Rocking At Rutland

 A rather grey and frequently drizzly day that saw Alan Shorrock and I heading over to Rutland Water. We restricted our efforts to the bit between the dam and Normanton church and enjoyed an interesting session. First bird to pique our interest was an adult Mediterrannean Gull which I picked out among the many Black-headeds just to the west of the dam. Good if distant views were obtained and a few ropey record shots were obtained. From here we began walking towards the church contending with persistent drizzle as we did so.

Mediterrannean Gull

On the way to the church a female Goosander provided some interest as she fed just off the shore. Initial efforts to locate the reported Great Northern Diver from the church came to nothing but the building did at least provide some shelter from the worsening conditions. While scanning the water Alan heard a Rock Pipit which flew from the church on to the shore before being lost to view. Our attempts to relocate it did eventually bear fruit and we watched the bird for some time as it fed with two Pieds and one Grey Wagtail. Whilst watching it we became aware that the bird was ringed having a standard silver ring on its left leg and a blue ring on its right. Alan was able to read the ring and his suspicion was that it read PAA. Initial research suggests that this was a Finnish ringed bird, I'll keep you posted if this can be confirmed. 

Rock Pipit possibly ringed in Finland.

While walking back to the car I picked out the Great Northern Diver which though initially rather distant did swim closer. Both Shozzer and I were surprised when the bird began to call, I've never heard Great Northerns calling in the UK before. We were treated to sustained views as the bird swam towards the dam paralleling our course as we headed back to the car. With the weather showing no signs of improvement and with some good birds already in the bag we opted to call it quits and abandon our plan to visit Eyebrook on the way home.

Foggy Start, Misty Finish

 Eldernell is a name that always sends an involuntary shudder up my spine as memories of howling gales and sub zero temperatures come to the surface. This morning Alan Shorrock and I would have been grateful for some of that wind as a thick fog had descended reducing visibility to a few hundred yards. It lingered for much of the morning before clearing for a while in the early afternoon. Respite was relatively brief however as an evening mist rolled in leading to another reduction in visibility which prompted us to leave.

Whooper Swans

Despite the fog we managed to see a good selection of birds of which Bittern was the highlight. Alan picked it out flying in from the marsh before it landed in a reedbed next to a lake near the carpark. A Great White Egret was also noted which with Grey Heron took our heron total to three. That same lake that sheltered the Bittern hosted a good selection of duck of which CA10 Pintail were the pick. Somewhat later in the morning the ducks were joined by an immature Whooper Swan, other Whoopers were seen out on the washes. Raptors always feature to some degree here and five species were noted today with Marsh Harrier and Peregrine being the highlights. Not too much in the way of passerines to report though Redpoll was heard and several Stonechats were seen. Eldernell is a noted spot for Cranes nowadays and we were treated to distant views of a pair of adults with an immature. Final act of the day was a Short-eared Owl which had risen up above the swirling mist to escape the attentions of a pesky crow.

Pintails and Roe Deer

Not much in the way of non bird life was on view though we did see a number of Roe Deer feeding out on the washes. Perhaps surprisingly given the conditions a Peacock butterfly was seen briefly, if it has any sense it will be searching out a suitable spot in which to hibernate!

A rare appearance by the sun!

Echoes

 A grey start to the day soon gave way to some sunnier conditions which made my walk in the Weldon area very nice indeed. As well as visiting the village itself I extended my stroll as far as Priors Hall where I had a look at some of the ponds.

Meadow Pipit and Peacock

Nothing to report from the A43 pond and the South Gullet at Priors Hall was quiet too apart from a few Siskins. My arrival at the ponds coincided with the sun breaking through the clouds and this led to the emergence of rather a lot of Common Darters. Over fifty were noted and these included many ovipositing pairs. Half a dozen Willow Emeralds were seen too and these almost matched my latest ever seen last year on the 15th. I wonder if the mildness continues how long the emeralds can go on for. It wasn't just the odes enjoying the sunshine as a Peacock was seen too and this one actually hung around long enough for me to get some pictures. Several Siskins and a Kingfisher provided the bird interest.

Willow Emerald and Common Darters

Returning to Weldon I decided to have a look at the pond in the Woodland Park where more darters and emeralds were seen. My highlight here was a Migrant Hawker which may be my latest sighting ever. I couldn't get a pic but it was still nice to see three species of ode so late in the year, a real echo of summer. Content with my haul I headed off to catch my bus by way of the George.

