31st Jan - cloudy, mod-fresh SW, 11C, brief odd shower

Cotesbach landfill;  disappointingly very few Gulls present, 110 Great black-backed, c50 Black-headed and a handful of Common Gulls was about it in the sandpit area and few on the landfill. 8 Red Kite, 28 Shoveler, 8 Teal and Coot now up-to 18.

Stanford hall area, 168 Canada and 70 Greylag Geese. C50 Wigeon and 5 Grey Herons near the lake.

Stanford Reservoir; a quick look around the dam area, a Green Sandpiper on the dam, Stonechat feeding in usual area.  Single drake Goosander again, otherwise all the usual regulars.

30th Jan - cloudy, a bit dull at times and damp, 9C, light WSW

Willey; busy day, I did briefly look at the feed station, there was lot of Gouse Sparrows, more than I’ve seen for ages, plus several Tree Sparrows. I’ll have to do a proper count.

Late afternoon a Kestrel was sitting in the village lane side Ash near the coal pit lane junction.

29th Jan - touch of frost, mostly sunny, 8 C, light WSW

Willey; a Raven flew over calling mid- morning heading northward.

Theddingworth; checked feed station here. Nothing new, Male Great Spotted Woodpecker visited.  C25 Stock Dove on Arable field with Rooks feedIng.

Stanford Reservoir; mid-afternoon till dusk.  2Little Egret and Grey Heron along the side. 10 Goldeneye,  Wigeon, Pochard, Gadwall, Tufted and Mallard, one drake Goosander and drake Teal,

Plenty of Blach-headed and Common Gulls in the roost, low numbers of latter Gulls.

28th Jan - a touch of frost last night, sunny spells, mod- fresh SSW, 6C, feeling cold

No obs today.

27th Jan - sunny am, them clouding over from the south, light S, 7 C

Stanford Reservoir; had to attend the Leices feeders this afternoon, didn’t see anything new. About 10 Long-tailed Tits were busy feeding in the bushes and Reed bed. A mixed flock (c100) of Redwing and Fieldfare flew from the adjacent field in to the tree tops, lots of sub-song.  Also, the Rooks were very busy and noisy in the Rookery, getting in the mood!

26th Jan - sunny spells till mid-day then light rain to the evening, light S, 7C

Willey; Today was the RSPBs great garden birdwatch count, record the maximum count of each species seen in a chosen area in an hour, I always count my paddock feed station.  The best thing was that the Tree Sparrow count has now increased to 6, the usual pattern for January, last year 8 was the  count.  Other counts were well down, I think the mild weather must be having an impact on the number visiting the feeders. A Song Thrush was singing most of the morning. and a mixed flock, c100, of Redwings and Fieldfares flew over from the nearby field, some settling in a tree top.

Cotesbach landfill; a look here next, as expected only c300 Gulls, most were Great black-backed.  Shoveler 20, Teal 15 and 5 Red Kite were of note.

Theddingworth; after lunch a check of the feed station here, but the rain was now discouraging much to be out., About 60 Rooks, with Jackdaws and Carrion Crows, were feeding on the landed field.  A cock Pheasant was searching for food around the feeder.

Stanford reservoir; next to here, but the rain was continuing so just a short walk along on side to the main reed bed.  A Little Egret and a female Goldeneye on the settling pool, more Goldeneye spotted on the main water.  Few passerines, a couple of Goldcrest though and at least two Great Tits singing at times.  Usual winter duck and Gulls on the main water.

With the rain persisting I decided that there was little point checking for Short-eared Owl tonight and will check when better weather in the coming days.

25th Jan - cloudy, 7C, very light SW, mist late afternoon before breeze picking up a little.

Ecton; I decided to refresh my identification of Siberian Chiffchaff and have a look at the Ecton area where one, sometimes two, have been wintering with up to 10 Common Chiffchaffs.  This would allow a really good comparison between the two.  They have been frequenting a waterway where the outfall from a sewage treatment enters. Sure enough there were several(4+) Common Chiffchaffs present and showing well and close, with plenty of insects over the water for food.  Eventually the Sibe was located, but all the birds were active and kept moving, sometimes crossing the water way and going in to the cover, meaning it had to be re-located which was good practice to identify it.

Other birds in the area included a Green Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail, Water Rail and a calling Raven.  The outfall was also attracting a good number of Long-tailed Tits, Goldcrests and Wren. A Treecreeper was in the bushes.

24th Jan - similar to yesterday, not quite so gloom.

Willey; not too much happening due to the weather being gloomy. A late pm look at the feed station produced a cock Pheasant, 6 Yellowhammers, Chaffinch, Blue and Great Tits.
C40 Redwings flew over to roost in the old railway track bushes.
Early evening a Tawny Owl was heard across the fields towards the Moors lane.

