Off Day

 It was my one day weekend today and I fancied popping along to Eyebrook keen to see if yesterday's Little Stint was still hanging around. A pink suffuse glow in the sky sadly soon gave way to rain clouds and it was pretty damp by the time that I arrived at the reservoir. After a spell sheltering under a tree at Stoke Dry car park the rain eased just enough to tempt me into venturing further afield.

Stonechat

My walk on the Rutland side did not produce any sightings of the stint and it looks as if the bird was a one day wonder, other would be observers failed to see it too. A pair of Stonechats at the sharp end provided some much needed entertainment but overall it was pretty dull. North of the island a single Dunlin was noted and there were a couple of Pintails feeding with the growing Wigeon flock. From the bunker south of the island a fly over Golden Plover added to my meagre wader total and I also had distant views of an adult Yellow legged Gull.  A long billed and small headed gull looked very suggestive of Caspian but at the time I didn't want to commit myself.  Sam's Dyke yielded views of a Snipe and also further though more distant views of the putative Caspian. Eventually I decided that it was a juvenile moulting into first winter Caspian Gull, several dodgy record shots will hopefully support this theory. With the sun now shining and feeling warm my lift arrived to take me home and then on to a dinner at the George in Weldon with my wife. A poor return for my efforts perhaps but hopefully my recent poor run will improve soon.

Caspian Gull, apologies for the poor quality pics!

Almost As Bad As Working

 This morning I was up well before the lark as I walked through the deserted streets of Corby on my way to catch an early bus at the town centre. My destination of choice was Earls Barton from where I intended to walk along the Nene to Summer Leys. The bus trundled through the still dark county countryside stopping only to let high viz clad wage slaves off at various points along the way. It reached the village as day began to break and I set off on my stroll towards the reserve.

Fox and Gadwalls

From the bottom of Mill Lane distant views of a Fox provided an early highlight, it's been a while since my last sighting of one. Mill Lake was quiet while neighbouring Hardwater hosted a Great White Egret and three Snipes. At Summer Leys I began in Rotary Hide from where a selection of the commoner waterbirds were on view. A noisy group of mostly male Gadwalls appeared to be having a prolonged squabble until they flew off and circled the main lake several times. Wigeon appear to have arrived in numbers with fifty plus being present. Pioneer Hide was quiet with just one Great White Egret to report. On my way around the reserve I managed to find the reported Glossy Ibis from a spot just behind Paul Britten Hide and strolled towards the Screen Hide hoping for better views. Initially the ibis played hard to get but eventually I got some half decent pics before some workers arrived in a pick up and scared it and everything else away. Deciding that my day was all but done I opted to return to Earls Barton even though it was barely half ten. An additional two Snipes at Hardwater Lake were the last birds of interest.

GWE and Wigeon

Now if my day had ended with two pints in the Old Swan I'd have been a reasonably happy bunny but Stagecoach managed to find a way to throw a spanner in the works. That the bus arrived ten minutes late was hardly a surprise, this is a regular occurrence and I almost expect it. Less usual was that the journey lasted way longer than the time table promised and I got to Corby almost an hour later than I should have. A long stop in Kettering coupled with an unscheduled bus change certainly did not improve the experience and it may be a while before I risk another longish journey again. I'm working tomorrow but on Sunday I may well make the shorter and much more straight forward journey to Eyebrook, I may not see much but it will be better for my blood pressure!

Glossy Ibis

Merlin Isn't Always Magical

 It's my back shift week which means that I have a bit of time before work and in between chores to potter about in the garden. Sometimes I'll put the Merlin app on in case it picks up something I miss but I have to say that you have to take some of its findings with more than a pinch of salt. Aside from the regular species that hang around the village it has picked up Sedge Warbler (possible), Red-legged Partridge (less likely). Goldeneye (unlikely) and House Finch (what the /@*$!). Merlin can be useful but you just can't take it's findings as cast iron. Away from Merlin's more fanciful flights of fancy my garden has produced a sighting of Hummingbird Hawk-moth and Chiffchaff.

Peregrine and Speckled Wood

This morning I left both the garden and Merlin to one side as I popped into Brookfield before my shift started. On the way I checked the Peregrine site and found a female sitting on one of her favourite perches. I couldn't find any Crossbills in the wood though there were plenty of Siskins scattered around. Marsh Tit was the pick of the other birds, the plantation in general was quieter than usual. Several Fallow Deer were noted but none posed for pictures. Insects were in short supply, a Red Admiral and two Speckled Woods represented the butterflies while five Common Darters, a Migrant Hawker and a Willow Emerald flew the flag for the odes. Not my most exciting wander perhaps but it's always nice to get out and do a bit, it's my lieu day tomorrow and hopefully things will prove to be a little more interesting.

