Siskins On The Move

 I only had a couple of hours to play with this morning due to other commitments which meant that I stayed rather local. My destination of choice was Brookfield Plantation where I hoped the sunny conditions might bring out a few early butterflies. I did not manage to catch up with any butts and nor did I see any Crossbills either which I'd also hoped to encounter.

Peregrines

It was lucky for me that my local Peregrines showed well otherwise the day would have been something of a bust.  Both birds though distant showed quite well in the bins and I enjoyed decent views of both before the male bird chose to fly off. Although the plantation itself was pretty quiet I did at one point find myself surrounded by a large flock of Siskins with smaller numbers of Redpolls mixed in with them. For ten minutes I enjoyed both the sounds and the sights of the flock before a pair of Sparrowhawks arrived causing the finches to flee. Somewhat later on I encountered more Siskins near the power station where a large flock settled briefly before moving on again. My return walk through Willowbrook Industrial Estate did not add anything else to my list.

Siskins

 A little later on in the afternoon I was pleased to find a large flock of Pied Wagtails in Corby Town Centre. My wife and I having enjoyed a meal found the birds gathering in Corporation Street as we strolled towards the taxi rank, presumably the wagtails were gathering together prior to roosting.

One of many dipterid flies enjoying the sunshine.

Divers Dominate At Rutland

 Alan Shorrock and I enjoyed some cracking sunny weather at Rutland Water today with conditions considerably better than the dross that we endured for most of last week. With just the merest breath of breeze to contend with even a stroll along part of the dam was pretty hospitable - a far cry from the usual windfest. The reservoir was strangely devoid of birds with few ducks on view other than Goldeneyes and we did not manage to see any of the Scaups or the Common Scoter that were reported last weekend.

Great Northern Diver

One species that bucked the trend was Great Northern Diver, at least four birds were present with two near the dam and a further two from Old Hall. While they were often quite distant we did get prolonged views of them and saw at least two different birds tackling large crayfish. One of the birds did eventually come in a bit closer and allowed us to get a few pictures from near Old Hall. As well as the divers we got rather distant views of an Otter which Alan picked out as it swam and hunted mid res. It caught us by surprise as it later climbed out of the water on to a buoy and took a little nap, not something that I've seen before.

Snoozing Otter

There was not a lot else to report with a pair of Oystercatchers and a pair of Egyptian Geese the pick of the other birds. Despite the sunshine we didn't manage to see any butterflies though there were a few bees buzzing around. Other signs of spring included plenty of prunus blossom and also some Lesser Celandines. We finished the day in Oakham where a couple of pints in the Grainstore brewery tap went down very well indeed.

Egyptian Geese

Stonechats To The Fore

 I tried to make up for yesterday's county treachery by staying as local as possible. My journey began in the rain as I waited for the X4 to take me to Weldon and indeed it continued to rain until late morning. Once I'd got off in Weldon I set off along the A427 as far as Deenethorpe Airfield where waterlogged and muddy conditions set the tone for the rest of the day.

A flooded Deene Lake and Egyptian Geese

Three Snipe were inadvertently flushed as I wandered along and a distant Stonechat was also noted. The inflow at Deene Lake was awash and there was no sign of any Green Sandpipers today while Teal numbers were very low. On the main lake there were at least four Shelduck and two Egyptian Geese as well as a trio of Black Swans. High water levels restricted my access here and I could not move as freely as I would have liked but I did manage to see a large flock of fifty plus Siskins.

Lapwings and Linnet

My return walk over the airfield produced views of a flock of Lapwings and plenty of singing Skylarks but little else other than a Brown Hare. I headed off across the fields as I squelched my way towards Harry's Park Wood where I did not find anything of interest. The walk along Bears Lane was a tad more productive as I found a pair of Stonechats half way along the road. Things are beginning to get a little stale now and I'm looking forward to March when I hope bird movements might add something more interesting to the pot. I wonder what the month will bring - Avocets? Kittiwakes? or perhaps a Black Redstart? To be honest I'll be glad to catch up with the first returning migrants, not much beats a fresh male Wheatear!

Stonechats

Eyebrook Excursion

 I popped over the border today in the company of Alan Shorrock where we endured rather dank and grey conditions interspersed with the odd spot of drizzle. Water levels are high at the moment and recent rainfall means its more than likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Duck numbers seem fairly low though there were still a few interesting bits and bobs to be found amongst them.

1st winter drake Scaup

An immature drake Scaup was noted off the plantation, this bird has been present at the reservoir since early January but I hadn't seen it until now. It showed rather distantly and the resulting record shots were rather poor but I managed to get some decent scope views of it. On either side of the island we found five Smew of which three were drakes. These were a little closer than the Scaup and as a result the record shots were a little better. Not much else to report other than nearly a hundred Golden Plovers, eight Dunlins and a Snipe at the sharp end.