23rd Jan - thick cloud, misty, fine drizzle at times, damp, very light W, 7C

Willey; Goldcrest singing in Church Yew trees for second day. Song Thrush also heard  singing.  Mistle Thrush in garden Holly tree.
During the day c70 Redwings flew over SE and earlier c20 Fieldfares.

22nd Jan - cloudy, very light SE, 9 C

Theddingworth; at the feed station were 15 Long-tailed Tits, Blu and Great Tits, House Sparrows, Great spotted Woodpecker, and Chaffinch.   Buzzard, Rooks, Jackdaws and Carrion Crows around the area.

Stanford Reservoir; a look around the inlet area mid-afternoon, just the usual birds. A good number of Redwing c80, and Fieldfare, c50 feeding on the fields here. A flock c200 Lapwing had been disturbed and were flying around overhead.

Then a look at the nearby site where Short-eared Owls have been seen. At about 1600h one did start to hunt and gave good views. A Red Kite also gave a fly-by.

21st Jan - frost last night -2C, then warming during the day, 6C, cloudy some sunny spells., light W

Willey; checked the paddock feed station late afternoon.  6 Yellowhammers, 4+ Chaffinch, 4 Greenfinch, c30 House Sparrows and 2 Tree Sparrow.  A male Great-spotted Woodpecker dropped in. Also, Magpie, Jackdaw and Pheasant, Blackbird, Robin, Blue (6+) and Great Tits.

A single Stock Dove and 52 Redwings flew from the adjacent field.

20th Jan - frost last night -2C, mostly sunny day, very light WSW, 6C

Willey; a Song Thrush was singing early afternoon, celebrating the sunshine?

Cotesbach Landfill;  mid-afternoon to sunset.  No 'white-wingers’ seen. Apparently others during the day had not seen one either.  However, thousands of Gulls many staying the far side or on the tip, so they may have been present.
Grey and Pied Wagtails, Shoveler, Teal, Tufted, two Wigeon, female Gadwall.  A small influx of Coot and the usual single Moorhen.
A very poorly looking Mute Swan, it won’t make it.

19th Jan -frost last night -3C - sunny, 6C, light W

Another sunny day so I decided to make a visit to Rutland Water, hoping to see some of the winter visitors we don't get locally..

I had the north arm to myself, plenty of duck, 5 Red-crested Pochards and Egyptian Geese too.  Plenty of Little Grebe and Great-crested, good views of the Slavonian Grebe.  On the far side a Lapwing flock and a Redshank was calling in flight.  Little Egret were dotted all around, plus a few Grey Heron.

I later moved to the Egleton reserve area.  As I walked passed lagoon 1 to start at the Lapwing hide I heard a Curlew calling, on the lagoon Icould see 3 Smew swimming off, a male and 2 redheads.  Also, near the path to Redshank hide a few Siskin and Goldfinch were in the alders, a small flock of Chaffinch were in the leaf litter and searching through I found a Brambling.

From the Lapwing hide all the usual waterfowl were visible, including a few more Red-crested Pochard.  Then I noticed 2 Black-necked Grebes mid distance.  Walking back to the Shoveler hide next.  Another Black-necked Grebe was present, Among the Duck at least 4 Scaup, plenty of Shoveler here too and Great Egrets were close by.

On lagoon 1 the Smew were still present, 5+ Great Egret and all the other usual waterfowl. I found 5 Stonechat on the marsh and reedy areas.

18th Jan - frost last night -2C, sunny day, 6C, light WNW

Seems a long time since we had all day sun and no rain.  We need more now.

Cotesbach landfill; a look here after lunch. Fortunately the Kumlien's Gull was showing well on the water, several Caspian Gulls were also present.  The bright sunlight made photos a challenge.  To think this bird has made it's way, possibly from Greenland, or the Canadian territory of Nunavut (previously part of the Northern Territories).

The two Green Sandpipers and Common Sandpiper were also busy around the shore. A good number of Shoveler (30+) and Teal too. Three Grey Wagtails as well as the usual Pied present. two Red Kites, a Buzzard and a couple of Linnet.

South Kilworth;  towards dusk visited an area that held a Short-eared Owl a few days ago.  Alas, not showing today. A Raven flew over, 3 Meadow Pipits, a few Fieldfare and Redwing feeding on the fields.

17th Jan - cloudy, rain period midday, 10C, but cold rain, light SW

A busy day.
Willey; I did notice c30 Redwings in the Perkins fields and spinney this morning.

16th Jan - cloudy am, rain pm, brisk S, gusty 20mph, 9C

Willey; check my feed station before lunch, disappointingly the Tree Sparrows have not yet sown in number.  I hear this at other locations too.  I wonder whether the large amount of uncultivated fields, stubble, due to the (mild) wet weather since the autumn may have something to do with it, or maybe just the weather. Plenty of House Sparrows though, Pheasants, a Yellowhammer and 4 Chaffinch.  A Greenfinch dropped in, while another 6 flew from the church Yews trees to the hedgerow.

