31st December - sunny until late afternoon when fast moving heavy showers from SW, max 9C

Early weather stats indicate this December has been the warmest on record, maybe 4C above the long term average, and in some parts of the UK the wettest.

Late news of a Barn Owl seen over the Moors Lane on Christmas Eve.

An afternoon visit to Brandon Marsh resulted in my first Little Egret for the site.  The water level was pretty high with many pools joined up along the river area.  Generally the duck numbers were down, no doubt they have many wet places at the moment all over the countryside.  2 Goldeneye, a Shelduck, c20 Gadwall, c10 Wigeon, a female  Goosander, c20 Teal and Tufted Duck plus c10 Cormorant.  Only 3 Lapwing on East Marsh and a Kestrel was hunting in the area.  A Kinfisher was zipping around and seen several times.  

Smaller birds were scare, a party of Long-tailed, Blue and Great Tits, several Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch were about.  A single Stock Dove sat in the far marsh tree.

I have seen 90 species of bird at Brandon Marsh this year, not bad at all.

30th December - strong, v strong gusts S/SW, cloudy, rain late morning, 11C

Storm Frank is making its way north affecting much of the country, we are fortunately not in the worst of it.

Most creatures have their heads down, keeping to shelter as much as possible.

I did notice both Woodbine and Hawthorn have some new shoots and fresh green leaf on show.  If the temp stays above seasonal average there will be many early spring signs to look out for.  Yet winter has such a long time to run!

29th December - a sunny day, light SW, increasing late, max 12C

First thing about 20 Goldfinch were in the trees in the village centre going to a garden feeder.  A couple of Mistle Thrush were in the Horse Chesnut tree.  Several Rooks were attending their old nests in the Long Spinney.

A Hen Harrier had been reported near South Kilworth, so I visited to check it out.  As expected it was not found, they tend not to linger in the area when passing through the area, which is pretty infrequent.

 While watching the area, 2 Sparrowhawks (m & f) flew past together and 2 Buzzards sat together in a large Hawthorn bush.  Several Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, and Chaffinch were in the cover crop.  300+ Starlings were feeding on the old pasture with ~ 50Wood Pigeon, ~20 Rook, ~ 20 Jackdaw and  a Carrion Crow.   A handful of Redwing and Fieldfare were present too.

On the drive home I noticed a flock of ~ 500 Lapwing flying in the direction of Cotesbach, I'll have to check this out, there maybe Golden Plover with them.

28th December - a brighter morning, more cloud during the afternoon, light SW, max 12C

No rain during the day - at last, but still very mild!  Loads of insects out and about, what effect will this have on the spring insect population.  I was reading a weather forecast for the winter issued in the autumn, suggesting we would have heavy snow and bitter cold from late November through Janauary - Ooops.

I visited Shawell Lagoons )no public access) during the afternoon not expecting too much as the neighbouring landfill has been closed over the Christmas period so Gulls were almost absent.  However, a nice selection of other birds were present.  On the south pool there was 57 Teal, a Gadwall, 8 Tufted Duck, 2 Mute Swans and a Little Grebe.

On the north pool only a single Great-crested Grebe, until a Cormorant briefly popped in.

The hedge held a few Redwings, a Song Thrush, at least 8 Long-tailed Tits, with several Blue Tits and a Treecreeper.   A Green Woodpecker flew over the pool to a bank looking for food, a male Sparrrowhawk dashed along the gully and a Buzzard circled over the far side that is favoured by rabbits.
In all 29 species was seen in an hours visit.

27th December - light S breeze, cloudy and misty morning, similar afternoon but drizzle and light rain at times, 12C

A lot of rain last night with standing water on the fields and ditches and brooks full to the brim.

c50 Redwings feeding on sheep pasture to the west of the village.

An afternoon visit to the local reservoir showed just how much rain there must have been last night with the over-flow running like a raging torrent.

On the reservoir there were 7 Goosander, 19+ Goldeneye, 30+ Gadwall, 3 Teal, c10 Pochard, c100 Tufted Duck, c100 Wigeon flew in from the west, 36 Mute Swans and 110 Grey-lag Geese were present too.  This winter few Canada Geese have been present at the reservoir - I wonder where they are?

