Wednesday, 30 June 2021

30th June, mostly cloudy until evening, light NNW, 17C

Willey; a Red Kite and four Buzzards over grass being mown to the east

Cotesbach Landfill/sandpit; only new bird was a juv Little Grebe.  The Shelduck family is still together, the 8 ducklings now quite large and showing feathers.  The pair have done really well only loosing one duckling very early on, especially given all the Gulls and Covid present here.

Lilbourne Meadows; this evening Teal now up to four, a single Tufted Duck, a single Little Egret and Grey Heron.  A Green Sandpiper was in the long grass, then a Curlew flew in from the NE.


29th June - mostly cloudy, light NW

 No Obs

Monday, 28 June 2021

28th June - cloudy, light rain/drizzle on/off all day, light NNE, 15C

No very summery at the moment!

WIlley; Six Swift moved over feeding early afternoon.  We don't have any breeding in the village.

Lilbourne Meadows; a look here this evening was interesting as a number of duck are returning. Two Teal and Shoveler respectively, a Tufted Duck and 15+ Mallard.  Notable were three Green Sandpipers feeding in the wet meadow, along with three Little Egret, the Little Grebe feeding young and two Oystercatchers, a Curlew was heard but out of view.

Sunday, 27 June 2021

27th June - cloudy, mod NE breeze, 17C

Cotesbach Landfill/Sandpit; this morning rather quite at the moment, except for at least 20 Red Kites looking for food.

Soar Brook Lake area (Hinckley); a look here early afternoon.  Three Oystercatchers, a Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe pair, Moorhen and Coots with young, four Cormorants, three Grey Herons, 48 Greylag and two Canada Geese, 14 Mallards and a Grey Wagtail pair.  Several House martins and Swallows feeding over adjoining pasture.

On one pool a Tufted Duck female with three young ducklings.






Saturday, 26 June 2021

26th June - mostly cloudy, light NE breeze, 20C

Cotesbach Landfill; 22 Red Kites this morning.

Lilbourne Meadows; about 70 Starlings on the Sheep pastures this afternoon, also, c30 Lapwing flew in and a Green Sandpiper was feeding.  The Little Grebe pair were still feeding their young.

Misterton; I checked the Spotted Flycatcher territories and found they were both still occupied, but no fledglings seen yet.  A Grey Wagtail pair were feeding a youngster too, their second brood.




25th June - mostly cloudy, light-mod NE, 17C, shower early am

Cotesbach Landfill/sandpit; early evening - Shelduck family still present.  A flock of c100 Starlings at the landfill now.  !7 Red Kites busy, some harassing the Gulls to release their morsels.  A Stock Dove on the side bank.

Shawell Lagoons; not much present, but a drake Teal entering eclipse plumage was notable as first here for awhile.  A Cormorant and six Canada Geese.

A5-DIRFT Pools; four Oystercatchers (the family from  previous obs), 7+ Pied Wagtails (mostly juvs).

24th June - sunny spells

Stanford reservoir; a look around the dam area this evening.  A couple of Shoveler were present near the dam, also 96 Greylags with two recent goslings, a Great Crested Grebe pair with two young,three Grey Wagtails (2 juvs) and a Reed Bunting carrying food to its nest.

Wednesday, 23 June 2021

23rd June - sunny, 21C, light NNW

Cotesbach Landfill/Sandpit;  the Shelduck family still all present.

A5-DIRFT Pool; five Lapwings, a Cormorant, Grey Heron, two Tufted Duck, Mallards, and Greylag Geese. A pair of Goldfinch feeding on weeds.  Six Little Ringed Plovers were present.

Lilbourne Meadows; late evening visit. a Little Grebe pair with five youngsters, seven Little Egrets, four Gadwalls, a Green Sandpiper was feeding, a few Lapwings, 33 Starlings, a Kestrel was eating prey on a post. 




22nd June - most;y cloudy, 17C, light NE

Willey; a Painted Lady flew passed me this afternoon.

Looked at a couple of places but nothing much around of note.

Monday, 21 June 2021

21st June - cloudy, 14C, light-mod NE

Cotesbach Landfill/sandpit.  A Green Sandpiper was present feeding this evening.

A5-DRIFT Pools;  A Ringed and two Little Ringed Plovers, a couple of Shelduck, not too much else.  Then three birds flew in and landed, two were clearly Curlew, the third I thought was going to be a juv, but in fact it was a Whimbrel. Took some distant record photos through the fence









20th June - cloudy, 13C, light rain at times, light NE

Soar Brook Lake- Hinckley; a look here during the morning, a Little Egret and Grey Heron, a small flock of Greylag Geese, a 'trilling' Little Grebe,  Oystercatcher heard, three Cormorants were notable at this new site.

