Dotterel Dip Soon Forgotten

 I ventured out with my brother today over to the RSPB reserve at Lakenheath in Suffolk though not before we took a diversion to the Northants village of Hemington where a Dotterel had been seen yesterday. A beautiful sunrise was followed by a warm and sunny day and while we suffered a dip at the beginning of proceedings most of the day worked out just fine.

Yellow Wagtail and snoozing Garganey

As the title suggests our efforts to find the Dotterel met with failure even though we put quite a lot of effort into finding it. Clear skies and light winds may well have been enough to persuade it to move on. Our stop was not a total waste of time however as two Yellow Wagtails feeding in the plover's favoured pea field were my first of the year.

Hairy Dragonfly and Variable Damselfly.

Lakenheath more than made up for the dippy start as we saw a great selection of both birds and damsels during our walk around. Firstly we stopped at the wash where we saw a selection of waders of which three Wood Sandpipers were the highlights. Also present were a Greenshank, four Black-tailed Godwits, a Curlew, some Lapwings and a few Redshanks. A scan through the numbers of Teals produced two drake Garganeys taking what turned out to be a lengthy nap. Other good records soon followed with first a Bittern and then Bearded Tits as we made our way through the reserve. The Bearded Tits and Water Rails were heard but not seen though at least one of several Cuckoos in the area did show. A minimum of three and possibly five Cranes were seen in their favourite spots where several Hobbies were also observed. The good and warm conditions brought a few odes out and I saw my first Hairy Dragonfly of the year. Other stars on show included Common Blue, Azure, Variable and Large Red Damselflies. Nothing too exciting amongst the butterflies though my brother saw his first Brimstone of the year. Heat haze ruled out taking many bird pics but some of the ode pics worked out OK. 

Azure, Large Red and Common Blue Damselflies.

Norfolk Notes

 My wife Sandra and I have just returned from a four night break in Hunstanton, Norfolk where we enjoyed a dry if not often sunny break. While it was not a wildlife watching trip I did have a few early morning walks along to Heacham as well as a trip to Titchwell so was able to find a few bits and bobs during my stay. 

Oystercatchers, Bar-tailed Godwit, Stonechat and Lesser Whitethroat

My Heacham walks took me along the promenade from where I saw a small selection of waders. Commonest were Oystercatchers with hundreds of birds still present, I'm guessing many are migrants waiting for a chance to head north. Good numbers of Bar-tailed Godwits were on view too with small numbers of Sanderling and Turnstone as well as a flock of about twenty Black-tailed Godwits. My return walk took me inland where a selection of warblers were noted which included plenty of Sedge Warblers and some Lesser Whitethroats. Highlights for me were two pairs of Grey partridge and a singing Stonechat. Mammals noted on these walks included two Common Seals and Brown hares along with a few Muntjacs.

Common Seal, Black-tailed Godwit, Brent Geese and Marsh Harrier.

Titchwell was not as interesting as it often is and it was a bit of a struggle to find much of note. An overflying Spoonbill was perhaps the highlight though I had seen two over Wells harbour on the day before. Great views of a Grasshopper Warbler allowed me to take some good pictures of this often elusive species for the first time, a pair of Mediterranean Gulls sadly did not. Few waders were on site but I did see a Ruff and two Grey Plovers. Little else was noted but I did enjoy watching the reserve's Marsh Harriers going about their business.

Grasshopper Warbler, Whitethroat and Blackcap

Willowbrook Wheatears

 I'd just got back from a short break in Norfolk when a text from Alan Shorrock alerted me to the presence of some Wheatears at Willowbrook Industrial Estate. Luckily I was able to blag a lift and so was able to get there while Shozzer was still on site. Armed with his up to date information I headed to the spot where he had last seen them and began to scan. Fortune favoured me as I found about half a dozen of them feeding on the short grass. Occasionally one or another would hop up on to a perch giving me an opportunity to take some pictures. Although the birds were flushed at one point by a dog they returned to the same area where I left them to continue feeding.

Wheatears

The sun was by now beginning to break through which prompted me to take a walk along to Weldon. There was nothing much to report from the A43 pond where the return of the Mute Swan pair looks to have persuaded the Canada Geese to move on. A walk along the stream was livened up by a sighting of two Large Red Damselflies though I couldn't find any of the hoped for Banded Demoiselles. Nearby at the Woodland Park a female Variable Damselfly was a welcome addition to my year list and also the first that I've seen in April. Also of interest here was a Grass Snake that slithered off into the undergrowth as soon as it saw me. I wasn't paying as much attention to butterflies as I should but was still able to record Holly Blues, Orange-tips. Green-veined Whites and a Peacock.

Variable and Large Red Damselflies and Holly Blues.

Damsels

 A local day for me today taking in Priors Hall, Weldon, Corby STW and several industrial areas in the town. Weatherwise it was not too dissimilar to yesterday though there was more in the way of sunshine and slightly less in the way of wind. Nothing new to report other than my first House Martins of the year at Priors Hall but it was an interesting day nonetheless. 

