Second Bite Of The Cherry

 Northamptonshire had to wait a long time before logging its first record of Lesser Scaup and that was an eclipse drake at Stanford Res last month. Sadly this was relatively short staying and had gone before I could get over to see it. Yesterday a drake was found at Rushden Lakes which happily coincided with my lieu day off today, Alan Shorrock and I headed over this morning and joined what seems like quite a few other birders looking for this bird.

Lesser Scaup

It was a fine and bright morning and the scaup was relatively close to the path which allowed the gathered admirers some good views. It was actively feeding for much of the time but we could see most of its salient features except for the wing bar. Roughly Tufted Duck sized it had the peak at the back of the crown while the black "nail" on the bill was small and the vermiculation's on the back were courser and darker than on Greater. Many record shots were taken before we decided to move on, I'm guessing that social media will be awash with pictures later!

After Rushden we headed to Titchmarsh NR though in truth there was not a lot on view to enjoy. One noticeable exception to this was a mature female Marsh Harrier which we saw several times from North Hide, I managed a couple of distant and pretty poor record shots. Both Common Darter and a Red Admiral were seen during sunny spells but I didn't find any other interesting insects. We finished our day at a very busy Dukes in Woodford where a pint of Cleopatra went down very well indeed!

Marsh Harrier and Common Darter

Golden Start, Dull Later

 This Sunday's weather was very similar to last week with a sunny start giving way to clouds and eventually rain. My morning involved a bus to Weldon and then a walk to Deene via Deenethorpe Airfield and village. While the weather may have resembled last Sunday the birding did not and overall it was pretty poor.

Golden Plovers

Chaffinches seemed to be on the move this morning, I heard them passing over my garden as I hung the washing out, a Grey Wagtail also flew past though this was probably a wintering bird. My bus was unusually punctual and I reached Weldon before nine and set off on my stroll along the A427. Just beyond the new academy I came across a large flock of Golden Plovers feeding in one of the roadside fields. A quick count suggested a minimum of 106 birds and also gave me a chance to see if any American Golden Plovers were accompanying them, there weren't! Sadly this was the highpoint of my day birdwise and I struggled to see much of interest during the rest of my wander.

Red Admiral

There were small numbers of Redwings feeding in the hedgerow at the entrance to the airfield and I heard at least one Redpoll above the clatter of a stunting biplane's engine. In the lane between Deenethorpe and the A427 I noted a female Common Darter and a Red Admiral making the most of the morning sunshine. At nearby Deene Lake there were a lot of birds but little of interest, I'd hoped to connect with either Whooper Swans or Pink-footed Geese but failed in both respects. The inflow was empty of birds and increasing cloud cover ruled out any further insect sightings. I reached Weldon just as the rain began to fall, a Siskin was my final sighting of the day. Stagecoach then stepped in to end my day on a disagreeable note as the X4 was twenty five minutes late, thank God for bus shelters!

Good, Could Have Been Better

 Alan and I went looking for Rock Pipits again today, there has been quite a few moving through and we wanted a piece of the pie. Sadly our trip to the dam part of Rutland did not deliver the goods pipitwise but there was some compensation on offer to offset this setback. Though it was sunny for quite a large part of the day a stiff north westerly breeze kept temperatures down and on the dam itself it was more than a little uncomfortable.

Dunlin

Our initial efforts did not produce much other than a female Goosander on the dam which disappeared not too long after discovery. We followed the shoreline along towards Normanton Church but didn't manage to find much of note. Our plan then was to head along to the north arm of the reservoir but we decided to have a look along the dam first. A single adult Dunlin was on the little beach at the southern end of the dam and this long billed individual may have been from one of the northern races. As we checked the area I heard Whooper Swans calling and six birds came into view flying in a south easterly direction, I couldn't  get any pics but Shozzer grabbed a couple before they moved out of sight. Several minutes later we heard but didn't see more Whoopers passing through.

Raven

Plans to move on were thwarted when Alan picked out a Raven sitting on the dam, seeing perched ones is something of a rare treat and we wandered along to get better views. The bird was casting hungry eyes towards a dead fish which a Great Black Backed Gull was munching on, the gull was not in the mood for sharing however. Though the Raven kept trying to steal a morsel the overly possessive larid was not inclined to share until, presumably full or perhaps just bored of fish, it moved on. It didn't take long for the Raven to seize this opportunity though it moved on itself too after just a couple of pecks and was replaced by a Yellow-legged Gull. Happy with the views we decided to head back to the car and make our way to the north arm though once again events conspired to hold us up...

