Good Friday with Rutland Water's Ospreys

33 & Maya on the Manton Bay nest

Goldeneye

Wigeon flock

Mediterranean Gull

Osprey Centre

Lunch stop

Normanton Church

Distant Osprey Shot

Four days off for Easter started with a trip to Rutland Water. We hadn't been for a couple of years so we thought we would see as much of it again as possible. Thick fog greeted us on arrival so we decided to walk south along the dam and then to the stunning Normanton Church. The foggy background set an atmospheric church built between 1826 & 1829. With the fog easing we saw our first Red Kite hunting above the lambs, singing Skylarks whilst a number of the Great Crested Grebes & Tufties came into view.

We then headed to the North Arm where the first bird to stand out was a Mediterranean Gull that was calling loudly. This particular Gull had been seen on the main reserve and was actually ringed in Poland. There were still excellent numbers of Wigeon along side Gadwall, Goldeneye, Common Gull, Little Egret and Great Crested Grebes.

We then headed down the peninsula to where I saw the Cory's Shearwater last year. This little spot came up trumps as a thorough scan found 5 Scaup in the bay (year tick). From here we headed into Oakham where we enjoyed a fantastic lunch at Otters Smokehouse and Deli. The reviews met all our expectations. 

The main reserve was a little disappointed to be honest, 17 Sand Martin were busy over Lagoon 4 and there were three Chiffchaffs in full song. Other sightings included 6 Oystercatchers, Shelduck, Shoveler & other wildfowl. 

As we left it rained very heavily but thankfully it passed over when we reached the Lyndon Reserve that sits on the south side of Manton Bay. The feeders were very busy with Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Chaffinch & Tree Sparrow (bonus year tick). 

The walk to the Osprey viewpoint took around 15 minutes which was an upgraded hide since our last visit. They also plan to upgrade another of the hides to a double tiered hide with no vibration. We are really pleased that both of the birds, Maya and 33, were on the nest or in close vicinity. Whilst we were there both birds took turns to incubate the egg laid two days previous. The male bird did a super circuit before returning to the nest. (Second egg laid 31/3). The volunteers reported at least 7 Ospreys have returned to date and they expect a total of around 30. A scan from the same point found four Egyptian Geese were on the bank, 2 Great Northern Divers & a winter plumage Slavonian Grebe. 

The rain started again as we return to the visitor centre making the drive home difficult but we were grateful of another top day in Rutland.

Slavonian Grebe on Arrow Valley Lake (Redditch)

Arrow Valley Lake produced a real gem last week when Mark Islip found a winter plumage Slavonian Grebe. Frustrating I was at work when I received the message so wasn't able to get there. Mark caught sight of the Grebe through the reed bed on his bike. A great find that attracted many local birders to Arrow Valley which rarely attracts a variety. I did manage to get down to the lake after work but the Grebe was sleeping most of the time. Pit photographer Mark Clarke kindly sent a couple of images from his visit earlier in the day. The Little Egret was captured by the weir car park.

Sea Duck galore - Day 4

Kittiwakes 

Possible Baltic Gull

Surf Scoter

Surf Scoter among Velvets/Common flock

Slavonian Grebes

Part of Eider flock

Purple Sandpiper and Knot

Purple Sandpiper & Turnstone

Another fantastic café stop

Sea watching out on to the bay

At the close of the previous day I'd had a quick check on Rare Bird Alert to see if anything else was reported locally and I almost fell off my chair when I saw a King Eider and Surf Scoter had been spotted ! Alan, as always, was already planning the journey so I didn’t need any second alarm call to get me up and ready the following morning.

Sea watching can be a lot of fun but you do need to expect to get wet and only have distant views. However neither of these two applied to this Highland experience. As soon as we arrived in Burghead we were treated to some fantastic views of Long-tailed Duck, Eiders and Scoter. There was also a huge flock of Kittiwakes with a possible candidate for a Baltic Gull. A flock of Knot also swooped through and landed on the beach.  To be able to watch a flock of mainly male Long-tailed Ducks fly past in off the sea was brilliant.

We couldn’t locate either of our target birds so we drove a couple of miles to a sheltered woodland spot which looked straight on to the calm water of the bay allowing simply amazing views of the various sea ducks. This spot allowed us to look at these sea ducks in detail I’d not seen before and we quickly picked up a flock of Velvet and Common Scoters. On the edge of the group was a fantastic looking Surf Scoter ! Get in ! Just brilliant to see one of these birds but to see it so clearly was a very special treat. Alan said in all his years birding he had never seen one so close. Peter then located the Immature King Eider on the other side of the flock. Being an immature bird he wasn’t as eye-catching as you would expect looking at the Collins guide but a great bird to see all the same. Numerous Slavonian Grebes were on view allowing once again lifetime best views.

After a superb session we headed back into Burghead to watch from the other side of the harbour. As soon as we were off the mini-bus we found a Purple Sandpiper, 2 Knot and numerous Turnstones. Off shore hundreds of Gannets passed by with a Pomarine Skua.

Needless to say it was then another superb lunch stop in another of Ruth’s hidden gem cafes. A top class morning.

Four seasons in Devon

Wind battered Dawlish Warren

 Slavonian Grebe

 Shags enjoys rare sunshine

 

 Great Northern Diver

 Turnstone

 Teign Estuary

 Maidencombe

 Berry Head

Brixham Harbour

A family break to Devon was the next destination for my blog.  The hotel sat on the mouth of the Teign estuary so a late Sunday afternoon walk was rewarded with a wintering Green Sandpiper, 4 Avocet, Curlews, Oystercatchers, Little Egrets and Shelduck.

