Reflections

Common Sandpiper, HGF
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Today has been wet and cold, a million miles away from the weekend in Norfolk! One thing I did notice over there was the relative lack of people - I noticed it too at Rutland Water which is massive, however I saw only one other birder there, in the distance. Dersingham Bog was idyllic for me, wandering around the place with no noise from people or traffic and lots of wildlife - I saw five Roe Deer including a doe with her faun and also heard a Muntjack barking.
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One very nice bloke called Hugh did turn up - although he was there for the moths he also turned out to be an excellent birder and very good company. It was a very pleasant evening wandering around with Hugh and I learned a lot from him - I am very tempted to start catching moths now! It is rare I get to go birding at dusk in the summer - the sounds of the night were very enchanting. Also thanks to Jonathan and Mike Chorley for tips on where to see various birds though Mike is a bit sick about missing the Cas! The other thing I really liked was the call of the Golden Oriole - it was very musical and pleasant and I kept wanting the bird to call constantly.
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Anyway back home to the cold and wet. Sunday evening a flock of 17 Linnets on the lines off Parkside Road in Newton, however a trip to Newton Lake for Nuthatches drew a blank. On Monday both Little Ringed Plovers were present by the pool and also a large group of Lapwings in the ploughed area - eighty three birds present. The water birds were pretty much as was, 6 Reed Buntings and the same number of Linnets were hanging around Midhops. It was nice to meet Frank again from Moore NR - he is very good company for a wander around the pool.
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At lunch a quick trip to Moat Lane pool produced a fly over Yellow Wagtail. I went back after work to the mosses on the way home (it is actually a bit of a short cut) - very few gulls on the tip but hundreds of corvids and two Buzzards wandering around on the tip face. The two Redshanks were present again at the pool, four male Corn Buntings were singing on the wires but otherwise a bit quiet. I then had a brief wander to Waterworks Lane just after a thunder storm - the air was full of Swifts with at least 290 in the air plus around 30 Swallows. Usually I only see a few odd Swifts around Winwick - wonder where they all came from.
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Today I was ill and off work for the first time in 18 months, however I stupidly took Billy for a quick walk to HGF in the morning. The heavens opened and we got soaked! There were plenty of birds around though with 2 Little Ringed Plovers, a Ringed Plover and 2 Common Sandpipers making a cracking wader line-up for this place. The Coot numbers were up to 44 with 34 Tufties, 4 Pochards, 3 Little Grebes, 3 Black-necked Grebes and 13 Great Crested Grebes on the water. Look what happens when it is raining - no people and plenty of birds! A Heron and a Cormorant also there but little in the ploughed field. At home a Stock Dove was in the garden this afternoon and a Sparowhawk flew over Myddleton Lane this evening.