26th Sept Saturday - Sunny, light SW, 20C

Willey; c 30 House Sparrows on the main street side, near Parsons Close.

Lilbourne Meadows; morning.

15-20 greenfinches on the adjacent sunflower/bird food area.

On the island pool, a Mute Swan, 7 Teal, 3 mallards and 21 Canada Geese. Also a single Little Grebe.

On the Meadows several Skylarks and meadow Pipits.  c40 Linnets were mobile.

Magna Park central, eastern boundary area; afternoon.

A few Blue and Great Tits with 2 CHiffchaffs.

Butterflies were Small White, 4 Speckled Wood and a Red Admiral.

A Common Hawker, Ruddy Darter and Willow Emerald Damselfly.

Shawell Sandpit/Landfill; late afternoon.

Very similar to last visit, nothing new.

25th Sept Friday - misty start, then sunny, light S, 20C, cloudy and dull late afternoon.

Willey; morning

First thing three Swallows were feeding low over the grass fields, Perkins area.

C40 Linnets were on the adjacent sown field.

24th Sept Thursday - Mostly sunny, very warm again, 21C, mostly light S

Willey; A few Red Admirals were noted during the day.

Stanford Reservoir; afternoon.

A Hobby was catching Dragonflies in the dam area.  Quite a few Little Egrets on the dam, these moved off to the Leicester waterside trees and numbered 14.  Several grey herons about.

Plenty of Shovelers and Teal still, Pochards have increased to 24+.

Two Swallows were present around the dam area.   A roving Tit flock with several Chiffchaffs mixed in.

23rd Sept Wednesday - Sunny intervals am, a brief cloud/shower as front past through them sunny pm, 20C

Willey; during the morning a Nuthatch in the Church lane hedge and Mistle Thrush in Church Yew tree.  Two Ravens over and a Red Kite.

Shawell Sandpit/Landfill area; evening

More ducks present with  36 Teal, two each of Wigeon and Gadwall, plus Tufties and Mallard.  Three Mute Swans.  Usual Little Gulls and Gulls.

56 Lapwings at the south pit.  The adult and juv Buzzard still around the spinney.

Ravens and other corvids and a Red Kite around the landfill area.

22nd Sept Tuesday - sunny until later afternoon, light SW, 25C

Willey; I noticed a Small Tortoiseshell on the ivy in the Church garden hedge mid-morning.  Very very few seen this year again.

Theddingworth; afternoon.

Butterflies in the walled garden area were four Small Coppers, a Clouded Yellow, a Small and Large White.

On the lake  (half dry) 22 Mallards and two Grey Wagtails.  Two Ravens over.

21st Sept Monday - very warm, 2C, light SW_W, Sunny

WIlley; several Red admirals spotted during the day.  A Red Kite over and Nuthatch calling 0)915.

Shawell Sandpit/Landfill; evening

A quick look, dusk is creeping ever earlier now!

A Great Spotted Woodpecker in road side trees.

A 1W Caspian and 2 1W Yellow-legged Gulls.  

Not so many ducks this evening, 10 Teal though.  c50 Greylags and c35 Canada Geese - hoping a PInk-footed will drop in locally now they are returning to Norfolk.

A Grey Heron (not often seen here).  A single Buzzard in the spinney trees.

20th Sept Sunday -

 Lilbourne Meadows; morning.

A feeding flock c40 Linnets near the Island pool.  On the pool only Canada and Greylag Geese and a Mallards. 

Four Meadow Pipits on the fencing and a few Skylarks on the rough meadows.

Four Greenfinch and several Goldfinches around the game cover corner.

Rutland Water; afternoon.

Caught up with the Lesser Yellowlegs which has been present a couple of days.  Other waders included Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Ringed Plover, Snipe, Ruff and Green Sandpiper.  A single Common Tern.

A Hobby was hawking Dragonflies over lagoon 2.

Butterflies included a Clouded Yellow, Common Blue, Small White Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and a worn Brown Argus.

size compared to a Greenshank