Few passerines were present as the bushes and vegetation were drenched wet.  A couple of Goldcrests, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, c5 Redwings and 2 Fieldfare were in the Hawthorn bushes.  c15 Chaffinches and 2 Bullfinch were in the hedgerow next to the game cover area and a single yellowhamme too.  ~20 Tree Sparrows were at the feed station making the most of the feed present. A Cetti's warbler sang once from the thick scrub.

Several fruiting fungi along the grass path were in good shape.

26th December - moderate, blustery SW, cloudy, but MILD max 15C

A Buzzard was flying and calling to the east of the village first thing, and two Mistle Thrushes in the Yew tree. Generally few other winter thrushes about, a small flock of Fieldfare were feeding on a winter wheat field next to the Mere lane.  There are many apple trees around with loads of fallen fruit still on the ground mostly untouched by the thrushes, which is very unusual for late December.

I visited Brandon Marsh after lunch, the keen wind meant most small birds were elsewhere but there was a nice selection of other birds.  I spent some time hoping to see the Bittern from the Steetly hide, but no joy.  I was kept entertained by a Heron and a 'trip' of Teal, 6 drakes were showing off around a single female.

On east marsh there was a wider selection of ducks; three Goldeneye (2m, 1f), one of the males had been displaying to the female and mating, three Goosanders (1m, 2f) and three Pintail (2m, 1f) were also present along with Wigeon, Tufted Duck, teal, Gadwall, Mallard, four Pochard, two male Shelduck and a large mixed flock of Grey-lag and Canada Geese.

A Water Rail kept appearing and feeding in the gully made in the reed bed by the east marsh hide.  A party of Long-tailed Tits were nearby and a little earlier a Coal Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker were seen.

I met another observer who was knowledgeable about fungi, he pointed out some Candle snuff fungus, which looks like snuffed out candle wick, in the past also called 'stags horn fungus'.  It is a common species, but being small is easily missed.

25th December - cloudy but dry so far this morning, 10C

Happy Christmas to all my blog readers in the UK and around the world, I hope you have a peaceful time.

24th December - Strong gusty SW, Low cloud with rain and heavy showers, Very brief sunny interlude early pm. 8C.

A pretty awful day weather-wise, the land is well soaked now.

With some things to do and the weather there was little chance for observing today.  However, I did manage a spell checking the feed station.  Some 15 House and two Tree Sparrows were in attendance, a Goldfinch and several Greenfinch and Chaffinch were busy feeding.  Plenty of Great and Blue Tits were there, whilst a party of Long-tailed Tits were in the hedgerow.  A single Coal Tit and Nuthatch visited and a cock Pheasant appeared under the feeders.

A Sparrowhawk flew past into the Yew tree carrying prey. both Pied and Grey Wagtail flew over to the neighbouring farm yard.  A small flock of Redwings were in the tree tops along the old railway track.

23rd December - sunny starte, broken cloud afternoon, light SW, 9C

An afternoon visit to the local reservoir to see if the reported Smew was still present, I did not find it. However, there were 26 Goldeneye, my highest count here this winter, one male Goosander and three male Shoveler.   Thirteen Cormorants were busy fishing in a group.

c100 Lapwing flew over, looking to land on the dam, but the Grey-lag Geese were rather boisterous and they moved off to a nearby field.

A couple of Fieldfare flew over as did a single Goldfinch.  Two Lesser Redpoll flew into the Alders.  A mixed flock of Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tits and Goldcrest were working their way along the hedgerow.  I was hoping a Chiffchaff would be with them, but no luck.

I checked to see if the Short-eared Owl was still present on the set aside field, and it was, hunting and showing well.

22nd December - a very blustery SW and cloudy morning, easing a little but light drizzle, mild max 14C

A pretty dull and uneventful day mainly due to the wind.

21 December - a bright start, but clouding over with showers mid- day, freshening gusty SW, max 11C

Well, the shortest day(light) has come and thankfully gone.  I learnt today that one reason the 25th was designated as Christmas Day is because those with a keen eye can detect the sun has moved in the sky, ie, the daylight length is longer.

The mild changeable weather continues and looks like it's here a few more days yet, confusing all comers.

A Green Woodpecker called from the wood east of the village, little else to report today though.

20th December - fresh SW, max 11C, Sunny spells

A morning walk round the local lake again was interesting.  15+ Goldfinch were feeding in the tops of the Alders, with them were at least 6 Lesser Redpolls.  A Sparrowhawk flew past flushing the finches from the trees and about 20 Redwings,  a couple of Fieldfare were also present.

