Well ... What a super day! 9 of us (including Bev's brother Steve) enjoyed at Rutland Water yesterday. We met up at the Lyndon visitor centre car park and after lunch went over to the main visitor centre in Egleton. Even though the weather was not that good, I'm not sure anyone really minded as we took full advantage of the hides there and the fact that the visitor centre had been refurbished in recent years was brilliant. Nev (bless him) mentioned to the volunteer when paying at Lyndon:
"How distressing it was at the minute with the coronavirus, that us oldies and members of a local bird club who have little money and couldn't even buy any toilet paper or hand sanitiser" ...
She felt so sorry for us we managed to only pay £4 each so that was a result to start with.
Anyway, please find below a list (in no particular order) of the 69 different species we found. Even the 'Birder of the Year' aka Mr John Taylor managed to spot some 🙄👍
Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Tree Sparrow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting f/m and son, Dunnock, Robin, Wren, Marsh Tit, Crow, Mute swan, Greylag goose, Canada goose, Egyptian goose, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal, Pochard, Tufted duck, Goldeneye, Goosander (f), Ruddy duck (f), Pheasant, Great Crested Grebe, Little grebe, Cormorant, Little egret, Great White egret, Grey heron, Moorhen, Coot, Golden Plover x 300, Lapwing, Snipe, Black-headed gull, Herring gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common gull, Common Scoter , Shelduck, Red Kite, Oyster Catcher, Stock dove,
Wood pigeon, Green woodpecker, Pied wagtail, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Crow, Kestrel, Curlew, Barn Owl, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Smew f/m, Red Shank, Pin Tail Duck, Black Tailed Godwit, Starling,
Peregrine (standing on the Ospreys nest), Little ringed Plover, Bullfinch f/m, Sand Martins x 3, Buzzard, Song Thrush and finally a Magpipe (as my 4 year old grandson used to say).
John and I even managed 'a lifer' with the Ruddy duck ... so all in all a very happy day, well for some of us anyway.
See you all soon coronavirus free permitting ...
Angie
