Wednesday 17 July 2013

Pacific Golden Plover at Rutland Water

After making the trip almost to Rutland yesterday (Fermyn Wood) to find out the Pacific Golden Plover hadn't been seen I was pleased to see it reported again last night. On checking for news this morning the bird was being reported as "still from Heron Hide". With this information I jumped in the car and made the journey hoping the bird wouldn't go missing as it had yesterday. On the trip up I encountered a fly over Goshawk which is always nice. I arrived at Rutland and paid the £5.50 entrance fee (a bit strong me thinks) and walked the mile along the path to Heron Hide. On arrival the bird was showing well on the far bank feeding on the muddy fringe of the lagoon with some cows for company. It later returned to the rock barrier to rest up with a small group of Lapwings. I worked on the diagnostics a little and grabbed a record shot before setting off home where on the way back to the car I enjoyed a fly over by an Osprey carrying it's lunch.

PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER: Split from American Golden Plover, Breeds in Alaska & Russia and winters in NE Africa and SE Asia along the Pacific coast. We get about one a year accidentally land in Britain on passage and this one gives me tick 259 for 2013 and it's my first PGP so tick 328 on the life list too.


A distant record shot of the PGP (left of the cow)
Osprey
Anyone for a fish supper?




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