Rain Again

Yesterday while I was at work there was sunshine and blue skies, fast forward twenty four hours and today I awoke to yet more rain on my day off. Hoping that the weather would not be as dire as the forecast suggested I blagged a lift over to Blatherwycke where the conditions were if anything actually worse! Unlike on Friday there were no good birds to lift the mood and I spent several hours wandering around with nothing but a Great White Egret to show for my efforts. The rain turned to sleet and at this point I decided that it was not going to be my day and headed home. No photos as my camera stayed dry in my bag, I wish that I'd stayed in the dry too!

Monsoon Madness

 I'm having to do one of my contractual back shifts this week which always entails me having to work the Saturday too. Something to offset the awfulness of this however comes in the shape of a lieu day which happily for me fell today. News of a Red-throated Diver at Ravensthorpe Reservoir earlier in the week had me offering silent prayers up to the birding gods and luckily those pleas seem to have been heard as the bird was still present yesterday evening. I managed to convince Alan that seeing the diver would be a jolly fine thing and we found ourselves heading over there this morning.

Stonechat and Ring-necked Duck

When I was praying to those birding gods I should perhaps have copied the weather gods in too as conditions were far from ideal when we arrived at the closed off car park next to the causeway. With a steady rain falling we scanned the res from the area without positive result and took the path towards the dam. Squelching our way along the path turned quagmire we stopped at regular intervals to look for the diver but with no result. A look from one side of the dam did finally deliver the goods and we had some distant but pretty good views before it disappeared from view. From halfway along the dam the diver reappeared momentarily before once again becoming invisible. More prolonged views of the bird bathing and preening came from the scant shelter offered by a Yew tree next to the fishing lodge though the weather remained too foul to risk my camera in. About forty-five minutes later we opted to throw in the soggy towel and head back towards the car.

Red-necked Wallaby and Great Northern Diver

The return walk/wade produced further distant views of the diver as it moved around the res presumably making serious inroads into the local crayfish population. At no point did the rain stop so photos were very much out of the question but just seeing my first Red-throat in the county was enough to justify our visit. We decided to resist the urge to pop in on the Common Scoters at neighbouring Hollowell in the belief that lunch in the 'spoons might better serve our immediate needs. My next day off is on Sunday which is looking like yet another brolly day so whether I choose birding or pub is yet to be confirmed. Today's pics come from a previous outing.

Glossy Ibis

Red-necked And Pink-feet

 I didn't bother going out yesterday, there were things to do and some ex work mates to catch up with, but today I joined Alan in taking a trip over to Rutland Water. Our main target was a Red-necked Grebe which has recently been reported from the south shore near the dam. The weather forecast was promising in that it looked as if it might stay dry and it was pretty mild too..

Red-necked Grebe

With little or no wind the surface of the reservoir was calm and this coupled with some up to date info from another birder meant that finding the grebe was quite straightforward. We and a trickle of other birders had reasonable views of it feeding some way off the shore and I managed to get a couple of record shots. Other birds seen or heard in the general area included Curlew, Oystercatcher and Raven though sadly it looks as if the Great Northern Diver(s) has departed. After a while we opted to move on and head towards Eyebrook.

Pink-footed Geese and Whooper Swan

The first birds of note here were a trio of Pink-footed Geese which were initially on the res but later flew up into a field on the northern side. At the inflow the long staying immature Whooper Swan was noted as it fed in the stream. From the gate near Hollyoaks I had distant views of four Smew off the plantation shore, two adult and one immature drake and a redhead, just north of the island another redhead was feeding and she was much closer. A check from the island viewing bunker did not produce any sightings of Scaup though I did find a pair of Pintails. I had a lunch date at the George in Weldon with my wife so couldn't hang around and we left a little after one.

Smews

Siskins

 February began on a grey and fairly mild note with the occasional spot of rain. My time was a bit limited and I opted to take a walk around Brookfield Plantation before getting on with the day's other business. On my way to the wood I saw a Cormorant over Willowbrook Industrial Estate while a slight diversion gave me the chance to look at the local Peregrine pair.

Peregrine and Siskin

A chorus of shrieking Jays welcomed me into the plantation, a Song Thrush provided a pleasanter alternative. Great Tits were teacher teachering as I took the public footpath that provides the only access here. Small numbers of tits and several Treecreepers were heard while a vocal drake Teal was flushed from one of the ponds. My walk took me through a mostly deciduous part of the wood and several Nuthatches were calling, small numbers of Siskins were also noted. I emerged on the other side of the planation and took a stroll to the quarry that links the wood with Gretton Road. Redpolls and Siskins were present in the birches and alders that surround the flooded part, another Teal and Gadwall were also seen. My walk home did not add much more to my list though I enjoyed the peace and quiet, a marked contrast to the packed Asda which was my next port of call!

Wellingborough Return

 This morning was bright and sunny and that tempted me into risking a trip on the X4 to Wellingborough. Against expectations the bus arrived pretty much on time and I found myself heading towards the embankment just after nine. My check of the flooded fields there produced a sighting of two Egyptian Geese but not the hoped for Cattle Egret or Glossy Ibis. I headed along the Nene towards Ditchford past Chester House Lake and beyond the viaduct.

