Rutland Water :: 26 August 2023

Another Friday night arrived and a discussion about where to go the following day. Again, there were few birds close enough for us to make a day visit and add to Kev's year list. We decided to therefore to make a visit to Rutland Water for the South African and ruddy shelducks - we'd never seen the former and it would be a nice day out.

We found breakfast on the way and arrived at the Rutland Water Egleton Nature Reserve about an hour before the Visitor Centre would open. The site is managed by Anglian Water in partnership with the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust and is a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). We used the time to view the birds at the feeder station and then down to Mallard Hide to view Lagoon 1.

The Visitor Centre offers fantastic views, a gift shop, an Optics shop, and some light refreshment. Most importantly for us it also distributes the day and parking permits we required. I doubled back to organise the permits and met back up with Kev. We walked along the path to Lagoon 5 where the shelducks had been reported on social media only to find that they were absent. We made do with some lovely family groups of little grebes, the parents doing a fantastic job of feeding the youngsters.

Great white and little egrets stalked on the far banks and appropriately three snipe appeared from nowhere and made a wide circuit of the Snipe Hide. We decided to make our way to Lagoon 4 where the shelducks were now being reported, but stopped on the way to watch a mixed flock of chiffchaff, various tits, a couple of blackcaps and common whitethroats.

We decided to view from Sandpiper Hide and as soon as we sat down and got the scope on the birds, Kev picked out the South African shelduck on the very far shore, by the Volunteer Training Centre. It was sleeping with its head tucked under the wing. After five minutes or so the ruddy shelduck strolled in from the left - where did it come from? It made a close pass and then returned to join its SA cousin and went to sleep.

While we waited for some more action, we watched a lovely green sandpiper on the first island opposite the hide. Another little egret passed close, and a handful of yellow wagtails skirted along an area of short scrub and low flowers. We then turned to look at the osprey nest to find than an osprey had appeared on top of the stand - it had also appeared from nowhere ... the haze was starting to cause issues with photography but I managed to get some acceptable shots.

We were now waiting for either the shelducks to wake up or the osprey to take to the wing. It would be the osprey that made the first move, but not until it made us wait for more than half an hour. It made a couple of circuits before departing from view.

We then had a wait before the shelducks decided to make a move, eventually swimming in the channel in front of them, at large distance from us. Ever so gradually they worked forwards and eventually took to the wing together, but then split with the South African dropping in a channel mid-distance from where it had been sleeping and us; the ruddy dropped out of view in a bay to our right. In 10 minutes or so the ruddy would suddenly fly by the hide but only be seen as it was past and I missed the photo, landing again out of view far to the left.

We enjoyed the views of the South African shelduck as it cruised further and further left and soon found a way to escape our line of sight. Time was getting on and so I decided to try and see if the ruddy shelduck was showing any better from Dunlin Hide - Kev waited outside and I popped into the hide to ask if the shelduck was visible - no ...

However, as I scanned with my bins it appeared from our left and climbed onto an island with a load of gulls, some common on there too. It preened a little and walked before settling down once more. I wouldn't be getting any better photos without a significant wait.

We made our way back to the car, stopping in a few of the hides we'd past by on our way out adding hobby, marsh harrier, and Egyptian goose. Without really trying we'd had a decent haul of 63 species for the site and had good views of many of the key species. We stopped at the Visitor's Centre to look in the Optics shop and to grab a sandwich, and were treated with views of a couple of ospreys perched on top of a distant dead bush out in the water - looks a man-made construction. - a very pleasant way to pass the time when eating lunch.

RSPB Frampton Marsh :: 19 August 2023

Kevin Heath was tied up this weekend and so I'd suggested to my wife that perhaps we might go birding somewhere together - she seemed happy to do so but with the usual proviso that the venue should have a cafe and toilets. Having missed the curlew sandpipers the week before, RSPB Frampton Marsh fitted the bill. The start would be later than usual, so I decided to make some breakfast before we left home to save some time.

We arrived on site and made for the 360 hide directly, finding the hide busy but still a couple of seats available. We scanned the water and started to pick out the large number of ruff feeding in the shallows, followed by the emergence of a black-winged stilt to our left. Charlotte was enthused by the stilt as it is obviously quite unusual compared with the UK's usual fare, and chatted excitedly with the chap beside her. A juvenile also ventured out of the grass and reeds on the water's edge. To be fair, it is one of the best views I’ve had of this species and we watched as they fed up and down the edge, eventually the adult disappearing round a corner.

