31st Dec - grey misty, clearing by midday, but dull, light SW, 8C

A look around Lutterworth country park this morning was quite interesting. A minimum of 12 Magpies were present together, chasing and making a lot of noise, possibly pairing up.  Greenfinch and Goldfinch were present near the road, and two Lesser Redpoll were in a tree near the brook for a short while.  A few Redwing and Fieldfare flew over, one Fieldfare was eating hips on the hedge.  Five Starlings were on the nearby house roofs, with a couple of Collared Doves.  Five Moorhens were on the pool.

This afternoon I had a short walk at Stanford reservoir.  Goosander were busy feeding, I counted 24, they were busy near the edge along which 6 Little Egret were prowling.  Plenty of the other usual duck were present, but new in were two pairs of Red-crested Pochard.  The Long-tailed duck was also busy feeding. I did not see it, but the Smew was also reported present still by another birder.

IN the bushes four Bullfinch were feeding along with a large Long-tailed Tit flock and Goldcrests.  A single Chiffchaff was also seen feeding along the water edge bushes.

Finally, to end the year, while scanning through the gathering Gulls, Pete Asher spotted what he thought was a Mediterranean Gull, sure enough it was a nice winter adult.  Then about 15Linnets came in to roost in the thicket.

39th Dec - Foggy, clearing in some areas, 6C in sunshine, colder in the fog. Light breeze

Decided to go to Stow-on-the Wold to see a Blue Rock Thrush that has been present a week or so, however by the time we left it had not been reported present.  We arrived at 1130h and there was still no reported sighting, it was foggy and cold, so we decided to have a walk around.  After about an hour someone found it at a garden feeder so the word soon got out and a crowd quickly gathered to view through a garden hedge. Its been a considerable number of years since the last UK record.

Here is a few photos I manages to get.

29th Dec - frost last night -4C. Sunny light breeze, 4C

Amother good frost last night leaving hard ground and frozen water, but the sun soon started to take it away and only that in the shadow was left frozen hard.

Things are fairly quiet around the village with the usual species seen, still no new birds coming to the feed station even though we have colder weather.

I had a look at Shawell lagoons this afternoon, a few Gulls were in, but these soon disappeared and very few came back later.  However, over the landfill I could see several thousand gulls in the air above the tip, they were filling-in today so this would attract the Gulls as food would be available.

On the lagoons there were 47 Teal, a drake Gadwall, a female Shoveler and then 190 Wigeon came in and settled.  Two Little Grebes, a Moorhen, a Pied Wagtail and Snipe were also seen and a Buzzard viewed the scene from the top of a bush.

28th Dec - Frost last night -4C, sunny, light breeze (but fog in some areas see below)

This morning two Goldcrests, a Coal Tit and others were busy in the Church yard Yew tree, with the sun shining on the tree many invertebrae/insects must have been active.  A few Fieldfare flew over head, looking splendid against the blue sky.

After lunch i decided to head off to Rutland water to see a Surf Scoter that turned up, near the dam, among Tufted Duck.  The sun shone all the way there until I was about a mile away then I hit fog, the visibility was very poor so thought my chance of seeing the Scoter was low.   Once on the dam the visibility was about 150m, fortunately a flock of Tufted Duck were off shore and visible through the murk and with them the Surf Scoter.  A first winter bird, so the general brown colour did not help clarity in the fog.  I did manage a few 'murky' record photos.

In the fog the temperature stayed low, about 2C, so not surprisingly little else was visible or flying about. A Kestrel flew by and dissappeared in to the fog and a Green Woodpecker called from somewhere behind me.

27th Dec - Night frost, Sunny, becoming cloudy, still, 3C

First thing there were at least 25 Redwings feeding in the sheep pasture in the Perkins area and the Mistle Thrush was on the telegraph wires again.  The Green Woodpecker was calling often close to the village this morning too.

I visited the local lake before lunch, nothing new but plenty of Blue Tits feeding in the Alders, a couple of Goldfinch too and a Long-tailed Tit flock searching the thicket, with a pair of Bullfinch nearby.  The Mute Swam family was on the lake and three Little grebe, apart from Mallard no other duck were present.  A Water Rail was briefly seen in the reeds.

After lunch I was about to leave for Brandon Marsh when I got a message that a Long-tailed Duck was at Stanford reservoir, so I headed off there.  Long-tailed Ducks are scare in the Midlands and very infrequent at Stanford res, this is my first here.  On arrival I scanned the reservoir but could not see it, so I headed closer to the last reported area, another patch birder was the other side looking towards my direction, a quick call to him was able to put me on the bird.  Some good views showed it to be an immature or female in winter plumage.  A little distant for my camera, but I got some record photos.