Willow Emerald and Common Darter

Early Autumn Wander

 I was helping an old school friend out yesterday and so couldn't get out to do any nature spotting but today was a different matter. With the weather looking fair I decided to stay local and have a stroll around some nearby sites. My day began with a bus trip as far as Upper Benefield from where I walked home via Deene, Deenethorpe and Weldon.

Golden Plover and Buzzard

On the minor road between Benefield and Deenethorpe there was a large number of mostly adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls resting in the fields. Apart from the lounging larids there were a small number of Golden Plovers moving through, I heard calling birds twice and also saw a small flock of six land in one of the fields. Other likely migrants were Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Chaffinches, the northerly breeze probably helping them on their way. As the day started to warm insects began to appear with Red Admirals in particular showing well.

Red Admiral and Comma

Around Deene more butterflies were on the wing as Commas joined the admirals nectaring on Ivy blossoms. Green-veined Whites, a Small Copper and a Speckled Wood were seen on my way to the churchyard where I also found a Peacock basking on the church walls. Common Darters were active too in the sunshine while closer to the lake there was a Willow Emerald. Best birds at the main lake was a Great White Egret as well as a Grey Wagtail at the weir, a Green Sandpiper was at the inflow. 

Peacock and Willow Emerald

Deenethorpe Airfield played host to a large number of Red Kites attracted to some newly tilled fields A Siskin and a Marsh Tit were also seen closer to Weldon Park Wood but there were no other interesting birds to report. More butterflies were active by now and I added Common Blue, Small Heath and Small White to my list as well as seeing more Speckled Woods. In the end I saw nine species of butterflies which is not a bad total at all for this late in the season. I arrived back in Weldon a little before my return bus was due and was able to squeeze a pint in the George in before the X4 arrived.

Green Sandpiper and Common Blue

Norfolk Weekender

 Yet more county treachery to report I'm afraid as I've just spent the weekend doing a spot of birding in Norfolk with  Alan Shorrock  The winds and sometimes the weather were not perhaps the best for a visit to the east coast but we made the most of it and saw some decent birds. From our base in Heacham we ended up visiting Titchwell on all three days with just a trip to Holme NOA to break the monopoly. This morning we journeyed back quite early and managed to squeeze a quick visit to Eyebrook in before I returned home.

Pectoral Sandpiper, R-n Phalarope and Spoonbill

On Friday our visit to Titchwell produced reasonable views of a Pectoral Sandpiper and a rather more distant one of two juvenile Red-necked Phalaropes. A large flock of almost fifty Spoonbills provided something of a spectacle, decent numbers were present on the coast this weekend. Other good waders noted were three Little Stints and at least one Curlew Sandpiper as well as the usual coastal selection. Wildlife other than birds that attracted our attention included Wall Browns, Willow Emeralds and Chinese Water Deer. On the following day a return visit started well with distant views of an Osprey at Thornham and also similarly poor views of both Redstart and Whinchat. Sea watching was quite productive too, a steady stream of mainly juvenile Gannets were passing and Red-throated Divers showed well too. Alan saw several Arctic Skuas harassing Sandwich Terns in the distance and I saw a Black Tern just offshore. A relatively close in Razorbill was another highlight, I don't often see this species away from the colonies where they breed. 

Ruff, Marsh Harrier and Curlew Sandpipers

On storm Sunday we chose to visit Holme though the area around the observatory was quiet, a couple of Stonechats and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth were the highlights. On the sea things proved to be more lively in the hour before and after high tide. Once again Gannets were the commonest species and there was another Razorbill with a juvenile in close attendance. Several Arctic and one Great Skua were seen, the latter was seen to knock a male Marsh Harrier into the sea but the harrier somehow managed to rescue itself and make good its escape. Also noted on our vigil was a flock of Common Scoter and two Spoonbills flying in from the other side of the Wash. Two Hobbies were watched menacing a large flock of House Martins and we had great views of two Cattle Egrets on our way out. As the weather was by now clearly deteriorating we opted to pop back into Titcjwell and shelter in one of the hides. Three Curlew Sands and a distant Water Rail were the main highlights though both the Pec and one of the phalaropes were seen for the third day running.

Wall Brown, Hummingbird Hawk-moth and Cattle Egret

Today it was back to familiar territory as we diverted to Eyebrook on the way home hoping that something might have been blown in by the strong winds. A Common Sandpiper was seen from the island bunker, at least three more and a Green Sand were present around the res today. The bay to the north of the island hosted a Garganey as well as both a Redshank and a Ruff. I missed a Marsh Harrier that Alan saw but did manage to see both the juvenile Black Tern and the Spotted Redshank that he picked out. We were treated to very good views of the Spotted Red from Stoke Dry car park and this was our last sighting before a pint in the 'spoons brought the weekend to a close.