A Song Thrush was having a sporadic singing session and a Great Tit joined in, while a Wren sang from within the thick cover.  Two Goldcrest were present too.

On the water were the usual Mallard ducks, four Tufted Duck had dropped in, two Little Grebes, the Mute Swan family,  Moorhen and Coots.  In all 25 species were seen.

19th December - Cloudy, some brief brightness, also occasional shower, VERY MILD 15.5C, mod-gusty S/SW

Temperature records for December were being broken for (last) night and day at various sites throughout the country.

A Sparrowhawk was busying itself around the village first thing.

I made an afternoon visit to Eyebrooke reservoir hoping to see some of the scarcer winter visiting waterbirds.  There were plenty of Wigeon and Tufted Duck, at least 15 Goldeneye, but not many Pochard though.  After a lot of searching a 'redhead' Smew was found.  I did not find the reported Slavonian Grebe though, but again with poor light conditions and choppy water it can be missed fairly easily.  There were 20+ Great-crested Grebe and two Little Grebe.  I saw eight Little Egret and three Grey Heron around the reservoir edge.  Lapwing numbers were pretty good, 1000+ and several hundred Golden Plover were present too.

A kestrel was hunting, a flock of c30 Linnets were feeding in the rough area and a Bullfinch was present in the hedge.  c20 Fieldfare flew into a tree top before moving off.

On the way back, just outside Medbourne a barn Owl flew over the road, out hunting in the remaining daylight.

18th December - cloudy, dull again, mod SW, 13C

Three Cormorant flew past the village southward just after sunrise.

A local farmer wants to know whether the stewardship actions he has taken is attracting wildlife, so I shall make visits over the coming year to found out what's about, today was a recce on part of the farm.  On one winter wheat field there were c40 Fieldfare, c20 Redwings, c100 Starlings, 17+ Pied Wagtails and 5+ Chaffinches. A Kestrel was sitting on the telegraph wires looking for prey.

A Red-legged Partridge called from a grass field, two Bullfinch were in the boundary hedge, plus a Yellowhammer.  A Buzzard flew over the fields.  This limited visit produced 20 different bird species.

An afternoon visit was made to Pitsford reservoir particularly to see a Red- necked Grebe that has been there a few days.  I found it a little further out from the dam than often seen so photos were not possible, the light was awful anyway as you can see.  Great-crested and Little Grebes were also present, along with a variety of duck, although the numbers seemed low generally.  A Kestrel was hunting along the dam bank and pastures.

By the sailing club there was a good number of Goldfinch and Chaffinch with a few Greenfinch and a single Reed Bunting.

17th December - high cloud morning, duller early afternoon, light S, 14C

Went back to see the Toadstool patch I found yesterday, some had been trodden down by lambs but some remained, need to put a specific name to them, never-the-less they look good, anyone know them?

Also, I noticed plenty of Jackdaws feeding among the Sheep and Rooks loafing in the tree tops next to the Rookery.  Rooks visit the Rookery all year round and it won't be too long before some even start to begin repairing nests, all in good time.

A morning walk around the local lake produced some birds.  Mallards, 10 Coots, two Little Grebes and the Mute Swan family were on the water.  The juvenile swans are now getting more pure white feathers in their plumage, but it will be quite awhile before they are fully white yet.  You can compare this photo to the same birds photographed on the 4th October and see how they have grown.

A Water Rail called quietly from the reeds, a male Reed Bunting and Fieldfare flew up from the undergrowth, while some 15 Filedfare were flying to the nearby hedge.  At least 10 Chaffinch, 6 Lesser Redpoll and 35 Goldfinch were around feeding on the trees or teasels.  A Sparrowhawk dashed through disturbing them for a short while.   Four Bullfinch were in the thickets, and two Goldcrests were making their way along the hedge.  Two Jay called very loudly and aggressively from the nearby tree cover.

16th December - high cloud, brighter than recent days, light SW 12C

Forecast to get even warmer over the next few days, with air coming south from Africa, what will this bring?
No new sightings locally today, apart from a new toadstool patch, which I hope to re-visit tomorrow to photograph and ID.

