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.