Red-rumper, 11/4

There seemed to be alot on the move today; lots of Sandwich Terns and Common Scoters moving amongst other species. Naturally, I gave the patch a morning grilling and the best I could turf up were a couple of Green Sandpipers and a male Wheatear - not exactly the calibre of bird I was hoping for. The aythya hybrid, first seen on February 27th, was again present on the Ocean:


Aythya hybrid: very Tufted-like, but note the grey flanks, head shape and orange eye. In the field, a reddish tinge to the head was often noticeable, as was mantle colour - a very dark grey.

A female Goldeneye lingered, and several Little Egrets were about. On arriving home, I realised that the Red-rumped Swallow found near Leicester had been lingering, so I decided on a pre-work jaunt. The journey was somewhat unremarkable, taking just over an hour to reach Wanlip. The Red-rumped Swallow, a pristine individual, was showing very well over the pit opposite the Hope & Anchor pub with other hirundines, including the first decent numbers of House Martins I have encountered this year. Some time later, the weather cleared slightly and the flock flew off high to the north. The bird did not return so I left (although it did return later on in the afternoon).


At least you can tell what it is...

A quick stop at Manton Bridge, Rutland Water, on the way home revealed my first Common Tern of the year but very little else of any significance.