31st August Monday - sunny spells, little drizzle pm, mod-fresh W, 19C

WIlley; 20 Swallows on thew wires 0800h.

Lilbourne Meadows; morning.

Two Green Sandpipers, six Meadow Pipits, only two lapwings at the pool.

A Kestrel and Green Woodpecker.

Swallows and House Martins over, also a Raven.

Welford and Sulby Reservoirs; afternoon.

Rather quite, little to see.  A Common Sandpiper.  Adult Great Crested Grebe with a juv.

Three Grey herons and a Little Egret.

Husbands Bosworth Sand pit; afternoon.

!8 Little Grebes, probably all the families that bred here. 

c50 Mallard and c10 Turfed Duck, including a female with larger ducklings.  

A Common Sandpiper.

30th August Sunday - sunny spells, mostly light SW, 22C

Willey; only 14 Swallows on the wires this morning, but being sunny and warmer they may have been out over the fields already feeding.

Shawell Lagoons; morning.

Not much around, 28 Lapwings resting.

Stanford Reservoir; afternoon.

The main sighting was a Bittern that flew along the Leics side, eastward, in to the narrows, then lost from view.  Presumably heading to the Leics reed bed.  One was seen a couple of days ago by Chris H.

Three Little Egrets.  Two Common Terns.

29th August Saturday - light rain most of the day, light easterly, 18 C. 8 mm since yesterday.

Willey; 51 Swallows on the wires this morning.

Shawell sandpit/landfill; morning

Six Gadwall and two Teal with the Mallards and Tufted.  Little Grebe still.

c20 Swallows and c 30 House Martins.  Four Mute Swans and 9 Lapwings.

Lilbourne Meadows; afternoon.

A Curlew, Green Sandpiper and four Lapwings.

C35 Swallows,  c25 House Martins and c5 Sand Martins.

A Green Woodpecker.

28th August Friday - some rain early, them sunny spells until late afternoon a thunderstorm and heavy showers. Through the night until 0800h 22mm, during today until 1900h another 14mm.

Willey;  Three Greenfinch in the church lane hedge and the Swallows were on the wires again - 0800h.

Daventry Reservoir; afternoon.

A wader fest today - Greenshank 2, Ruff 1, Curlew Sandpiper 3, Common Sandpiper 2, Green Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit 1, Pectoral Sandpiper 1, Oystercatcher 1, Spotted Redshank 1, Dunlin 3.

A Pintail, two Common Terns, three Grey Herons.  Swallows, House and Sand Martins.

27th August Thursday - RAIN at last. We had 30mm between 0730 and 1400h, then sunny spells, 22C. Thunderstorm and rain during the evening.

Willey - Village and Moors Lane

46 Swallows were on the wires.

A Blackcap, Lesser whitethroat and Chiffchaff were in the hedge opposite the sewage works gate, at 1430h.

Bittesby Country Park; afternoon

No 'chats' found.  Buzzard, Red Kite, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

Ullesthorpe, Manor Farm; afternoon.

c20 House Sparrows and four Collared Doves.

Lilbourne Meadows; evening.

Fairly quiet.  Male redstart still present.

Three Snipe, Seven Mallards, 42 Lapwings, Kestrel, four Meadow Pipits, only two Starlings.

Little Owl, Grey Heron four Goldfinch.

26th August Wednesday - high clod, light E, humid, 21C

Willey; a Nuthatch calling from the church lane hedge, a holly Blue on the church garden hedge. 

Stanford Reservoir; afternoon.

Common Sandpiper on dam, along with several Yellow and Pied Wagtails.

Female Mandarin Duck at the point.  Ferruginous Duck still present.

Ravens over calling.  Green Woodpecker, two Meadow pipits and several Linnets.

Shawell Sandpit; evening.

520 Greylags and 125 Canada Geese in, many from Stanford res. 

Common Sandpiper, 11 Lapwings, three Ravens.

The final Little Grebe pair has hatched (between this and my last visit here) and have three fledglings around the nest.

25th August Tuesday - Sunny, mod-brisk E, 25C

Lilbourne Meadows; early evening.

The male Redstart was showing in the same spot as last visit. 

At the island pool area , 67 Lapwings, two feeding Snipe and a Wheatear.  A Little Egret dropped in, as did a few Swallows.

Six Pheasant (the family previously see, this time with a cock bird present).

c60 Starlings were feeding on the dry flood pool area.  Linnet and Goldfinch seen.

A Fox hunting in the long grass and a Muntjac walking about.

[We may may well be in for some meaningful rain after today - we shall see - fingers crossed.]