A Great Northern Diver turned up on the rowing lake at Thorpe Meadows on Friday (17th) and stayed all weekend despite rowing activities going on. When I was there on a bright and sunny Monday morning, the photographers were out in force. The bird was just cruising around amongst the Swans, Canada Geese and Mallards, not apparently taking much notice of its audience! I didn't see it dive at all, but other bird watchers tell me it has been diving and fishing successfully.
Elsewhere, on the main part of Ferry Meadows Country Park, a Great White Egret has been reported for the last week or two. Heron Meadows are flood meadows beside the River Nene which currently have extensive area of shallow water. The GWE was there together with 2 Littel Egrets and a Grey Heron. Lots of wildfowl included Greylags, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon and Shoveler and there were lots of Snipe. I counted about a dozen in view, but there were undoubredly many more amongst the tussocks of rushes.
Friday was rather a nice day with clear skies, much sunshine and a moderate breeze. It got to about 11C in the middle of the day, but was only 4-5C when I left about 16:45 - the clear sky causing it to cool rapidly. Water levels are high and there is extensive shallow water on the fields which were packed with wildfowl and waders.
A very good day for birds of prey! When I arrived, there was a male Sparrowhawk sitting in the hedge not far from the back of the car park and it just sat there, apparently enjoying the sunshine, for some time. A Peregrine was also sitting on the gate in the middle of the fields with flocks of Wigeon grazing in front of it. Later on, there was a Merlin perched on a post in the saltmarsh. Towards dusk, I went to the 'raptor watchpoint' on the seawall near the western end of the reserve looking for harriers and owls. Lots of Marsh Harrier activity and, at one point I counted 9 in view. A nicely marked male came along the top of the marsh and put up a group of 6 Greenshank from one of the pools - the only ones I saw all day. A ring-tailed Hen Harrier also came very close, coming virtually over my head. I also saw Kestrel and Buzzard during the day, but no owls.
As expected, large numbers of Brent Geese are now present. There was a sizeable flock feeding along the banks of the Witham just east of the reserve and many were coming in to drink and bathe. There was also a flock of Pink-feet on farmland just west of the reserve, estimated around 1,000, which came in briefly to the wet fields late in the morning, but then disappeared west again, although I could hear them in the distance from time to time. The ducks were dominated by Wigeon, with good numbers of Teal, Shoveller, Gadwall and Pintail. Tufties, Pochard and 4 Goldeneye (1m, 3f) on the main pool and a Long-tailed Duck (which, it seems, was first reported on 16th Oct) was on the pools between the 360 Hide and the road. There were 2-4 Whooper Swans all day on the main pond in front of the visitor centre, but 2 more skeins cam in at dusk of around 30 and 15, including some family parties with cygnets. No Mute Swans (or Coot!) today.
It was low tide around midday and high tide wasn't until after dark, so waders were not numerous - except Lapwing and a large flock of Golden Plover. Dunlin, Ruff, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit and Snipe were around in small numbers and, at dusk from the watchpoint, there were some flocks of Knot swirling in the distance.
4 Cattle Egrets dropped in briefly on one of the islands in the main pool about 11am, but they quickly left - fling east. No Spoonbills today - although they were reported in recent days. Probably coming in off the Wash to roost at high tide.
Passerines included a large flock of finches around the car park and the visitor centre. Mainly Greenfich and Goldfinch but some Chaffinch. Apparently, there has been at least one Brambling with them, but not today as far as I saw. There was a Stonechat along the fence towards the East Hide and a small flock of winter thrushes (around 30-40) along the hedges on the western edge - mainly Fieldfare, but a few Redwing and Balckbirds with them.
All in all a very good day with 63 species in total, plus a couple of Brown Hares on the wet fields.
Transport: 63.8 miles, 15kWh, about 50% PV. We are getting to the time of year (roughly Nov - mid Feb) when our solar panels do not generate enough to keep the car fully charged. We get our elecricity from Octopus who have a tariff for EV owners with a cheap rate between 00:30 and 04:30. So I scheduled a couple of hours of charging (at 7kW) starting 00:30 since it is likley to be almost all wind generated at this time. According to electricity info, the carbon intensity was aroun 125-130 g C02/kWh.