Cotesbach landfill; only time this  morning for a short visit, already 8+ listers present looking for a 'white-winger', some claimed to have seen an 'Iceland Gull'. I did not find one, but happy to have found the Common Sandpiper again, plus two Green Sandpipers, with 5 Red Kites .overhead.

15th Jan - cloudy clearing to sunny spells and scattered showers pm, 8C, breeze SSW

Another load of rain last night, with many fields with standing water again.

Draycote Water; a look here during the afternoon.  A few Shoveler, Gadwall, a couple of Goosander and Wigeon, plenty of Little Grebe.  A long way off shore the juv Great northern Diver was visible, having a wash, distant record photo.  

11 Long-tailed Tits in the boundary hedge.

14th Jan - blowfly, S-SSW, mod - gusty , light rain pm, 13C

Another poor weather day for finding birds.

A Kestrel seen hovering along the A5 verge near the Woodway Lane turning and another near Claybrooke Mill.

I did find a fairly recent dead, half grown, Hedgehog on pile of straw in a shed where I saw one in the autumn. Another casualty of this relatively mild winter so far.

13th Jan - cloudy, mod- gusty SW, 8C, light rain pm

Willey; a Song Thrush was singing this morning.

Beeby; on a farm here about 30 House Sparrows wear feeding in straw bales.

12th Jan - clouidy, showers am, breezy WSW, easing pm, 9C

Shawell lagoons; a look here first thing, 172 Lapwing, 13 Teal, 59 Tufted Duck, 5 Cormorants, 2 Pochard, a few Gulls and Coot.

c30 Goldfinch were in the alders not far away.

Stanford Hall; checking the Goose (165 Canada) flock here, but noting unusual. On the lake 5 Little Grebe and 5 Little Egret, 37 Wigeon on the grass grazing, a Grey Heron and a Nuthatch calling from the trees.

Eyebrook reservoir; I visited here after lunch. A look at the inlet feeders first, a nice number of Chaffinch and Goldfinch and Coal, Blue and Great Tits were present.  Best of all a Marsh Tit was present and feeding. Research has shown that the (nearly) 100% identification feature to separate Marsh from Willow Tits the lighter area on the base of the upper mandible of the Marsh Tit.
2+ Bullfinch were in the bushes nearby.

Plenty of Teal and Wigeon, One drake Pintail, a small number of Goldeneye and Shoveler, nothing unusual today. A small number of Lapwing at the inlet end.  A Kestrel hunting.

11th Jan - cloudy, light drizzle pm, moderate - gusty WSW, 10C

Misterton; a look here first thing, the wind was keeping things hidden. The usual woodland birds, including Treecreeper and Nuthatch.

Brandon Marsh; conditions were not ideal and the river had rose during the night flooding the access to the main hide path.  On the East Marsh a Great Egret, Little Egret and Grey Heron were close to each other.  Plenty of Shoveler, Teal and Tufted Duck.  On the island about 50 Lapwings.

At the centre feeders plenty of Chaffinch, Reed Buntings and Common Tits.  Long-tailed Tits were around the reserve. Two Jays were near the Horse tail glade.

10th Jan - sunny periods, 8C, light WSW

Cotesbach Landfill; late morning Carl text to say he had found a Mediterranean Gull, so I deceived to take a look. It was very close in and in fact the Kunlien’s Gull was almost next to it on the bank, so two good birds together.
I did go back in the afternoon but did not find anything new.

9th Jan - mostly cloudy, very light SW, 9C

Cotesbach landfill; a spell here this afternoon, unfortunately I didn't find any 'wing-wingers', but many Gulls and most likely in the throng somewhere between the pits and tipping area. A quick count of Great Black-backed Gulls in the pit area was 333, plus many more in the area.

However, I was well pleased as I found the Common Sandpiper that I missed here on Saturday, my first January record.

I also read 4 colour rings on Herring Gulls:
D2FT, S2ZT both black on red (same scheme).
6D9B and Y.A71 both black on yellow (different schemes).

8th Jan - mostly high cloud, light SW, 10 C

Stanford Reservoir; a look here after lunch, All the usual Duck, nothing new.  A Grey Heron was stalking in the Reed bed, I canned the Reed bed a lot as a possible Bittern was reported a few days ago.  A single Little Grebe in the main bay.

It was good to 6 Bullfinches feeding together. A Kestrel was hunting. Winter Thrushes were scarce today, only one Fieldfare. A Green Woodpecker called near the dam.

I have seen an increase in Mole activity now the land is drying out and is relatively mild, like this Mole that went across a field, last night, then took a sharp left.

