9th July - cloud claring to sunny spells, light mostly NW, 26C

Shawell Sandpit/landfill; later afternoon.

Ferruginous Duck still.  One each Little Egret and Grey Heron.

c25 Red Kites.

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8th July - Sunny, light NW, 22C

Willey; a Red Kite over again, just about daily now.

Shawell Sandpit/Landfill; afternoon.

Ferruginous Duck still, two drake Pochard with Tufted and Mallards.

A Common Sandpiper and 22 Red Kites.

A Purple hairstreak spotted under the Oaks

7th July - Sunny spells, light-mos NW, 20C

Shawell Sandpit/Landfill; late afternoon.

Ferruginous Duck still.

Lilbourne Meadows; evening

Three Little Egrets and two Grey herons, Little Ringed Plover, Redshank and Lapwing families. Single Oystercatcher..  42 Lapwings on the pasture.

A few House and Sand Martins dropped in to feed. Singing male Reed Bunting.

Five Meadow Pipits on the meadows, singing and juvs.

6th July - rain am, some heavy showers, lighter shower pm, mod NW, 18C

Shawell sandpit/landfill; afternoon.

The Ferruginous Duck was still present, not doing much, just floating and resting.  Still challenging to get a decent photograph.

A Common Sandpiper too.

Stanford reservoir; afternoon.

A look here around the dam end as Chris found a Ruddy Shelduck this morning, alas I filed to see it.

72 Mute Swans excluding cygnets were counted.  A couple of Grey Wagtails in the spillway and an Oystercatcher on the dam.

Lilbourne Meadows; late afternoon.

All the summer waders still as reported previously.  The male Yellow Wagtail was still collecting food for its young.

I also noticed a Meadow Pipit with food on a post with a big fledging begging for food, plus a male nearby in song and flight display.

A female/juv Kestrel flew past.

5th July - Cloudy am, sunny intervals pm, 22C, breezy SW

Willey; 0830h, a f//1W Redstart along top fence line.

Lilbourne Meadows; morning.

Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Redshank and Lapwing.

Linnets and Meadow Pipits on the meadows

Shawell Sandpit/Landfill; morning.

Ferruginous Duck still present.  A Tufted Duck brood of four ducklings.  Three Common Sandpipers.

Plus the other regular birds.

Bittesby Country Park.

11 species of butterfly seen. A Field Grasshopper was spotted, along with others too quick to see.

Plenty of Skylarks in the meadows, a Green Woodpecker along the old railway track.  Juvenile Pied Wagtails around the main lake. 

Cinnabar caterpillars

4th July - sunny am, cloudy increasing pm and SW breeze freshening later, 25C

Shawell Sandpit/Landfill; afternoon.

Female Ferruginous Duck still present.

Lilbourne Meadows; evening

A Green Sandpiper and 8 Little Ringed Plovers on the 'damp' field flood pool area, the LPRs were disturbed by something and most flew off.

At the island pond the Redshanks have two young and the Lapwing pair have three young, not one and and two as noted previously - they do spend a lot of time in the tall grasses!

A male Yellow Wagtail was collecting food for young.

3rd July - mostly sunny, light W, 23C

Misterton; afternoon.

Two Spotted Flycatchers, Nuthatch, Blackcap, two singing Song Thrushes, Goldcrest.

Shawell Sandpit/Landfill.

Female Ferruginous Duck still present.

Five Little Egrets - site record peak count.  Six teal - numbers increasing now. 10 Red Kites.

Lilbourne Meadows; evening.

A lapwing pair with two well grown young.  Redshank with its youngster again.  Little Ring Plovers with young.

Two Oystercatchers, a Little Egret.

Goldfinch and Linnets with juveniles.

Skylarks, one with food and Meadow Pipits on the meadows area.

12 Swallows dropped in and a Swift over.