Smew and Golden Plovers

Water, Water Everywhere

 I awoke to a beautiful sunny morning and decided to spend my time walking around the Oundle countryside in the hope of catching up with some interesting wildlife. The last traces of mist were lifting as the X4 dropped me off in the town and I made my way towards Barnwell CP. I was surprised by the extent of the floods seen from the south bridge, I knew we'd had lots of rain but was not expecting to see what appeared to be a lake on either side of the road. Highlight from here were a pair of Mandarins which were feeding on the edge of the floodwater.

Mandarins

Barnwell was waterlogged and so too were the fields on the other side of the river where small groups of Wigeon had gathered. From a bird perspective the park was quiet and that may have been due in part to the number of people wandering around. There was a small selection of passerines that included Marsh Tit in their number but generally pickings were slim. I abandoned the park before eleven and made my way towards the floods near Barnwell Lock. 

Passerine selection.

High water levels meant that I couldn't take my usual riverside route and had to head along South and Herne Roads before reaching a point from where I could view the waters. If anything the sheer volume of water meant that birds have dispersed over a vast area and I saw very little for my troubles. At least two hundred Lapwings showed distantly but there really wasn't much else on view. Grey skies and a threat of rain were enough to persuade me to give up and I made my way back into town.

Flood scenes

Green-winged Teal

 Regular birding pal Alan Shorrock and I decided to venture over to Stanwick Lakes this morning in the hope of catching up with the reported Green-winged Teal. We were met by sunny though misty conditions, visibility however improved fairly quickly as said mist did duly lift. Recent rain meant that Stanwick was rather flooded in places and some of the footpaths were closed. Wellies allowed us to make our way around most of the site and we managed to catch up with the teal.

Green-winged Teal

On arrival at the A45 layby we headed along the causeway to the main lake where those floods prevented us from reaching the hides. Cetti's Warblers were very vocal and we heard Oystercatcher too as we made our way towards the roadside pit. Several Snipe were noted on our travels before we bumped into a couple of birders who gave us some up to date gen on the teal.

Goldeneyes

At the roadside pit it did not take too long to find the bird though it was distant and remained so during our stay. Attempts to grab a record shot met with limited success though I think you can at least see what it is! We spent some time watching the bird while it interacted with its commoner cousins. Other birds in the same area included a couple of Oystercatchers and a Great White Egret though we could not find the reported Ruff. Eventually we headed back towards the car, Alan found three Goosanders on the A45 pit which was a nice way of bringing things to a close.

Goosanders and Oystercatcher.

Pub Saves The Day!

 Alan Shorrock and I began the day at Grendon Lakes where an attempt to find the reported Scaup came to nothing. From here we moved on to nearby Summer Leys where things picked up a little bit but not by much! Although the day began with plenty of sunshine things gradually deteriorated and rain began to fall by mid afternoon.

Bullfinch and Siskin

There was a good sized flock of Pochard at the Leys and good numbers of Shoveller too but that was it as far as interesting wildfowl went. A reasonable sized flock of Golden Plover dropped in and there were a couple of Snipe as well though a single Oystercatcher stole the show as it was my first of the year. Passerine interest was limited with a female Siskin at the feeders being the pick of a limited selection. A first bumble bee of the year offered some hope that spring is on the way though I suspect that there's plenty of winter to get through first.

Plovers and Oystercatcher

Realising that the birding was not likely to improve we headed off into Wellingborough for a first look at the Coach and Horses pub. First impressions were pretty favourable and a return is more than likely, it's nice to know that if birding lets you down there's always beer to retrieve the situation!

Shoveller.

Peregrine Saves The Day

 Before I get on with the business  of today I'd just like to take us back to Thursday when a post work bonus got February off to a good start. Having left work I was already feeling fairly positive as I strolled down Longcroft Road on my way home. My route takes me past South Wood and the distinctive call of a Crossbill coming from a clump of pine trees had me peering towards the spot where at least one bird was present. I couldn't confirm how many were there but it was good to catch up with at least one so close to home.

Peregrine

Today I only journeyed as far as Wicksteed Park where, if I'm honest, I didn't see much at all. At least two Cetti's Warblers were singing but they were the only birds of note. Realising that it was going to be "one of those days" I decided to head into town and chance my luck with the local Peregrines. Here I was a bit more fortunate as I found one bird sheltering out of the wind. I stayed long enough to take a few pics but after that I chose to head for home as I had quite a busy schedule ahead of me. Not every day can be as entertaining as I'd like but I'm always glad to see a Peregrine.