RFI Rutland Water (1 Viewer)

Hi all,

We are heading to Rutland Water next weekend.
There are so many hides there, that it's a bit confusing about where to go. Obviously we want to see the Ospreys but would like to see as many other birds as possible. What are the best areas and hides to head for?

There are reports of birds being seen after 6.00 but the RW website notes that it closes at 5.00. Do you have to be out of the reserve at 5.00?

Also, are there any other nearby (Say 10 - 15 miles) that are worth a visit for wildlife?

Thanks

Derek

Firstly the reserve at Egleton is open all daylight hours but the visitor centre only opens 9-5.
The best place to see Osprey perched is from Shallow Water Hide on the Lyndon reserve, which is locked before 9.00 and at 8.00 in the evening. But you see Ospreys flying/fishing all over, especially along the north side of the reservoir: try the bottom end of the Barnsdale road (past the hotel entrance).
Look at www.lros.org and www.rutlandwater.org for recent bird news, or check on the reception desks when you go in to get your permits.
The best other site in the area is Eyebrook reservoir, south of Uppingham.

Steve

I visited Rutland Water recently and an Osprey was sitting on a nest on one of the poles in the new lagoon 4 at the Egleton reserve. The lagoon is amazing and will in time attract a lot of wildfowl, waders and gulls I'm sure. You could spend hours if not days visiting the reserves. There is something like 27 hides bwteeen the two.

You only need one permit to visit both Egleton and Lyndon reserve on a given day so make sure you don't pay twice. I preferred to Egleton Reserve. Take a packed lunch with you. You can get a map from the reserve which shows you the rails and hide locations.

Eyebrook Reservoir is definately worth a visit. Very scenic and interesting for birds. Check the northern shore. This location has attracted some interesting species. Recently there were Temminck's Stints.

Dean:t:

Happy Birding

Thank you for the information.

We had a good weekend and the weather was wonderful. Coming from Norfolk, the numbers of species were not as high as we are used to but there was enough to keep us interested, particularly as we like to see the mammals.

We called in at Bradgate Park on the Friday. It was absolutely packed with mainly families with children. There were some good photo opportunities with the Red and Fallow deer, but several Yellowhammers were the only birds of interest.

Saturday morning, we walked the south part of the Egleton Reserve. Although a nice walk on a sunny day there were few birds of interest. Good views were had of a Chiff Chaff and the strange looking Ruddy Shelduck Hybrid (As we were told) did create a bit of interest. A young Roe deer was seen in the woods.

After lunch we walked the north part of Egleton. Amongst the many birds seen were Little Ringed Plovers, Little Gulls, Hobby, Black Tern and about two dozen Great Crested Grebe in one small inlet.

We had not seen an Osprey yet so we decided to visit the Lyndon reserve in the evening but to no avail. However, the Horse and Jockey in Manton provided an enjoyable end to the day.

Sunday morning saw us checking the webcams. There was an Osprey at Lyndon, so off we went. It had gone by the time that we got there. We did however see a Red Kite and what seemed to be a Greylag/Barnacle cross (Greylag body; Barnacle head and neck). There were also a couple of grey coloured wagtails.

We headed back to Egleton to the new Lagoon 4. After sitting there for about ten minutes an Osprey suddenly appeared on one of the man-made perches. There were five people in the hide and nobody saw it come in. A hare was seen in the meadows on the way to the hide and a Cuckoo heard and seen briefly in the woods.

It does look as though Lagoon 4 is fast becoming the place for birds on the Reserve. If you only have a couple of hours to visit that seems to be the place to head for.

Derek

DerekSh said:

about two dozen Great Crested Grebe in one small inlet.

Derek

Click to expand...

That hide always makes me laugh when you open the flap and there's 20 odd great crested grebes looking at you, quite bizarre.