15th December - A dull, misty cloudy day with light drizzle now and then, a mild 11C

When visiting the feed station to refill two Yellowhammers were present.  Depending on the weather the number of these can build up to quite good numbers.  Maybe with the mild weather food is still easy to find on the farmland and like the Tres Sparrow they may  come later in the winter.

A quick look at a reed fringed pool near Shawell, it held 40+ Teal, but little else in the gloom.

Many insects out and about today as mild and very light breeze, sometimes little swarms could be seen in sheltered places and several Yellow Dungfly on the cow pats.

14th December - cloudy start, brightening slowly, light shower late afternoon, 9C

A pair of Mistle Thrush were on the field telegraph wires to the west of the village, one was visiting the Church Yew tree, and another singing from its usual tree to the east.

Most of the Yew berries have gone now, so this morning a reasonable number of Redwing and Fieldfare were making the most of the Holly tree berries.  12+ Greenfinch were visiting the Yew tree and thick hedge area.

At the feed station 8+ Great Tits, a few Blue Tits and one Coal Tit were busy.  The Nutchatch and Pheasant and a few House Sparrows were present again.

Forty or so Redwings and Fieldfares flew from the old railway tree tops in a panic, the reason soon became obvious as a Sparrowhawk flew rapidly along the hedge side.

13th December - Another wet day, rain all morning, dry afternoon, but cloudy, dull and misty, light SW breeze, 8C

First thing at the feed station, in the rain, there were six Pheasant, also present was a Nuthatch and Coal Tit.

After lunch I ventured to the local reservoir, it had stopped raining but still very dull and a mist was forming.  First stop was to explore the set aside and cover crop area near the inlet, I soon found my target, a Short-eared Owl.  It has been present for about a week and fortunately has remained in the same area, it can be watched easily from a path, I manged some record photos despite the poor light.

Also in the area were Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings, Redwings, Fieldfares and a Mistle thrush.

On the reservoir a single male Red-crested Pochard (quite pale back and flanks) was among the Coots.  Wigeon and Pochard numbers are quite low this year, maybe a reflection of the mild weather so far this winter.  Three Shoveler (2m, 1f), a single drake Teal, 30+ Gadwall and 10+ Goldeneye were present too.  Two Little grebes were showing well.  Two Water rail 'squealed' noisily from the reeds.

With the roving 15+ Long-tailed Tits were four Goldcrests, a Treecreeper and two Blue Tits.  A Green Woodpecker called distantly and a single Lesser Redpoll flew over towards the 'owl' field.

12th December - wet and windy morning, gusty strong at times SW, with rain during the afternoon, 11C

A pretty awful weather day, but still mild for December.
Someone told me that in past years Waxwing have been spotted in the Lutterworth country park, a relatively small landscaped area made after a nearby housing estate was built.  As Waxwings are now being reported in the midlands I thought it may be worth investigation the area and get to know it.

Needless to say, no Waxwing were present.  Some 30 Black-headed Gulls were present, some bathing in the small pond, three Moorhen were present there. In the lee of the bushes at least eight Blackbirds were feeding and one Fieldfare.  Two+ Goldfinch and at least two Greenfinch were in the bush tops.  A party of 15 Long-tailed Tits were roving through the bush thickets, they weren't hanging around and kept moving.

At about 1545h several flocks of Starling were flying east past the village on their way to the roost at Shawell.

11th December - returning from Edinburgh

10th December

A repeat of yesterday!!

9th December

Edinburgh, very wet, windy and cool preventing a morning walk.

8th December - sunny spells, light SW, 12C

Mistle Thrush again singing to the east of the village. Mixed flock of Redwing, Fieldfare and Starling around the fields.  Seemed to be more Redwings moving over southward.

Two Ravens flew west along the Long spinney scanning the fields for carrion.

Off to Edinburgh to a work conference, a lovely place but observations will be very restricted over the next days.

7th December - early light rain, then sunny clouding over from mid-day. 14C

A Kestrel was hunting at dawn along the Coventry road.  A buzzard and two Carrion Crows were feeding on a carcass in the field by the old railway line.  A Mistle Thrust was in good voice to the east of the village late morning.

6th December - SW gusty moderate calming., cloudy, rain showers from mid-day, 13C

A Great Tit was singing first thing near the feed station.  Two Treecreeepers were calling in the Long Spinney.

