A Bird In The Hand

 For once I was just about able to resist the powerful siren song of Eyebrook and opted to visit Brookfield Plantation instead. My trip was inspired in no small way by yesterday's flyby Crossbill as I believe the plantation seems to be ideal for them with its mixture of ponds and conifer stands. Before I set off I recorded Grey Wagtail and a singing Chiffchaff from my garden in Corby's Old Village which continues to enjoy a productive late summer.

Peregrine and Common Blue

On my way to the plantation I diverted to pay a call on the local Peregrines, my efforts were rewarded by a sighting of one. Some fine morning sunshine suggested that I might encounter some insects in any spots sheltered from what was a strong westerly breeze and in the open area just inside the entrance I found a Common Darter and also a Common Blue butterfly, the first of many Speckled Woods were also flitting about. I didn't detect any Crossbills on my way through the wood, a Marsh Tit provided the only birdy highlight. As I neared the edge of the wood on the Gretton side of the plantation I could hear volleys of shots ringing out, in the large field between the wood and the Gretton road a group of men were discharging shotguns into the air. It didn't look as if they were attempting to kill anything at that particular time and they seemed to be training a gun dog. Either way I didn't hang around with all that disturbance going on and walked across the public footpath as quickly as possible.

Common and Ruddy Darters

After a brief stroll along the Gretton road I took the footpath that leads to a spot which overlooks the Welland Valley. A Green-veined White was noted before I found a Lesser Whitethroat sitting in grass next to the path. It didn't appear to be injured though it made no attempt to move as I approached and I took the chance to get a few pics of this attractively understated species. Fearing that it might come to harm I opted to pick it up and put it into a nearby hedgerow where it hopped down to the ground. Moving on and I saw Southern Hawker and also a Comma before reaching the escarpment overlooking the valley. The breeze here was pretty strong and I did not loiter for too long before deciding to return back the way I'd come.

Lesser Whitethroat and Southern Hawker.

In the north eastern most part of the wood close to the footpath I heard several Crossbills calling distantly from some larches but this part of the wood is private so I couldn't investigate further. Mercifully the gun toting squad had moved on by the time I got back to the field and I was able to take my time walking along the fence on the perimeter of the flooded quarry. At least two Small Heaths  were seen though their flights were brief in the strong breeze.. Also showing along the fence was a Ruddy Darter and three Willow Emeralds. I reached the fringes of the plantation and stopped to listen for  more Crossbills, none were heard but I did pick out a Spotted Flycatcher making sallies from its perch on a barbed wire fence.

G-v White, Comma and Small Heath

Back in the wood and the sunshine had been replaced by some unpromising looking clouds but despite the gloom both Migrant and Southern Hawker were hunting along the rides. As I neared the central crossroads I heard distant Crossbills again but Brookfield is largely private and the keepers here have a knack for finding me if I accidently stray off the public footpath. Light rain was beginning to fall by now and my camera had to go in the bag which meant that I had no chance of getting a picture of a Crossbill present in larches close to the ride. My day's schedule still had shopping and a meal in the Raven with my wife to include so I could not continue my Crossbill search for much longer and had to head for home.

Willow Emerald and Spotted Flycatcher

Surprise, Surprise.

 Some of my birding friends have been suggesting of late that I should rename my blog as Wild Eyebrook given how much time that I've spending there recently.  Today I continued with that trend as Shozzer and I spent quite a lot of the day there. Sunny weather dominated the morning but gradually cloud cover grew as the day progressed and we even endured a few showers of much needed rain once the wildlife watching part of day was over.

Ruffs with Black-tailed Godwit

My day began in Corby Old Village where a fly over Crossbill provided an early highlight as I waited for Alan to arrive. I'd already had one OV moment this week on Thursday when I recorded a garden first Blackcap which paid the briefest of visits before moving into a neighbour's garden. Our Eyebrook day began at Stoke Dry carpark from where a Ruff showed very well, it was the first of at least eight that we saw today. From here we also saw the juvenile Black Tern that had been reported earlier feeding between the inflow and the island. It showed a few more times before we eventually left but never settled within view and I didn't get any photos. One other highlight from here was a Cattle Egret which presumably was the same as the previous individual which had returned after a spell of several days away.

