30th May - sunny, hot, 24C, light East

Willey; 0950h, two Red Kites over village chasing each other.

Cotesbach Landfill;  14 Red Kites, two Great-Crested Grebe, 8 Greylag Geese flew in, single Oystercatcher were the most notables today.

Eyebrook reservoir; I made a visit here after lunch, fortunately the four Black Terns reported this morning were still present and showing well.  There's not been many Black Terns through this Spring, so a treat to see them.  There wasn't much an awful lot more around, just the expected birds.

Then a message that a drake Green-winged Teal had been reported on the opposite side to where I was and was it visible.  After scanning the area I did spot it through the scope near the far shore close to a group of Canada Geese.  I decided to go round and get a closer look, even though it meant the light would be terrible looking in to the sun.  Good close views of the bird and a drake (Eurasian) Teal.

29th May - Sunny, 20C, brisk SE

Norfolk; I decided it would be nice to have a day at some places I know in North Norfolk which are not likely to have folks around, or very few, which indeed proved to be the case.

Choseley Barns farmland; I started in this area looking for Corn Bunting and other farmland birds.  I soon found Corning Buntings sitting on the hedgerows, although they were not singing too much today.

To be continued

28th May- sunny, 24C, light ESE

Cotesbach landfill; a look this evening, all the regulars.  The most notable record being a Shelduck pair with nine very young ducklings, probably out the nest today.

The ducklings were often well spread out over the water, now doubt the parent s were very anxious. At one time a LBB Gull flew over low and the drake went for it.  Whether the Gull was after a duckling wasn't clear.  However, the question how many will survive this area with so many Gulls present - hopefully the Gulls will fill-up on the landfill and not the ducklings.

A few distant record photos in bright sunlight.

27th May -sunny, 24C, light NW

Cotesbach landfill; nothing new here - 10 Red Kite seen feeding and a Mallard with 10 recent duckling.

Stanford reservoir; notables included female Egyptian Goose sitting on overflow wall, Hobby, Blue Tits entering toilet block air vent with food, Goldfinch 2, Two male Grey Wagtails and Pied Wagtail feeding juv in spillway, a Little Egret and 22 Mute Swans.

26th May - sunny, hot, light SW, 23C

Cossington Meadows; after a busy day I decided to make an evening visit here, not been at all this year mainly to due virus lockdown rules.  I had been told the pools had mud edges so I was hoping a passage wader may be present.

A pleasant evening with plenty of activity, there seemed a good number of Song Thrushes singing here,  Whitethroat fetching food for youngsters.  Cetti's Warblers, Redd Warblers and others could be heard.   On the pools a good number of Gadwall, Mallard, a few Tufted duck and a single drake Mandarin (my first here), Common Terns and Black-headed Gulls were nesting on the islands.

Green Woodpecker feeding on the ground, Swifts overhead, a Kestrel with prey, plus other usual birds were seen

25th May - sunny, hot 24C, light-mod WSW

High pressure dominates and warm-hot weather is forecast for at least the next 10 days.  The weird weather continues..

Willey; Most unusual whilst checking the animals about 0830h in the top fields I noticed a Mole on the surfacing busily walking along the surface and nuzzling in to the grass - I think it would need a jack-hammer to get in to the ground where it was.  You don't often see a Mole on the surface at this time of day.

Later on I spotted a Cinnabar moth on the gravel and late afternoon another daytime moth was feeding on the Cotoneaster flowers in the garden.

Cotesbach landfill;  after lunch notables today  were the Shelduck pair and single Oystercatcher feeding.  House, Sand Martins, Swallows and Swifts feeding overhead.

Kimcote - a Little Egret flew over the Walton lane near the lakes.

Walton - a few screaming Swift entering the usual old house they nest in.

24th May- cloud clearing to sunny spells, mod WNW breeze, 19C

Cofesbach Landfill; a look this morning. Plenty of House Martins and Swifts feeding overhead in the breeze.  18 Red Kites around the landfill area.  A Shelduck flew in for a short time before leaving (~1600 a pair was present).  Two Great-Crested Grebes were still present.

On an older spoil heap area two Small Heath were seen.

