ANOTHER RUTLAND VISIT, EYEBROOK AND LONGMOOR.

I decided to have a visit to Rutland Water and to meet up with a friend, he had phoned to say he was coming so we arranged to meet at the Egleton Reserve and have a walk about.

On arrival we found the reservoir had really fallen in level, this never helps as it just drives all the birds farther away. 

Water was being pumped into lagoon four which is something they do every Winter, as this reaches a set level in the lagoon, it over flows into lagoon three which will be very useful but what we really need is some heavy rain to bring the river in flood.

Rutland water has the level maintained with water from the River Nene that is a few miles away. 

This water is pumped by three very large pumps in a pumping station at Wansford and after a short length of pumping main the water then gravitates down a large tunnel and into the reservoir. These pumps can only be used when the river is in flood, it was the same last year and the reservoir was virtually full by the Spring.

We had our walk about and saw not very much we could get images from as the birds were mostly at long distance away but we had a good walk, chat and saw plenty of birds.
We also had a walk around to Old Hall to see a Red Necked Grebe but this was as silly distance away so no images. It was only after we had walked that we realised how far it was and then we had to walk back to the car park.

Great White Egret, Lagoon 3, Shoveler Hide.

Luckily this bird came to us. The area where it is about to land is normally under about 600 mm of water. A bird feeder has been erected in the the front of the hide to attract the Bearded Tits, these had apparently visited in the morning but nothing was around whilst we were in the hide.
  

Lapwing, Lagoon 4, Sandpiper Hide.

Large numbers of these birds were about and were up and down all the while.
Earlier a Peregrine Falcon had been on the Osprey nest and had taken a Lapwing, but whilst we were in the hide it was absent.

EYEBROOK RESERVOIR.

I decided to have a visit as a Short Eared Owl was being seen on a regular basis so I got on my way and arrived for about 13.00 hrs.

I waited in the upper bunker hide with another gent until just after 15.30 hrs when this bird suddenly appeared from within the Marsh grass about 20 metres to the front of us, we were at the time in deep conversation and even though I saw this bird emerge, we were both caught off guard and neither managed any images even though it flew over us I would say only 6 metres above us, it was a case of language John!!!!!
Other than this very little was seen, some Golden Plover were out on the mud some distance away. 

Red Legged Partridge, Near the Upper Bunker Hide.

I had seen many of these birds on the road near to Eyebrook but this bird was a solitary walking around near to the hide, not far from where the Short Eared Owl appeared {about five metres closer}, why didn't it come out whilst I was getting these images.

Golden Plover, Upper Bunker Hide.

Eyebrook Reservoir is also becoming low in water level and these birds sat on the mud 250 metres from the hide.

Greylag Geese, Lower Bunker Hide.

After a trip around the neighboring area looking for any Red Kites about, I called in at the lower hide and saw these geese .

A VISIT TO LONGMOOR.

I decided to have a visit to Longmoor Reserve for an hour or two with a couple of Short Eared Owls that have been about for over a week, I was going to visit earlier in the week but finished up instead out on the tractor trying to pick up all the leaves scattered over the land.

I arrived at about 14.00 hrs with the hope these birds would appear at a reasonable time as the birds did at Cossington Meadows two years ago, unfortunately this was not to be, likewise they remained a considerable distance away not helped by idiots standing to the front of the hide. They eventually appeared at 15.45  hrs hence the orange colouration on some of the images from the sun as it was going down 

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 This bird had been flying towards us in the hide but then turned around and flew away.
 

 Then a quick left hand turn only then to fly over some trees on the far boundary and disappear.

This is the second bird, this was flying over a plantation area to the left of the hide and considerably higher than the first bird. 

This bird was not as close to the tree as it appears but was a silly distance shot.

My last image, this bird can be seen carrying a mouse. 

 I'm sorry about the poor quality of the images but I was shooting over silly distances. LROS have been reporting these birds but have stopped doing so due to people abusing the the privilege of seeing these beautiful birds. You cannot set yourself up in the middle of an open area where the birds will fly and expect these birds not to see you. Also to stand in the front of the hide is not fair to the people in the hide, this was happening whilst I was on site and we still had plenty of room in the hide.

Thank you for your visit, I hope you have enjoyed as much as I did in the getting of the images.