Husbands Bosworth Sandpit; 12 Lapwings roosting, a Little Grebe with a juv, three Tufted Duck.

Saturday, 19 June 2021

19th June - Mostly cloudy, light breeze E, 17C

Willey; first thing a Whitethroat was singing near the barns to the east and three Ravens were down the Perkins fields.

Cotesbach landfill; the Shelduck family still, the ducklings are losing their down now and feathers beginning to show.  Also, three other adults were present, two went down an old hole, but came out again.



Also present was an Oystercatcher, it had a metal ring on, and the foot/leg was damaged.

The four Egyptian Geese and two Mute Swans were present, otherwise nothing else notable was present.

Middleton Lakes RSPB; I decided to visit here in the hope of seeing the Blyth's Reed Warbler that had been found yesterday here and reported again today.  It had been loyal to a small area of Willow near the river.   After a while it was heard to call and showed briefly low down in vegetation.  After a further wait it popped out on a branch and showed well from various angles, and called again.

A good selection of other birds were seen on the reserve including Bittern, Ringed and Little Ringed Plover.  


18th June - rain most of the day, light-mod NE/N, 13C

WIlley; a Green Woodpecker was on the lawn this morning, and a Goldcrest was singing from then Church Yew late evening once the rain had eased.

Cotesbach landfill; four Egyptian Geese

Lilbourne Meadows; at the we meadows were four Little Egrets and a Grey Heron, Greylag, Gadwall and Mallard, plus a Little Grebe.  A couple of Buzzards were hunting over the fields being harassed by a Carrion Crow.

17th June - cloudy, 21C, light breeze

Cotesbach Landfill/Sandpit; late afternoon, notable were 26 Red Kites, four Egyptian Geese, the Shelduck family and two other adults and six Ravens.

Friday, 18 June 2021

16th. June - got, 26C, light SSW, sunny

Willey; two Mistle Thrushes feeding on the sheep pasture to the west this morning.

About 1330h five Red Kites, four Buzzards and a Kestrel pair were hunting over the grass fields being picked up for silage immediately west of the village.

A5-DRIFT Pools; a look here in the evening produced a Ringed Plover that had a winter plumage.






Nearby a female Skylark was carrying food to a nest whilst the male was singing and surveying the scene from a spoil heap.





Wednesday, 16 June 2021

15th June - sunny hot, light breeze

 Cotesbach Landfill, Shelduck family still and one other adult, one Egyptian Goose.

Stanfird Reservoir; a look this evening around the dam area.  A pair of Yellow Wagtails collecting food, Grey Wagtails, two juvs and an adult. A Curlew flew over SW calling.






Monday, 14 June 2021

14th June - sunny hot, 23C, wind turning light NW early evening and cooling slightly.

 Cotesbach Landfill/ Sandpit; this evening the four Egyptian Geese were present, several Red Kites, 2+ Ravens, three Lapwings, otherwise pretty quiet.

A5- DIRFT Pools; 19 Lapwings, three Oystercatchers, Gadwall and Shoveler pairs, Greylag family.  Skylarks attending nestlings with food.  

Sunday, 13 June 2021

13th June - sunny, hot 26C, light breeze

Willey; first thing a couple of Ravens in the Trees in Hurls Furlong field to the east and two Mistle Thrushes in the very top sheep field.

Soar Brook Lake/Hinckley;   Cormorant 2, Little Grebe, Oystercatcher pair with well grown young, two Lapwing, Mallard, Tufted Duck 3, Greylag Goose family, Grey Heron,  a Red-legged partridge singing.

Husbands Bosworth Sandpit; a look over the pool that remains held 10 Lapwings, Mallards including a family, Tufted Ducks and Pied Wagtails.

Saturday, 12 June 2021

12th June - sunny, light NW, 22C

Cotesbach Landfill/sandpit; this morning I timed it right for the Red Kites as they gathered on the sloping banks sunning themselves with wings and tails spread over the ground, at onetime time there were 35 on the bank. In all I counted 41, a new record for me here.

Over the last couple of days it is noticeable that Black-headed Gulls have started to come back from their breeding grounds, including a lovely fresh juvenile.