26th Dec - sunny, light SW, 8C

I visited Pitsford reservoir reserve this afternoon, the water level is quite low with much shore visible, this is surprising being the winter period when it should be full.

Around the shore there were a number of Lapwing, and one Redshank was near the dam. There was a good number of Wigeon on the water, as well as other common duck including Goldeneye, although I did not see any Shoveler,

Three or more Little Egrets were visible and several grey heron, but best of all was four Great White Egrets together in one bay.  To think that only a few years ago this species was a rare visitor to the UK.

A couple of Buzzards and Sparrowhawk were flying over the woods next to the shore.  In the feed station thicket there were Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Chaffinch and a few Redwing and Fieldfare.

25th Dec - cloudy, some sunny spells in morning, light- moderate SW, 13C

A very mild Christmas Day, although the wind made it feel a little cooler than the temperature actually was.

This morning a check of my feeding station yielded ~25 House Sparrows, 2 Tree Sparrows, a Nuthatch, two Great-spotted Woodpeckers, several Collared Doves, a couple of Chaffinch and a single Yellowhammer plus the usual common Tits, plus one Coal Tit, and corvids.  A Raven flew low along the old railway area southward.  A Few Redwings and Fieldfare flew over between the fields occasionally.

24th Dec - mostly cloudy, light - mod SW wind, 9C

Merry Christmas to you all.

This morning there was a small flock of Redwing feeding on the sheep pasture to the west of the village. Here too, most mornings a single Mistle Thrush sits on the telegraph wires, no doubt one of them that visits the Holly trees in the village.

This afternoon I had a short walk at Stanford reservoir, 10Goosanders were present, plus the usual ducks, Wigeon, Pochard, Tufted, 10+Goldeneye, -15 Shoveler and 10 Teal dropped in.  A Snipe was flushed from the muddy path area, only one Little Egret was seen.  Two Little Grebe were out on the water, usually they stay close to the shore.  Only a couple of Fieldfare were seen, and a couple of Song Thrush.  The Long-tailedTit flock included Goldcrest and a Treecreeper.

On the return walk some 36 Linnet flew in to their favourite thicket to roost.

23rd Dec - increasing SW wind, strong gusts, some rain later for a short time, 8C

Storm 'Barbara' swept past the NW during the day, only giving us strong gusty winds during the afternoon and a brief spell of heavy rain, but mild for December.

This morning a Green Woodpecker was present in the church lane, but otherwise most creatures were keeping their heads down.

22nd Dec - night frost, sunny, some cloud pm, 7C, light pm

Well that's the shortest day out of the way, but plenty of winter left yet.

A quick look at the local lake this morning, fairly quite, a couple of Little Grebe, several Mallard and the Mute Swan family were present.  Currently there only a few Redwing and Fieldfare in the area, although now most of the hawthorn berries have been eaten.  

I spent the afternoon at Stanford reservoir, I was hoping the 'redhead' Smew was still present, on first looking over the main reservoir it was not seen so I moved further on.  Scanning again I could see it near a flock of Pochard after watching it for a while i walked further to get closer.  The Smew was still a reasonable distance off but I tried to get to record photos, no very good but with cropping you get it's 'jizz' and can compare its size to a Black-headed Gull and Mallard.  A very infrequent visitor to the reservoir, so a bonus to see here.

All the other expected birds were present, 12 Shoveler were nice to see and a few Goosander were around.  Nice to see were seven Little Egret, the number increasing as the water continues to drop slowly.  A couple of grey heron were hunting too.

Passerine birds seemed fewer, with only a handful of Redwing and Fieldfare, but c35 Tree Sparrows were at the feed station with Blue and great Tits.  A good number of Great Tits were searching through the thick leaf litter under the beeches with a few Chaffinch.  Several flocks of roving Tits were seen, the number of Long-tailed Tits must be in excess of 40 around the reservoir.

21st Dec - mostly cloudy, light SW, 7C

This morning a Great-spotted Woodpecker chased another from the Long spinney over the fields to the west of the village in to the Perkins spinney making quite a lot of noise in the process.

During the afternoon i visited the area near Stanford where the Hen harrier has been spending some time, I did not find it.  However, there is still a good number of Tree Sparrows, Reed Bunting, Chaffinch and a few Yellowhammers still feeding on the game cover area.  A Sparrowhawk flew over and settled in the tree for a while.  A very pale Buzzard sat atop a thorn bush and another was seen flying nearby.  Later on as the sun was going down about 20 Gossander flew over on their way to the reservoir.

