Red-necked At Rutland

 Alan Shorrock and I took a drive over to the dam at Rutland Water today in search of the juvenile Red-necked Grebe that has made this spot its home for the last couple of weeks. We had considered popping over last weekend but storm Darragh had put a stop to that. No such weather worries today, there was a bit of a breeze but other than that nothing to worry about and the sun shone throughout our time there.

Red-necked Grebe

On arrival I had a quick chat with another birder and his news was good, the grebe was showing fairly close by and three Great Northern Divers were also present in the neighbourhood. A short walk  along the shore took us to the spot where the grebe was favouring and true to form it showed well, we watched it for some time and had some good views of it in decent light. The divers were nowhere near as obliging however, I had a few brief glimpses of at least two and probably all three birds but they were spending very little time on the surface and were difficult to see. One did eventually show for a little longer near the dam but it was too distant to photograph. Other birds in the general area included Goldeneyes and at least one Raven but there wasn't that much else to support the headliners.

Goldeneyes and Smew

Rather than visit the North Arm in search of the long staying Slavonian Grebe we chose instead to visit Eyebrook where the first Smew of the winter is currently residing. Saturdays here can be dodgy as there is often plenty of shooting on the neighbouring estate which causes lots of disturbance. The gun toting moron squad were doing a bit of recreational killing but it stopped fairly soon after we arrived. Alan found the drake Smew from the gate near Hollyoaks which while distant showed well enough in the sunlight. We drove around to the car park at Stoke Dry and managed to get better views of him though the light was not quite as good. Other decent birds on or around the reservoir included twenty plus Pintails, a few Dunlin and a large flock of Golden Plovers as well as a Kingfisher and Raven. We left feeling pretty satisfied with our day and a pint of festive ale in a local 'spoons added to that sense of enjoyment.

Raven, Kingfisher and Pintail

A Double Dose Of Darragh

 Not content with being blown about and rained on once this weekend I decided to venture out this morning and try my luck at Blatherwycke. Today's weather was supposed to be a little better than it was yesterday but I couldn't see or feel much difference, let's just say my waterproofs got a proper testing!

Mistle Thrush and Robin

My birding began at the lake where the immature female Scaup was still present and associating with Tufted Ducks. Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture as my camera is not rainproof though I did at least get good views of her through my scope. I couldn't find anything else amongst the wildfowl but there was a Great White Egret, they're still quite scarce here and always nice to see. My next and final stop was at the churchyard where I spent some time looking for Hawfinches. None appeared when I was there but it seemed as if few passerines were inclined to move about in the high winds and I didn't see much at all. The church itself was open and I took the opportunity to escape the weather for a while and have a look around. I'm hoping next weekend is storm free, churches are all very well but I'd rather look at wildlife.

Two of the stunning windows in the church

Storm Darragh Blows In

 Yet another storm has blown in this weekend bringing with it a combination of strong wind and squally rain. Though it was tempting to stay indoors and devote my day to telly and a few beers I decided instead to venture out in the company of regular birding pal Alan. Initially we had planned to visit Rutland Water but a last minute change of heart took us instead to Summer Leys. The weather was unsurprisingly pretty challenging but it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be and we even saw the occasional patch of blue sky during our wander around.

Distant Pintails and closer GWE

From Pioneer Hide Alan picked out a distant pair of Pintails on the main lake though they didn't seem to hang around for too long. Plenty of Wigeon and Teal were present on the margins and there was the odd Pochard and Goldeneye on view too. A rather miserable looking Great White Egret was the highlight from Rotary Hide, it was one of at least two present on site today. After a brisk stroll we arrived at Paul Britten Hide from where we had distant views of the Glossy Ibis which has become regular here of late. It was seen briefly as it fed in front of the feeding station before disappearing from view. Other birds showing from here included Snipe and Shovellers. Braving the wind once again we wandered round to the Screen Hide where Shozzer picked out the Ibis again. It was fairly distant but views through the scope were tolerable. The final stop of the day was at the Coach and Horses where a well earned pint washed down some very tasty pork scratchings.