7th Jan - cloudy, light rain at times, mod-brisk SW, temp climbing during the day, 13C

Willey; a few Redwing again first thing.

A busy day so little time for obs.

6th Jan - cloudy, light rain late afternoon, mod-brisk WSW, 8C

Willey; a flock of about 20 Redwings were flying over first thing.

Stanford Reservoir, a look after lunch. a Great and Little Egret near the inlet, the Stonechat in its usual location near the house.  A Water Rail dived for cover at the end of the by-pass. A small mixed flock of Redwing and Fieldfare were present. Nothing unusual on the water, plenty of Gadwall, 2 Goldeneye.

5th Jan - high cloud, sunny spells pm, 9C, light SSW

Shawell lagoons; a look here first. A couple of Cormorant, c30 Lapwing, 15 Teal, a single drake Pochard with the Tufted Duck flock, one Grey Heron.  A Green Woodpecker called from the banks nearby.
A Mistle Thrush was singing over the road at the Tripontium site.

Cotesbach Landfill; arrived just in time to see the Kumlien's Gull on the water, before it flew of NW.  otherwise few Gulls as no tipping today.  Shoveler 28, Teal 34, a hunting Kestrel and 12 Red Kites.

Draycote reservoir; I decide to visit here this afternoon and stay for the Gull roost.  Lots of Great-crested and Little Grebes, Goldeneye and Tufted Duck, 8 Goosander and 2 Greater Scaup.  Apart from other common species little was about.

The Gull roost is a sight to behold, with several thousand returning here to roost.  Viewing conditions can be challenging, you have to focus on a particular area depending on the light and wind, to get the best views.  Chatting to the regular roost watchers is it interesting to hear of the skills they have developed to watch this large water. I never realised so many Common Gulls roosted there, quite outstanding.

4th Jan - high broken cloud, v light SW, 9C

Cotesbach landfill; a look this morning, then again mid-late afternoon.  Carl had just seen a Kumlien's Gull on the water, but it had flew off to the mass of Gulls on the tip.  So, I positioned myself to view the gull mass over the tip, I had distant but good, short views of a smallish 'white-winged' Gull flying in the flock which looked right for the Kumlien's.  Late afternoon (1530h) another birder spotted a white-winger fly on to the nearby pool, good views showed it was the Kumlien's.
Also, this morning around the pools, Teal, Shoveler, Mallard and Tufted Duck. A Green Sandpiper was found by another birder and Carl saw a Common Sandpiper which disappeared round a corner before I could see it.  Then a falcon was picked out and after several flights low around the area was confirmed as a Merlin.

Crick; early afternoon I popped down to see the Great Grey Shrike that has been around since before Christmas.  It was showing well and some record photos taken.

3rd Jan - mostly sunny, 10C light WNW

WIlley; A busy day locally, even so little was around, a few Redwings and Buzzard noted, otherwise very quite.

2nd Jan - moderate-breezy WNW, 7C, cloudy, mist, Dull

Seeswood Pool; I popped down the road to have a look for the drake Ferruginous Duck.  I eventually spotted it swimming under some overhanging branches, then settled on a submerged branch.  Due to distance, mist and poor light no decent photos were possible today.

Cotesbach Landfill;  plenty of Gulls, but the wind was now quite brisk, strong at times and the Gulls were whizzing around.  This sometimes can be useful to spot 'white-wingers' but not today.  Even the usual Ducks were sheltering.

1st Jan - cloidy, dull, mist, 7C, very light S

Willey; Green Woodpecker called to the east, a Fox ran from a barn full of fodder bales.  At the paddock feeder the usual visitors, a Nuthatch visited briefly, Long-tailed Tits moved along the hedgerow, several Greenfinch were in the hedge and Church yew trees and a single Yellowhammer sat atop the hedge, whilst c70 Redwings were disturbed from the adjacent field.

Shawell lagoons; the north lagoon held most variety, a single drake Pochard, Teal, Wigeon, Shoveler and Tufted Duck, a Grey Heron plus 139 Lapwing. Plus all the usual Gulls.

Cotesbach Landfill; a look here next this morning.  Gull numbers low as no tipping today and nothing special whilst I was there, however the juv Glaucous Gull was reported later on.  Three Red Kites and 2 Raven were obseerved.

Stanford Hall area; c100 Wigeon at the lake area. On the monument fields 246 Lapwings, the Mistle thrush pair (sang a little too), c 15 Redwings and c120 Starlings feeding.

Stanford reservoir;  a drake Pintail was showing well, plus the other usual ducks and geese.  The Stonechat was in it's usual location.  A flock of 12 Goldfinch were feeding.  Rooks were in the tree tops at the adjacent New Covert rookery.  A pair of Grey Wagtails at the outflow area.  c250 Lapwing flew over - maybe those from Stanford area.