Goldeneye, GWE and Stonechat

Chester House Lake held a selection of wildfowl which included a fine looking drake Goldeneye within their ranks. On the margin a Great White Egret was hunting while close by I had great views of a male Stonechat. Beyond the viaduct I found three more Stonechats, a male and two females but it was rather quiet in general. My wanderings took me as far as Ditchford Lane to check the alpaca herd for Cattle Egrets, none were present and I retraced my steps back towards Wellingborough. On my way past Chester House Lake I saw a cream crowned Marsh Harrier hunting and she landed for a while giving me a chance to get a few pics. At the embankment the Glossy Ibis was noted feeding in its favourite field and in the sunlight it actually looked glossy. Happy with my haul I headed back into town and had two very nice pints in the Coach and Horses. The return bus stayed truer to normal form and arrived over twenty minutes late but even Stagecoach couldn't ruin what had been an enjoyable session.

Another Stonechat, Marsh Harrier and Glossy Ibis

Crossbills

 A welcome return to sunnier conditions saw Alan Shorrock and I visiting some of our local sites. We began at Deene where eight Shelducks and a Cetti's Warbler were the best of the bunch, sadly it appears that the Red Crested Pochards seen earlier in the week had moved on. A noisy gaggle of geese on the lake turned out to be Greylags with a few Canadas mixed in. Neighbouring Blatherwycke was if anything even quieter and similarly its goose flock did not contain any surprises among them.

Red Kite and Jay

Wakerley Wood was our final birding stop of the day where we tried once again to see some Crossbills. It took a bit of walking and some up to date info from another birder but eventually we struck lucky. Alan found a female feeding in a pine tree next to the path and a male was noted soon after. The birds were very quiet and on another day we may well have passed them without noticing. After several minutes the small flock of what turned out to be at least four birds moved on. We heard them several times on our walk back to the car while other birds of note included Ravens, Marsh Tits and a day hooting Tawny Owl. I finished the day and my short break from work in the spoons where a pint and a bite to eat brought things to a close.

Crossbills

Barnwell Visit

 Way back in the good old days when I used to have Mondays off my travels would often take me to Barnwell CP and this morning I decided to revive that tradition. Seemingly equally keen to maintain their own traditions too the X4 arrived fashionably late but despite Stagecoach's best or rather worst efforts I did eventually arrive in Oundle. It was a grey and fairly cool day but also mercifully dry which was certainly an improvement on yesterday's conditions.

Egyptian Goose and Moorhen

There were good numbers of Siskins around the park and I heard and saw several Redpolls as well. Nowadays it seems as if I can't go anywhere without bumping into Egyptian Geese and today was no exception as a pair were seen at several points as they moved around. At Lowlands Hide at least two Water Rails were calling and I decided to hang around in case any emerged from cover. One bird proved to be fairly obliging, it swam several times across the pond giving some good if brief views. A little later on and I watched it feeding on the water's edge giving me my most prolonged views of this usually furtive species. Eventually it moved into cover and I decided to move on myself, I didn't find much else of note before I left the park to take a stroll along the river.

Water Rail

My riverside walk did not provide much to look at, presumably the same unfortunate Great White Egret was flushed on several occasions and was probably the pick of the bunch. A flock of geese were checked but turned out to be Canadas and Greylags. The flooded area near the A605 hosted the usual Wigeons, Shovellers and Teal and there was a mixed flock of Common and Black-headed Gulls. Once I got back into town I had a quick look for the Peregrines before catching my bus but it looks as if both birds were off hunting. Tomorrow's weather is looking pretty dire so it might be Wednesday before I venture out again.

Robin and Great White Egret

Rainy Birthday

 It was my birthday today and for some reason I decided to shun the comforts of my warm home and venture out into the dank and drizzly countryside of Northants I blagged a lift to Blatherwycke where once I'd donned my waterproofs I spent several rather unproductive hours trudging around. Although I could hear geese calling from unseen fields very few were on view and all those that were turned out to be Greylags. A pair of Goosanders were the highlight, the regular Great White Egret provided their only competition. My camera stayed in my bag and today's pictures come from a sunnier and more enjoyable previous visit to the lake. I've got a couple of days off and hope that any other trips that I make are a little more interesting!

Past glories.

To El' And Back

 Regular birding pal Shozzer decided that he wanted to pop over to the wind magnet that is Eldernell today and given the relatively benign conditions I opted to join him. With the first sustained sunshine for what seems like ages it was nowhere near as unhospitable as it often can be and we enjoyed quite a productive day. 

Cranes and Pink-footed Geese

Our birding day began at March Farmers where a reported flock of Bean Geese had the bad manners to move on before we arrived. A large though distant flock of Whoopers were more obliging whilst a Peregrine caused widespread panic amongst the birds out on the washes. Two Cranes provided a welcome flypast while a thousand plus Pink-footed Geese caused quite a spectacle as they flew past. After what seemed like an entertaining hour or more we moved on the short distance to Eldernell.