20th Dec - mostly a sunny, day, 6C, light breeze

Good to see the sun again, a lovely winters day.

Visited Melton Mowbray market today and got stuck in a traffic queue on the M1 for a long time due to an accident further along, thereby no extra observing time.

I did notice a Mistle Thrush in the central village Holly tree late afternoon, protecting the many berries that remain.

18th Dec - dull, cloud and misty, 8C, light breeze

Visited Stanford res this morning, could have done with some sunshine to cheer the day up.

At lease four Little Egrets were feeding around the waters edge, on the water there were the usual ducks including six Shoveler and seven Goosander. Several Water Rail squealed from the reeds at a couple of locations.  The large Greylag Goose flock was feeding on the adjacent winter wheat field, eventually moving to the reservoir with lots of noise.  Still could not find the Smew that is reported
present.

A party of Tits were feeding in the Willows, including a Treecreeper, no Firecrest today, although it has been seen a few more times by others so it may still be in the area.  Several Chaffinch and Goldinch were feeding in the tops of the Alders.

19th Dec - misty, cloud, dull, 6C, still-very light breeze

About 1000h two Raven flew over home heading to the fields along the Moors lane.  Travelling along there about 1030h a Green Woodpecker flew off in front and three Bullfinches moved along the lane side bushes.

A Kestrel sat on the telegraph wires along the Frolesworth lane toward the village.

16th Dec - pretty foggy/misty until midday, then only a little brighter for a while, 10C, light SW

Very little happening today, on the bird feeders in the paddock two Nuthatches were feeding, a single Coal Tit briefly, plus c25 Hiuse Sparrow, Collared Doves and Jackdaws joining in.  A Mistle Thrush was in the Holly tree again and a Pied Wagtail was flying around.  Very few Redwing and Filedfare seem to be in the immediate village area just at the moment.

15th Dec - cloudy, mist and dull, light SW, 9C

I visited Stanford reservoir this morning to check out if a reported Smew was still present.  However, not long after arrival the local shoot started and this caused many of the ducks to take flight and move around a lot. Slowly, things started to settle down, but the Smew was not located.  There were 24. Goosander present, which is a good number for here, as in recent years the numbers have been declining.  Four Little Egrets were at the in-flow area.

14th Dec - sunny spells, light SW, 12C

Feeeling very mild.  Quite a lot of insect Bout, including some larger flies and Wasp, well above average Dec temp.

Two Mistle Thrush were quarrelling in over the Holly berries on the trees in the village centre, berries still abundant on many Holly and other bushes.

Mid afternoon I went to Stanford near the reservoir where the Hen Harrier has been staying to see if it was still around.  Luckily not long after arriving and walking along the old railway track the Harrier flew past in front of me and continued hunting over the fields.  Hopefully it will stay longer as it must be finding food in the area, hopefully in to the new year.

There were Redwing and Fieldfare along the railway track, on the bird food crop 40+ Tree Sparrows, 10+ Reed Buntings, two Yellowhammers and a few Chaffinch.  Buzzard and a female Kestrel were also hunting over the fields.

13th. Dec - very dull damp start, only brightening later. Light SW, 10C

This morning a flock of about 50 Fieldfare flew over the fields to the east of the village.  Otherwise things were not too showy today.

12th Dec - cloudy, dull, light SW, 9C, occasional light rain

A couple of Bullfinch flew over home early morning.

A visit to Frosleworth manor lake this morning  did not produce the number of finches and Buntings I was expecting on the bird/game cover areas.  Several Reed Buntings were there, but less Chaffinch, Linnet and Yellowhammer.  About 75 Lapwing were flying overhead having been disturbed off the nearby field.  On the lake 12 Tufted Duck and 20 Black-headed Gulls were floating around, a few Coot and Moorhen were also present.  Several flock of Starlings were flying around between the fields and horse paddocks.  A Kestrel was around and seen hovering several times over the rough field areas.  Possible as many as 20Blackbirds were feeding around the lake paths and paddocks.

11th Dec - Mostly cloudy, light SW, 9C

The Sparrowhawk was siting on the bird feeder first thing.  I think the other birds are getting wise to this and appear less frequent here now.