Warks Site; this afternoon I checked an area which held Turtle Dove last year.  I soon located a ‘purring’ male whilst two others were seen to fly from the bushes to the nearby tall .hedgerow.

23rd May - mod-breezy SW, 17C, sunny spells

Stanford reservoir; A Great Egret and Little Egret flew SW over the dam down the valley.  Overhead in the wind 50+ Swift and a good number of House Martins.

On the dam a Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Pied and Grey Wagtails.

22nd May - mod-blustery wind SW, mostly sunny, 19C

Cotesbach Landfill; a look in the sandpit area late afternoon.  Very little about due to the wind, plenty of House Martins though. Five Red Kites over the area.  Few Gulls today, probably no tipping going on

21st May - sunny, hot 24C, light breeze

Eyebrook reservoir; I was going to visit here, but news that a Cattle Egret had been sighted last evening made it a bit more interesting.

I did find the Cattle Egret, taking flies off the cattle as they laid in the sun, in the approach field along the lane.  I tried for a photo, but distanced and heat simmer were not favourable, but you get the idea.

An Osprey popped-in fishing and a Red Kite drifted over.  Nothing unusual out on the water.  Warblers singing included Whitethroat, Blackcap, Garden and Sedge.  A couple of Goldfinch, several Reed Buntings.

20th May - sunny, hot, 27C, light S

The weather this Spring has rocked and rolled and now today very unseasonably hot.  Whatever next?

Wiley; the main news is that two independent villagers have told me they heard a Cuckoo calling a couple of days ago just to the west of the village.  This is a first record  of a Cuckoo here for many years, where once they were annual.

This morning a Lesser Whitethroat was singing at the top end of the village, where it has been heard previously.

Cotesbach Landfill. The only new bird today was a Little Grebe in the sandpit area.  Twelve Red Kites were in the area.

19th May - mostly sunny, light W, 24C afternoon

Cotesbach landfill; a quick look in the sandpit area this morning, all the usuals, a female grey Wagtail was gathering food for young.

Mere Lane Lake; a look this evening. A Moorhen with a recent chick on the flood pools, also a Pied Wagtail collecting food. A Yellow Wagtail pair came in, fed and bathed.  A Green Woodpecker called nearby, and a male Bullfinch flew over in to the hedge.  Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Goldcrest were all singing.  A Grey Heron was feeding, then came and preened in the sunshine.

18th May - sunny, cloudy late afternoon, 20C, light breeze

Cotesbach landfill; a look here in the evening. a male Grey Wagtail was feeding a youngster, recently left the nest. A single Red Kite over, an Oystercatcher feeding, a few Tufted Duck, Mallard numbers increasing now, as is the number of Canada Geese - 19.

It was interesting to watch these Canada Geese and a few Mallard track a Fox as it walked along the waters edge - they made sure that it knew they were keeping an eye on it.  The Fox eventually walked off and away from the water.

Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were in the spinney area.  Martins, Swallows and two Swifts were feeding overhead.

17th May - sunny spell, light W, 20C

Now the lock down rules have eased allowing travel a little further I was able to visit a couple of sites.

Croft Hill; first visit this year, rather late for migrants but good to check the site.  A small number of Linnet and Goldfinch were in one area.  Warblers singing included Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Blackcap.

Kinewell Lake/Ringstead Gravel Pit; Yesterday a male red-footed Falcon was reported here, a site I am not familiar with. Checking its location I found it is much closer than I expected, so when I heard it had been sighted again mid-morning, I decided there was nothing to loose and go for a look.

I located a good watch point giving views of the sky and lake, a handful of other birders were present and keeping a respectable distance from each other.  The bird had been seen a little while earlier, but was feeding high at times with several Hobby, and also moving around the lakes area.

At times five Hobby were together.  After about 30 mins of searching a single falcon flew low and close, good views quickly confirmed it as the Red-footed Falcon.  It then moved off to the other side of the lake and high. Some time later I picked it up again feeding along the Poplar tree line.  I was lucky to see it, and so quickly after arriving, others were not so lucky.

A good selection of other birds were seen while here given its also quite a popular place for folks to go walking.