Eurohub Excursion

 Another pre work stroll today and as I had to go to Tesco anyway I decided to have a look around the Eurohub. Conditions were similar to yesterday and once again I managed to see a few interesting bits and bobs.

Willow Emerald.

Best bird was a Raven croaking away somewhere nearby and a Grey Wagtail was heard as it passed over. Several Redpolls were also noted, they were probably attracted by the many birches in the area. In a repeat of yesterday a Peacock was discovered but unlike yesterday it settled briefly, too briefly for me to get a snap sadly. Some time was spent checking waterside vegetation for Willow Emeralds despite it being pretty early in the morning. Luckily my optimism was rewarded when I discovered a male warming itself up on one of the Hawthorns. With the damsel in the bag I decided that I couldn't put that shopping off any longer and headed off to jostle with the masses.

Morning Stroll

 I'm on the pm shift at work this week which gave me enough time to have a walk around the area near the STW. A mild south westerly wind and some sunny spells made for a pleasant stroll and I saw a few interesting things too which is always nice.

Sparrowhawk

A Grey Wagtail passed overhead as I walked through the village, I could just about hear it over the noise of the traffic. My arrival at the STW was marked by a croaking Raven which took off from one of the pylons before flapping away. Small numbers of Redwing are feeding on this year's crop of haws and another sign of autumn was a flock of about sixteen Teal on the ponds. Causing a brief disturbance amongst the passerines was a male Sparrowhawk which flew through quickly. Several Redpolls were present in the general area while a small number of Siskins were also noted. One small trace of the summer past was a Peacock butterfly which was basking on fallen leaves before I disturbed it.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Rutland Water Doesn't Disappoint

 Alan Shorrock and I crossed over the border today in order to visit Rutland Water for a spot of autumnal birding. Morning mist hampered our early efforts but thankfully conditions improved gradually for a while before rain brought things to a close later on in the afternoon.

Great White Egret

Our first stop was near Hambleton and it was here that the pesky mist really affected visibility, in addition to the unfavourable conditions there was a lot of boat traffic from assorted fishermen and canoes. Given this it was perhaps not surprising that we spent over an hour here with little to justify our efforts apart from an Egyptian Goose and some of the commoner wildfowl. Deciding that a change of scenery might bring about a change of fortune we moved on to Burley Fishponds and the north arm. Here the mist had mostly lifted and we were treated to a selection of decent birds. Five species of wader included a Curlew and several Dunlins while a small flock of Golden Plover passed overhead. A male Sparrowhawk spooked the collection of Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits that were feeding on the shore while a little later on a Marsh Harrier did a similar thing to some of the ducks. Our attempts to locate the reported Slavonian Grebe came to naught though we did find a Yellow-legged Gull and a few Great White Egrets before we moved on.

Great Northern Diver

Our last stop was on the south shore near the dam where a Great Northern Diver had been seen over the past couple of days. At least half a dozen Goosanders were my first of the autumn and Alan found a small group of four immature Shags off the dam. I haven't seen any reports of Shags here recently so these may well have been new arrivals. I found the diver quite close in to the shore but by now the threatened rain had begun and I had to content myself with a few quickly taken record shots. With the camera safely stowed we enjoyed some decent views of the Great Northern as it swam off in the direction of Normanton church. Not wanting to get drenched we threw the towel in and headed back to the car for the journey home.

Drizzly Saturday

 A grey and often wet Saturday which if not quite a damp squib provided no fireworks either. My ambitions were limited and I ventured no further than the ridge between Gretton and Rockingham taking in Brookfield Plantation on the way. 

Brookfield on the outward leg of my stroll was busy with tit flocks and a single Siskin. Near the flooded quarry I saw a Redpoll and there were several Bullfinches feeding on dried blackberries. Numbers of winter thrushes are on the rise with Fieldfares now beginning to make their presence felt, a flock of fifty plus passed overhead. On the edge of the private wood a large flock of Siskins were noted and another Redpoll was seen. Returning through the plantation produced a sighting of my first Woodcock of the autumn, Brookfield is a reliable spot to find wintering birds. No sign of any Peregrines at their usual spot today suggesting that they may have been off hunting somewhere.

No pictures today, poor light and dampness plus a lack of interesting subjects being the reason.