Royal Flush

 The Queen of Spain is I'm sure a wonderful woman much loved by her people and the nation at large. The fritillary that bears her name is fairly popular too whenever it makes one of its rare forays across the Channel. When news emerged that up to nine had been seen at Walmer in Kent it was enough to tempt Phil Rogers, Alan Shorrock and I down there in the hope of catching up with them.

Sickly looking Wood Mouse

An overly optimistic weather report suggested a mix of sunshine and showers would greet us on arrival and I for one was feeling fairly confident of bagging my first UK sightings of Queen of Spain Fritillaries. Sadly the actual weather turned out to be more a mix of cool northerly winds and sustained rain showers with only brief views of a pallid sun. An initial walk around their preferred field was brought to an end by a heavy shower causing a return to the car. A pub lunch and a pint then followed and fortified us enough to have another try but the weather once more conspired against us and the other people hoping to catch a glimpse. Our chances of seeing them effectively went down the pan when a distant patch of blue sky that briefly raised hopes remained as such and we eventually had to concede defeat. Even a late burst of sunshine was not sufficiently warm enough to draw any butterflies out bringing to a close one of my worst days out for a long time, good job the company was OK! No other wildlife of note to report other than a sickly looking mouse while the best thing on the wing was a two seat Spitfire.

Spitfire

Changes

 Grey skies, fittingly perhaps, likely matched the sombre mood of many in the country this morning on what is likely to have been an emotional day for some. My travels this morning took me no further than the area near the STW from where the ringing of church bells from both Corby and Stanion could be heard. Though my sightings were far from exciting they included elements from the passing summer and also of the winter to come.

Grey Wagtail and Blackcap

A Grey Wagtail was seen at the stream and it or others were heard on several other occasions. Both Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were heard and seen as they fattened up on the rich harvest of berries. While at the ponds a female Teal made a brief stop before she caught wind of my presence and headed off again. Teal are regular winter visitors in small numbers to this site but I wasn't expecting to see one quite so early in the autumn. The alarm calls of Long-tailed Tits alerted me to a male Sparrowhawk which sped past following the stream, another bird was seen later. Croaking calls announced the arrival of a Raven which passed overhead, these large crows are becoming vocal again which makes picking them out much easier!

Raven and Great Spotted Pylonpecker

With the weather remaining dull it looked distinctly unpromising for insects so I was surprised to see a few hardy souls on the wing. Pick of the bunch was a pristine Painted Lady which paused long enough on its travels to let me admire it. A Small White was also flitting about for a brief period before it settled down. Finally a single Migrant Hawker was seen hunting near the stream, of all the dragonflies hawkers are perhaps the most tolerant of cloudy conditions.

Painted Lady and Small White.

A Right Royal Raven Ruckus

Ever the glutton for punishment I headed back to Willowbrook Industrial Estate for another wander. You may recall that last week's visit was far from interesting and it was with some trepidation that I began my look around. Weatherwise it wasn't too bad, hazy sunshine to begin which gave way to cloudier spells as the morning progressed. Although the strong north westerly breeze persisted it was quite warm in sheltered spots and a few insects were tempted out during the occasional sunny spell.

Ravens

A female Stonechat was seen near the pond and was a welcome sighting after last week's poor show. While walking towards the grandstand at the old Rockingham Speedway I disturbed a small herd of Fallow Deer which bounded off through the tall thistles. Several Siskins, my first of the autumn, flew southwards and small numbers of Meadow Pipits and Starlings also appeared to be on the move. As I neared the boundary fence the quiet was disturbed by the arrival of some Ravens. A cacophony of croaking, cawing and sundry other noises ensued as the pair looked to drive a presumed interloper into their territory away. Acting in unison they swooped and dove before circling around and repeating the attack. I managed to locate the intruder perched on the grandstand and it appeared to be calling in defiance at the pair. Fascinated I watched the battle for what seemed like ages before the pair drove off their foe, I have never seen such sustained Raven activity before and thoroughly enjoyed the show. Although the pair headed off towards Deene they returned on several occasions as if to proclaim their victory, perching on the newly won grandstand and croaking loudly.