16th May - sunny spells, light W, 178C

Cotesbach Landfill; this morning g 16 Red Kite were feeding among the Gulls here.  In the sand pit area a female Mallard had three ducklings and a Canada Goose pair had four goslings.  A Goldcrest, Goldfinch and Whitethroat were singing from the boundary areas.  A couple of Swift were feeding overhead.

Three Oystercatchers were spotted, two together 'piping' and a single bird.

Stanford reservoir; A walk here after lunch.  We have a really very good number of Garden Warblers present this year, their song is quite pleasant to listen to.  Other Warblers appear to be in present in good numbers to. 

A pair of Shelduck flew in near the dam.  In the spillway a pair of Grey Wagtails were collecting food for their juveniles, and another male was present further along. A few Swifts were feeding overhead. 

A couple of Common Terns were sitting on the dam.

A Red Kite drifted over, with the usual Buzzards around.

15th May | sunny periods, light WNW, 15C

Willey; a Whitethroat singing from hedge along bridle way near A5.

Otherwise a busy day,

14th May - sunny periods, light NNE, 14C

Cotesbach landfill; I had a look here in the early evening. a single Red Kite,, an Oystercatcher flew in to bathe, Canada Geese have at least two Goslings - a tasty meal for the Fox that was patrolling the area.  A good number of House Martins and the usual Sand Martins.
A Green Woodpecker was heard from the spinney, a Whitethroat sand in the hedge.  

The question is' are we going to get any wader passage this May?' Last year was pretty good - check out the 2019 posts.

13th May - sunny spells, mod NE, cool, 10C

Willey; Just after lunch a Red Kite was low over home and drifted off eastward. A few Swifts were over the top fields this afternoon near the A5 road.

Stanford reservoir; a hours walk here this evening.  A Common Sandpiper, Grey and Pied Wagtails on the dam, four Yellow Wagtails and a Goldfinch on the dam bank (3 male, 1 female) .  Over the water hirundines and Swifts after insects in the keen cold wind, at least 300 House Martins.

A very colourful cock Pheasant just in the adjacent field.

12th May - touch of frost early, sunny am, cloudy pm, light NW, 12C

Willey; this morning a Lesser Whitroate was singing from hedge next to top spinney. In the back field Six Starling busy searching for food and dashing off with it to youngsters..

11th May - Again a mod-fresh NE, cool wind, 11C, sunny interval

Cotesbach Landfill; I noticed the Canada Goose nest has been destroyed, probably by the Fox, I wonder if the sitting Goose got away. Also, one of the Mute Swans eggs is now sitting on the ground a couple of feet from the nest. The birds have been sitting a week or so, probably knocked out by the parent. Fortunately, these Swans are on an island and ought to be safe from the Fox.

The Shelduck pair were present, also an Oystercatcher was feeding. Hopefully it has a partner on a nest somewhere locally.  Six Red Kites, a. Buzzard or two and a pair of Kestrels hunting.

10th May - cloudy, mod-freah NE, light showers early, 10C

A significant weather change as a cold front moved south over night bringing  cool and windy (up to 20mph) weather.

Stanford reservoir; Over the water a lot of hirundines feeding on the insects being blown by the wind, difficult to count, 300+House Martins, c30 Sand Martins, c30 Swallows and c30 Swifts.  A Hobby also catching insects.
A Yellow Wagtail sheltered in the spillway, where  Grey Wagtail (male) was agitated.

9th May - sunny, hot, 24C, light WSW

Stanford reservoir; a walk here in the afternoon. Nine Common Sandpipers on the dam - a sudden increase over recent days.  Drake Wigeon, a couple of Common Tern, two Grey Heron, 18 Great-crested Grebes, a male Grey Wagtail on dam and Green Woodpecker feeding on the bank.

8th May Friday - mostly sunny, 20C, light WSW

Willey;
First thing a Lesser Whitethroat was singing from the hedge nearer the barns to the east.

0845h, Over the cultivated field again, Perkins area, at least 20 Buzzards were circling or sitting in the trees before moving off.  Clearly, plenty of food here to attract them.

