Hazy Sunday Morning

 Just a short one today as I restricted myself to a walk around Brookfield Plantation and the surrounding area. There was plenty of sunshine on offer though high level cloud meant that it was often rather hazy. No surprises wildlife wise but it was by no means a complete waste of time.

Peregrine

I began by checking on the local Peregrines and was rewarded for my efforts with decent views of the female. In the plantation a pair of Mandarins were a welcome sighting as they're pretty scarce here. Best of the other birds was a family party of Marsh Tits, Not much in the way of mammals with just a Fallow Deer and Muntjac on view. On my outward journey through the wood I didn't manage to find any insects though that thankfully changed on the return leg of my journey.

Speckled Wood and Large White

The hedge row that borders the flooded quarry near Gretton was quite productive with several Speckled Woods, a Comma and a Red Admiral showing. Ay least eight Willow Emeralds were noted and I also saw Common Darter and Migrant Hawker. Best bird was a Raven which was calling from the trees on the edge of the plantation. Walking back through the wood added Large and Small White to my list while a Small Heath was seen at nearby Willowbrook Industrial Estate. I'm off to Norfolk for a birding break next weekend so hopefully will have something more interesting to report in my next post.

Willow Emerald and Common Darter

A Bit Of A Slog

 Alan Shorrock and I visited a couple of sites in the Welland Valley today and while the weather was good the birding was not great. A few insects were active once the day had warmed up a little but numbers are dwindling now as autumn gathers pace. Overall a little disappointing but days like today have been infrequent this year so I can't grumble too much.

Red Admiral and Common Darter

We began at Titchmarsh NR where a small selection of waders were the highlight, yesterday's Common Scoter having predictably moved on. Three Dunlin, a Redshank, at least two Common Sandpipers and a Green Sandpiper were on view from the North Hide, there was little else to report. A small selection of butterflies included Commas and Red Admirals as well as a single Common Blue. Common Blue damselflies also made it on to today's list as two females were noted along with a single Willow Emerald. Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers made up the rest of the ode list, we didn't see much else before moving on to Summer Leys.

Green Sandpiper and Snipe.

No sign of the Bittern at the scrape where a Green Sandpiper did show reasonably well. It was down to two distant raptors to provide the interest, a Hobby was spotted by the sharp eyed Shozzer while one of a growing band of would be Bittern photographers picked out a Marsh Harrier. Very little else was seen, a Pintail showed from Rotary and a Brown Hawker was seen from Pioneer. We left and headed to the Saxon Tavern where a pint helped to revive flagging spirits.

Great White Egret

After The Rain

 Another visit to Eyebrook today though this one began as a solo mission as I managed to get myself a lift over there this morning. My timing was a little off  however as I was caught in several showers but they were mercifully brief and soon gave way to some sunny spells. I'd hoped the weather might bring a decent bird or two in but sadly that did not happen and things kept a very familiar look to them.

Black Tern and Wood Sandpiper

A Raven made a low pass over Sam's Dyke but there was not much on offer either here or at the island. The inflow was a little more interesting with a smattering of waders on view of which a Wood Sandpiper was the highlight. I did not manage to see the Little Stint that was noted by another observer but did OK with everything else. Presumably the same two Black-tailed Godwits from my previous visit were present again and Ringed Plover numbers remained high. At least one Green Sandpiper called as it flew over and there were two mobile and often vocal Greenshanks. Two Ruff, four Dunlin and a Snipe rounded off the wader list while the juvenile Black Tern remained loyal to its favourite buoy. Other birds of interest included a Stonechat and also a juvenile Peregrine which caused widespread panic when it put in a brief appearance before I left.

Greenshank and Spitfire

Good Friday

 Any day that I can blag off work is cause for celebration but when it's coupled with great weather, good wildlife and a couple of pints then it really is a top drawer occasion. I began my day at Eyebrook in the company of regular wildlife spotting pal Alan Shorrock before moving on to Priors Hall.

Wood Sand, Blackwits and Ruff

Six Pintails near the island were an early highlight at Eyebrook though most of the other good stuff was at the sharp end. Waders continue to feature strongly here and two Wood Sandpipers were a decent sighting. Other waders here included a brace of Black-tailed Godwits, three Dunlin, a Green Sandpiper, a Ruff, two Snipe, at least one Greenshank and twenty plus Ringed Plovers. There were plenty of gulls too but I could only pick out a single adult Yellow-legged in amongst them. Slightly more interesting was a juvenile Black Tern whose favourite perch were some buoys in between the tern rafts. Pick of the passerines were two Whinchats which showed distantly from the Rutland bank. Perhaps one of the best sightings this morning was an Otter which was hunting in amongst the water weed where the brook meets the reservoir, every sighting of Otters is appreciated.

Pintails, Black Tern and Otter

Alan wanted to check Priors Hall out for Southern Migrant Hawkers so we left Eyebrook at about noon and made our way over there. It took a while but we did manage to see at least one SMH which on closer investigation proved to be my third individual here. Plenty of Migrant Hawkers were here too though many were trying to escape the heat by resting amongst the reeds and sedges. Both Common and Ruddy Darters were present in good numbers while damsels were represented by Emerald and Willow Emeralds. few butterflies were seen though Red Admiral and Brown Argus were both noted.

** Update   Since I originally posted this my "Emerald " damselfly has been re-identified as a Scarce Emerald by the county recorder making it potentially only the third county record - I really should take more days off.

SMH, Emerald and Willow Emerald.

