Kev @kev07713 had friends coming over on Saturday night, and I had plans to go out to a nearby village to watch a tribute band. Since we were committed to staying local, it meant we couldn’t venture too far from home. Meanwhile, a lot of birders were heading up to East Yorkshire, flocking to the likes of RSPB Bempton Cliffs and Spurn. The draw for many was the chance to see some rare species, including a pale-legged leaf warbler and an Arctic warbler, which had been recently reported in the area. Kev's sister Karen @hobbylovinglife and her partner Dean @worlebirder were among them, as were Nick @old_caley and Anne Truby.
After a brief discussion, we decided to head over to Houghton Regis as Kev hadn’t yet seen a red-backed shrike this year. The location also put us in a good spot to travel quickly if any rare bird sightings were reported in nearby areas around Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, or Buckinghamshire. As usual, we stopped for breakfast and then pulled into the same parking spot I’d used the previous weekend. There were no other cars this time - there were three or four spaces - likely because many birders had already come to see the shrike, which had now been around for a week.
Arriving at the same spot I’d viewed from last week, we found a handful of birders standing further into the field, rather than next to the footpath. We joined them and learned that the shrike had been sunning itself along the far hedgerow when a sparrowhawk had suddenly flown through. There was some concern that the sprawk might have taken the shrike, which would have been incredibly unlucky. We began scanning the area, picking out stonechats, goldfinches, reed buntings, and a few other species. About 15 minutes later, I spotted movement at the far end of the hedge, over 200 metres away, and was able to identify our bird.
One of the other birders had a serious setup - an 800mm lens with a 1.4x teleconverter - and he quickly confirmed the sighting. Kev soon had it in view through the scope, and we were relieved to see the shrike had escaped the sparrowhawk’s earlier attack. A couple of birders then moved back onto the footpath and followed it along, parallel to the hedge, trying to get closer to the bird. Another 10 to 15 minutes passed before I relocated the shrike, this time back in the spot where it had been sunning itself earlier.
Not long after, a sparrowhawk - likely the same one - glided in from the left and perched in a nearby tree. The shrike remained in its spot, seemingly undisturbed. Moments later, the sparrowhawk swooped down and flew low along the hedge, passing right by the area where the shrike was perched. The shrike quickly darted into the brambles and out of sight, once again managing to avoid the sparrowhawk’s attention. The hawk continued a little further, landing in a tree about 20 metres beyond the shrike, partially hidden but still visible.
The shrike remained out of sight, so we checked our phones for updates from Birdguides to see if anything interesting was being reported nearby. What caught our attention was news of a Leach's petrel spotted at Rutland Water, likely grounded by the overnight rain. I had seen one of these back in October 2021 at Pitsford Reservoir, another large inland waterbody (report and photos here) - this species had so far evaded Kev (I think he was washing his hair when the Pitsford bird was on offer).
We agreed that getting a closer view of the shrike was unlikely anytime soon, so we decided to hop in the car and head for Rutland Water, around the Barnsdale area. As we approached the turnoff from the main road, just minutes from the site, a Birdguides update came through reporting that the Leach's petrel had stayed until 10:15 before flying strongly west. The update was posted 45 minutes after the bird's departure - we were already halfway there when it left.
On arrival, we met a few birders heading back up the slope to the parking area. They confirmed the petrel was no longer visible, although they hadn’t yet seen the Birdguides update. We made our way down to the water’s edge, scanning the area. Along the far bank, we spotted about a dozen great white egrets, but no sign of the petrel. We held out hope that it might still be lingering, but as time went on, it became clear it had moved on. A raven briefly called from behind us, and soon after, a few buzzards and a couple of red kites soared overhead.
There were lots of little grebes, a group of at least 15 off to our right, and others scattered around. While it was pleasant here, we decided that it would be good to make our way back home but stop at Eyebrook Reservoir where a black tern was reported. We stopped at our usual pull in and began our vigil, searching for a view of our tern. Little egrets, grey herons and various wildfowl kept us entertained.
Suddenly Kev called a tern heading up the reservoir - it circled behind bushes blocking our view but eventually hugged the far shore before rising high into the sky. It eventually turned and now barely visible due to the height, flew back down the reservoir. It was an Arctic tern rather than our black.
We waited to see if we might be able to see the black tern, which we did, but it refused to make it as far down the reservoir as the Arctic had. Out in front we scanned through the ducks, geese, and other wildfowl and picked out three pintails. In autumn, pintails begin their return migration to the UK after spending the summer breeding in northern regions, including Scandinavia, Russia, and Iceland. The UK serves as an important wintering ground for pintails, with large flocks arriving between late September and November. Their numbers peak during the colder months, particularly in areas like the Wash, the Severn Estuary, and the Solway Firth. These habitats provide the shallow waters and abundant food sources - such as aquatic plants, seeds, and invertebrates - that pintails rely on to sustain them through the winter.
We decided to relocate to the opposite bank and further down to where the black tern appeared to be turning back towards the dam. The light from here made the water appear milky and sun hid behind the clouds. We could see both tern species by the dam and although it approached, it turned away before ever getting close. Despite our waiting, it never got close and I only managed record shots. We had good views though through bins and scope.
Eventually, we had to pull stumps, as we both had evening plans and needed to head home. It had been a bit of an unusual day, but you can’t complain when it includes sightings of a red-backed shrike, along with both Arctic and black terns.
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