Southern and Migrant Hawker

On our way to the bridge a Black-tailed Godwit was found feeding in the shallows with a couple of Ruff, it was to be joined by a further four before we left. Also showing from here were at least a couple of Pintail and a Wigeon. At the bridge we chanced upon some ode activity with both Southern and Migrant Hawker being added to an earlier sighting of Common Blue Damselfly. Scanning the vegetation from the bridge produced sightings of at least four Willow Emeralds, three were males and the other a female. Butterflies noted on the wing were Speckled Wood and Small White but there was little else to report. We had a brief stop at the inflow bunker from where we enjoyed half decent view of the Cattle Egret and more distant ones of the juvenile Peregrine.

Willow Emeralds

Once we had had our fill of the inflow we moved down towards the island where a Redshank was seen on the northern side. A short distance from there we stopped at the viewing bunker from where we saw two Common Sandpipers and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. There was a growing assemblage of large gulls gathering here and I'm reasonably sure that a juvenile Caspian Gull was amongst them though I can't be 100 percent on that, a fly by Osprey spooked them all at one point. Final stop on our way to the 'spoons was at Sam's Dyke where Al picked out the regular female Red Crested Pochard and I found a quintet of Common Sandpipers and a similar number of Little Ringed Plovers.

Cattle Egret and Common Sandpiper

Eyebrook Return

 My one day off and rather unimaginatively I spent the morning at Eyebrook in the company of regular birding pal Alan Shorrock. It was again a rather cloudy affair with just the occasional spell to brighten things up. From a birding point of view it was decidedly quieter than it has been of late but we still managed to find a few things of interest.

Red Crested Pochard and Ruffs

Beginning at Sam's Dyke we found the regular female Red Crested Pochard feeding just off the shore. A bit further on and a check of the island produced a sighting of two juvenile Little Ringed Plovers. An unproductive stop at Hollyoaks was followed by another at the inflow. Water levels continue to drop meaning that more and more mud has been exposed and this in turn attracted a few waders. Eleven Ruff were noted though these and every other bird were being flushed on a regular basis by a succession of raptors, the regular juvenile Peregrine being the worst offender. Four Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper represented the only other waders and it was a juvenile Little Gull that provided the highlight. This highly mobile individual was feeding mid res for the most part and did not settle, it appeared to move on before noon.

Willow Emerald and Speckled Wood

From the bridge we heard a Kingfisher's shrill call as it flew past but didn't get a view. More obliging was a female Willow Emerald which showed very well from the bridge, a Migrant Hawker also being present.  Butterflies were represented once again by some pristine looking Speckled Woods and we also saw Small and Large Whites. My time was limited as I had a family barbecue to attend but before we left Shozzer picked out an Osprey flying low over the water.

Ruff Patch

 It's my back shift week and that means that I have to work on Saturday as well, the compensation for this unpleasantness is that I had my lieu day today. Not for the first time this month I opted to visit Eyebrook and I did so in the company of Alan Shorrock. There was a little more sun than there has been for most of this week so far though a fairly stiff north easterly breeze kept the temperatures down.

Speckled Wood

Sam's Dyke and the island were pretty quiet and it was only an Osprey that provided any interest until we reached the inflow. Here things perked up a bit and there were a few waders to look at as they fed in the muddy margins. Other than Lapwings it was Ruff that was the commonest with a total of fifteen having been reported this morning, I didn't quite manage to see them all as my peak count was fourteen. There was also a quartet of Ringed Plovers and at least one Dunlin. Neither Shozzer nor I were enjoying staring into the breeze and we decided to move round to the Rutland side and stand with the wind to our back.