Friday, 11 June 2021

11th June - broken cloud, 21C, light SW/W

Willey; a couple of Mistle Thrush in the field spinney, Perkins area.  Time for family groups to get together.

Most unexpected; I found - in Northants  - a Fieldfare feeding happily until alarmed by Woodpigeons.




A5- DIRFT pools;  a Ringed Plover was showing well, plus a Little Ringed Plover. A Skylark was gathering food for nestlings on an islet. A drake and female Shoveler were feeding on a pool, the drake entering eclipse plumage. 


Lilbourne Meadows; this evening - four Swifts over, Gadwall, Mallard, Greylags, four Oystercatchers, Lapwings, Moorhens, Coots, Little Grebe, a Buzzard, Grey Herons -2 and a Little Egret plus a stalking Fox, 








Thursday, 10 June 2021

10th June - mostly cloudy until evening, then sunny spells, 24C, light SW

Little Ringed Plover Site;  At this site is was good to see that three well grown chicks were running around with an adult in close attendance.

Wednesday, 9 June 2021

9th June - sunny, light SW, 24C

 Cotesbach landfill; In the sandpit area this evening four Egyptian Geese and a Peregrine sitting on a spoil heap preening.



Stamford reservoir; 

Stanford reservoir; two Yellow and three Grey Wagtails in the spillway.  Four Common Terns.  Two Little Egrets and a Grey Heron on the field pool at the outflow.

Tuesday, 8 June 2021

8th June - sunny, 24C, light SW,/SSW

 Cotesbach Landfill; this evening the Shelduck family, the drake taking his protection duties very seriously, chasing anything that comes close, including a drake Tufted Duck.  Eight Red Kites, four Lapwings, drake Gadwall and 22 Canada Geese plus goslings.

A5 DIRFT Pools; nine Adult Shelducks, looked like a post breeding group coming up to moulting time.  Six Lapwing.

Monday, 7 June 2021

7th June - mostly sunny, light SW, 24C

 Cotesbach Landfill; 16 Red Kites, one Egyptian Goose, two Lapwings and several Ravens.

A5 DIRFT pools; this evening a single Dunlin, Yellow Wagtail, six Lapwings, and three Egyptian Geese.  The latter being those often seen at Cotesbach Landfill sandpit.

Lilbourne Meadows; a look over the we Meadows area.  Four Little Egrets, Lapwings displaying, a Little Grebe, six Gadwall, four Starlings on the pasture and a Male Yellow Wagtails.  Nine Swifts overhead.

Sunday, 6 June 2021

6th June - sunny am, sunny spells pm, short sharp showers arou8nd, light breeze, 19C

Cotesbach Landfill;  a look this morning and two surprises, two Ringed P;overs and four Egyptian Geese.  The Shelduck family and drake Gadwall too.


Hydes Lane- Nuneaton; a male Re-backed Shrike was found on a field hedge this morning, so I had to take a look.  It had moved a little from the original site, possibly disturbed by a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers feeding young in a nest and were quite aggressive to other birds around.  It was relocated a little way off but I had good views of it hu8nting from the hedge.  Records photos weren't great due to heat haze, distance and light, but still a very attractive looking bird.




Hinckley Business Park Lake; this lake is located behind new warehousing, a recent brief look suggested it may have future potential.  Today, I was intrigued to find a pair of Oystercatchers and a single Lapwing on the adjoining pasture.

Saturday, 5 June 2021

5th June - mostly sunny until evening, 23C, light breeze

Willey; a group of five Ravens, probably a family group, in the Perkins area foirst thing.

Cotesbach Landfill; nothing new, three Egyptian Geese, several Red Kites, a Green Woodpecker, a few Sand Martins and the Shelduck family.

Warks Turtle Dove site; I visited here again this afternoon, the conditions were perfect, but no sight or sound.  Does this mean there are none at this site this year?  I hope not.


Friday, 4 June 2021

4th June - cloudy until evening thern sunny, 15C, light ENE

Willey;  this morning two fledged Chaffinch were in the trees and on the pasture (Hurls Furlong) chasing after their parents.  I heard an Oystercatcher  calling whilst flying passed, southward.
A beetle, to be identified, crawled along the fence post I was erecting.
It seems it is most likely Denticollis linearis, a widespread beetle.


Stanford reservoir; a look here this afternoon;  all the regulars present with plenty of Warbler song and one, maybe two, Cuckoo. 

A male Grey Wagtail was singing from the telegraph wires, and four Yellow Wagtails were in the spillway.

A beautiful female Broad-bodied Chaser was watrched.