Rutland Water bird sightings

During our recent trip to Rutland Water we enjoyed some decent bird sightings, a frequent feathered face being these Warblers (a garden Warbler we think), the majority nesting amongst bramble thickets, busily collecting food for their dependants.


During our visit we stayed in a wonderful self contained luxury cottage in Oakham run by Isobel and David called Ashgate Annexe. If anybody is considering a visit to Rutland I'd recommend you stay here, Isobel and David are so hospitable, and the accommodation is incredibly cosy, clean, comfortable, quiet and very good value, its like a home from home, (well in our case an unusually tidy home from home).

At the Lyndon Visitors Centre we watched the live streaming from the Osprey nest, the first chick hatched in the early hours of Sunday morning. The latest update is that the three chicks have hatched, and you can watch live streaming of the nest on the Rutland Ospreys website. In this pic the female is on the nest to the right and the male is perched on the leftmost branch of the upturned tree.

From one of the South Shore hides we watched this territorial Shelduck take on a few of the locals.

On Sunday evening we heard our first Cuckoo of the year, yay! Friday evening brought both Barn Owl and Tawny Owl sightings. On the water were Great Crested Grebe, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Gadwall, Oystercatcher, Mute Swan, Lapwing, Sand Martin and Swallow, Ringed Plover with chicks, Common Terns, Coots, Moor Hen, Canada Geese, Pink Footed Geese, a Barnacle Goose . From the Lyndon Visitor Centre on the South Shore we watched a pair of Kestrel take turns on the nest, a female pheasant safely escort her nine chicks to and from the feeder, Yellowhammer, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Starling chicks.

There are over 100 Egyptian Geese around the reserve, and apparently they're more aggresive than the Shelduck, a volunteer told us that he had to evict an Egyptian Goose after taking up residence in the Kestrel box located near the visitors centre, also that they cover the Osprey nest platforms prior to their return in order to deter the EG from setting up home. The Egyptian Geese on the reserve are descendants of escapees kept at Holkham Hall in Norfolk.

Druridge Bay and Creswell

On our way down the Northumberland coast we stopped off at a few lovely spots, calling in at Druridge Bay. Yet again the butterflies didn't disappoint. We spotted 4 Small Skippers Thymelicus sylvestris, a widespread butterfly, I think its a female as it lacks the male's distinctive black wing mark.
Amonst the dunes an abundance of Cinnabar moth caterpillars, the larval foodplant is Ragwort and caterpillars fed communally on their foodplant. I spotted a few Cinnabar on my last visit to Druridge Bay.

The larvae need long grasses on which to pupate and produce a papery yellow cocoon.

On the walk to the hide at Druridge Pools. I was delighted to come across my first Fritillary.

I have to admit that I was struggling to identify it until I came across this view of the underwings which I think is Dark Green Fritillary Argynnis aglaja.


Two Green Veined White, I was pleased to capture this one, note how the one on the right has its abdomen raised. A defence mechanism or mating behaviour?

A slug chomps its way through a small cap & stem fungi.

At the end of our wander we spotted this albino rabbit in the dunes. At first we wondered how it managed to survive as it stood out like a sore thumb but maybe it is camouflaged in the sandy dunes. We saw a similar coloured rabbit in the vicinity a couple of months previous.


Down the road at Creswell, Lapwing, Mallards, a pair of Shelduck with two young, Redshank, Curlew, Grey Heron. As a small aircraft flew overhead 40 odd Lapwing took to the sky.

Seaton Common, Hartlepool, Cowpen Bewley - Teeside

A trip to Seaton Common on Friday, Curlews, Wigeons, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Lapwing. Walked to Blue Lagoon, waterside we spotted Red Breasted Merganser & Oystercatchers. In the estuary Grey Seals hauled out on the banks & Red Breasted Mergansers battled the breeze on the middle of the river. Inland, in front of the Power Station, Shelduck, Canada Goose & Oystercatchers huddled round a puddle and Skylark provided the soundtrack to the afternoon. On the way back through the dunes spotted my first buttlerfly of the year, Small Tortoiseshell. Returned on Saturday, saw more Curlews, Wigeon, Lapwing, Teal & a Reed Bunting in its natural habitat. Skylark still rolling out the tunes. Knackered, time for a rest!

Visit Teeside Bird Club for more info on the area

Seaton Common

Shelduck, followed by a longshot of the same Shelduck accompanied by Canada Geese and Oystercatcher.
Small Tortoiseshell

Red Breasted Mergansers in the estuary

Wigeon on the Common, perform their best Hilda Ogden mural formation.

One of many Curlew

Lapwing, they maybe a relatively common bird, but I realise that I've underestimated just how colourfully varied their plumage is, what a nice surprise.

A flock of Wigeon with the Ghost Ships in the background
Three Little Egret on the Common, followed by a close up of two of the three birds (in case there's any doubt that 3 white carrier bags were masquerading as Little Egret).Reed Bunting in its natural habitat

Later we walked along Hartlepool Headland. On the way, along the Tees Road we caught a glimpse of a Merlin. At the headland by the tide edge were Oystercatchers, Redshanks, Turnstones and Sandpipers (purple we think).

Get off moy land!

A Little Egret, snapped by Maureen, near Greatham Creek

Sunday, first visit to Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park. Lazily, from the car we spotted the usual suspects Finches, Tits, Robin, Blackbirds plus a Yellowhammer and a Reed Bunting. Later on, at Seaton Common 3 Little Egrets. Saltholme Pools, Tufted Duck, Canada Geese, Pink Footed Geese. To cap it off, on the way back to Leeds, on the Ring Road we were welcomed home by a Roe Deer.

Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park
Oliver Reed Bunting (grrrrrr)

Teeside weekend

During a trip to Teeside we popped into the newly opened RSPB centre at Saltholme, great views from the cafe overlooking the water, while there we spotted 2 Little Egrets on the banks. Then onto Greatham Creek to visit the seals. Luckily the tide was out & there were approx 15 Harbour/Common Seals at rest on the riverbank. Loads of waders were feeding on the mudflats most of which we couldn't ID, although we did spot Lapwings which flew overhead, Curlew, a couple of flocks of Wigeons and another Little Egret in a nearby pond.

Read more about:
INCA Tees Seal Research Programme (pdf)
RSPB Saltholme

Seals resting on the banks, Transporter Bridge in the background

Wigeons, seals and unidentified waders

A lone Shelduck busily feeding, followed by a pic of the same Shelduck in situ.
Lapwing on the banks, & airborne further upstream before they flew overhead.
Waders, possibly Curlew