Fallow Deer

Checking some of the industrial areas produced records of Ringed Plover and a singing Lesser Whitethroat as well as a large herd of Fallow Deer at Willowbrook Industrial. At Priors Hall I heard Sedge Warbler again in the North Gullet as well as song flighting Meadow Pipit. Other than those House Martins that I mentioned earlier a Great Crested Grebe on the quarry lake was probably the best of the rest. Around the ponds the first Reed Warblers had arrived and I also heard a Water Rail squealing from one of the larger reedbeds. Many Large Red Damselflies were seen with perhaps as many as seventy noted including many tenerals. I failed to find any of the spring skippers or Green Hairstreaks but there were plenty of butterflies. My highlight was a couple of Holly Blues as this species is rare at Priors, others were found in Weldon and near the STW.

Large Red Damselflies

Along the stream at Weldon a further seven or eight Large Red Damselflies were seen, I'd hoped to add another damsel species or two to my year list but will clearly have to wait a little bit longer. Best birds were a couple of Grey Wagtails, I'm hoping that they breed again this year. Near the STW I enjoyed watching a very territorial Comma defending its patch against all comers but that was the last thing of note. I'm off to Norfolk for the next week and although it's not a wildlife break I'm hoping to see the odd thing of interest.

Some of today's butterflies.

Warbler Trio

 Alan Shorrock and I paid a morning visit to Stanwick Lakes today beginning our session at the A45 pit. With mostly grey skies and a cool north easterly breeze conditions were certainly less pleasant than they have been of late but at least it stayed dry.

Distant Cattle Egrets and Great White Egret

First bird to catch our attention was a singing Reed Warbler, my first of the year, which could just about be heard over the constant screeching of the Black-headed Gulls. Several other Reed Warblers were heard around the site and it's beginning to look as if most of our migrant warblers have now arrived. Alan spotted a Great White Egret in flight over the lake and either this or another was seen a little later on. We made our way towards the main lake where a small herd of cows had attracted five Cattle Egrets. They were always distant as was my first Common Sandpiper of the year on the shore opposite  the screen hide. From the nearby Treehouse Hide the long staying Glossy Ibis showed pretty well by its standards and we were treated to some prolonged and sometimes half decent views. Not too much else was seen though a Water Rail was heard calling a few times from the reed bed close to the main lake and a Cuckoo was heard close to the A45 pit.

Glossy Ibis

Our plan after Stanwick was to visit Twywell Hills and Dales and signs of a break in the clouds suggested that it might still be worth a look. Our search for spring butterflies sadly drew a blank and the strong breeze may well have been a factor, I'm hoping that a visit to Priors Hall tomorrow may be more productive. If the butterflies weren't flying at least the warblers were warbling and I added both Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroats to my year list. One thing that I didn't much like about this site which I hadn't visited before was the number of mutts being dragged around by their owners. One couple had nine dogs with them - nine! Poochy paradise it may well be but it's likely to be a long time before I darken it's doors again. A quick pint in Woodford was a good way to finish the day before heading off home.

Well at least it wasn't a dog! Highland cow at Twywell

Enjoying The Sunshine

 The decent spell of weather continues and that was enough to persuade me to take an after work stroll down to Weldon. Given that I was venturing out for the first time this year in a T-shirt I was glad that the easterly wind had dropped a little making for some pleasant conditions for wildlife watching.  There were no surprises on view today though I felt that my time was far from wasted as I saw some pretty good stuff on my travels.

Large Red Damselfly and nest making wasp

At this time of the year I'm always looking out for early damsels or dragons and I'm glad that I struck lucky today. The stretch of stream near the Woodland Parked hosted a single Large Red Damselfly, I have to remind myself that the 20th of April is still an early date for this species. There were no other odes on view today though I'm hoping that if the weather continues more will emerge soon.

Butterfly selection.

Butterflies seemed to enjoy the weather too today and the highlight for me were the four Holly Blues seen at two distinct locations in the village. When I think that I only saw three in all of last year it's great to know that these pretty little insects are bouncing back. Other species on the wing were Green-veined White, Orange-tip, Comma and Peacock. Few birds of note other than a Grey Wagtail though I was pleased to get good views of a Blackcap.

Blackcap

Waders

 A return to the county today in the company of Alan Shorrock with a visit to Summer Leys on the agenda. We began at Hardwater Lake before moving on to the reserve where we enjoyed a steady if none too exciting session. While it was sunny for the most part a cool breeze served to remind us that it is still only mid April and that it's not quite time to ditch the jumper just yet.

Bar-tailed Godwits.

At hardwater Lake I began by adding Common Tern to my year list, there must have been quite an arrival recently as there were quite a few in the area. Less numerous but rather more interesting were a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits which divided their time between the margins of the lake and the grassy field which surrounds it. Although they were often fairly distant we did get decent views of them before we moved on to the reserve.

Distant Greenshank, closer Oystercatcher.

Our first impressions of the reserve were far from positive as we struggled to find much of interest. It was only when we got to Paul Britten Hide that things picked up and it was down to the discovery of a few waders on the far shore of the main lake. First up was a male Ruff moulting into summer plumage, a second bird which I judged to be a reeve was seen a little later on. A Greenshank was then found and it seemed to spend as much time snoozing as it did feeding. Four Snipe then appeared though they didn't seem to hang around too long before moving on. There were not many other highlights to report other than several Sedge Warblers and a Whitethroat while butterflies were represented by Brimstones, Orange-tip, Small and Green-veined Whites and Peacock.

Sedge Warbler.