Week 3 - Week Beginning 08/01/24 - Smew, Siskin & More Waxwings'

11th 


I was in corby in the morning so me and my mum decided to head over to see the flock of 4 bohemian waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) in corby later in the morning. We were unsure of the exact location but we did have a postcode. Whilst driving along the residential road where were we suspected them to be we were watching every rowan tree. Finally we noticed a few birders with binoculars and camres. We parked up near by and walked the short distance to the group of birders. The road looks over a former brown field site now planted to become the park of a new housing estate development. The waxwings' were hard to spot at first but after some of the help from the bird watchers I noticed them a short distance away sitting in a bare tree. Occassionaly 1 or 2 would fly down to feed on berries of Cotoneaster among other plants. 



Bohemain Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus). Corby, 11/01/24

Next we headed over to the north side of Rutland Water Resevere, which is around 30 minutes north of Corby. We had no idea what we may find when we arrived, speaking to the woman working in the visitor centre a 'red - head' Smew, a term for a Female or Juvenile Smew (Mergellus albellus), had been seen on lagoon 3 and 2 Bewick and 4 Whooper Swan's (Cygnus bewickii & Cygnus cygnus) had been seen on laggon 4. We set off to head towards Shoveler Hide which overlooks lagoon 3 to try and spot the Smew. However, lagoon 3 was empty with the majority of birds being Northern Shovler, Tufted Ducks, Teal and Wigeon. We also had a look in Bittern Hide to observe lagoon 3 from another angle. 

Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca). Rutland Water, Lagoon 3, 11/01/24.

After no luck with the Smew on Lagoon 3 we decided to head too lagoon 4 to spot the Bewick and Whooper Swan's. Looking at the Swan's on the far side of the lagoon we realised they were all Mute Swan's (Cygnus olor). There were also a pair of Great Crested Grebe's (Podiceps cristatus), a Cromorant and a large number of Eurasian Coot.


Great Crested Grebe's (Podiceps cristatus).  Rutland Water, Lagoon 4, 11/01/24


With not much happening at Rutland Water we decided to head over to Eyebrook Reservoir nearby as 8 drake Smew had been reported on the the Reservoir. Eyebrook Reservoir is a private fishery lake that used to allow bird watchers on to the reservoir. However the Hedge on the road running along the west side of the reservoir was cut low. There are also two public access viwieng areas, but no proper parking areas. We drove slowly along the road stopping occasionally for me to get out and look over the hedges. Species spotted at the edge of the lake included Mallards, Eurasian Teal, Greylag Geese and Lapwing. We noticed another pair of birdwatchers with scopes and asked them if they had spotted the smew. They said they had seen it when standing at a fence further along the road, they had seen it at down scope near the dam at the other end of the reservoir. I walked further along whilst my mum drove ahead to find somewhere to pull the car up. No luck with the Smew as the dam was too far away. Whilst waiting for my mum I managed to photograph a hovering Kesterl (Falco tinnunculus). 

Kesterl (Falco tinnunculus). Westside of Eyebrook Reservoir, 11/01/24

When my mum joined me she noticed a large flock of passerine birds in an Alder tree. I got a photo of one of them and it was a Goldfinch. My mum thought she spotted a greenfinch among them but wasn't certain, I photographed a few birds which I had no idea what they are. After spending a few more minutes watching the mystery birds my mum headed back to the car to look at the ID book. After a few more minutes I realised what they were, Female Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus). A bird I had tried to spot months earlier. 

Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus), Female.  Westside of Eyebrook Reservoir, 11/01/24



Map of Rutland Water: https://www.lrwt.org.uk/map-reserve
https://www.lrwt.org.uk/rutland-water

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