Pacific Golden Plover - Rutland Water ( a shorts story)

Monday 15th July 2013
After a somewhat lethargic weekend I decided on a walk round the Caldecote patch this morning I badly needed the exercise and I had rather neglected the area of late. There was plenty of hirundine activity around the village and the river Anker looked in good nick, with plenty of fish and Dragonfly life. Birdlife was quieter but Greater spotted Woodpecker, Skylark and a couple of juvenile Yellow Wagtails were noted. I was about halfway round when news of a probable Pacific golden Plover at Rutland Water came up. I was enjoying my local walk but the chance of a Midlands tick and an excuse to get out and about led to an about turn back to the car. The road from Market Harborough across to Eyebrook Reservoir through Medbourne is one of my favourite bits of countryside in the Midlands by the way. Not surprisingly the car park was pretty full and after paying my dues I enquired as to what direction I should head in. 'Its a long way' came the cheerie reply. Ok, I'm up for a good walk even as the mid-day temperature approached 30ish. I decided on scope rather than camera, I was going to be  a proper birder today. So off I sets scope over the shoulder when it happened. The elastic holding up my shorts gave up, it had simply had enough. Like a good deal of my kit it had seen better days but having got this far I was going to carry it was just a case of holding everything up with one hand and carrying tripod etc with the other.
LGRE went hurtling past me, I'd have given him a good run for his money if I hadnt been so inconvenienced by my apparel. There was no need to rush anyway, no bird in its right mind was going to go very far in the heat of the day. There was plenty of room in the hide initially so it was easy to find the plover in the scope standing on the rocks of a bund, surrounded by Lapwings and Little Egrets. The Pacific golden Plover moved very little while I was there, only coming down to the waters edge to drink now and again. Although quite distant and a little hazey the bird gave the necessary views: front back and sides. An Osprey circled overhead but as the hide became crowded with more birders arriving it was time to leave. I was in need of some hydration, the visit to M&S to get some new shorts would have to wait until tomorrow.