Sadly the rain arrived on Monday morning as forecast which made the couple of hours at Dawlish Warren very restricted due to it blowing an absolute howlie with driving rain just to increase the displeasure. Despite wearing water proofs I was soaked to the skin within an hour !  Despite the conditions I noted 20 Red-throated Divers, 3 Great Northern Divers, 40 Kittiwakes, 6 Fulmars and 3 Great Crested Grebe. 4 Great Black-backed Gulls. I had hoped to bag a few extra target species but the weather ended those hopes.

After picking the family up we headed down the coast and stopped at Maidencombe. A Shag fed by the rocks off shore at this secluded beach. More divers and Great Crested Grebe were viewable through the scope however the real find was 3 Velvet Scoter. I watched them closely however it was difficult in the increasing wind. Needless to say I bounced up the steep steps with joy as I'd never seen this duck before.  This was the only birding possible for the day as the weather closed in completely but I did have a scan around Torquay Harbour where a Slavonian Grebe was taking refuge.

Thankfully the the following morning was more like spring and a short drive to Broadsands was rewarded with Cirl Bunting and an off shore Great Northern Diver. A lovely place but it did seem to be the dog walking capital of Devon some what ruining the impression of a beautiful place.

Next destination was Berry Head, a stunning area of natural beauty. There were a large number of Shags and Guillimots on the Brixham side of the head whilst Fulmars and Raven soared off the cliffs. We then headed down to the harbour where a Slavonian Grebe was swimming alongside more Shags and many Great Northern Divers giving great views.  A walk along the sea wall found more Divers and 20 Purple Sandpipers roosting. A delightful find and probably taken for granted by the local birders. A Turnstone appeared at my feet and was clearly comfortable with the interest before heading for the car (us not the Turnstone!).

It was interesting to note on the BTO email this week that there was a large increase in reported divers. Clearly the stormy weather has forced to Divers to feed much closer to shore allowing great viewing.

Year List moved to 161 on UK400 spreadsheet and 160 on Birdtrack.

Biggest Twitch day out in North Wales

 Sunrise at RSPB Conwy

Conwy Valley

Greenshank

 Goldeneye

 Wader Fest

Tre Felin

 Glaucous Gull

 Alan and Ruth scanning on Beddmanarch Bay

 Gulls on Beddmanarch Bay

RSPB Conwy was the meeting place with Alan and Ruth Miller from famous Biggest Twitch. A big day was certainly on the agenda with these world birding record breakers. We were also joined by a lovely local birder called Jane. As we packed up the cars a Buzzard flew low over the car park hounded by a Herring Gull.

The beautiful Conwy Valley was our first destination where 5 Hawfinches greeted our arrival. The site was very picturesque and looked over a river and water meadows. A Red Kite and a Peregrine gave us a fly pass whilst Canadian Geese moved through the valley.

It was back to Conwy for an aerial view of the RSPB reserve from a sneaky car parking. This cheeky spot enabled us to see Scaup, Goldeneye, Pochard and Tufted Duck. 

Sea watching at Llanfairfechan was next on the agenda. Alan quickly put us on a Red-throated Diver and then a close Great Northern Diver. It was a real treat to see Divers on the sea rather than the lakes that I'm used to. In addition a Kittiwake flew across the sea and there were a number of Great Crested Grebes.

Next habitat was another coastal gem of a place named Aber Gowen. There were birds every where. A Greenshank was ridiculously close in front of our parking pitch whilst waders fed along the shore line. These included Redshank, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Bar-Tailed Godwits the variation was stunning. Off shore I saw my first Slavorian Grebe which I was delighted with. Alan then pulled out another gem by finding a Spotted Redshank, never an easy bird to see in and around my Midlands base. Ruth kindly made us all a welcome hot drink and we treated ourselves to some fantastic cake made by Jane. If Jane were to start a bakery mail order business I will be ordering in bulk ! 

Recharged and ready to go we spotted (on a local river) a Dipper in action. Brilliant views once again. Two Jays were also seen in the trees.

Beddmanarch Bay was just brilliant, quality birds all over the place. I'd never seen Pale Bellied Brent Geese before and there were around 100 showing very well. The light wasn't great around this time so photos were difficult to obtain. 2 Grey Plover, Bar Tailed Godwits, Curlew, Oystercatcher were all on display before we headed off to our next destination. As we were coming to the end of the Causeway a large white blob was clear to see on the shore line. Alan parked quickly sensing a mega gull. He was not disappointed it was in fact a large bulky Glaucous Gull. This chap was a beast and looked ready for a wrestling match he was that big.

It was then time for lunch at RSPB South Stack. As we filled our faces Chough, Raven and 5 Rock Pipets were visible. 5 Rock Pipets ! I'd only ever seen one before. 

Hollyhead Harbour held the next set of beauties for us. From a great viewing spot we observed Shags, Black Guillemots, 2 Great Northern Diver, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, Kittiwakes, Common Gull, Turnstone and Red-Breasted Mergansers. 

As we turned for home we watched a female Long Tailed Duck at RSPB Valley Lakes Nature Reserve accompanied with Goldeneye, Shoveller, Pochard as if we hadn't had enough treats. I do love Long Tailed Ducks. 

At Aberffraw, Sparrowhawk, Fieldfare, Redwing and Common Snipe were all added to an impressive day list  which was increased further at Malltraeth where Golden Plover were on the estuary. 30 Pintail gave us a final encore on the Cob Pool.

The 2 3/4 hour drive back in the dark and the rain wasn't the best however the day had been just fantastic. I'd urge anyone to look Ruth and Alan up if you are heading to that part of the world and I will be definitely seeing them again. A fantastic Christmas present from the wife.

91 Species on the day list and 22 for the Year list which has moved nicely to 132. (131 on Bird Track, need to find missing one)