Yellow-legged Gull and Goosander

I had a quick scan through the scope before we left and noticed a brownhead Goosander feeding just off the dam. As I watched a probable Red-breasted Merganser surfaced next to it, Alan had a look and agreed with my I.D. For the second time in short order we marched along the dam and were treated to decent views of this scarce inland visitor. Phil Rogers again put the news out for us and although some people seem to have only seen one of the half dozen or so Goosanders present rather than the Merg I gather it was eventually seen by others a little later in the afternoon. We left soon after though rather than heading to the north arm as originally planned we went to the Cross Keys in King's Cliffe for a pint instead. While enjoying my beer Phil sent news that a pale phase adult Pomarine Skua had flown over lagoon four at Rutland Water, oh well you can't win them all!

Red-breasted Marganser

After the pub we had a look at Blatherwycke Lake which was bathed in glorious evening sunshine. Our efforts came to naught unfortunately with only  half a dozen Mandarins, a Black Swan and Egyptian Geese to report. A huge flock of geese came in but they proved to be Greylags and we decided at this point to call it a day and head back towards Corby.

Alan's Whooper shot and the Merg again.

Double Time

 I couldn't get round to posting an account of yesterday's travels as I was pretty busy with chores and other stuff until the wee small hours of this morning. As to whether  I saw anything interesting enough to write about in the first place I will leave for you to decide, good luck! Yesterday's weather was yet another on the recent conveyor belt of grey and dank days that we have endured of late but it was at least dry. Having blagged a lift to Blatherwycke I then walked along to Deene before carrying on across Deenethorpe Airfield and ending up at Weldon.

Pilatus and Skylark

There's a growing collection of wildfowl on Blatherwycke Lake but most of it was of the more mundane variety, a Black Swan and several Egyptian Geese added a touch of the exotic. Best bird on view was a Kingfisher though the view was typically fleeting. The stroll between here and Deene was unproductive but things did improve a modicum once I got to the lake. I always scan the fast flowing Willowbrook at Deene in case there's a Dipper hanging around, I've yet to score but will continue to check just in case. My Dipper dipping  did not depress me however as I had a brief view of an Otter swimming down the brook. In the churchyard I saw my first Redwings of the autumn, other sightings followed at Deenethorpe village and the neighbouring airfield. At the lake there is a growing collection of birds but, as with Blatherwycke, there was not much of note to report. Interesting sightings here included Raven and Grey Wagtail, the inflow turned out to be rather dull.

American Golden Plover

Deenethorpe village was quiet but the airfield was mercifully a little more interesting. Two Golden Plovers were heard and then seen as they flew overhead and the air was alive with the calls of Skylarks. A Chiffchaff was calling on the edge of Weldon Park Wood, there still seems to be quite a few holding on for the time being at least. A rather large aeroplane then distracted me, Deenethorpe is generally the home of microlights and other small stuff so the sight and sound of a turboprop aircraft landing was quite a change. It's visit was seemingly brief and the plane was gone within ten minutes, later research revealed that it was a Pilatus PC 12.  The rest of my walk was uneventful and an unusually punctual X4 meant that I didn't have time to grab my customary pint in the George before returning home.

Med Gull

This morning I awoke bleary eyed and somewhat the worse for wear, a Judas Priest tribute gig having kept me up far longer than is good for a fellow of my advancing years. My original plan had been to accompany Shozzer to Rutland Water for another attempt to find Rock Pipits but not for the first time this month an American wader contrived to spoil that notion. Reports came through from Eyebrook yesterday afternoon that an American Golden Plover was associating with normal Goldies at the inflow. Now I know that I'd already seen the Pitsford bird this autumn but neither Alan nor I could pass up on the chance to see our seventh yank of the year particularly when it was so close to home. Rain was forecast to arrive sometime this morning but the early part of the morning was actually sunny and the light conditions were pretty good for a change.

