Rutland Water - Osprey boat trip...6am start...on the 23/7/2011

 Rutland Water – Osprey Boat Trip.. 6am start…. on the 23/07/2011

Sorry for the late report due to ‘sad’ personal issues with the exped loss of my brother on the 27 July 2011 from cancer.. that sidetracked this report from being typed earlier on… after the days trip out.

After taking note of the weather forecast on Friday, we wanted the best for the day. My OH and I woke up to find that the weather was dry…so that raised our hopes for a rain free day. The weather is always the first thing we think about when we go on a birding trip as it is best for a dry spell for our own comfort.

We packed our things, and we included our lunch consisting of sandwiches, fruit along with some juice to quench our thirst for the day head. A towel, spare clothing, and our walking boots where a safe bet to take with us, along with our optics, and scope to get the best from our day. The weather was unpredictable so we wanted to be well packed for all situations if they arose.

OH, and I set off at 4.15am in the morning. We travelled down the motorway, and it felt we where the only people on the earth. It was a lovely feeling to be connected to the early morning life, and it was like floating through the air watching the world go by. The sunrise was making an effort to come up through pastel pink, hazy, grey clouds. The reds, oranges and yellows glowed over the countryside for miles into the distance. The birds flew in all directions, and where swallowed up by the haziness of the morning, and appeared as black silhouettes flying into the distance.

A light grey mist hung over the fields on both sides of the motorway. At one point a well structured fog bank continued in a fluffy line over the motorway, and to the other side and into a field. It continued to travel across a grassy field, and then into the woodland nearby. It felt odd travelling through the cloud. The mist cloud dispersed as we travelled past, as we continued on our way to our destination at Rutland Water.

We where now close to Whitwell Harbour at Rutland now, found the road sign, carried on driving, and made our way into the area of the harbour.

There was no sign of the Rutland Belle boat at the harbour front. We parked our car, and took a wander around the area. There where lots of ducks and geese moving about in the area – no doubt they would be fed by members of the public from the camp-site and boatyard. Lots of Rabbits moved about, and they bounded off as we approached them. The area was dense with Rabbit burrows, and holes of all shapes and sizes freshly dug. The banks of earth looked old in some patches, so the burrows looked unused and uncared for.

Now it was a question of waiting for our 2 friends who we wanted to see, and catch up on things. They arrived and we all wandered about and chatted to one another as we did. We had a good old chat. It was great to meet them once more, and liked the fact we did this same trip last year only to repeat it once more this year.

A noisy Magpie grabbed Dave’s and my attention. Magpies can really rattle out their endless tune, and of course the local Blackbirds ‘chacked’ to show their disapproval of what they thought of the Magpies. Nature is a vicious circle of a species looking after their own needs, and it is a tough old world for wildlife at all costs. Crows cawed nearby. The Crows scuttled sideways to keep their distance from us, one eye looking at us, and the other looking where they are going. Such wary birds of people and they need to be as they have had a tough life in the hands of people over the years. They are such charismatic birds, and I love them for the intelligence that they show us over and over agai

1. Sign of Lyndon Reserve

2. List of birds on site

3. Kestrels in their tree with annoying Magpie

4. Kestrels juveniles in their shoebox

5. Hide

more to come....