              

No Beauty Spot At Eyebrook

 During the week a chap posted a picture of a Beautiful Demoiselle on the Leics/Rutland FB page that had been photographed at Eyebrook Reservoir. It seems as if this is likely to be the first record for the site and that was reason enough to prompt a visit from myself, Phil and Cheryl. Happily the forecast thunder storms did not arrive and we enjoyed a sometimes cloudy and sometimes sunny blend of weather during our sojourn at the res.

Little Stint (right) with Black-tailed Godwit

Before we got down to the business of finding the demoiselle Phil and I stopped at the Sharp End to have a look for any waders that might be about, Cheryl had got out earlier so she could have a stroll around the reservoir. Highlight was the reported Little Stint which made up for my dip here a couple of weeks ago. It was on the opposite shore of the res so my attempted record shots were predictably dire! Other waders were also on the move, three Golden Plovers dropped in while we were there while a Whimbrel flew over the bridge while I was looking for odes. Other waders in the area included a Dunlin, twenty plus Ringed Plovers, a Greenshank, at least two Green Sandpipers and five Black-tailed Godwits. We did not see the Garganey that was noted earlier but you can't win them all.

Speckled Wood and Willow Emerald.

We could not find the Beautiful Demoiselle at the bridge but did manage to catch up with a few other odes. Several Willow Emeralds were on either side of the bridge where a few Banded Demoiselles were also present. Brown, Southern and Migrant Hawkers were hunting in the general area and there were a few Common Darters over the brook itself. Butterflies were few in number but Comma, Speckled Wood and Small White were seen. Aside from the aforementioned Whimbrel the best bird was a Kingfisher which passed by at least twice before we left in search of lunch.

Banded Demoiselle and Southern Hawker

Spoonbills

 Alan Shorrock and I took a trip over to Frampton Marsh this morning where we hoped to catch up with a passage wader or two. There was plenty of sunshine on offer but this was offset to some degree by a stiff easterly breeze. We didn't see anything rare but there was a decent selection of birds on view and we were kept entertained for most of our walk around the reserve.

Spoonbill, Small Tortie and Blackwit

Over forty Spoonbills were noted with many being young birds, it's good to know that this species is currently doing so well in the UK. Plenty of Black-tailed Godwits were also present on the main lake next to the visitor centre where Alan picked out a Water Rail. The walk round to the Reedbed Hide and the 360 Hide was fairly unproductive, a Small Tortoiseshell being the only highlight that springs to mind. We added Greenshank to the day list but not a great deal else. From East hide four Spotted Redshanks were the highlight

Avocet, Spotted Redshanks (with Blackwits) and Greenshank

Having left East Hide we braved the breeze along the sea wall noting decent numbers of Avocets as we walked. More Spotted Redshanks were seen and an additional brace of Greenshanks too. A tip off from another birder put me on to some Curlew Sandpipers and on our way to find them we saw a Whimbrel. The three Curlew Sands showed well and I was able to get a few pictures before we began the return hike back to the car.

Whimbrel and Curlew Sandpipers

On the way we saw more Whimbrels moving through and also a male Marsh Harrier. A small group of birders alerted us to the presence of a Little Stint. It treated us to some good views through the scope before flying off. Last act of the birding day was a sighting of a Cattle Egret from just outside the visitor centre. Somewhat later on whilst sitting in the Vine at Market Deeping and reviewing our photographs Alan realised that he'd photographed yet another male Southern Migrant Hawker at Priors Hall yesterday making a grand total of three so far. 

Dunlins, Little Stint and Cattle Egret

What A Belter!

 Just a relatively short walk today around Brookfield Plantation and some of the neighbouring areas. The weather was good enough to bring some insects out and good views of Raven made up for a lack of Peregrines. Nothing too exciting to report but a nice way of spending my bank holiday morning.

Raven and Common Blue

While walking through Willowbrook Industrial Estate the calls of a Raven  alerted me to one sitting on top of a pylon. It flew off before I could retrieve my camera from my backpack but did the decent thing by returning to land on the same pylon after a short flight. I grabbed a few pictures of it before continuing with my stroll. Brookfield was quiet when I arrived, a hooting Tawny Owl was the first thing of note. A male Common Blue butterfly flitted around but did not land, he seemed intent on his search for a mate. Many of the rides were shaded but in one small sunlit patch a group of eight or nine Speckled Woods were gathered and acted in a far more sociable way than they normally do. Three were perched wing to wing creating an Orion's Belt of butterflies, pretty unusual for what is normally such an aggressive species.

Speckled Woods

My walk took me to the clearing in the middle where many of the rides intersect. This area was bathed in sunshine and both Common and Ruddy Darters were enjoying the warmth. From here I took the path that brought me out of the wood near the flooded quarry on the way to Gretton. The field here harboured several late Meadow Browns and a few Small Heaths as well as another Common Blue. It was still quite breezy and in the shelter provided by the hedge Migrant and Brown Hawkers were hunting while Common Darters basked in the sunshine. A single female Willow Emerald was my only damsel of the day, they may not be the scarcities that they once were but they are still a very attractive species.

Brown Hawker, Willow Emerald and Meadow Brown

By the time I arrived back in the plantation more of the rides were sunny and as a result I saw more insects. Migrant and Southern Hawkers showed well and in good numbers, several perched up to provide photographic opportunities. New butterflies for the day included a Gatekeeper and several Small Whites nectaring on Ragwort. I'd have liked to stay longer but other commitments meant that time was limited and I had to head homewards as noon approached.

Migrant and Southern Hawkers and Gatekeeper.