Different perspective on Rutland Water

Saturday 4 March

Whilst I was out in the storm and tempest at the faro just west of Fuengirola, my pal Chris Bell from Worksop back in the UK was undergoing the hazardous, and what must have seemed never-ending, journey by train to Rutland Water via nearby Oakham railway station.  Must be great if you are also a train fan!  It just goes to show what the dedicated birder will do to keep up an active participation in his birding interest.  From the following report from Chris it looks as if, whilst he may have avoided the rain, there was no way he could avoid all the muddy mess left by the rain of the previous many days.  For my part, when back at my Stamford home and visiting the local patch at Rutland Water, I tend to concentrate on Lagoons 3 and 4 centred on the Hides Sandpiper and Shoveler as this is where one would normally find most of the ducks.   This also gives me the opportunity to call in at the Northern Arm on the way home where one is more likely to pick up either/both Black-necked  and Slavonian Grebe.  If I do venture towards the south, then I probably only call in at the Mallard Hide where there is always the chance of Snipe and maybe a Meadow Pipit in addition to looking back towards Lagoon 1 and its many birds.  Chris obviously saw many more species than recorded and, like ,me, was probably inundated with Cormorants, Coots and Moorhens to name but a few.

To help readers get a better perspective of the walk taken by Chris I have provided a map of Rutland Water as emailed over by the visitor.



Visit to Rutland Water: Saturday 4 March

In checking the likely weather for Saturday’s birding, that for my usual rendezvous didn’t look at all promising, but that for Rutland Water seemed better.  The actual weather seemed to be different from that forecast, but that included it being even better than forecast for Rutland Water (RW).

The journey from Worksop to RW by public transport is “interesting”, with train changes at Nottingham and Leicester but you can bird watch on the way, with the best being a pair of close Red Kites just out of Melton and a closely viewed Buzzard near Attenborough, but of course lots more.
Having arrived and purchased my “permit” and “watered the horse” at RW by 10:30, I set off south along the muddy paths (it had, had, a jolly good rain on Friday almost all over the UK ).  The Tree Sparrow garden screen revealed no more than Blackbird, Chaffinch, and Robin, and more interesting were the noisy Jackdaws in an adjacent tree.

My next visit was Mallard Hide (my first ever visit there) that overlooks Lagoon 1.  Lots of ducks with the majority being Widgeon, many Lapwing and Coot, a Little Egret dropped in and a single Oystercatcher proved interesting.  As my intentions were to view over the South Arm I soon moved on, calling in next at Snipe Hide which overlooks the Wet Meadow.  A couple of Oystercatchers greeted me and in addition to the Shoveller, Mallard, Widgeon, a single male Pochard and few Shelduck, I soon picked up on my first of more than a dozen Curlew that I was to see during the day. To the west I picked up on an Egret being harassed by a Crow and, sure enough, it was interesting as I soon was able to confirm it as a Great White Egret as it descended on the water to the side of the nearby Harrier Hide and stayed about 5 minutes.

Shelduck Tadorna tadorna at Rutland Water

Leaving the hide the wind continued to be almost still and the position of the sun in the sky could be detected, so with the paths becoming wetter and muddier, I was soon starting to feel over-dressed.  On my way to Harrier Hide (for a first ever visit) I thought I heard a Willow Tit but failed to find it and as Great Tit with their varied calls were about,  I limited my search time but, as some sort of compromise reward, had a Green Woodpecker in the woods up on at Lax Hill.  Harrier Hide provided my first real views, be them limited, over the South Arm, so I realised I would have to make my way further south to the next hide, Fieldfare.  Plenty of Great Crested Grebe out on the water and as some sort of measure, maybe 10 in a bin's view at one time.  Scoping a Reed Bunting (I live in hope of a species upgrade), I picked up on a female Stonechat which is always nice.  There were a dozen or so Goosander on view, and later I was going to another saw-bill species.