Stonechat and Whinchat

Soon after peace had returned following the Ravens' battle I found the Stonechat again and she had two males for company. Unfortunately they were too far for me to stand any chance of getting good pics and they seemed quite flighty too. I continued to walk the area hoping to catch up with the chats again and enjoyed a flypast Grey Wagtail. Eventually I did refind the Stonechats and discovered that they had a Whinchat for company. I could only get one fairly awful shot before it disappeared along with the Stonechats but was pretty glad to get that. I left the chats to feed unmolested and headed towards Weldon. Other wildlife seen on my walk included Speckled Woods, a Small White, Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers.

Speckled Wood and Common Darter

I had time to check the A43 pond out as I passed by but it was very quiet, most of the ducks have moved on and a small flock of Canada Geese did little to stir any enthusiasm. Nearby a check of some Ivy flowers produced sightings of three Red Admirals and a veritable swarm of Ivy Bees.

Canada Goose

Dipping

This morning Alan Shorrock and I set out hoping to see the immature Red-backed Shrike that has been showing from Snipe Hide at Rutland Water for much of the past week. The weather was pretty good, sunny skies with a cool northerly wind underpinning things which meant I had to wear a jacket for the first time in what seems like yonks. We took a detour on the way to incorporate a stop at Eyebrook and while things didn't quite turn out as we had hoped it was still an interesting enough day.

Buzzard and Red Kite

Our first couple of stops at Eyebrook were near the island, stop number one was pretty dull but at the second we saw a Great White Egret, a pair of Stonechats, at least five Ringed Plovers and three Dunlin. Next up was a halt near the fence on the Leicestershire side from where we could get a good look at the sharp end. Several Black-tailed Godwits and two Ruff were noted and we watched a Buzzard feeding on the carcass of a goose. The Buzzard despite interference from both Carrion Crows and Red Kites remained steadfast and continued its feast, I assume it had to waddle off the corpse when it eventually ate its fill! A familiar though unexpected call alerted us to a small flock of nine Pink-footed Geese which circled several times before heading off in a north easterly direction. Two more Great White Egrets graced the general area though they were overshadowed by an immature Peregrine that made a brief pass before it moved on.

Tringa record shots

From the visitor centre at Rutland Water I saw two Greenshanks but also learned that there had been no reports of the shrike. Despite the negative news Shozzer and I set off towards Snipe Hide from where the bird had been showing. On the way we noted Common Darters, a few Speckled Woods and Brown and Migrant Hawkers but the most interesting insect was a male Willow Emerald. Snipe Hide sadly proved to be distinctly shrike free but it was not without its attractions as raptors helped to fill the void left by its presumed departure. Highlights were a Marsh Harrier and an Osprey while Alan and another observer saw a Hobby too when I popped out to look at darters. Giving up on the shrike we started walking back to the centre after first noting a Green Sandpiper from the 360 Hide. A stop at Mallard Hide added two distant Spotted Redshanks and a further two Green Sands to our list before we departed.

Willow Emerald.

Ruff Stuff

 If you cast your mind all the way back to last Friday you may recall that I posted a picture of a ringed Ruff. After a spot of playing around with the image my wife Sandra and I managed to read the letters on the green tag adorning the bird's right leg. Having established that the letters were NPP I then had to trawl the net trying to find out where the bird may have been ringed. Luckily for me I saw images of a similarly ringed individual from nearby Stanford Reservoir and another which was slightly further afield on the Orkneys. Both birds were from a ringing project in Norway which allowed me the chance to narrow my search by quite a margin.

Ruff NPP

My search eventually came up with an email address and the information was passed on. The response was commendably fast and I'll include the details provided in it here:

 The bird, a juvenile female, was ringed at Blindheimsvikane in Norway by ringers Bernt Fredrick          Blindheim and Eric Andreas Blindheim on the 21/8/22. Shozzer, Special K and I found it at Eyebrook on the 9/9/22 meaning that it had travelled 1155km SSW in 19 days. I wonder how much further it will travel to its wintering grounds?

This really does show the merit of photography, had I not taken pics I wouldn't have known the bird was ringed let alone where it had come from. Even poor quality photos can serve a purpose beyond illustrating the feeble scribblings of this blog!

