Monday 10 July 2017

My Annual Pilgrimage to see the Ospreys at Rutland Water - Part 1

7th July 2017

Well here we are again for another Osprey fix. The Manton Bay pair, Maya the female and 33 the male (I assume that Maya has a name because she in not ringed) soon settled down on the nest and had four chicks, although two sadly died. However, the good news is that the remaining two chicks are doing well with one fledging yesterday and the second expected to fledge any time soon.

What I like about Rutland is that while you are waiting for the main act, there is always a strong supporting cast. Of the water birds there were a pair of Egyptian Geese and two drake Teal, and a pair of Little Grebe were making a nest right in front of the hide.














Unfortunately, waders were poorly represented with just an Oystercatcher feeding on the mud.


Of the small birds flitting about was the cracking adult Pied Wagtail, and one of its off-spring was doing a bit of fly-catching in the vegetation. A single juvenile Sand Martin dropped in for a while for a rest on the barbed wire fence.






One of the joys here while you are waiting for the Ospreys to perform is the Common Terns which fish quite close to the hide, and you can spend many happy hours trying to catch them in mid-flight. I find it quite a challenge and enjoy it immensely.












But the star of the supporting cast today was this rather tame Little Egret which was feeding less than 10 yards in front of the hide and allowed a range of close-ups, action shots and even one with a lovely reflection. How good is that?












So, did the Ospreys perform? Yes, they certainly did, but more of that next time. WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!



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