Ringed Plover and another shot of the AGP

On arrival we parked next to a small group of birders scanning the inflow but their news was not encouraging, the bird had been showing but had apparently since done a bunk. We began to check a large flock of Goldies that were further up the Eye Brook and eventually I found the bird but only got a few record shots off before a Peregrine flushed the whole lot including a Redshank that had been hanging around with them. Luckily for us and also the people that arrived a little later the AGP returned and treated us to some good views. Eventually I wandered off towards the car park and saw two Ringed Plovers on the nearby shore that had been reported earlier. Returning to the small huddle of birders brought dividends as Alan found an adult Mediterranean Gull that stopped briefly to preen before moving on.

Scaup

We followed the gull's example soon after and moved on ourselves heading towards the island. From north of the island a scan of the opposite shore produced views of two drake and one duck Red Crested Pochard though they were too distant for pics. Next stop was the viewing bunker south of the island where a female Scaup was the highlight. By now rain was just beginning to fall and a decision was made to throw the towel in though not before we popped into the 'spoons for a celebratory pint

Fogbound Finale

 My week of liberty is now drawing to a close and with the unwelcome spectre of work looming ever nearer I decided to pay a call on Eyebrook. The forecast had suggested a foggy start before it began to lift sometime in the morning, they were way too optimistic! When my stepson dropped me off I could barely make out the shore of the res and by the time he picked me up it was only slightly better. Seems I used up all my birding luck on that Baird's which is apparently still showing well today.

Is that a cow or am I talking bullocks?

On my mist blighted wander around the res I heard Marsh Tit at the bridge and also Golden Plovers at the inflow. From the viewing area at the sharp end all I could hear was the wet splatter of a nearby cow doing a Donald Trump and by then I knew it was not going to be a good day. The foggy shroud did eventually lift a little allowing me to see several Pintails near the island feeding with the Wigeon. There was time for a false alarm too though a potential juvenile Scaup turned out to be a female Tufty. Overall a mixed week then with three American waders close to home but not a massive amount to back them up. Happily for me a family meal in the pub helped to ensure that the day ended on a good point.

Tufted Duck

Scant Reward

It was a dull morning in almost every respect today as under the grey skies I managed to find very little  of interest. I braved the X4 again but only as far as Upper Benefield from where I took my familiar walk to Deene and Deenethorpe before ending up at Weldon.

Speckled Wood and Kestrel

Plenty of Skylarks on my way to Deene but little else, there didn't seem to be much on the move. In the churchyard I was surprised to find a Speckled Wood, it really wasn't the day for insects. The Merlin app had something of a mad five minutes suggesting that Common Crane, Pink-footed and Brent Geese were in the area, unfortunately they weren't! What was on view at the lake were four Black Swans and two Egyptian Geese and a large mixed flock of Greylags and Canadas.

Egyptian Geese and Black Swans

On my way to the airfield I heard several Siskins fly over but there was a driving experience taking place and the sound of car engines drowned out pretty much everything else, I can only hope that those taking part had a more exciting experience than I did. Closer to Weldon Park Wood and I added Redpoll to my meagre haul, there was a Marsh Tit on the edge of the wood itself. Rather than walk along the A427 I took the footpath across the fields towards Bears Lane. At the lane I heard more Siskins but the star of the show was a Peregrine circling and gradually getting higher, a large flock of racing pigeons feeding in a nearby field was perhaps attracting its attention. Somewhat footsore I had a rest in the George at Weldon before catching my bus home, predictably it was late but by this point I didn't care.

Peregrine

Brought Back Down To Earth

 After Tuesday it was always going to be a bit of an anti-climax whatever I decided to do, I just didn't expect it to be quite so bad! Once again I misguidedly put my trust in the good people at Stagecoach and once again that trust was misplaced. My bus to Wellingborough eventually arrived some twenty minutes late which did not impress my fellow travellers at all who for the most part were heading to work. It was a discontented and frustrated group of passengers that filed on to the bus, this was apparently the fourth time this week that a tardy bus has made people late. An angry woman sitting in front of me was talking to an irate woman to my left, from what I gather Stagecoach will be receiving more than a few complaints in the immediate future! I didn't join in as my commute mercifully doesn't require Stagecoach's erratic services, it's only my leisure that they take some of the pleasure out of. 