Duff Start, Better Later

 A dull start today both in terms of the weather and also the wildlife spotting which began with an entirely fitting Grey Wagtail in the village as I waited for my bus. My journey was brief as I got off at Weldon making the A43 pond my first stop. Nothing new to report with at least three of the young Tufted Ducks still present and drake Gadwalls and Mallards begin to emerge from eclipse. Once I'd finished here I set off for Willowbrook Industrial Estate in my continuing search for migrants.

Robin

Stonechat

Willowbrook was pretty dire with the only sign of migration being a flock of high-flying Meadow Pipits heading south. Very little else to report I'm afraid with just a couple of Fallow Deer to raise interest levels albeit only slightly! The morning's mist had all but gone by the time I set off for Priors Hall in the hope that my day might improve. What was presumably last week's male Stonechat was still present and he could be settling in to winter in the North Gullet. Not much else on view here though the weather at least was continuing to improve as the sun began to break through.

Spotted Flycatchers

The South Gullet provided some interesting sightings of which two Spotted Flycatchers were the most welcome. Nowadays this once regular breeder has been reduced to the status of passage migrant and it's not easy to catch up with them. I was able to watch them for quite a time as they sortied out from their favoured tree in search of prey. Some of that prey may well have included damsel and dragonflies as the lengthening periods of sunshine was bringing more out. My first Willow Emerald in this part of Priors was a decent find and other odes included Common and Ruddy Darters and Migrant Hawker. My most interesting insect sighting however was a first ever Water Stick-insect which had left its aquatic home behind to wander about in vegetation next to a drying pond. These impressive bugs can apparently attain a length of seven centimetres though I think mine was shorter than this. Buoyed by my improving fortunes I eschewed my usual pint in the George to check some of the Weldon sites for odes.

Water Stick-insect

Two Banded Demoiselles were seen along the stream, I don't think I'll be getting any October specimens this year. Another lingering damsel, a Small Red-eyed Damselfly, was seen at the Woodland Park. Plenty of Willow Emeralds were active around the pond and I also saw several Brown Hawkers. Not many butterflies are on the wing at the moment though I did see a Red Admiral on some Ivy in the Pocket Park. Plenty of noisy Ivy Bees were also buzzing around though many of the flowers have yet to bloom. With time pressing on I left the bees to their business and headed to the bus stop for my return trip back to the village.

Willow Emerald and Red Admiral.

Getting About

 It was a game of two halves today  as I split my activities between Corby and Suffolk. My first excursion was a solo effort to the area near the town's STW where my search for migrant birds drew a blank. The second part was more successful as my brother, Alan and I saw at least eight Stone Curlews at a site in Suffolk. While the morning's weather was a bit iffy the afternoon's was somewhat better as the predominantly grey skies gave way to sunnier spells.

Grey Wagtail and Willow Eneralfd.

With no migrants on view near the STW it was left to Grey Wagtails to provide the familiar but still welcome birding highlight as I saw several along the stream. The weather for the most part was far from insect friendly though a Small White butterfly did show itself. During one of the sunnier periods I found a male Willow Emerald which posed nicely for pics. A scan of twigs around one of the ponds resulted in me taking a few record shots of a female Willow.

Stone Curlew and Rabbit

After a spot of lunch I teamed up with my brother David for a trip to Suffolk in the company of Shozzer. Our main goal was to see some of the Stone Curlews that gather here before migrating south. We were lucky in the end as a total of eight of these unusual waders were noted. The birds were always distant and the pics were accordingly dodgy but it was good to see them nonetheless. Little else was seen other than several family parties of Stonechats which were noted around the heath.

Small White

Chatting

 After yesterday's sad news it was good to spend my day off indulging in a spot of birding. I began at Willowbrook Industrial Estate in the company of Alan Shorrock hoping to catch up with the Whinchat that he had glimpsed here yesterday. Braving the morning mizzle we scanned the area intently hoping for a view but initial results were disappointing. A few Swallows passed through and several Meadow Pipits were noted but it was looking as if a dip might well be on the cards. Things picked up a little when a Green Sandpiper passed over calling as it went and a final scan of the area produced distant views of a Whinchat. Some record shots were obtained before the bird moved further away and we left reasonably content with our results.