Bewick's and Whooper Swan

Here we sought and eventually saw one of the regular roosting Long-eared Owls though it was deep within cover and far from easy to see, I couldn't get an acceptable pic though Alan managed some pretty credible results.  Cranes featured here too with an initial flock of about twenty five swelling to an impressive forty or so just as dusk began to fall. More Whoopers and at least half a dozen Bewick's Swans were noted while several Marsh Harriers criss-crossed the reed fringed dykes and channels. A good sized flock of Black-tailed Godwits were present with lesser numbers of Ruff and Golden Plovers while Alan also heard a Spotted Redshank. We left as the sun began to set and ended our day at the NVB brewery tap in Oundle where several good pints went down very well indeed.

Black-tailed Godwits and more Pinkies.

Redemption

The last time that I visited Wellingborough in search of the long staying Glossy Ibis the bird rather rudely let me down by not showing up . Feeling that I had some unfinished business to attend to I once again braved the Stagecoach timetable and returned to the embankment hoping for better luck. I took the prompt arrival of the bus to be a good omen and felt relatively optimistic as the bus made slow but steady progress through the Northamptonshire countryside.

Glossy Ibis and Oystercatcher

It was grey and a bit damp when I arrived in Welly and there was a thin curtain of mist as I made my way down to the embankment. The first two flooded fields that I checked were ibis free but before an uncomfortable sense of deja vu could set in I found the bird feeding in a flooded field next to where a footbridge crosses the Nene. I took more than a few photos of what seemed to be a confiding individual though poor light and mist helped to determine the quality of the results. Eventually I moved on heading in the direction of Chester House Lake.

Stonechats

While it was a little on the sqelchy side on the riverside trail my feet didn't get too wet and I had quite a productive stroll. From Lower Wellingborough Lock I saw an Oystercatcher which may well have been my first January sighting of this attractive species in the county. Both Siskin and Cetti's Warbler were heard from here before I moved on to Chester House Lake. At least two Great White Egrets graced the general area while a pair of Stonechats were present in the lakeside vegetation. On my return walk towards Wellingborough I heard a Crossbill calling as it flew over the lock heading in the vague direction of Irchester. My last act before heading back into town was to watch the ibis still feeding in the same field.in the company of two Egyptian Geese and a large flock of Pied Wagtails.

We Were Due A Crappy One*

 *A quote from Mr Alan Shorrock

Alan and I decided to stay within our local area and so our travels took us no further than Blatherwycke by way of Deene and Wakerley Wood. The morning was mostly dull and drizzly but gradually things did improve and the afternoon turned out to be a sunny one.

Stock Dove and White-fronted Geese

At Deene things were a little on the quiet side, a pair of Stonechats between the dam and the road were perhaps the highlights. On the lake there were still seven Shelduck while in the immediate area Raven, Siskin and Grey Wagtail were also noted. Not too far away at Wakerley we hoped to catch up with some of the Crossbills which have been reported from here recently. Soon after arrival a pair of Crossbills flew over the car calling loudly and it looked as if we might be in for a decent session. The reality was somewhat different unfortunately and we only managed to hear a few more calling before we left several hours later. Blatherwycke did not deliver the hoped for Tundra Bean Goose but did produce sightings of nine White-fronted Geese and a pair of Goosander. We headed towards the Cross Keys in King's Cliffe as mist began to descend, Shozzer's comment  on the day was perhaps a little harsh but when compared to recent trips out was understandable.

White-fronts

 A cold and grey morning with the occasional rainy spell which looked far from promising but as it was my only day off this weekend I still decided to venture out nonetheless. My stepson was good enough to give me a lift over to Blatherwycke and I spent several hours wandering around the area on the lookout for something interesting. My session began in the north eastern corner of the lake before I opted to walk back towards the village and along to the churchyard and beyond.

Pintails and Grey Heron

The lake is still partially frozen but there was enough open water to attract a variety of wildfowl. Three drake Pintails were the early highlights, they're quite scarce here. A Great White Egret fed in the shallows and I saw a couple of Egyptian Geese but there was not much else on offer. As I walked along the road towards the village hundreds of Fieldfares and Redwings were flushed from the hedgerows and there was a large mixed flock of corvids too. I couldn't find much from either the bridge or in and around the churchyard and walked towards the south eastern part of the lake. As I was going through the gathered birds a large and noisy flock of geese arrived though they landed on the western side of the lake and were out of sight. Anxious to check through them I retraced my steps and headed back through the village.

White-fronted Geese

Good numbers of Greylags were seen on the lake with others on the southern bank. A check through the mixed gaggle of Canadas and Greylags on the northern bank produced sightings of at least seven White-fronted Geese. Further checking of the flock did not add anything else of note and I wandered back towards the village to rendez-vous with my return lift. Before I left there was time to take a sneaky peak into a garden where at least one wallaby and three Rheas were present. Two noisy Ravens were the final highlight before my lift arrived.

Exotic pets