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

Crossbills

 A welcome return to sunnier conditions saw Alan Shorrock and I visiting some of our local sites. We began at Deene where eight Shelducks and a Cetti's Warbler were the best of the bunch, sadly it appears that the Red Crested Pochards seen earlier in the week had moved on. A noisy gaggle of geese on the lake turned out to be Greylags with a few Canadas mixed in. Neighbouring Blatherwycke was if anything even quieter and similarly its goose flock did not contain any surprises among them.

Red Kite and Jay

Wakerley Wood was our final birding stop of the day where we tried once again to see some Crossbills. It took a bit of walking and some up to date info from another birder but eventually we struck lucky. Alan found a female feeding in a pine tree next to the path and a male was noted soon after. The birds were very quiet and on another day we may well have passed them without noticing. After several minutes the small flock of what turned out to be at least four birds moved on. We heard them several times on our walk back to the car while other birds of note included Ravens, Marsh Tits and a day hooting Tawny Owl. I finished the day and my short break from work in the spoons where a pint and a bite to eat brought things to a close.

Crossbills

Barnwell Visit

 Way back in the good old days when I used to have Mondays off my travels would often take me to Barnwell CP and this morning I decided to revive that tradition. Seemingly equally keen to maintain their own traditions too the X4 arrived fashionably late but despite Stagecoach's best or rather worst efforts I did eventually arrive in Oundle. It was a grey and fairly cool day but also mercifully dry which was certainly an improvement on yesterday's conditions.

Egyptian Goose and Moorhen

There were good numbers of Siskins around the park and I heard and saw several Redpolls as well. Nowadays it seems as if I can't go anywhere without bumping into Egyptian Geese and today was no exception as a pair were seen at several points as they moved around. At Lowlands Hide at least two Water Rails were calling and I decided to hang around in case any emerged from cover. One bird proved to be fairly obliging, it swam several times across the pond giving some good if brief views. A little later on and I watched it feeding on the water's edge giving me my most prolonged views of this usually furtive species. Eventually it moved into cover and I decided to move on myself, I didn't find much else of note before I left the park to take a stroll along the river.

Water Rail

My riverside walk did not provide much to look at, presumably the same unfortunate Great White Egret was flushed on several occasions and was probably the pick of the bunch. A flock of geese were checked but turned out to be Canadas and Greylags. The flooded area near the A605 hosted the usual Wigeons, Shovellers and Teal and there was a mixed flock of Common and Black-headed Gulls. Once I got back into town I had a quick look for the Peregrines before catching my bus but it looks as if both birds were off hunting. Tomorrow's weather is looking pretty dire so it might be Wednesday before I venture out again.

Robin and Great White Egret

Rainy Birthday

 It was my birthday today and for some reason I decided to shun the comforts of my warm home and venture out into the dank and drizzly countryside of Northants I blagged a lift to Blatherwycke where once I'd donned my waterproofs I spent several rather unproductive hours trudging around. Although I could hear geese calling from unseen fields very few were on view and all those that were turned out to be Greylags. A pair of Goosanders were the highlight, the regular Great White Egret provided their only competition. My camera stayed in my bag and today's pictures come from a sunnier and more enjoyable previous visit to the lake. I've got a couple of days off and hope that any other trips that I make are a little more interesting!

Past glories.