All the Wrong Grebes!, Rutland Water, 27th October 2019

After spending a frustrating Saturday mostly watching rain fall from the sky like stair rods and failing to see both a Bittern and a Caspian Gull at local sites, we decided that we needed to get the Old Caley year list ticking over again. We were still a bit jaded from our Cornwall trip so settled on another visit to Rutland Water where there was potentially a couple of new birds for the year that we could see. Rutland is only about 60 miles away from us and takes just an hour and twenty minutes on empty Sunday morning roads. 

We headed straight to the South Arm and to the area known as Old Hall which is the regular hang out for the Red-necked Grebe that we'd already failed to see once before a few weeks ago. An Egyptian Goose stepped off the bank and swam out a short way as we walked past. Egyptian Geese are odd but exotic looking wildfowl that I think have brightened up our avifauna. It's only about ten years since I saw my first one but they are quite widespread now and are often encountered when birding near larger lakes and reservoirs.

Egyptian Goose

We walked down the path alongside the water into a bitingly cold wind but despite searching virtually everywhere we could only find Great Crested Grebes, stunning in the bright sunshine but not the Red-necked Grebe that we were hoping for.

juvenile & adult Great Crested Grebe

That sunshine was also illuminating a flock of Starlings that were feeding on the berries of a hawthorn tree. But we had come for year ticks so didn't linger too long, it was too cold for idling anyway.

Starling

After checking into the visitor centre and getting our parking permit and relevant info on what was about, we headed straight to the Mallard hide where a female Smew, also known as a Redhead (confusingly since there is a North American species of duck also called a Redhead), had been found a few days before. The Smew would be a year tick for us since we'd managed to miss them in the first winter period. On settling down in the hide, we scanned lagoon 1 for the duck but couldn't find it. There were many other ducks about including Goosanders and Pintails which are always nice to see although most were too far out to photograph. A Great Egret was much more photogenic when it landed in the reedy edge in front of the hide.

Great Egret

I was becoming a little bit fidgety when after fifteen minutes I still hadn't found the Smew and began fearing that this would be "one of those days" when nothing would fall into place. Then, thankfully, I spotted it right in close by the bank although still a fair way out to the left of the hide. I had been scanning the water far too far out expecting the diving duck to be out in deeper water but it appeared that it was content to hunt for food in the shallows. I took a few record shots for this blog and willed the bird to come closer. It didn't and I don't think I've ever had close views of a wild Smew, but at least this "redhead" clocked the year list up to #277.

female Smew

A fabulous male Green Woodpecker flew in, yaffling noisily, and landed in the rough grass in front of the hide. Green Woodpeckers are very wary birds and can be difficult to see at close quarters so I fired away freely with the camera at this unusual opportunity.

male Green Woodpecker

After some "Birding bores" had joined us in the hide who had initially asked as to the whereabouts of the Smew, which I gladly shared, but then became first class know it alls and incredibly irksome, Mrs Caley and I left and retraced our steps towards the visitor centre again. Busy hides are my least desired places to birdwatch from but I admit that it's difficult to find solitude at a reserve like Rutland. On our way we passed a herd of cattle which appeared about as interested in us as we were in them, which wasn't very in actual fact but I dwelled long enough to take a couple of shots. Fine looking horny beast it was too.

"Here's licking at you...."

I had inquired earlier at the centre about where we might find the Red-necked Grebe but hadn't been able to gain any more info than we already knew. We had already decided to head out to the Lapwing hide and view the opposite end of the South Arm from where we'd looked earlier from the Old Hall. While walking there Birdguides informed us that a drake Hooded Merganser was present on lagoon 2 and was currently showing well from, ironically from the Smew hide. The Hooded Merganser would probably be an escape but they are a strikingly handsome duck so would be worth seeing. Before we got halfway there an update informed us that, while the Merganser was still there, it was now best seen from the Grebe hide. We joined just a handful of other birders in the hide and I instantly spotted the duck swimming rapidly past but almost as far out as it could possibly be. More record shots then but we tentatively had #278 on the list. I'm pretty sure though that it will be relegated from the year list but for now, (and if I get stuck on 299 at the end of year maybe), it could stay on. A few years ago we had fantastic close views of a drake Hooded Merganser at Radipole Lake in Weymouth. That bird had arrived as a juvenile and had stayed in the area for seven years but was still not recognised as a genuine vagrant by the powers that be so there would be next to no chance of this one being accepted.

drake Hooded Merganser

Far more confiding was a family of five Little Grebes that were hunting for titbits in a small channel to the left, our chosen side, of the hide. I waited for the small waterbirds to swim even closer before taking a volley of shots. On a couple of images you could see what they were eating but I couldn't tell you what is was that they were eating!

Little Grebes

The three bores arrived at the hide and continued their bolshy behaviour so we left quickly again. We were overtaken several times by faster moving folk on our way to the Lapwing hide. Apparently the Hooded Merganser had flown from lagoon 2 in the direction of the South Arm which is best viewed from Lapwing hide. By the time we reached it the hide was pretty full but we managed to wedge ourselves in at the left hand end. I wasn't really interested in looking for and finding the likely "plastic" duck and instead searched in vain once more for the Red-necked Grebe. Great Crested Grebes were showing really well as were hundreds of Tufted Ducks but the rarer Grebe had given us the slip yet again. I gathered that, owing to the negativity amongst the rest of the hide goers, that the Hooded Merganser was hiding too although it did reappear later on.

Great Crested Grebe

drake Tufted Duck

A brief look from Dunlin Hide at lagoon 4 added some waders to the day list. Our first Golden Plovers of the winter were huddled up against the wind along with their usual Lapwing mates. Snipe probed around the edges of the islands and Mrs Caley spotted four Dunlin on a slender strip of mud. Lagoon 4 is usually the place where Smew are found at Rutland but there were none there yet. There were quite a few Pintail and Goldeneye amongst larger flocks of Wigeon and Teal.

Golden Plover & Lapwing

We dropped into the visitor centre once more to inquire whether the entry price included access to the Lyndon side of the reserve, which it does, since a Slavonian grebe had been seen from the Teal hide there. The Red-necked Grebe had been seen occasionally from the southern bank too, the South Arm extends all the way into Manton Bay where the Ospreys breed in the summer. Lyndon is only a few miles away from Egleton and the Teal hide is right next to the information centre. We briefly stopped to admire a couple of Tree Sparrows and then made our way to the hide which has been built on stilts over the water. There was only one other chap in the hide and before I could stop him he barked "the Slavonian Grebe is right there, look!" People who tell you where stuff is before you've had a chance to look for yourself are a pet hate of mine. If I wanted to know then I'd have asked. The Slav was indeed just metres out in front of the hide so it wouldn't have taken much finding if I'd been allowed to find it for myself. In keeping with most Grebe species in the winter period Slavonian grebes don a subdued mainly grey and white plumage as opposed to their bright gold and black summer garb. At all times of the year though they still retain their piercing bright red eyes!

Slavonian Grebe

The Teal hide was perfectly placed to get close views of a number of water birds and both a Cormorant and a Little Grebe gave equally good photo opportunities.

Cormorant

Little Grebe

I spent the last few moments of afternoon light scanning where I could, looking for the Red-necked Grebe but to no avail. It was proving to be one very difficult bird to find, in fact impossible so far, and it would take another try yet if we were to add it the year list. Perhaps we would get lucky the third time around. I even contemplated trying for the one that was wintering at Cliffe Pools in Kent but after two failed attempts at twitching a Marsh Sandpiper there earlier in the year, that wasn't a place that I fancied going back to.