was sunshine and blue skies, fast forward twenty four hours and today I awoke to yet more rain on my day off. Hoping that the weather would not be as dire as the forecast suggested I blagged a lift over to Blatherwycke where the conditions were if anything actually worse! Unlike on Friday there were no good birds to lift the mood and I spent several hours wandering around with nothing but a Great White Egret to show for my efforts. The rain turned to sleet and at this point I decided that it was not going to be my day and headed home. No photos as my camera stayed dry in my bag, I wish that I'd stayed in the dry too!

Monsoon Madness

 I'm having to do one of my contractual back shifts this week which always entails me having to work the Saturday too. Something to offset the awfulness of this however comes in the shape of a lieu day which happily for me fell today. News of a Red-throated Diver at Ravensthorpe Reservoir earlier in the week had me offering silent prayers up to the birding gods and luckily those pleas seem to have been heard as the bird was still present yesterday evening. I managed to convince Alan that seeing the diver would be a jolly fine thing and we found ourselves heading over there this morning.

Stonechat and Ring-necked Duck

When I was praying to those birding gods I should perhaps have copied the weather gods in too as conditions were far from ideal when we arrived at the closed off car park next to the causeway. With a steady rain falling we scanned the res from the area without positive result and took the path towards the dam. Squelching our way along the path turned quagmire we stopped at regular intervals to look for the diver but with no result. A look from one side of the dam did finally deliver the goods and we had some distant but pretty good views before it disappeared from view. From halfway along the dam the diver reappeared momentarily before once again becoming invisible. More prolonged views of the bird bathing and preening came from the scant shelter offered by a Yew tree next to the fishing lodge though the weather remained too foul to risk my camera in. About forty-five minutes later we opted to throw in the soggy towel and head back towards the car.

Red-necked Wallaby and Great Northern Diver

The return walk/wade produced further distant views of the diver as it moved around the res presumably making serious inroads into the local crayfish population. At no point did the rain stop so photos were very much out of the question but just seeing my first Red-throat in the county was enough to justify our visit. We decided to resist the urge to pop in on the Common Scoters at neighbouring Hollowell in the belief that lunch in the 'spoons might better serve our immediate needs. My next day off is on Sunday which is looking like yet another brolly day so whether I choose birding or pub is yet to be confirmed. Today's pics come from a previous outing.

Glossy Ibis

Red-necked And Pink-feet

 I didn't bother going out yesterday, there were things to do and some ex work mates to catch up with, but today I joined Alan in taking a trip over to Rutland Water. Our main target was a Red-necked Grebe which has recently been reported from the south shore near the dam. The weather forecast was promising in that it looked as if it might stay dry and it was pretty mild too..

Red-necked Grebe

With little or no wind the surface of the reservoir was calm and this coupled with some up to date info from another birder meant that finding the grebe was quite straightforward. We and a trickle of other birders had reasonable views of it feeding some way off the shore and I managed to get a couple of record shots. Other birds seen or heard in the general area included Curlew, Oystercatcher and Raven though sadly it looks as if the Great Northern Diver(s) has departed. After a while we opted to move on and head towards Eyebrook.

Pink-footed Geese and Whooper Swan

The first birds of note here were a trio of Pink-footed Geese which were initially on the res but later flew up into a field on the northern side. At the inflow the long staying immature Whooper Swan was noted as it fed in the stream. From the gate near Hollyoaks I had distant views of four Smew off the plantation shore, two adult and one immature drake and a redhead, just north of the island another redhead was feeding and she was much closer. A check from the island viewing bunker did not produce any sightings of Scaup though I did find a pair of Pintails. I had a lunch date at the George in Weldon with my wife so couldn't hang around and we left a little after one.

Smews

Siskins

 February began on a grey and fairly mild note with the occasional spot of rain. My time was a bit limited and I opted to take a walk around Brookfield Plantation before getting on with the day's other business. On my way to the wood I saw a Cormorant over Willowbrook Industrial Estate while a slight diversion gave me the chance to look at the local Peregrine pair.

Peregrine and Siskin

A chorus of shrieking Jays welcomed me into the plantation, a Song Thrush provided a pleasanter alternative. Great Tits were teacher teachering as I took the public footpath that provides the only access here. Small numbers of tits and several Treecreepers were heard while a vocal drake Teal was flushed from one of the ponds. My walk took me through a mostly deciduous part of the wood and several Nuthatches were calling, small numbers of Siskins were also noted. I emerged on the other side of the planation and took a stroll to the quarry that links the wood with Gretton Road. Redpolls and Siskins were present in the birches and alders that surround the flooded part, another Teal and Gadwall were also seen. My walk home did not add much more to my list though I enjoyed the peace and quiet, a marked contrast to the packed Asda which was my next port of call!

Wellingborough Return

 This morning was bright and sunny and that tempted me into risking a trip on the X4 to Wellingborough. Against expectations the bus arrived pretty much on time and I found myself heading towards the embankment just after nine. My check of the flooded fields there produced a sighting of two Egyptian Geese but not the hoped for Cattle Egret or Glossy Ibis. I headed along the Nene towards Ditchford past Chester House Lake and beyond the viaduct.

Goldeneye, GWE and Stonechat

Chester House Lake held a selection of wildfowl which included a fine looking drake Goldeneye within their ranks. On the margin a Great White Egret was hunting while close by I had great views of a male Stonechat. Beyond the viaduct I found three more Stonechats, a male and two females but it was rather quiet in general. My wanderings took me as far as Ditchford Lane to check the alpaca herd for Cattle Egrets, none were present and I retraced my steps back towards Wellingborough. On my way past Chester House Lake I saw a cream crowned Marsh Harrier hunting and she landed for a while giving me a chance to get a few pics. At the embankment the Glossy Ibis was noted feeding in its favourite field and in the sunlight it actually looked glossy. Happy with my haul I headed back into town and had two very nice pints in the Coach and Horses. The return bus stayed truer to normal form and arrived over twenty minutes late but even Stagecoach couldn't ruin what had been an enjoyable session.

Another Stonechat, Marsh Harrier and Glossy Ibis