231116 Rutland Water

AN AUTUMN VISIT TO RUTLAND WATER on 16 November 2023
We were greeted by 29 drake Pintail with at least the same number of ducks, 60 Gadwall were also recorded and about the same number of Linnets all in one flock.
A large number of Jackdaws greeted our arrival with a Redwing - first of the season for most of us and we would see a few more later.
It was nice to see that the feeders had been replenished and used by busy Great and Blue Tits, House Sparrows, Dunnocks, Goldfinches and Chaffinches but rather disturbing to note that at least one Chaffinch was diseased.
After our usual coffee viewing from the gallery in the Visitor Centre - nice to see the Stonechats back in their usual territory - we made our way to Lagoon 4 and worked back from there. Five Dunlin were on view but, much more impressive were the Golden Plovers numbering around eight hundred, we reckoned.
In Lagoon 3, a pair of Snipe and our first Goldeneyes of the season.
In comparison with the Pintail, Gadwall and Goldeneye, there were hardly any Tufted Ducks and certainly not huge numbers of Mallard, Wigeon, Teal or Shoveler. However, it was a decent duck count with Shelduck and Egyptian Goose included.
There were few gulls but Black-headed, Common, Great and Lesser Black-backs were there.
Other species of note amongst the fifty-four encountered were Great-spotted Woodpecker, a decent number of Lapwing, Marsh Harrier, Kingfisher, Greenfinch and (heard only) Cetti’s Warbler and Water Rail.