Greenshank and Curlew

A stop at the bridge produced sightings of freshly emerged Speckled Woods but few other insects. Two Snipe and another Dunlin were added to our day's total at the inflow but initially it looked as if that was going to be it until a familiar call announced the arrival of a Greenshank. We watched it for a while but were soon to be distracted by the sound of Curlew calling, two dropped in on to the mud at the sharp end. They didn't hang around for long and after a preen and a bit of a probe departed northwards. Plenty of gulls arrived during our stay but there was nothing that interesting amongst them and we moved on to near the car park below Stoke Dry.

Snipe and Osprey

From here we were treated to distant views of three Ospreys and rather better views of a juvenile Peregrine which sent most of the birds hurtling skywards in panicked flight. Once things at settled down a bit I continued to scan the shoreline and was delighted to find a Sanderling associating with several Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin. It showed well if rather distantly and I grabbed a few record shots of fthis infrequent visitor. The Sanderling attracted a few admirers and we chatted to Phil, Cheryl and Ken for a bit before heading back to Corby.

Sanderling, Dunlin and Ringed Plover.

Black Tern

 Eyebrook was once again my destination of choice when I made yet another visit this morning. Having blagged a lift I followed last Sunday's routine by beginning at the bridge before walking along the Leicestershire side of the reservoir. Today I was not alone as the Uppingham Rotary Club were staging a walk around the res and there were plenty of hikers braving the hot conditions to take part. In contrast to yesterday there was plenty of sunshine and heat haze made photography very difficult indeed.

Willow Emerald and Migrant Hawker

At the bridge a Kingfisher called as it sped past on its way along the Eye brook. I spent some time looking for odes and was pleased to find a female Willow Emerald in addition to a Common Darter, several Migrants and one Southern Hawker. A few Small Whites were flitting around and I also saw a Comma and a Gatekeeper. After a while I made my way towards the sharp end where the water level continues to drop. Not for the first time a Wood Sandpiper was the pick of the waders and there was also a Greenshank, nine Black-tailed Godwits, two Ruff and four Ringed Plovers. The now seemingly regular juvenile Cattle Egret was also noted associating with the cattle though it was quite distant. I couldn't locate the Black Tern found by Eyebrook regular Andrzej earlier this morning but hung around hoping that something might drop in. The gathered birds were flushed first by a couple of people walking along the waterside and then by a juvenile Peregrine. Deciding that a change of scenery might be just the thing I moved on and walked down towards the island.

Comma and Cattle Egret

From the gate just below Hollyoaks Lane I managed to find the juvenile Black Tern feeding between here and the car park at Stoke Dry. It flew around for several minutes before heading off up towards the inflow. Following in its tracks I saw it land on a branch close to one of the tern rafts, I tried to take a couple of record shots but the results were lamentable. A Common Tern forced the Black to take flight but I watched it feeding for several more minutes before deciding to move on. From now on my walk became fairly uneventful though I added Speckled Wood and Common Blue Damselfly to my list as well as seeing an additional two Ruffs and another godwit near Sam's Dyke. My lift arrived to collect me and my day of wildlife spotting was brought to a close.

Greenshank and Spitfire

Deja Vu

 Yet another trip to Eyebrook today in the company of Alan Shorrock, at this time of the year it's always worth a look. The early morning cloud sadly did not burn off as the weather forecast suggested it might and  our plans to go looking for Shozzer's Southern Migrant Hawker at Priors Hall had to be shelved. We spent most of our time on the Leicestershire side of the res and enjoyed a reasonably productive day.

Red Crested Pochard and Cattle Egret

After a brief stop at Sam's Dyke we moved on to the island where a female Red Crested Pochard was having a snooze. Two distant Ruff were also noted on the shoreline near the dam and the regular Yellow-legged Gull was also noted. At the inflow there was plenty to look at including the juvenile Cattle Egret which was out on the mud and feeding amongst the cattle. Waders were well represented with a Wood Sandpiper being the highlight, I don't know if this is the bird I've seen on other visits or a new one. Fifteen Black-tailed Godwits represented my highest ever total on site and they were backed up by three Ruffs and three Dunlins. As we were watching the inflow a flock of Ringed Plovers arrived, I counted twenty birds but there may well have been more. On several occasions the birds were spooked, once by an Osprey and then by two Hobbies. After a refreshment stop at the 'spoons in Corby we returned to the res but did not manage to add much to our list despite having the added expertise of Phil and Ken to help us out.