Goosander Mergus merganser at Rutland Water

It was squelchy making my way to Fieldfare Hide (another first), almost dangerous at times, but for sure it provided excellent views over the South Arm, but unfortunately nothing to see that I hoped for. Yes, there were plenty of Goldeneye and if I was so inclined I could have counted them, but would instead say that I would not be surprised if there was over 100 distributed over the massive expanse of water.  At least the Coot and Tufted Duck were mainly in rafts as were the Great Crested Grebe. A few Little Grebe about but I was not able to find any rarer members of the family.  A Great-blacked Backed Gull scoped on one of the distant sailing buoys was nice.

As it was now after noon I had my picnic lunch in the hide, and kidded myself that my Melton Mowbray pork pie, bought in Worksop, was better for being nearer its place of manufacture.  I then made my way back to the Visitors Centre and, having managed to fight the complicated coffee machine there, well tricky for cappuccino at least, ensconced myself “up in the gods” viewing over Lagoon 1 whilst consuming my drink.

New species for the day found were up to 20 Dunlin and Red-crested Pochard, and I also found 8 Curlew. 

Red-crested Pochards Netta rufina

Afterwards I made the long trek to Lapwing Hide at the north end of the South Arm, picking up on 2 Egyptian Geese in a flooded field alongside the track and a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the trees to the east of the path.  (One day, just maybe, I will have all 3 species of UK woodpecker on the same day!).  After a walk that seemed to go on forever, I arrived at Lapwing Hide, where despite a lot of scanning found nothing new, but noted that for the first time in the day, that the wind had started to pick up.

Making my way towards more familiar birding area to me, Lagoon 4, I called in one of the hides and picked up on a handful of Common Pochard.  Towards Shoveller Hide (just how many hides are there at RW?) I could hear ahead of me an (over-wintering) Chiffchaff ,and was able to get nice views (only my second observation of the species of the year).

Male Common Pochard Aythya ferina

On returning to the main path, I pointed out the Chiffchaff to 3 birders (well perhaps one birder and his wife and mother-in-law) and he was able to view (and hear) it, his first of the year, and we also found a very active male Stonechat that showed well.

Male Stonechat Saxicola torquatus

So to Plover Hide and a change of luck, my first male Smew for some years, and wasn’t he perhaps lucky as he had 5 (five) females in tow.  Four Ringed Plover were also on show with two of them on the island immediately in front of the hide but being moved on by an aggressive Black-headed Gull. I then visited the other two hides (Sandpiper and Dunlin) viewing onto Lagoon 4 .  From Sandpiper Hide I found a Black-tailed Godwit in the vegetation at the east end of the lagoon whilst checking out that the Curlew there wasn’t the reported over-wintering Whimbrel.  The only other day tick was a Common Buzzard.  Dunlin Hide provided good views of 2 further female Smew (or were they some of those that I had seen earlier?).

As I could now occasionally feel a few spots of rain in the air, and the temperature had started to drop, a timely time to departure seemed appropriate  to my nearly 6 hour visit to Rutland Water, with nothing added to my year list which currently stands at 125, but a jolly enjoyable visit  for all that.
(I naughtily exited via the “no entry” path that runs south of Lagoon 4,and was in the centre of  Oakham in 40 minutes.)

I think that there are 28 hides on the Egleton side of Rutland Water and there are some that I still have not visited.

Chris Bell

Thanks for sending me this report to remind me of all the awful weather I am missing back in Lincolnshire!  All the photographs were taken by myself and, as can be seen, many at Rutand Water itself.

Birds recorded above:
Egyptian Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Mallard, Shoveler, Goosander, Goldeneye, Smew, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Buzzard, Coot, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Black-headed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Green Woodpecker. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Robin, Stonechat, Blackbird, Chiffchaff, Jackdaw, Reed Bunting.

Check out the accompanying website at http://www.birdingaxarquia.weebly.com for the latest sightings, photographs and additional information.