Willowbrook Whinchat and ringed Ruff

Next up on the agenda was to pick up a certain Mr Mick Ketley before heading off to Eyebrook. Shozzer, Special K and I began at the bay southwest of the island where three Ruffs and a Greenshank were noted, one of the Ruffs was ringed though sadly it was too distant to get a reading. Further Ruffs were noted before we reached the sharp end and it was here where we did most of our birding. Two Little Stints were the highlight here and though always distant they showed well enough through the scopes. Plenty of Ringed Plovers were observed with perhaps as many as twenty present making them the commonest waders. A Curlew arrived, its call ringing out as it landed for what turned out to be a relatively brief stay and a total of five Black-tailed Godwits were present too. Our wader total was completed with a Common Sandpiper which called as it passed overhead.

Little Stints and Curlew

Before a heavy rain shower brough proceedings to a premature end I managed to find at least three Whinchats flitting around the vegetation around the Eyebrook itself in the company of a Stonechat. Another none wader highlight was a single Great White Egret which caught rather a large fish before it departed down the res being persued by several gulls as it went. The usual Yellow-legged Gull was also on parade while the Egyptian Goose was still associating with the hordes of Grey Lags and Canadas. Not much else to report though once again Eyebrook confirmed its position as one of England's finest birding reservoirs.

Black-tailed Godwit

Snorefest

 This morning's weather was fairly dull, there seemed to be just about an equal chance of it either raining or turning sunny though for the most part it stayed grey. My wildlife walk was for the most part every bit as dull and it was one of those days that I should perhaps have stayed at home.

Young Tufted Ducks

I began at the A43 pond at Weldon where the highlight was a brood of Tufted Ducks, this is my most reliable site for local breeding and after last year's blank it was good to see that they had done the business again this year. Good numbers of both Mallard and Gadwall were present while a Grey Heron hunted in the shallows. Willowbrook Industrial Estate failed to produce much with the only migrants being a flock of about thirty Swallows heading eastwards and a small group of Meadow Pipits feeding. With the weather being far from insect friendly it was no surprise that only a single Small Heath and a Common Darter were noted.

Red Kite

My final stops were at the Northern and Southern Gullets at Priors Hall where a male Stonechat provided the only interesting sighting. This area though much frequented by dog walkers from the neighbouring houses shows quite a lot of promise and will hopefully reward further visits.

Stonechat

Waders Star At Eyebrook

 A rare foray out in the company of Mick Ketley who is finally back on his feet after a long run of ill health. Joining us was a recovering Alan Shorrock who has now ditched the crutches following his hip replacement operation. The two former NHS botherers and I headed for Eyebrook where a growing selection of waders have been noted including a Pectoral Sandpiper.

Little Stint record shot and Ruff.

Shozzer weighed in with the first star of the day when he found a Little Stint on the island. The bird was accompanying a small flock of Ringed Plovers before flying off with a couple of Ruffs. Happily for other observers it returned and was seen on and off for most of the day. From here we made our way to the sharp end where three Great White Egrets were the most obvious birds. Another birder drew our attention to the Pectoral Sandpiper which was feeding with a few Dunlin. We were to see it again a little later on though it was always too distant for even me to consider trying to take photographs! It was nice to see a second North American wader of the autumn at my closest reservoir, lower water levels could make this a bumper year for rare waders. At least five Black-tailed Godwits joined more Ruffs and a quartet of Snipe while singles of both Common and Green Sandpipers were noted. Non wader interest was provided by sightings of an immature Yellow-legged Gull and an eclipse Garganey.

Yellow-legged Gull, Garganey and Willow Emerald

A stop at the bridge gave us a chance to watch Willow Emeralds on their usual tree, Alan of course saw the first ones ever recorded in Leics and Rutland here several years ago. Mick and Alan saw a Grey Wagtail from here which I managed to miss though even I managed to see at least three Yellow Wags on the Rutland side of the res. Quite a few Pintails are present on the res at the moment while a single Egyptian Goose was also seen. Returning to the bunker failed to produce further sightings of the Pec and we headed back to the island. Two Greenshanks were a welcome addition to the list and so too was a Curlew which called as it flew over while two Little Ringed Plovers took our wader total for the day to twelve. I wandered off for a stroll and missed out on further views of the stint but I wasn't too disappointed, I've had far worse days than this recently!

Greenshank and Great White Egret