Bittesby, Mere lane lake area; a bike ride over here after lunch.  The Mute Swans have hatched, four cygnets could be seen.  Three Stock Dove were feeding on the adjacent cultivated field, a Jay flew in to the hedgerow.
Plenty of Reed Warblers around the lake, other Warblers included Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff.  On the lake Little Grebe, Coots and Tufted Ducks.

A pair of Bullfinch flew over from one side to the other. A Female Kestrel left the nearby tree and circled around.

7th May - mostly sunny, 21C, light southerly

Stanford Reservoir, a walk here after lunch.

I had only just arrived when 10 Arctic Terns flew in over the dam, they were very excited and noisy, flying in to the bay then climbing high.  They came back and continued the excited behaviour before eventually leaving.  Five Common Terns were around too, including a pair displaying on a react.

A couple of Common Sandpipers were on the dam, and while watching these a Shelduck pair came in and bathed.

A Cuckoo was calling along with all the usual singing Warblers.  The red-legged Partridge pair were around the dam bank again

6th May - touch of ground frost this morning, becoming sunny, 16C pm, light E

Willey; nature is not sentimental!
The Robins decided to leave their nest in the shed today. Just after lunch I walked out in to the yard to find two of the fledglings sitting in the open, just as I was looking as a Magpie swooped and one was gone.  It was soon back so I moved the other one to cover.  However, it and two others were constantly calling which really gave away their position.  The Magpie came back and was lurking in cover.  Needless to say bu the end of the afternoon no fledglings were heard.
The parent Robins took no notice, but their survival strategy must work as they have survived hundreds of thousands of years.

5th May - cloudy first thing, becoming mostly sunny, mod East breezy, 14C

Willey; a check at feed station, paddock and Church area mid-morning.  A male Linnet flew over the paddock and sat atop the church lane hedge, my first record here this year.  Otherwise, all the usual birds were around.
The last few days at least 6 Swallows have been going in and out of the sheds, how they miss each other in flight is amazing as they whiz round.

Bittesby lake area; a look here in the evening, a Carrion Crow was hassling a Buzzard constantly, until it left the area. A female Kestrel came over hunting.  A male Yellow Wagtail dropped in to the receding flood pools, on which a Mallard pair, three Tufted Duck and a Moorhen had been feeding.

4th May - cool, cloudy and mist first thing, brightening e army pm, 14C, light NE

Willey; a Sparrowhawk flew down the road and in to gardens at 1920h.

A busy day but I did check out Shawell Lagoons in the evening. Quiet, a pair of Greylag Geese, a pair of Coot with four young, and three Mallard drakes, a Shelduck flew in and commencing washing.

3rd May - sunny spells, light W, 12C

Willey; checked out the local birds seen around the paddock, feed station, flyovers and church area for an hour, got 23 species. Nothing new but nice to see many are breeding by their behaviour.  A Robin pair are busy collecting food everyday for their young now.

Bittesby; in the afternoon I explored the fields and lake near the new warehousing complex.  A Bullfinch pair in the thick hedge with Song Thrush and Chiffchaff singing.  Both Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat (2) were heard singing.
On the lake the young Colts are out and about, the Mute is still sitting.  Two female Reed Bunting present and more Reed Warblers singing. little Grebes were ‘trilling’.

A pair of Kestrels were seen to copulate whilst sitting on the roof edge of the warehouse!

2nd May - sunny spells, 15C, light W

Willey; John M called me to say there were about 25 Buzzards feeding on newly cultivated fields just  west of the village.  I bet they were after worms and any animal casualties from the cultivation of the fallow field since the autumn.

Stanford Reservoir; did a walk here this afternoon. A single female Teal was present, plus Gadwall, Mallard and Tufted Duck. Plenty of Warbler song, including a Grasshopper Warbler ‘reeling’.
A Common Sandpiper was present, and a Cuckoo calling.

An Arctic Tern dropped in, but was gone.  Two Hobby fed low over the water along the north side.

 The Red-legged Partridge pair are still around the dam end.

1st May - sunny spells, becoming cloudy, light W

Stanford reservoir; a walk here in the afternoon. A Common Tern was present. On the dam a Common Sandpiper, in the spillway two Yellow Wagtails and the 'channel' Wagtail.

A Cuckoo was calling and a Swift was overhead with the House Martins.