Stonechat and Spitfire

Eventually the bus pulled into Wellingborough and I was glad to get off, the fetid air, a miasma of farts, yesterday's garlic and a melange of deodorants and perfumes made even the traffic tainted air of Welly town centre seem fresh. I made my way down to the Embankment from where I followed the Nene towards Ditchford. A pair of Stonechats were present in a field on the edge of town, this area is quite a reliable wintering spot for them. It pretty much went downhill from there as on my stroll between here and Ditchford Lane I saw nothing other than a Spitfire to keep me entertained. On my return trudge I noted that a growing number of large gulls were gathering at Chester House Lake and I stopped to go through them. To my eyes I picked out a first calendar year Caspian and a similarly plumaged Yellow-legged Gull. While taking some record shots my camera stopped working and appears to have developed a terminal fault, one further shovelful of what was becoming an ever increasing pile of s***! My bus ride home was relatively punctual by recent standards and I took the opportunity to look at cameras on Ebay.

Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls....possibly!

A Gift From Amy?

 Birding like football is a funny old game, one day you're left trying to turn sows' ears into silk purses and the next you don't even have to try. This morning Alan Shorrock and I paid a call on Eyebrook hoping that some of yesterday's appetising fare was still on the menu. Sadly both the Whooper Swans and the Avocet (which was apparently ringed in Yorkshire*) were no shows but it was not a total blank. A 1st calendar year Caspian and an adult Yellow-legged Gull were seen out on the res between the island and the dam though both were too far away for even the dodgiest of record pics. A female Scaup and the three Red Crested Pochards were similarly distant as they fed with the Tufted Duck flock off the plantation shore. Gun fire coming from the neighbouring Nevil Holt estate sent many of the birds into panicked flight and we chose that moment to beat a retreat.

* Actually the bird was rung in Lancashire at Conder Green on the 16/8/22, thanks to Peter Dillon Hooper for the info.

Ringed Plover and Dunlin

Next stop was the dam area at Rutland Water where Rock Pipits were the hoped for target, the shoreline between here and Normanton Church has been productive in the past. Fishing boats seemed to have scared many of the ducks away from the general area and we concentrated on the shoreline instead. Four Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin were the initial results for our efforts while several Meadow Pipits feeding on the shore caused several false alarms. A series of calls announced the arrival of more Ringed Plovers and after several attempts to count them we arrived at a total of around thirty. Mixed in with them were five Dunlins and most of the birds once they had settled for a bit started to have a snooze.

Baird's Sandpiper

One wader feeding on the water's edge attracted our attention and for a while had me scratching my head. Roughly Dunlin sized but more slender it had a more energetic way of feeding and seemed to be longer winged than its chubbier cousins. It disappeared after several minutes though luckily we managed to relocate it a few minutes later feeding away from the shore in the company of Ringed Plovers. At times stint like but clearly bigger its scaly looking upperparts brought to mind the walking Weetabix from last month and it dawned on both of us that we had stumbled across a Baird's Sandpiper!. Alan let Phil Rogers know who in turn put the news out allowing others to get in on the act. We watched it on and off for about two hours and were joined by several more birders including Tim Appleton, the former reserve manger of Rutland Water. This was a site first record and only the fifth for Leicestershire and Rutland as well as being my fourth. We left as others were arriving though sadly the bird seems to have flown just after two p.m and has yet to be relocated. It goes without saying that our find was toasted once we got back to the Samuel Lloyd, Shozzer enjoyed a pint while I enjoyed several more!

More Baird's Sandpiper

Killer End To The Morning

 Clearly my timing was off when I ventured out to Eyebrook yesterday because today was evidently the day to be there. Whooper Swans, an Avocet, two different Marsh Harriers and two Scaup entertained any birders present so it was a pity for me that I was not one of them! I chose to wander around Wicksteed Park in Ketrin instead and enjoyed a wonderful sunlit stroll with very little in the way of wildlife to distract me. Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and several Siskins passed overhead suggesting that migration was in progress while both Cetti's Warblers and Chiffchaffs were singing around the fishing lake.  A single male Common Darter was the only insect on show and it wasn't long before I gave up and headed into town.

Great Crested Grebes and Moorhen

Ketrin town centre of all places saved the day and that is not something that I ever expected to type but it was true, however unlikely that might seem. A check of the regular Peregrine site initially looked unpromising until an adult bird arrived and landed giving me a chance to grab a pic or two. Several minutes later it was joined by a vocal immature bird which I think was probably a female. The constant calling caught the attention of passers by and several stopped to look upwards. Eventually I began to get peckish so I wandered off in search of a full English breakfast, I certainly didn't envy the adult having to listen to the persistent cries of that very noisy youngster.

Peregrines