A Black-necked Grebe has been reported on the North Arm of Rutland Water (near Burley Fishponds) since about late September this Autumn. This is the first time I have been to look. Otherwise there were lots of Great White Egretes (I counted 9 in view at once by just scanning round) and a good haul of waders (6 Curlew, 6 Redshank, 3 Dunlin, 1 Green Sandpiper, Lapwing, Golden Plover). Although there were a lot of dabbling ducks, especially Wigeon and Teal, rather few diving ducks - only small numbers of Tufted Duck and less than a dozen Goldeneye.
I also visited Eyebrook Reservoir as part of the same trip - where a Red-throated Diver has been present for over a week. It was just off the dam and therefore rather distant. Also a single Cattle Egret on the shore of the reservoir near the Stoke Dry car park. Lots of dabbling ducks including at least a dozen Pintail and large numbers of Tufty and Pochard (plus a single female Red-crested Pochard), but again hardly any Goldeneye - a saw just 1 female. Eyebrook is particular noted for Smew, but I haven't seen any reports yet this Autumn, and it is probably a bit too early yet. Good numbers were present last Winter (I saw up to 9, including 7 drakes).
When I got there around 14:00, the bird was on the East Pit at Deeping Lakes and was busy preening. After about half an hour it went back to feeding on the banks of the River Welland adjacent to the reserve.
The Bittern had been reported showing again in front of the reedbeds at the back of the East Pit, but wasn't there whilst I was around. Lots of Wigeon, Shoveler and Gadwall today, also a number of Snipe feeding amongst the flooded vegetation. Always difficult to know how mant there are. You see perhaps 3-4 and then something like a Marsh Harrier comes over and 12-15 go up! A Kingfisher was around the East Pit again - perching in the edges of the reedbeds. Always nice to see.
2 Red-crested Pochard again on The Lake. These both seem to be males. I is in immaculate plumage, the other is much scruffier and is either a juvenile or is still partially in eclipse.
Bird watching from Eldernell car park on the Nene Washes on the afternoon of 21/10/2023. Quite overcast a moderate breeze and, after a rather wet day yesterday, with some large puddles in the fields.
14 Cranes in fields a bit east of The Decoy. These included a family party with a juvenile and a bigger group of 6 which flew in about 15:45 and flew off west when disturned by a farmer getting in his cows.
Plenty of bird of prey activity with 3-4 Marsh Harrier, 2 Buzzards, 3 Kites and 4-5 Kestrels. The only owl I saw was the Tawny Owl in its usual tree hole in Lord's Holt.
Not many wildfowl about: small numbers of Mallard and Shoveller flying about, plus 1 skein of Canada Geese and a couple of skeins of Greylags. Lots of Shoveller and Wigeon, a few Gadwall and a handful of Tufty and Pochard on Eldernell Pit. At one point a large and rather distant flock of Lapwing, Golden Plover and Starling were put up by a female Marsh Harrier.
Cetti's Warbler singing. 3 Roe Deer on the banks of the Nene.
Glosssy Ibis on the banks of the River Welland just east of Crowland on 18/10/2023. This bird was first reported yesterday and roosted behind Deeping Lakes last night. It apparently left the roost at 07:45 this morning and flew eastwards along the Welland. When I was there at around 11:00, a fair number of Peterborough's local birders were lined up along the roadside!
A Pectoral Sandpiper with a Ruff at Recory Pit, Etton - one of the Maxey-Eton complex of gravel pits. According to postings on the local WhatsApp group, this bird arrived around 12:30 and left at 15:52 when it flew off high to the WSW. I got there about 13:30. Whilst I was there, a couple of workmen were doing something to the pipes to the pump in one corner of the pit and the two birds moved to the far end of the pit, but didn't seem to be bothered otherwise. There were no other birds at all on this quite small pit which has lots of small, gravel islands.
