Happy Plovers Day

 A solid if unspectacular walk today that took in Deene, Deenethorpe and Weldon as well as a little bit of Corby and a tiny bit of Priors Hall. With the back road to Deene now closed for eight weeks I had to walk along the A43 to get there and while it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be it was still far from ideal. Weatherwise the day more or less followed the forecast with a sunny start giving way to cloudier conditions, happily I avoided any rain.

Ringed Plover and Greenfinch

My day began with a look at a few local sites which failed to deliver any Little Ringed Plovers but did produce good views of two Ringeds. At least one Grey Wagtail was also noted while a large flock of Black-headed Gulls were checked just in case they had some interesting company but they didn't hide anything more exotic amongst them. Priors Hall quarry was given the once over as I passed but I only saw a small flock of Lapwings and a trio of Pochards.

Shelducks and Green Sandpiper record shot

Things were uneventful until I reached Deene Lake where wildfowl numbers remain fairly low, there are still Shelducks present but I didn't count them today. Other species noted included an Egyptian Goose, the pair of Black Swans and a Green Sandpiper at the inflow. The Black Swans clearly fancied a change of scenery because I later saw them at Deenethorpe, they must have swam along the brook. I had some excellent views of both as they indulged in a bit of bankside grazing. At the nearby airfield I was serenaded by Skylarks and also saw a pair of Lapwings though the highlight was a large flock of Golden Plovers. Around two hundred or so birds were milling around looking as if they were searching for a spot to land. While I didn't actually see where they came down I did get some half decent views as they flew around. Little else was seen during the rest of my wander apart from a small flock of Siskins near the steelworks.

Egyptian Goose, Black Swans and Golden Plovers