I decided to go on a twitch to see the Dusky Thrush that has been around for a week around an orchard in Beeley, near Chatsworth.  Many birders have been during the week and today was no exception, when I arrived there must haev been about 100 others present.  Apparently it was in a tree and cue flew off to the nearby pasture with Redwings.  Searching through the feeding Redwing it was spotted, but moved behind the hedge, a couple more brief views then it flew off back to the orchard area.  However, more waiting and searching failed to locate it again before I left.  Brief views yes, but still disappointing as on other days it has showed really well.

Also seen in the orchard and pasture area were Blue and Great Tit, a single Coal Tit, Nuthatch and Great-spotted Woodpecker.  Goldfinch, two Lesser Redpoll and a couple of Collared Dove.

10th Dec - cloudy, some mist, rain late afternoon, light SW, 11C

A cock Bullfinch was in the lane allotment hedge this morning.  I pooped to the local lake, it was very quite there.  The Mute Swan family is still present, but very little lease on the lake.  More than eight Long-tailed Tits were in the bushes, with a few other Tits with them.  

After lunch I went to Shawell lagoons, quite a few Gulls were in, but quickly flew off, Carl had seen a Mediterranean Gull there this morning, but long gone.  A Buzzard flew over, this discourages the Gulls a little.  Two Little Grebe were on the south pool, with only a few Tufted Duck for company.

9th Dec - cloudy, but very mild, 15C, wind mod SW

No obs.

Where has winter gone?

8th Dec - cloudy, mild

A day of meeting, sadly.

7th Dec- mod SW, sunny intervals and very mild 12C

Up and out to Musselburgh for a morning birding prior to my meetings.  The tide was in, just beginning to turn.  On the sea there were god numbers of Goldeneye and Eider, six Long-tailed ducks were found, also Red-breasted Merganer were some distance out, except two females which feeding next to the shore and one Velevet Scoter was out on the sea.  Mallard and Wigeon were around the Esk estuary area.  Several Cormorant and Shag were fishing off shore.

A nice selection of waders were on the shore and muscle beds, Turnstone, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew and Oystercatchers.  Also, on the mussel beds there were a lot of Carrion Crow, two Hooded Crow and a Rook.

Linnet and Meadow Pipit were feeding in the grassy margins.

6th Dec - Foggy

A complete wasted day due to my Edinburgh flight delay from last night due to fog.  However, the weather was misaerable in Edinburgh when I eventually got there, so no observations.

5th Dec - mostly cloudy, 4C, light breeze N

Not too much time today. A Sparrowhawk dashed along the village street near the bend late morning. Along the Moors lane a good number of Fieldfare and Redwing were feeding on the bushes.

Off to Edinburgh for a meeting, will try and get out while there.

4th Dec - frost last night, mostly sunny, light easterly, 6C

This morning visited my brother at Theddingworth, a Kestrel was calling over the field there and a Marsh Tit was feeding on the peanut hanger.

At Stanford reservoir this afternoon a juvenile Whooper Swan was present, along with 18 Goosander and 26 Shoveler.  The Wigeon numbers seemed low, but Pochard, Mallard and Tufted Duck were about normal. Two Little Grebe could be heard near the Reed bed, from which two water rail 'squealed'.  Over 100 Greylag Geese feed on the neighbouring winter wheat field.

Several Grey Heron and a single Little Egret were feeding around the edge.

There was the usual roving Tit flock, several Goldcrest but no Firecrest today.  Chaffinch were fairly numerous feeding under the trees and on the cover crop.  Four Reed Buntings were spotted too.

3rd Dec - mostly cloudy, light northery, 7C

I looked at Shawell lagoons this afternoon, there was 163 Lapwings there, may some more have moved down from the north during the recent cold spell.  Otherwise things were a little quite, four Cormorant were among the few Gulls present.    A Fox strutted along the bank side out of view of the birds.  The only Duck were five Tufted, and the south pool was empty apart for two Little Grebe.

At the nearby landfill site there were a few more Gulls, one Herring Gull type had a Lithuanian colour ring on, found by Carl.  I spotted a Black-headed Gull with a colour ring, as yet to find out where it was ringed.  Carl had seen two Caspian Gulls, but these had departed before my arrival there.

2nd Dec - cloudy, dull, mostly still, 9C

No serious obs today.

A Meadow Pipit flew over the village southward late afternoon.

1st Dec - sunny spells, light Northerly, 7C

This morning there were at least 100 Redwing in the wood to the east of the village, with a few Fieldfare.  To the west of the village at 75 Fieldfare were feeding on sheep pasture with -35 Starlings and a few Redwing.

Late afternoon the Nuthatch, Coal Tit and other usual were at the feed station.  While a good number of Thrushes started to come in to roost in the trees and bushes along the old railways track.