Waders

Lightning Strikes Twice

 My Spotted Flycatcher is still in the neighbouring gardens and calling occasionally, I was hoping to spend some time looking for it after work but Alan Shorrock put a stop to those plans. For the second year running he has managed to find a Southern Migrant Hawker at Priors Hall and he was good enough to come back to Corby and take me there so that I could see it too.

Southern Migrant Hawker

It's not at the pond in the Southern Gullet where last year's ones were, that pond is totally dry and almost devoid of odes. This year's star is present on a pond just off the newish road which serves the northern part of the latest stage of development. I didn't get there until after six this evening and was worried that the dragon may have already hung up to roost somewhere. Such negative thoughts were happily misplaced as the SMH showed well as it patrolled its territory and was also obliging enough to perch on occasions. We didn't stay for long but will most likely pay another call in the near future. This evening news came through from Eyebrook that a moulting White-winged Black Tern is present, I'm probably not the only person hoping that it hangs around until tomorrow evening!

Surprise Visitor

 I had a very pleasant surprise this evening when a Spotted Flycatcher paid an unexpected visit to my garden. I'd heard it calling while I was watching some dross on the telly and legged it up the stairs to grab my camera. By the time I got back downstairs the bird had moved into trees in neighbouring gardens from where it called on and off for several minutes. I had several flight views but didn't get a picture. In the gloomy evening conditions I don't think there was much insect prey for it to catch and it stayed in cover for most of the time.  To make up for  my piccy grabbing failure here's another picture of last week's Barnwell bird just to add a spot of colour.

Spotted Flycatcher

Another Eyebrook Visit

 Well it seems as if I just can't stay away from Eyebrook Reservoir at the moment and true to recent form I found myself there again today. Having blagged a lift I began what turned out to be a very warm wander at the bridge. Afterwards I walked along the road on the Leicestershire side of the res and was treated to yet another decent day.

Rubbish photo alert! - Cattle Egret and Red Crested Pochard

From near the bridge I found the reported Cattle Egret wandering around the sedges on the Leics side of the brook. There was a group of cows in the same area but the egret showed no interest whatsoever and continued to do its own thing. I managed to get a couple of ropey record shots, distance and heat haze were to bedevil most of photographic attempts today. Reports of a juvenile Little Gull at the island had me marching down there tout suite. Sadly both of the Sandwich Terns had departed this morning and ended up at Rutland Water and I missed out on the chance to complete a hattrick of sightings.

Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwits

Just north of the island I found the female Red Crested Pochard hanging around with some Gadwalls, I don't normally bother with yucky duckies but it had been a while since I've seen RCP here. There was bad news on the gull front as the Little Gull had done a bunk almost as soon as its finder Andy Mackay had discovered it.  Not too bothered I decided to head back up to the inflow and look for some waders. On the way I had decent views of a Greenshank near Hollyoaks  and a trio of Black-tailed Godwits just south of the fence on the Leics bank. Andy had refound the gull but it had headed off back to the island just before I arrived, it seemed as if the gull's and my path were not going to cross today!

Juvenile Little Gull

I took the opportunity to look through the Lapwings finding four Dunlin , a couple of Ruffs and a brace of Ringed Plovers, the extent of the mud here suggests that there will be plenty more waders to look at in the coming weeks. My luck changed at this point when the Little Gull flew back in and landed on the water near to the tern rafts. Good though distant views of this very striking little bird were had and I grabbed a couple of record shots before I moved on. My last sighting of note before my lift arrived was of the regular Yellow-legged Gull at the island.

More Little Gull pics.