Corncrake at Avecote pools Warks.

Up & out at 3.15 am to head up the M1 to Avecote Pools Warks, junction 11 to 12 was shut at Dunstable so we had a 40 minute horrible detour following large lorries through the town meaning that we never arrived till around 6 am, just 3 birders were already standing at the gate at the corner of Polesworth Road & Linden Lane, the bird had been heard a few times over the last hour that they had been here.
It only took 5 minutes before we hear the Corncrake calling to give Jimmy & myself a lifer tick but unfortunately after staying 3 hours we never got to see the bird,it was calling on & off frequently but we could never quite pin down where it's call was coming from, the birders that were here spread around the field & each one of us thought the bird was just in front of them each time it called.
A bit disappointed not to have seen it but still nice to be here to hear it.
We head off to get a year tick with the Osprey at Rutland Waters.
On route we pop into Kelham Bridge in the hope of getting a Willow Tit year tick, once in the hide we discover that the feeders are empty apart from one that had fat balls in & some birds were coming into feed but we never get to see or hear any Willow Tits .
We meet up with one of the fellows that puts out the food & he tells us that he had taken a few of the feeders down a couple of weeks ago & it was a cheaper option to use the fat balls as they do not get any funding & the birds were finding natural food & so the feeders are being cleaned ready for when they are needed, good on him I say not easy to keep on using your own money & time over a long period of time & although we only get to go there once a year for the Willow Tits we always seem to meet up with him.
On now to tick the Osprey's at Rutland Waters, we  park up in the lay-by on the A6003 at Manton Bay to get ourselves great scope views of the Male & female with a couple of chicks that were visible in the nest.A long drive for me & only 2 ticks but one a lifer & you can never get enough of watching Osprey's so well pleased.

Such a long way off for my camera but a record shot.The male Osprey