Out in the water we could see groups of black-tailed godwits, spotted redshank and greenshank resting up. Behind them again were almost 18 spoonbills, the most I have seen together here before. Out with the first group was a single curlew sandpiper - tick! It was feeding constantly but was lost when the flocks were all flushed into the sky, and it dropped somewhere out of view.

The switch around helped us as now we had three little stints feeding on a spit off to our right - still not close but a lot closer than we'd been seeing the key species until now. After quarter of an hour in dropped one, then a second, curlew sandpiper - I was now able to show Charlotte better images through the scope which she appreciated. Always hard to get enthused if you have a restricted view, especially as a non-birder.

We made our way from here along the sea wall hoping to get a glimpse of the black stork, joining a group scanning the saltmarsh (but to no avail). The stork had been seen earlier but had disappeared from view - none of those in position had seen it yet. We eventually decided it was time for lunch.

After lunch we made a last visit to the 360 hide once more but didn't add anything new or get any closer views. We finished off with a couple of spoonbills feeding near the Visitor’s Centre, as they had been on my last visit. They are stunning specimens and striking in the sun and against the water.

It had been a great day out with Charlotte - I'd be back birding with Kev the following weekend, and perhaps off to see something of note - although curlew sandpipers are nice birds, and a year tick is a year tick.

RSPB Frampton Marsh :: 12 August 2023

Kev (@kev07713) and I were struggling to find any birds that could add to our year lists, at least within a reasonable distance - made more complicated by the fact that we were on the clock with appointments in the evening. A Twittter post caught our eye with a black stork being reported at last light over the RSPB Frampton Marsh saltmarsh - Rick Sinfield (@Rickysinfield1) had seen it to go down on the River Welland from the Raptor Viewpoint - he had been watching distant short eared owls. It was a long shot but there was nothing else on offer - in any case it is always a pleasure to visit RSPB Frampton, and at the very least I'd probably be able to tick curlew sandpipers.

We stopped for breakfast just a few miles short of the reserve and checked the bird news sites - no reports yet.

We arrived to find that the diversion to the reserve was still active but took only a short time to navigate. Once there we went out onto the reserve and set off along up the arterial footpath past the Reedbed and 360 hides. There were good numbers of birds, but I couldn't pull out a curlew sandpiper. There were reports of a wood sandpiper but none in view. There were however a couple of little stints, but these were very distant and very tricky to photograph. Spoonbills and spotted redshank rested with a couple of greenshanks. The hide was quite busy so after an hour of enjoying the views we decided to make for the sea wall as other birders were coming in and reporting a wood sandpiper from there.

We began climbing up onto the sea wall and as we turned to walk along, I spotted a large bird far to our left and along the river. My first thought was crane and it burst from my mouth. As soon as I raised my bins I called black stork - Kev swung around and was on the bird too. He tried to get on it with his scope but found the legs shortened from when we'd been sitting in the hide - he cursed his luck and eventually reverted to his bins. I snapped off a few photos as the bird worked its way along the treeline beyond the river, cursing that I hadn’t altered the settings from earlier. We were watching for only a couple of minutes before the bird circled a couple of times, dropping down out of sight towards the Hobhole Drain. We were so lucky to be in the right place at the right time - the bird would not be reported again for the next four days. A life tick for us both!

We walked along the sea wall and soon enough came across a wood sandpiper and another little stint feeding in the shallow pools. Further along, almost at the gates and seating where you drop down to the path back to the Visitor's centre, we found another little stint. This was a bit closer, and I managed to take some record shots. Yellow wagtails flew back and forth across the sea wall from the pools to the saltmarsh and families of little ringed plover fed in the shallows

It was time to make for the Centre and lunch, aiming to get back out later to spend some time at the East Hide. We had a filled roll and then a slice of cake - all very delicious - the Centre has really come on in recent years.