At the local reservoir this afternoon there were four Goosanders, the female Red-crested Pochard still plus the other usual duck species.   About 12 Cormorants were feeding , one had a large fish it was struggling to swallow.  A Great-spotted Woodpecker was calling agitatedly, two Goldcrests were foraging in the hedge, c40 Fieldfare were near the dam.

5th December - very gusty and strong SW, cloudy, but a mild 11C

Most creatures were doing their best to keep out of the strong winds.

Made it to Shawell Lagoons after lunch for some gull gull watching, but due to the wind conditions there were none.  Some Wigeon, Tufted Ducks, four Mute Swans and two Gadwall (m.f) were present.  A Grey Heron flew over low, scaring the Tufted Duck.

A Munjac deer slipped quickly through a gap in the tree/bush cover, staying visible for a short time.

As dusk neared Starlings started to gather and perform pre-roost 'murmuration' flight, at least 1000 were present before I had to leave.  This is where the Starling were heading that past the village late the other day

4th December - touch of ground frost, sunny periods during the morning, becoming cloudy. light SW freshening, 11C

The local lake was rather quite this morning, a lone female Bullfinch was calling from the bushes, a few Fieldfare were feeding in the hedge whilst four Goldfinch fed on the Teasels.  Little on the lake, a single Little Grebe with the Mallard, Coots and Mute Swan family.  Two Water Rail were calling from the reeds.

The afternoon was spent at Brandon marsh, also fairly quite.  The water level has risen in the river side pools due to the recent heavy rain, making them less favoured by some birds.  A rather satisfied Blackbird was sitting on a wild rose bush, looking rather replete.

A Grey Heron flew off calling loudly, others had seen a Little Egret, but I failed to find it.  On the East Marsh there were about 100 Lapwing and 30+ Shoveler.  A drake and female Goldeneye were also present, along with Teal, Gadwall and Tufted Duck.

A Kingfisher came by and sat on top of a Bullrush, but gone before I could get it in the frame.  A Buzzard flew over but did not hang around.  About 200 Grey-lag Geese flew in to join those and Canada Geese already there for the evening roost.  Three Stock Doves were flying around the bottom marsh area and landed in their usual tree.

3rd December - cloudy, dull day, southerly wind picking up during the afternoon, mild 12C

This morning another Mistle thrush was singing from a tree top east of the village.  We usually have 3-4 pairs of Mistle Thrush in and around the village.  A good number of Redwing were feasting on the Yew berries, with Blackbirds too.  They seem to always go for the yew before they feast on the Holly berries.  I think this maybe because the Yew berries deteriorate and drop off or become less tasty sooner than Holly.

This afternoon I visited Stanford reservoir, again the weather and light were not the best and birds were fairly hard to come by.  The Coots were again riding out the waves, bobbing around like corks, in the flock was a singe female Red-crested Pochard. The other usual duck species were present including 5+ Goldeneye and one male Goosander.

A Sparrowhawk hunted along the boundary hedge frequented by flocks of Tits and the like.

I was surprised to see a flock of Black-headed Gulls foraging in the fallow field next to the reservoir that has a patches of grass and weeds over it.  Gulls are now coming to roost very early, some soon after midday with others coming in all afternoon until dusk.

Back at the village a good stream of Starlings (200+) flew east at about 1540h to their roost site.  Not seen them doing this here this winter before today, so they may have moved to a new roost site bringing them past the village.  A grey wagtail flew over calling.

2nd December - sunny spells during morning, cloudy pm, mild 14C, SW wind light

A Song Thrush was having ago a singing mid-day for a short while.  About a dozen Fieldfare were moving over the village mid-afternoon.  Looks of larger insects seen whizzing about today.

1st December - rain overnight, morning giving some short sunny spells, light SW, 12C

Well, December has arrived on a mild note, and a first me me, a butterfly flew past at distance, probably a Small Tortoiseshell.  Can't recall seeing one flying in December before, only ones hibernating.

Two Mistle Thrushes are showing increasing interest in the large Horse Chestnut tree, two years ago they successfully nested in it, as did a pair of Goldfinch.  Mistle Thrushes can be very early breeders, so prospecting for nest sites is not unusual.

A Kestrel was seem near Harborough Magna during the afternoon.   The Kestrel seems a little more abundant this past year than in the recent past in this part of the county.