Spotted Redshank, Garganey, Ruff and Redshank

Eyebrook Delivers Again

 Yet another after work hop just over the border to the now very familiar territory of Eyebrook Reservoir. A text from Phil Rogers had alerted me to the presence of a juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper at the inflow and a quick call to Shozzer meant that we were soon on our way to seeing the latest of what has been a string of goodies here.

Juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper

The bird was obligingly showing when we arrived and stayed in view for the duration of our stay. Sadly it remained rather distant as it fed out on a still growing expanse of mud in the company of two Ruff and my pictures are correspondingly rubbish. We did not linger for too long and spent as much time gassing with other birders as we did watching the bird. I've got a weekend's wildlife watching in Norfolk coming up so it may be a little while yet before I get out in Northants again. Now I wonder what the next Eyebrook goody is going to be.....

Relaxing

 It's been quite a hectic few days chasing rare waders around Leics and Rutland so it was nice to spend an uneventful afternoon noodling around Priors Hall. Much of my morning was spent doing chores or shopping and it was pretty late before I was able to catch my bus down to Weldon. Though sunny when I set out the cloud cover increased and at one point I had to seek shelter from a sharp shower of rain. 

Common Blue and Small Heath

On my outward walk the Quarry lake was quiet with just a few Tufted Ducks and Dabchicks on view, a flock of Meadow Pipits on the southern edge were possibly migrants rather than locally bred birds. A stiff breeze made insect watching fairly difficult and I only saw a couple of Common Darters in the quarry. In more sheltered spots I began to see butterflies with Common Blues and Small Heaths making up most of the sightings. Always welcome was a Small Copper, the first of two, which posed obligingly for photos. Other species seen on my wander were Speckled Wood, Green-veined White, Comma and a knackered looking Brown Argus

Small Copper and Brown Argus

Commonest ode on view was Migrant Hawker though Common Darters ran them close. At least one Brown Hawker and two or three Ruddy Darters also made their way on to the list, the only damsels were two Willow Emeralds. A Siskin called as it flew overhead and two Ravens made a close pass during the rain shower. Another interesting bird was a Marsh Tit, happily Priors Hall continues to support a population of this declining species. Whilst wandering around the ponds I had the briefest glimpse of two birds flying past which teasingly looked like Glossy Ibis but there was no way I could be sure. They looked as if they were heading towards the Quarry Lake but another check here only produced a sighting of an adult Yellow-legged Gull. A large flock of Swallows feeding in the area were probably migrants held up by the continuing southish winds. Sunday dinner at the George in Weldon with my family was reason enough to bring things to a close.

Migrant Hawker, Common Darter and Willow Emerald

Shag Doubt

 I was out with Shozzer again today and we began at Wakerley Wood where the aim was to see some Crossbills. Our walk produced at least two birds calling as they flew over the path to the west of the car park. Perhaps the same two passed over again as they headed back in the direction from which the originals came. Both Siskins and Redpolls were also recorded on our walk as well as several Marsh Tits and a hooting Tawny Owl. In the pale sunshine a female Common Darter and a Red Admiral were seen before we left.

Common Darter and Red Admiral

Next on the agenda was Blatherwyke Lake which was pretty quiet, a Great White Egret and two Mandarins were the pick of a modest bunch. Having finished here we opted to head into King's Cliffe for a half time pint in the ever reliable Cross Keys. Once the interlude was over we decided to head over to Rutland Water's dam where two juvenile Shags had been reported at the southern end.

GWE, Turnstone and Goosander

Rutland was predictably busy with people enjoying the early autumn sunshine but there were still birds to be found. Plenty of Cormorants were present in the area but I couldn't claim with absolute certainty that we saw either of the Shags. A bird on the dam was the most promising candidate but closer investigation revealed it to be a Cormorant. Our trip despite the lack of Shags was far from a waste of time however as we found some decent birds Three Ruff and a Dunlin were on the southern shore close to the dam though they were disturbed quite frequently by walkers. On the dam itself a female Goosander was associating with the Mallards but the best bird was a Turnstone. Eventually we got some pretty close views of it as we walked along the dam, it's always nice to see this species inland. Having strolled half way along the dam already we decided it would be rude not to complete the walk and see the Grey Phalarope which is still at the northern end. Great views were once again to be had and we also saw an adult Yellow-legged Gull before heading back to the car. It had been a tiring day but the results had justified the effort.

Grey Phalarope