Back on the reserve we picked up an out-of-season whooper swan and a lone wigeon from the Reedbed Hide, before viewing numbers of ruff and a spotted redshank feeding in the muddy pools. We arrived at the East Hide and managed to squeeze in with the other birders to watch avocets, ruff, dunlin, black-tailed godwits, little ringed plover, lapwing, spoonbills and little stint feed. Occasionally the birds were flushed by an unseen adversary, with the spoonbills showing particularly well.

After about half an hour, someone called a wood sandpiper out ahead, but in the distance, presumably picked up on a scope. Fortunately. it wasn't too long before it dropped into the pool closest to us and we all had great views. A couple talked with us and shared views through Kev's scope - they were regulars from Northants and the BCN Summer Leys reserve which we know well. It was a great way to finish our day although we never did find any curlew sandpipers.

RSPB Arne :: 06 August 2023

Kev Heath (@kev07713) had the fortune of catching up with the Forster's tern earlier in the year while it was very mobile along the coast and on Brownsea Island. It had been elusive for a while, but this week had been showing very regularly off Shipstal Point at the RSPB Arne Nature Reserve. This was my opportunity while it was likely to be in one place, rather than chasing it around.

We set off and as usual stopped for breakfast on the way. Somehow this all seemed to take a while and we arrived later than we hoped, given that the bird shows best early and by late breakfast time can drop in with the gulls / sandwich terns to rest - better to see it on the wing and fishing. It was quite a walk down to the Point, and we met a few people coming the other way who confirmed that the tern had been showing, but they had been there for a while and thought the best views were past - hopefully we wouldn't have scuppered our chances.

We arrived at the specified area and could see several people scanning the water and then more, further round the corner. Talking to one of the closest birders we found out that the bird had been showing but it had gone off left and been absent for about half an hour. Oh dear. We scanned the terns in view and the gulls resting on various beaches, but our bird was not there. We'd have to wait and hope.

While we waited a chap seemed to get very interested in the area behind us and when I chatted to him he'd seen a sand lizard - I couldn't see it as it had retreated back into the scrub. I turned and watched as aa couple of terns came into view and lo and behold one was our Forster's tern - confirmed by the birders around me. I turned and saw that Kev (further back) was also on it. I started to take photos as it fed up and down the channel, doing so on and off for the next hour.

We'd been treated to a fine display and eventually the tern dropped onto a distant spit where we were able to pick it out as it preened. It then dropped in closer but still distant, associating with sandwich terns and various gulls. Wventually Kev and I spent some time looking for sand lizards.

Kev is a master at picking out bird stationary in trees or bushes, and it appears he can do the same with sand lizards. Within 5 to 10 minutes, he had found a female but unfortunately it scarpered before I could get a camera on it. Another 10 minutes later though he found another and this time we and a growing number of people watched as it worked through the grass and scrub giving some decent views. When we turned back to view the sea, we discovered that an osprey had flown down the channel - damn. We could see a distant one on a post, but the heat haze and distance prevented photos.

We backed up to go to the Visitor's centre for a spot of lunch when we spotted another remarkable creature, a red-belted sand wasp. They are specialist in heathland and sandy areas, paralyzing caterpillars and give them to their offspring to kill. They sting the caterpillar on its belly. but must be careful not to kill the caterpillar as it would start to decay before their larva has time to consume them. Once paralyzed they take them back to their burrows which are dug out of sandy soil where one egg is laid next to the caterpillars and when hatched, the larva will consume the caterpillars. It was a pleasure to watch it hunting but would have been a different story if you were the prey - ruthlessly efficient!

Before leaving we picked out a whimbrel amongst the birds in the bay - always nice to see.

After lunch we decided to see if we could locate any roosting nightjars in a spot we knew them to be resident - of course it is getting close to time for them to depart so chances were slim. We failed but did see some lovely roe deer and a pair of stonechats - surprisingly few encountered though. As we made our way back to the car, we spotted a distant osprey as it crossed from the Wareham Channel across the reserve.

Almost back at the car we stopped to look at a couple of buddleia bushes where we watched a hummingbird hawk moth, a hornet mimic, and a common darter feeding. The bush was proving popular.

It would be a couple of hours to get home so we stopped again at the Visitor's centre for a drink and were afforded great views of various tits, finches and particularly siskins, this male being quite a stunner. The end of a great day out.