Snipe, Glossy Ibis and Teals

Drizzling And Dipping At Eyebrook

 Alan Shorrock and I made a short visit this morning to Eyebrook where we hoped to catch up with the Smew and two Black-necked Grebes that were here yesterday. In grey and often drizzly conditions we failed to find either and had to settle for a selection of less exotic fare.

Golden Plovers and Lapwings

Our first port of call was Sam's Dyke from where the Smew was last reported but we could only see a mixed flock of the commoner dabblers. We had a similar result from the island bunker and also from near Hollyoaks. The inflow was more productive and there was a surprising amount of mud on show given how much rain we've had recently. A large number of Lapwings were joined by a small group of at least thirteen Dunlin. The flock of a hundred plus Golden Plovers which had been circling overhead eventually settled down and mingled with the Lappies. One Great White Egret was feeding in the shallows where a group of about forty Pintails were feeding. Male and female Stonechat were also noted before the call of other commitments brought about a halt to proceedings.

GWE and Pintails

The Pits

 I spent a dank and dreary couple of hours wandering around Wicksteed Park this morning and although the weather improved slightly my birding did not. Large numbers of squawking Black-headed Gulls were around the main lake but there was little else while a Chiffchaff and a Kingfisher at the fishing lake were the highlight. A thorough search of the Greylag Goose flock failed to produce any sightings of the Pink-footed Goose that was here earlier in the week and at this point I decided to cut my losses and quit. Now it's probably not the first time that a desperate man has turned to the church for redemption and presumably also not the first time that said institution has failed to deliver either but my attempt to see the local Peregrines in the town centre ended in failure too. Before I caught my bus home I grabbed a sausage butty and this was the only part of the morning that I enjoyed!

Magpie and Coot

Pits Bits

 I was lucky enough to have a day off today so I joined up with Shozzer and took a trip over to Pitsford Reservoir. With plenty of sunshine on offer we spent a pleasant couple of hours looking for the juvenile Great Northern Diver which had arrived earlier this week. In truth the diver proved to be quite easy to find and most of the time was spent walking from Brixworth Country Park around to the Cliffs where we'd viewed it catching crayfish.

Great Northern Diver

Once we had finally trudged around to where we had last seen the diver it did not take too long to pick it up again. At first it was taking a post prandial snooze but soon woke up to offer us some half decent photo opportunities. Having had what were probably my best ever views of GND in the county we opted to head back towards the car noting at least one Siskin on the way. 

Pink-footed Goose

Our next stop was the causeway where a Pink-footed Goose had been reported hanging around with the Greylags. No wild goose chasing was required today however as the bird showed very easily at the small picnic area near to the car park. We watched it snoozing and preening for quite some time before we left it to its leisure and walked back to the car. A pint in the Royal Oak at Walgrave was a good way to end my day off.

Starling

Bert Blows

 After a week of tedium at work I always look forward to the weekend and the chance to get out and enjoy the countryside. This weekend sadly has been blighted by the arrival of storm Bert whose wind and rain has limited my opportunities to get out and about. After yesterday's washout I opted to head over to Barnwell where I hoped the hides would shelter me from the worst of Bert's bluster. The weather in the morning at least was OK, sometimes wet and sometimes blowy but there was sunshine too and it was certainly mild.

Mandarins

I walked to the park from Oundle and had the place to myself as I made my way to Kingfisher Hide. No sign of the 'fishers today but some Mandarin Ducks added some much need colour to proceedings. At least two drakes and two ducks had joined the regular Mallards and Gadwalls. Passerines were understandably keeping a low profile in the strong wind but I did see Nuthatch and Treecreeper on my wander around. As I left the park I realised why my walk had been so quiet, the park was shut due to high winds - oops! Having left Barnwell I walked along to the floods near the A605 noting several Chiffchaffs on the way, there was a selection of the commoner dabbling ducks on the floods themselves. Once I'd brought my wildlife watching activities to an end I headed into town for a top notch breakfast in the Coffee Tavern and a pint of Pedigree in the Rose and Crown. Not a fantastic day by any means but good to get out nonetheless.